The Day Man Saw Dinosaurs

Romans 12:1–2 — “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

A Biblical Worldview in a Secular World

Christians are called to see the world differently — to let our minds be renewed and transformed by the Word of God. That includes how we understand creation, history, and even the mysteries of the natural world. Yet in our culture, a secular worldview dominates classrooms, textbooks, and media. Human theories often take the place of divine truth.

Few topics illustrate this clash of worldviews better than dinosaurs. For many, these ancient creatures seem to disprove the Bible’s timeline — evidence, we’re told, that the earth is millions of years old and that man came long after dinosaurs disappeared. But Scripture and science, rightly understood, tell a different story — one that shows that man and dinosaurs once walked the earth together.

The Timeline of Creation

Genesis 1 clearly describes six literal days of creation — each defined by “the evening and the morning.” These are not symbolic eras of millions of years but 24-hour days. Using the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11, the Bible’s timeline reveals a world a little over 6,000 years old, not billions.

Modern dating methods, such as radiometric or carbon-14 testing, rely on assumptions about starting conditions, decay rates, and environmental stability — factors that make their conclusions uncertain. In fact, carbon-14, which decays within thousands (not millions) of years, has been detected in dinosaur bones. If those bones were truly millions of years old, all traces of carbon-14 would have disappeared.

Even more striking, researchers have discovered soft tissue, blood cells, and collagen inside unfossilized dinosaur bones. Such preservation is impossible over millions of years, but it is perfectly consistent with a recent creation and a global flood.

Dinosaurs in the Bible

Some ask, “If man and dinosaurs lived together, why doesn’t the Bible mention them?” The answer lies in language. The word dinosaur wasn’t coined until 1841. Earlier English translations used words like “dragon,” “serpent,” and “beast.”

God Himself describes two extraordinary creatures to Job: Behemoth and Leviathan.

• Behemoth (Job 40:15–23) is described as a massive, grass-eating creature with bones like iron and a tail like a cedar tree — a clear picture of a land dinosaur such as the Brachiosaurus.

• Leviathan (Job 41:15–31) is a sea-dwelling creature with impenetrable scales and fiery breath — “out of his mouth go burning lamps.” This description closely resembles a fire-breathing dragon, consistent with reports of reptilian “dragons” found throughout ancient history.

Both creatures were created on the sixth day, the same day as man (Genesis 1:24–31). God told Job, “Behold now Behemoth, which I made with thee.”

In other words, man saw dinosaurs.

Historical and Archaeological Evidence

Legends of dragons appear in nearly every ancient culture — Europe, China, the Middle East, and the Americas. Many of these accounts describe creatures strikingly similar to what modern paleontology calls dinosaurs.

Artifacts also bear witness:

• Carlisle Cathedral (England) — brass engravings from the 1400s depict creatures shaped like dinosaurs.

• Angkor Wat Temple (Cambodia) — a 12th-century carving shows a stegosaurus.

• Mexico and Peru — ancient figurines and engraved stones show men interacting with dinosaur-like animals.

• Glen Rose, Texas — fossilized human footprints appear alongside dinosaur tracks in the same rock layers.

These findings challenge evolutionary assumptions but align perfectly with Scripture’s testimony that humans and dinosaurs coexisted.

Man’s Relationship with Creation

At first, both humans and animals were vegetarian. God gave “every green herb” for food (Genesis 1:29–30). There was no bloodshed, no fear, and no predation. Man had peaceful dominion over all creatures.

After the flood, however, that relationship changed. God allowed man to eat meat (Genesis 9:2–3), and the “fear and dread” of man fell upon every beast. From that point on, many species — including dinosaurs — began to decline.

James 3:7 reminds us, “For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind.” The term serpent in this verse includes reptiles — even dinosaurs. Ancient records from China describe dragons harnessed to royal chariots, suggesting that early people may have domesticated smaller species.

What Happened to the Dinosaurs?

Most dinosaurs likely perished in the global flood, along with other land animals that were not on Noah’s ark. Yet Scripture says Noah took two of every kind — including reptiles — into the ark. Those that survived repopulated the post-flood earth, but environmental changes, food scarcity, disease, and human hunting led to their eventual extinction.

Just as countless other animals have vanished since, dinosaurs were not a lost evolutionary link but part of the same creation.

Dinosaurs and the Gospel

Dinosaurs should never be viewed as symbols of doubt but as reminders of God’s power in creation. They testify that the Bible’s history is true — from Genesis to Revelation. God made all things by His word, judged the world by the flood, and offers redemption through Christ.

“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” — John 1:3

When understood through the lens of Scripture, dinosaurs affirm both the majesty of God and the accuracy of His Word. The day man saw dinosaurs was not in some distant age but in the beginning — when God saw all that He made, and it was very good.

Reflection Questions

1. How does believing in a literal creation week shape our understanding of God’s power and authority?

2. What evidence supports the idea that man and dinosaurs lived at the same time?

3. How can Christians use the topic of dinosaurs to open conversations about the truth of the Bible?

4. What does Romans 12:1–2 teach us about maintaining a biblical worldview in a secular world?