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DINOSAUAR
People
have lots of questions about dinosaurs. They are interesting creatures to
say the least!
Did
they really live millions of years ago? Did they evolve? What
happened to them? Why are there so many dinosaur fossils found?
Did
dinosaurs ever live on earth with man? Are there any living dinosaurs
today? Does the Bible have anything to say about dinosaurs?
There
is no doubt that millions of dinosaurs once roamed Earth. Fossils have
been found all over the world and the bones of some of them are on display in
the museums. Scientists have reconstructed the ancient creatures and we
think we have a pretty good idea what they looked like.
If
you try finding the word “dinosaur” in ancient literature or the Bible, I can
save you time. The word is simply not found. But then the word
dinosaur didn’t come into existence until 1841 when Sir Richard Own coined the
name which means “terrible lizard.”
The
finding of fossil bones began over a hundred years ago in 1822 when an English
doctor by the name of Gideon Mantell found some
strange teeth fossilized in a rock. Actually, Dr. Mantell’s
wife found the first tooth and they began a life-long investigation that led
them to more bones in a gravel quarry.
Mantell was convinced that the tooth his wife had found
looked identical to an iguana – only about twenty times larger. Dr. Mantell finally named the creature that had owned that
tooth Iguanodon which means “iguana-like tooth!
WHAT
CAUSED THE DINOSAURS TO BECOME FOSSILIZED?
If
an animal dies today it begins to degenerate pretty fast because of heat,
humidity, scavengers and of course oxygen. Bugs, worms and bacteria also
go to work on the decaying animal and it doesn’t take it very long to go from
road kill to rot!
If
the dinosaurs had simply died of old age or in a battle with another dinosaur,
they would have quickly decayed and we would have no record of them
today. Something traumatic had to occur to cover the fossilized animals
with mud in order to begin the process of fossilization. I like the term
“mud flood.
Despite
what many of us have been told, the making of fossils can be a very short
process (not thousands or even millions of years). There have been
fossils found in the mud floods that ruined
In
fact, a miner’s hat has been found that had been completely fossilized or
turned into a rocky mineral. An old western boot has also been found with
a fossilized bone still in it . . . and we know that that cowboy didn’t live
millions of years ago!
The
fact that great fossil beds have been found with thousands of animals all piled
up and jumbled together. These huge piles of ancient animals and
dinosaurs must have died and been buried very quickly. These fossil beds
are found all over the world and are evidence that the world was once covered
by a huge flood. One of the fossil beds in found in
Florissant
Fossil Beds, also in
DO
WE READ ABOUT DINOSAURS IN THE BIBLE?
We
don’t find the word “dinosaur” in the Bible of course, because the word dinosaur
was not even thought of then. But there are a number of places where the
word “dragon” occurs in the Scriptures. Actually, the same Hebrews
word for “dragon” is used in some passages to speak of monsters, serpents, and
even sea monsters!
The
most interesting passages in the Bible that refers to a huge monster type of
creature is found in Job chapters 40 and 41.
BEHEMOTH
In
Job 40:15-24 we read about a creature called “behemoth.” We
can learn some interesting things about this ancient creature:
1. Behemoth ate grass like an ox. (verse 15)
2. Behemoth had great strength in his loins or back
legs and in the muscles of his belly. (verse
16)
3. Behemoth moved his huge tail which is described
like a cedar tree! (verse 17) Can
you find an animal today that has a tail as large as a cedar tree?
Some commentators say that behemoth was actually a
hippopotamus or an elephant. Have you ever seen a hippo or elephant with
a tail as big as a cedar tree?
4. Behemoth had bones that were as
strong as iron. (verse 18)
5. Behemoth was the largest and strongest of
all the animals. (verse 19)
6. Behemoth found refuge in the shady trees and
willows that grew in the water. He must not have liked living out in the
open. (verses 21-22)
7. Behemoth drank so much water that the
scripture says “he drinks up a river.” (verse 23)
8. Behemoth could not be captured by the
snares of men. (verse 24)
That must have been some creature! Wouldn’t you love
to see behemoth? It’s description is kind of
like the brontosaurus or maybe the brachiosaurus.
LEVIATHAN
Job
chapter 31 tells us about another fascinating creature called leviathan.
You can read about leviathan in Job 41:1-5, Psalm 74:14, and
Psalm 104:26.
Let’s
see what we can find about this incredible creature:
1.
God asked Job, do you think you can catch leviathan with a fish hook? (verse1)
2.
Mockingly, God asked Job if he thought he could put a ring in his nose and tame
him! (verse 2)
3.
God again asked Job – do you think leviathan would beg for mercy and speak
softly to mere man? Or does man think he can make a beast of burden out
of him like he does other animals? (verses 3
and 4)
4.
God asks Job if he thinks he can make a pet out of leviathan or catch him and
eat him at a banquet. (verses 5 and 6)
5.
Leviathan is so fierce that no man wants to rile him up because no man can
stand up to this mighty creature. (verse 10)
6.
Leviathan has huge and terrible teeth and his mouth is like a large door.
(verse 14)
7.
Leviathan even has scales for protection. (verse
15)
8.
When leviathan sneezes, he send forth a light.
His eyes glow and out of his mouth fly sparks of fire. Smoke comes out of
his nostrils and a flame comes out of his mouth! (verses
18-21) This sounds like some kind of fire breathing
dragon!
9.
Leviathan has a long and strong neck. When leviathan raises himself up,
even the bravest of men shake in fear! (verses
22-25)
10.
Leviathan cannot be killed with mere swords and spears. He can break iron
like a piece of straw and bronze is like rotten wood to him. (verses 26-27)
11.
Arrows cannot drive him away. He has no fear of man and he can stir up
the deep waters like a boiling pot. (verses
28-34)
12.
Leviathan even plays with the mighty ship that sail the ocean. (Psalm
10426)
Leviathan
must have been some sea monster!
And this is all recorded in the Bible and these
creatures lived on earth with man!
Click
Here To Continue: Sailors have reported seeing these huge creatures and
sea monsters! (Coming soon!)