Many people have questions concerning what the Bible teaches about dinosaurs. The popular position is that the earth is billions of years old and that dinosaurs existed long before humans.
However, the Bible clearly teaches that the universe and the earth are not billions of years old, but rather thousands of years old. This would mean that dinosaurs would have co-existed with humans for a certain period of time. Although the Bible’s teachings are not dependent upon science, there is strong scientific evidence that supports this position.
Dinosaurs and the Bible
Genesis 1 clearly teaches that the earth is young, which means dinosaurs could not have existed long before humans.
Some argue that the creature described in Job 40:15 might be a dinosaur.
15 “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. 16 Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. 17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.
The animal that most fits this description seems to be some kind of dinosaur. Elephants and hippopotamuses do not have tails as described in Job 40:15.
Dinosaurs and Ancient Civilizations
Almost every ancient civilization has art that depicts giant reptilian animals that look like dinosaurs. There is also evidence of fossilized footprints of dinosaurs and humans together in North America and West-Central Asia.
What Happened to the Dinosaurs?
According to the Bible, dinosaurs would have been on the ark that saved Noah and animals from the flood. These dinosaurs could fit on the ark because they could have been young dinosaurs.
It is likely that dinosaurs died out relatively soon after the flood, perhaps due to environmental changes or because they were hunted by humans.
