Add links

    Dinosaurs

    From BibleStrength

    From a Young-Earth Creationist perspective, dinosaurs coexisted beside humans for over 1,000 years after their creation in the book of Genesis, prior to the Flood. This view is entirely consistent with the Bible, indeed fire-breathing dinosaurs, both flying and deep-sea dwelling, are repeatedly referred to throughout the Old Testament even after the Flood. Brachiosaurs are referenced in Job 40, plesiosaurs in Job 41 (among numerous places including Genesis 1:21), and fiery flying serpents (Heb. saraph--possibly archaeopteryx?) are clearly referred to not only during the Mosaic Exodus (Numbers 21:6-8; Deuteronomy 8:15) but also the time of Isaiah (Isaiah 14:29, 30:26).

    Attempts by Biblical minimalists to explain away these passages as referring to crocodiles in Job 40 or elephants in Job 41 are patently incompatible with the text. In Job 40, e.g., the herbivorous brachiosaur, which the Bible calls a behemoth, is said to move its tail like a cedar (v. 17), one of the tallest trees on Earth, and to drink up rivers (v. 23), neither of which describes any land mammal alive today. Similarly in Job 41, the deep-sea-dwelling plesiosaur which the Bible calls leviathan is said to have air-tight scales (vv. 15-16), the ability to breathe fire (vv. 18-21), and complete invulnerability to all weapons known at the time (vv. 26-29). In Psalms 104:26 the leviathan is said to play with ships. Its implied size and abilities, needless to say, do not fit those of any species known today.

    Have Any Modern Dinosaur Fossils Been Found?

    Fossilization is a rare process that does not occur so much through gradual processes as rapid, catastrophic processes. A global Flood coupled with underwater volcanism would have fossilized life worldwide, but dinosaurs living after this point would be less likely to be fossilized. In spite of this, evidence such as carbon dating of soft tissue reveals that dinosaurs are only thousands of years old, not millions. Furthermore, dinosaurs have been found in layers younger than those acceptable to academia. When this occurs, they are termed zombie taxa (alternately 'reworked' or 'remanie' fossils) and considered by academia to have been washed out of their original sediment layers and redeposited in different layers--a convenient way for academia to reject the evidence of dinosaurs being younger than the theory of evolution proposes.

    What Happened to the Dinosaurs?

    The primary distinction between modern reptiles and the dinosaurs, which has resulted in attempts by academia to classify them as related more closely to birds than reptiles, is that many dinosaurs had different hip structure than today's reptiles. Dinosaurs are classified in two ways, as lizard-hipped (saurischia) or bird-hipped (ornothischia).[1] The ability of dinosaurs such as the infamous T-Rex to tower above other creatures was due to this difference in hip structure from modern reptiles.

    At the time of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, God changed the method of locomotion for land-walking dinosaurs so that they would be cursed to crawl in the dirt, a far cry from their previous, towering status seen from fossils such as allosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex.

    Nonetheless, some dinosaurs such as brachiosaurus appear to have remained for a short time after the Flood. The deep-sea-dwelling plesiosaur species on the other hand is Biblically prophesied to remain until the end of time, and it thus appears that at least one is still living somewhere deep underwater.

    Fallen Angels/Seraphim Imprisoned

    See also Aliens/Angels

    Satan and the fallen angels/seraphim are referred to as dragons that have been imprisoned in Hell, deep within the Earth. As such, some of the original dinosaurs/leviathans/fallen angels may be deliberately imprisoned deep within the Earth.

