Evidence for Recent Dinosaurs
According to the Bible, man and dinosaur lived on Earth at the same time. According to evolution, dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago and apelike creatures turned human "only" one to four million years ago. Yet virtually every culture on Earth has stories about creatures which sound exactly like dinosaurs. Why? These range from cave drawings in the Grand Canyon to carvings found on Central American stone artifacts. Eye witness accounts in Italy, Ireland, India, China, and Arabia to Australian Aborigine paintings indicate that dinosaurs have been seen by humans around the world. As the following NIV translation from the book of Job shows, dinosaurs were clearly known by mankind at the time of Job:
Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a great cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze ... Under the lotus plants he lies ... When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth. (Job 40:15-23)
No known animal except the dinosaur had a huge "cedar-like" tail. If man had never seen those reptiles, why do ancient peoples all over the world have similar stories of enormous reptile-like creatures roaming and flying on the earth?1
Throughout history there have been records of man’s encounters with dinosaur-like creatures. From Africa to Europe to the Orient these encounters have been captured in historical accounts, stories, legends, and drawings.
The fossil record also provides much evidence to support the biblical claim that dinosaurs lived at the same time as mankind. Dinosaur remains have been found that are still not completely fossilized. Large dinosaur bones have been found in Colorado with traces of unfossilized blood and DNA fragments. [Neither of these fragile organic molecules could exist after millions of years. Yet it is quite reasonable to expect to find such fragments to remain since their burial during Noah’s flood - less than 5,000 years ago.]3 If dinosaur bones were 65 million years old, they would be completely fossilized. These unfossilized bones, with traces of blood and DNA fragments, indicate that dinosaurs died much more recently than the commonly repeated 65 million years ago.
[There have been many reports, too, of dinosaur bones which have been dated quite young. Carbon-14 (14C) analysis of dinosaur bones, reveals that they can contain measurable amounts of 14C. This is absolutely impossible if the bones are over 60 million years old, but makes perfect sense from a biblical perspective. The 14C concentration for organisms alive before Noah’s flood would have been greatly reduced compared to modern levels, but 14C should still be present in small amounts. This is exactly what we find and does not indicate a great age but a recent burial by a worldwide flood.
Partially fossilized samples from four dinosaur bones were "dated" at a university in Ohio at under 20,000 years. These bones were not identified as dinosaur bones because the labs would not take time to test bones which their evolutionary presumptions tell them could not contain any 14C. Yet the same level of 14C found in the bones of a more "recent" creature would be assumed to be correct. Recent dates on dinosaur bones should be no surprise to Christians. In Genesis 1:21 God says He created "great whales" (KJV). Elsewhere this Hebrew word, tannin, is translated "dragon". Job 40 and 41 describes powerful creatures which could only be dinosaurs.]3
By looking objectively at the biblical account, the fossil record, and historical data, one cannot help but reach the conclusion that man and dinosaurs have indeed coexisted. It is only by ignoring much of the evidence and uncritically accepting evolutionary beliefs that the opposite conclusion can be reached.1&2
This article is a compilation of two entries (Jan. 8 & Nov. 25) on the subject of "Evidence From The Fossil Record" and one entry (Apr. 15) on the subject of "Evidence From History" taken from the book, A Closer Look At The Evidence, by Richard & Tina Kleiss.4 Although this amazing book contains evidence, researched from over 70 expert sources, for the existence of a Creator, for the reliability of the Holy Bible, and for the trustworthiness of Christianity, the information in this article was condensed from the books, The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible, & Noah to Abraham: The Turbulent Years, & from the Creation Ex Nihilo Magazine.
1. The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible, Paul S. Taylor, David C. Cook Pub. Company, Elgin, IL, 1989. p. 36-49.
2. