"Dinosaurs and The Bible"
Elder David Green
07.27.2007
INTRODUCTION.
" Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens:
praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels:
praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and
moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye
heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be
above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they
were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and
ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. Praise
the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire,
and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of
the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and
children: Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his
name alone is excellent; his glory
is above the earth and
heaven. He also
exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his
saints; even
of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the
LORD."
(Psalm 148).
Dinosaurs are creatures we learn about from the time we are
very small until we are very old. Some even question their
existence. However, the fact is, dinosaur bones have been found on every
continent, including Antarctica. So we know they existed at some
point. Some scientists and all public school textbooks tell us that the
dinosaurs died millions of years before man came on the scene, yet what does
the Bible say?
This may come as a surprise to some, but the Bible has a
lot to say about dinosaurs! No, the word is not found in our KJV Bible, but
that is because the word dinosaur was not coined until 1842, by a creationist
named Richard Owen. Our Bible was first translated in
1611.
"Interestingly, the word ‘dragon’ is used a number of times in the Old Testament. In most instances, the word dinosaur could substitute for dragon and it would fit very nicely. Creation scientists believe that dinosaurs were called dragons before the word dinosaur was invented in the 1800s. We would not expect to find the word dinosaur in Bibles like the Authorized Version (1611), as it was translated well before the word dinosaur was ever used." - Ken Ham, Dinosaurs and the Bible
In a generic sense, the word Dinosaur
has come to mean "any of various large extinct reptiles." (Merriam
Webster's Online Dictionary). Thus, in this sermon we may speak of
dinosaurs as being in the land, in the water or in the air.
In order to "unlock" the mystery of the dinosaurs in our KJV, we will also take a look at the original Hebrew word tan-neen' or tan-neem', which is usually translated dragon, but not always. Strong's concordance gives us this definition of that Greek word:
A marine or land monster, that is, sea serpent or jackal: - dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale.
Notice in our text, and let us re-read verse 7:
"Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps"
These dinosaurs, which seem fierce to
us were created to give praise to Almighty God, their creator!
THEIR CREATION.
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the
moving creature that hath life, and fowl
that may fly above the earth in the open
firmament of heaven.
And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every
winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it
was
good. And God
blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the
seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."
(Genesis 1:20-22).
The first types of dinosaurs were created on Day Five of
Creation. Remember, the days of creation were literal days, just like we
know them today... I am amazed at how many people try to explain away the word
day here. If I say that I will see you in six days, you would probably
not have any doubts what I meant. I really doubt anyone would think I
meant six billion years! Why is it people have problems with the word
day here? I do not know!
Anyway, some of you probably wonder how I know that any
dinosaurs were created on day five. Well, remember that Hebrew word
tan-neen? It is here, translated as whales. In the
original, God meant all the great sea monsters including those marine
dinosaurs that exist today and are found as fossils all around the world, and
may even exist in the waters today (ever read about the Loch Ness
Monster?). The King James translators translated it whales because that
was the biggest marine animal they knew about. And certainly, whales
were created that day, but they could have also translated it as sea dragons
or marine dinosaurs!
LEVIATHAN: A SEA DINOSAUR
"Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue
with a cord which thou lettest
down? Canst thou put
an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak
soft words
unto thee? Will he
make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
Wilt thou play with him as
with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy
maidens? Shall the
companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the
merchants? Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or
his head with fish spears? Lay thine hand upon him,
remember the battle, do no more. Behold, the hope of him
is in vain: shall not
one be cast down even at the sight of
him?
None is
so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is
able to stand before me?
Who hath prevented me, that I should
repay him? whatsoever
is under the whole heaven is
mine. I will not
conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
Who can discover the face of his garment?
or who can
come to him with his double
bridle? Who can open
the doors of his face? his teeth
are terrible round
about.
His scales
are his pride, shut up together as
with a close
seal. One is so near
to another, that no air can come between them. They are
joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be
sundered." (Job
41:1-17).