    Size Reduction After the Flood

    See also Canopy Theory

    The dinosaurs simply microevolved, becoming smaller, after the Flood, given the reduced atmospheric thickness and oxygen levels. Oxygen levels were once 50% higher than today's levels, resulting in larger insects such as dragonflies with 12 foot wingspans.[2]

    Perhaps spurred by Carl Baugh's newly patented hyperbaric biosphere in 2001[3], scientists discovered that hyperbaric experiments actually do reproduce the giant insects of ages past through imitating ancient earth's higher oxygen levels (30-35% compared to 21% level today)[4], giving serious credence to the long-time Creationist claim that a vapor canopy resulted in higher oxygen levels and thus gigantism.[5]

    Cockroaches were, in 2010, discovered to be an exception to this, since their tracheal tubes, used for breathing, are different from other insects.[7] The research also indicates laying of larvae in water developed in insects to avoid oxygen overdose, since adult insects can control their oxygen intake, whereas juveniles are at risk of oxygen overdose - and there's less oxygen in water.[8]

    Examples of Modern Dinosaur Descendants

    Examples of modern dinosaur descendants include the komodo dragon, basilisk lizard, horned lizard, monitor lizard, iguana, and frill-necked lizard. Similar features can be seen in modern reptiles as in dinosaurs; for example the horned lizard and frill-necked lizard contain frilled neck structures similar to the ancient triceratops.

    Why Reptiles, Not Birds are the Dinosaurs' Descendants

    Anatomical Distinctions

    There are a number of features from the ancient dinosaurs that are largely exclusive to modern-day lizards and are not seen in today's birds. For example:

    • Frilled Neck: The Triceratops had a frilled neck. Today's birds do not, but there are lizards that do (e.g. the Horned Lizard and Frill-Necked Lizard).
    • Neural Spine Sail: Several dinosaurs had large spine sails on their backs, including Spinosaurus and Dimetrodon. Today's birds do not have neural Spine sails, but the Crested Chameleon does.
    • Bony Horns: The Triceratops had bony horns on its snout strikingly similar to those on Jackson's Chameleon. The Texas Horned Lizard also has a horn on its head. Today's birds do not have such bony horns.
    • Spiked Head: The Ankylosaurus had a bony, spiked Head very similar to that of the Short-Horned Lizard, Desert Horned Lizard, and Texas Horned Lizard. Today's birds do not have spiked heads.
    • Spiked Back: The Stegosaurus had a long row of bony spines or plates running down its back that are extremely similar to those on the Green Iguana. Needless to say, such structures do not exist in today's birds, but are found in lizards such as the Thorny Devil, Texas Horned Lizard, and Short-Horned Lizard.


    Hebraic Words for Dinosaurs in the Bible

    Tanniyn

    The first mention of dinosaurs is in Genesis 1:21. Although the KJV translated Hebrew word tanniyn as "whales" centuries ago, it actually refers to oceanic dinosaurs, or as the KJV translates it in Lamentations 4:13, 'sea monsters.' The leviathan is a type of tanniyn. (Isaiah 27:1; Job 41) For its presence in the fossil record, see the plesiosaurs including the pliosaurus (e.g. Predator X).[9]

    This same word tanniyn is elsewhere translated by the KJV as dragons, which is the typical way the KJV translates it. The KJV translates tanniyn as "dragon" or "dragons" 21 of the 28 times it is used in the Old Testament.[10] When the KJV was written in 1604 A.D., the word "dinosaur" hadn't even been invented yet (it wasn't invented until the 19th century) so 'dragon' was chosen by the KJV translators as a way to refer to dinosaurs in the Bible.

    The term tanniyn is also translated serpent several times in Exodus 7 as the creature Moses fled from. Given that Moses led troops into battle and early in his life even killed an Egyptian slavemaster in hand-to-hand combat, it is questionable whether a mere serpent could have made him run away. However, a translation of dragon, as occurs elsewhere throughout the KJV, or dinosaur, would make more sense.

    Livyathan

    The leviathan as seen from Isaiah 27 is a specific type of tanniyn, a huge underwater serpent. It is translated from the Hebrew word livyathan which is used just 6 times in the Old Testament.[11]

    It is best described in Job 41, where it is said to be impervious to all ancient weapons at the time, to breathe fire, to have air-tight scales, and to dwell in the depths of the sea. As seen from v. 31 it may have also left some kind of disturbance in the ocean like the squid.

    If there was any doubt about the size and power of the leviathan, it is elsewhere said to play with ships.

