Dinosaurs are a topic of interest for many people, young and old. For some, they are a source of fascination and scientific curiosity. For others, they are a source of religious debate and controversy. Christians have varying beliefs when it comes to dinosaurs. Some Christians believe that dinosaurs never existed, while others believe that they did exist but were created by God on the sixth day of Creation, along with the rest of the animals.
Let’s take a look at what the Bible says and doesn’t say.
Do Christians Believe In Dinosaurs?
There is no doubt that dinosaurs were alive, judging by fossils found all over the globe and the research of many scientists. Many Christians still question how dinosaurs became extinct, their origins, and when they last existed.
Do Christians believe in dinosaurs?
Christians believe dinosaurs exist because of biblical and archeological evidence. In the Bible, there are references to dinosaur-like creatures mentioned in Genesis, Job, and Isaiah. While Christians may have different views about when, how, and why dinosaurs existed, there is no doubt that they once roamed the earth.
Whether you believe in an old earth view or a young earth view, there is no doubt that dinosaurs existed. If they did, God created them. The Bible even describes creatures we now refer to as dinosaurs.
What the Bible says about Dinosaurs
God tells Job about the Behemoth, Leviathan, and other miracles that God created, reminding him of his strength and wisdom.
“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you;
Job 40:15-18
He eats grass like an ox.
16 See now, his strength is in his hips,
And his power is in his stomach muscles.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
18 His bones are like beams of bronze,
His ribs like bars of iron.
Later verses continue this description. It is most likely that Behemoth was either a brachiosaurus or an apatosaurus, according to the picture God paints.
The Leviathan is a creature that lives in the ocean with possibly multiple heads. There’s not much evidence to support this description.
For God is my King from of old,
Psalm 74:12-14
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.
14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
These creatures were huge and impressive, but the Bible reminds us that God is greater than all of them and that He created them.
This great and wide sea,
Genesis 1:24-25
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
26 There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.Psalm 104:25-26
Some people would argue that the Bible does not say God created dinosaurs. How could God allow a T.Rex to roam in the Garden of Eden?
God intended for all animals to be able to eat their vegetables and live peacefully with humans. In Revelation, God also says that the lion will be with the lamb in heaven.
If God created sharks, lions, and other potentially dangerous animals, then He created dinosaurs. This is what the Bible teaches us in Genesis. It also explains how God created all living creatures.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24-25
Evolutionists believe that dinosaurs evolved from other organisms over millions of years. However, there is no evidence that dinosaurs evolved from intermediate species.
Dinosaurs were always 100% dinosaurs. The Bible says that God created them in the first week after creation.
God is a magnificent and powerful creator. It’s all about Him, even if Christians aren’t certain about the details of dinosaurs.
Two Christian Perspectives on the Extinction of Dinosaurs
The fact that Christians believe God created all animals, including dinosaurs, doesn’t mean that they think dinosaurs died out and were extinct many millions of years before humans.
What date do Christians believe the dinosaurs died out? Both are possible.
Viewpoint #1: Dinosaurs Died Before or During the Flood
Many Christians believe the flood destroyed the dinosaurs because it was the only thing that could wipe them out.
Many fossils of dinosaurs were found throughout the globe due to the flood’s effects. These fossils would not have been possible if the earth had suffered a major catastrophe like Noah’s flood.
Christians who believe all dinosaurs died out because of the flood believe they were not included in the pair of animals God placed on Ark. How could you fit both a T-Rex or a fully-fledged brachiosaurus onto the ark?
Noah could have brought baby dinosaurs and younger dinosaurs to the Ark instead of adults. The devastation of the flood would have been avoided if the dinosaurs had survived in the Ark.
Viewpoint #2: Dinosaurs Died After the Flood
The majority of Christians believe that the flood caused dinosaurs to die. This is because God ordered Noah to bring two of each creature of the ground and sky on the Ark.
And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Genesis 6:19-22
One could argue that Noah forgot the dinosaurs or that Noah disobeyed God by not including them on Ark. But verse 22 states that Noah did everything exactly as God instructed him to.
This is why anyone who believes God’s word to be true believes that the dinosaurs survived, or at least two did.
Humans began to reproduce and fill the earth with dinosaurs. They probably started to exterminate those dinosaurs. Like any other species, the death of dinosaurs could be due to predators, climate change due to the flood, or lack of food.
Job mentions also the behemoth and the leviathan as creatures most likely to have been dinosaurs.
Most scholars believe Job lived after Noah’s time. If that is true, then both land- and sea dinosaurs survived the flood.
While Christians don’t know the exact time and how dinosaurs died, we do know it wasn’t that long ago.
Scientists discovered soft tissue in dinosaur fossils. The maximum time that soft tissue can survive is 900,000.
This is a very long time. However, it does not support the claim that dinosaurs disappeared millions and millions of years ago.
It is possible that dinosaurs lived up to a few thousand years ago. Whatever your opinion, it’s clear that dinosaurs existed, and Christians believe so.
Christians Believe in Dinosaurs
The biblical, scientific, archaeological, and Biblical evidence support the belief that dinosaurs are real.
Christians who believe in God’s truth and word also believe that dinosaurs were extinct following the flood of Noah’s time.
Although we don’t know the exact date and time when dinosaurs disappeared, they existed. We know that dinosaurs won’t be seen in Jurrasic Park anytime soon. But we will one day see God’s power, beauty, and creativity.
The cool Creator that we have is evident in dinosaurs and all other animals that have ever existed. The creations of God reflect His power and beauty. While dinosaurs reflect His creativity and might, we can also see the Creator.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Christians do believe in dinosaurs. They believe God created them on the sixth day of creation, along with all the other animals. Some Christians believe that the dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark, and others believe they died out because of the Flood.
Many Christians see dinosaurs as a testimony to God’s power and creativity. They can be a fun way to simultaneously learn about science and God’s Word.