Now, up to this point in our reading, you might think of an
alligator or a crocodile. And you would not be alone in your
assumption. In fact, many old commentators have thought this to be the
case. (Some have even thought it was a whale! This totally blows
my mind, since leviathan obviously had scales...something that whales do not
have!) The word leviathan is actually the Hebrew word. When
the King James translators got to this word, they could not agree on what it
was, so they simply transliterated it. What is it, though? Well, let us
keep reading:
"By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes
are like the eyelids of the
morning. Out of his
mouth go burning lamps,
and sparks of fire leap
out. Out of his
nostrils goeth smoke, as
out of a seething pot or
caldron. His breath
kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. In
his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in
themselves; they cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as
a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether
millstone.
When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of
breakings they purify themselves. The sword of him that
layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
He esteemeth iron as straw,
and brass as rotten
wood. The arrow
cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a
spear. Sharp stones
are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed
things upon the mire.
He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a
pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after
him; one
would think the deep to be
hoary. Upon earth
there is not his like, who is made without fear. He
beholdeth all high
things: he
is a king over all the children of
pride."
(Job 41:18-34).
Let's do a recap of leviathan. He was a fire-breather
(v 18-21, 31-32), could raise himself up (v 25), not very easy to kill (v
26-30), unlike anything else created (v 33), and apparently very large (v.
34). What kind of crocodile or whale fits that description!
Ever hear those legends of fire breathing dragons that came out of
England? Guess what, it looks like they were based on some facts!
Our ancestors would have had no trouble telling us what the Bible describes
here! And those legends are not just in England, but also in other parts
of the world as well.
Now, I know, there are skeptics who say the Bible must have
been influenced by legends. As Baptists we must either believe God
really did create fire-breathing dragons or believe the Bible is false.
I choose the Bible! Is it really far-fetched to believe that God
created dinosaurs that could do this? Not really, when there is a
"fire-breathing bug" that is alive today. Notice:
"O LORD, how manifold
are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy
riches. So is this
great and wide sea, wherein are
things creeping innumerable, both small and great
beasts. There go the
ships: there
is that leviathan,
whom thou hast made to play
therein."
(Psalm 104:24-26).
God made this creation in His wisdom, and so it is also
with leviathan, who was one of those great innumerable sea creatures made to
play in the waters.
"For God is my King of old,
working salvation in the midst of the
earth. Thou didst
divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the
waters. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in
pieces, and
gavest him to be meat to the
people inhabiting the
wilderness."
(Psalm 74:12-14).
Here we find God's greatness expressed through the killing
of leviathan. (On a side note, we find it was good for
food!) When we find the fossils of these sea dragons we ought to
remember God's power and greatness!
FLYING DINOSAURS.
"Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him
that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a
cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a
fiery flying serpent."
(Isaiah 14:29).
Serpent is another older word used for dragons and
dinosaurs. To see the connection, let us look up the word for dragon in
Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
A kind of winged serpent, much celebrated in the romances of the middle ages.
Now the passage we just read is not the only passage like it. Notice:
"The
burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from
whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they
will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures
upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit
them." (Isaiah
30:6).
Although the Hebrew word is unlike the word we have looked
at before, the translation is precise. It says a flying serpent,
even in the original. God created flying dinosaurs (We know them today
as pterodactyls) on the
fifth day of creation, and the evidence is very clear they existed in the
world as we study the fossil record!
LAND DINOSAURS
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature
after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his
kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth
after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth
upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it
was
good."
(Genesis 1:24-25).
On
day six of creation, God created all the land animals and mankind. How
can I know for sure that God created the land dinosaurs on that day?
Well, because God's Word says so! Notice:
"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass
as an ox." (Job 40:15).
Behemoth is another one of
those transliterated words that come to us from the Hebrew. Again, the
translators were unsure how to translate this one so they left it alone.
If you have any notes at all in the center column or at the bottom of the page
here, it probably tells you that behemoth was either an ox, elephant or a
hippo. Whichever it says, it's wrong!
Let us look at the description of it:
"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass
as an ox. Lo now, his strength
is in his loins, and his force
is in the navel of his
belly. He moveth his
tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
His bones are
as strong pieces of brass; his
bones are like bars of
iron.
He
is the chief of the ways of God: he that
made him can make his sword to approach unto
him.
Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts
of the field play. He lieth under the shady trees, in the
covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees cover
him with
their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him
about. Behold, he
drinketh up a river,
and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can
draw up Jordan into his mouth.