    Behemowth

    The behemoth or Hebrew word b@hemowth was a huge, ancient creature during Job's time, and Job may be the earliest book of the Bible written, presumably around the time of Abraham given Job's great age. The word is only used once in the entire Bible, in Job ch. 40.[12]

    According to the passage, it was a huge herbivore that ate grass like an ox and lived in the fens, known for a massive belly, long tail, and thick bones. Its huge size can be seen from the fact that it had a tail like a cedar, one of the tallest trees on Earth. No land mammal alive today has such a tail, which has led to hypothesis that it was the brachiosaur, one of the dinosaurs. It was said to be capable of drinking so much it thought it could drink up rivers, and to get food from the mountains, possibly a reference to a long neck.

    Saraph

    Furthermore, there are fiery flying serpents mentioned, which at one point the KJV translates as cockatrice. The Hebrew word is saraph, elsewhere translated as seraphim, and it is used 7 times in the Bible.[13] They may have been archaeopteryxes, or winged dinosaur fossils like ambopteryx, yi qi, or zilantophis which have recently been discovered.[14]

    Since they existed after the Flood during the Exodus, it is possible that more recent fossil discoveries of them can be found, proving that, like the Coelacanth and Laotian Rock Rat, they lived until recent timesl. The Exodus occurred across western Saudi Arabia and Jordan , those would be good places to look for fossils.

    Here are the places where the Bible uses this term. They were said to have six wings in Isaiah 6:2.

    Nachash

    The Hebrew word translated serpents in a number of these passages, nachash, is also been used at times to refer to dinosaurs when used in conjunction with certain terms. For example, 'bariyach nachash' or 'aqallathown nachash' (piercing/crooked serpent) consistently refers to leviathans and tanniyn (Isaiah 27:1; Job 26:13). Elsewhere it is used to refer to 'saraph uwph nachash' (fiery flying serpents) as in Numbers 21:6-9; Deuteronomy 8:15; and Isaiah 14:29. As such, it appears to be a catch-all term referring to reptiles, since elsewhere it appears to refer to snakes, not dinosaurs. (Psalms 58:4, 140:3; Proverbs 23:32)[15]

    References

    1. ↑ Speer, B.; Hutchison, J.; et. al. "Dinosauria: Morphology." University of California: Berkeley.
    2. ↑ Than, K. (2011, August 9). "Why Giant Bugs Once Roamed the Earth." National Geographic.
    3. ↑ Keely, Chris (2001, March 31). "Dr. Baugh and the Pre-Flood Environment." KeelyNet.
    4. ↑ Than, Ker (2011, August 8). "Why Giant Bugs Once Roamed the Earth." National Geographic.
      Choi, C.Q. (2006, October 10). "More Oxygen Could Make Giant Bugs." LiveScience.
    5. ↑ Martin, Jobe (1994, 2002). "Evolution of a Creationist." Chapter 7. Biblical Discipleship Publishers.
    6. ↑ Hamashige, H. (2007, July 30). "Giant Bugs a Thing of the Past, Study Suggests." National Geographic.
    7. ↑ Stratton, C. (2010, October 29). "Raising Giant Insects to Unravel Ancient Oxygen." The Geological Society of America.Also at ScienceDaily.
    8. ↑ BBC News Devon (2011, August 4). "Plymouth Scientists' Oxygen 'Key' to Gigantic Insects.
    9. ↑ (2012, October 15). "Paleontologists Reveal the Identity of ‘Predator X.'" National Geographic.
    10. ↑ "Tanniyn: The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon." BibleStudyTools.
    11. ↑ "Livyathan: The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon." BibleStudyTools.
    12. ↑ "Behemowth: The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon." BibleStudyTools.
    13. ↑ "Saraph: The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon." Bible Study Tools.
    14. ↑ Yong, E. (2019, May 8)." Another Bat-Winged Dinosaur Has Been Found." The Atlantic.
      Deamer, K. (2017, May 17)." 'Winged Serpent' Fossil Found in 5-Million-Year-Old Sinkhole." LiveScience.
    15. ↑ "Nachash: The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon." Bible Study Tools.
    Retrieved from "https://biblestrength.net/w/index.php?title=Dinosaurs&oldid=9342"