He taketh it with his eyes:
his nose pierceth through
snares."
(Job 40:15-24).
I believe this was the biggest land creature (or at least one of the biggest) God made. Notice the words: "chief of the ways of God" there in verse 19. Then in verse 23, we are told he can even drink up the Jordan River... Now that may not mean much to us, but this was the biggest river in Palestine...traveling 200 miles long and 90-100 feet wide and three to ten feet deep! What a mighty creature Job must have known! The description sounds much like what scientists know today as a Sauropod such as the famous Brachiosaurus. Notice this description of the Sauropods:
Brachiosaurid was one of the biggest dinosaurs. They considered the longest dinosaurs. The weight was about 80t and the length was 25m. In addition, using their long necks, they could eat leaves of treetops. However, unlike other herbivorous dinosaurs, Brachiosaurus bit leaves from trees and then chewed. Sometimes, they could stand up by their strong hind legs to reach to the leaves of treetops.
"And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage
waste for the dragons of the wilderness." (Malachi
1:3).
There
were dinosaurs that roamed the earth. Here the Bible tells us that
dragons were in the forests!
WHAT THEY ATE.
"And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the
air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there
is life, I have
given every green herb for meat: and it was
so."
(Genesis 1:30).
Originally, all
dinosaurs were vegetarians. None of them ate meat. Way back there
in the Garden of Eden, there was nothing fierce, not even the dinosaurs!
Obviously, later many of God's creation began eating meat (including
mankind).
THEIR DESTRUCTION.
"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the
earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is
the breath of life, from under heaven;
and every thing that
is in the earth shall
die. But with thee
will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy
sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of
every living thing of all flesh, two of every
sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to
keep them alive with thee; they
shall be male and female.
Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of
every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of
every sort
shall come unto thee, to keep them
alive. And take thou
unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt
gather it to
thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for
them. Thus did Noah;
according to all that God commanded him, so did he."
(Genesis
6:17-22).
God sent a great flood to the
earth that destroyed the majority of the dinosaurs. The evidence of that
is seen today in the sedimentary deposits of the world. Fossilized
dinosaur bones are found in all continents of the world, including places like
Antarctica. Two of each of the kinds of dinosaurs were saved on the ark,
so the population was not totally destroyed in the flood, but greatly reduced.
"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And
God made the firmament, and divided the waters which
were under the firmament from the waters
which were above the firmament:
and it was so."
(Genesis 1:6-7).
"In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second
month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains
of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were
opened." (Genesis 7:11).
In the beginning, when God created this world, He gave it a water vapor canopy. There was no rain back in those days... However, when He sent the flood, the waters that were above the earth poured down on the earth...In other words, we lost our canopy. He also broke up the fountains of the deep...probably water underground.
Now, that canopy
would have been like being in a "global greenhouse," giving us a pleasant warm
temperature all over the earth. This is why fossils of tropical plants
and animals have been found in Antarctica. However, in the flood
the "windows of heaven were opened." I believe that firmament was done
away with at that point. Also, the Bible tells us that the "fountains of
the great deep" were "broken up." This may be reference to volcanic
activity. Looking at the evidence left behind, we know that volcanic
activity was greater in the past than it is now. Evolutionists say this
all happened in millions of years. I say it happened within a few
thousand years, and probably in the events during and shortly after the flood.
I say all this to point out that the world was vastly
different after the flood. It would have been harsher on all
living things. We know that even in our own lives. You won't live
to be over 900 years old today! Fact is, we will probably not see 100 in
our current environment.
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the
fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and
upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth
upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of
the sea; into your hand are they
delivered. Every
moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I
given you all things."
(Genesis 9:1-3).
The
flood brought about other changes too: the behavior of animals was vastly
different...God put a fear of man into them...and for good reason too...He
gave Noah's family permission to eat meat. Probably at this point
too, animals began to eat meat as well, so it was good for man that there be
this dread or fear.
So, I believe that because of the harshness of the new
environment and because of Noah's descendants hunting and eating them,
dinosaurs are either extinct today or very, very rare. There have been
sightings of dinosaurs even in our own day. And it is possible that a
few still exist in some of the remote parts of the world.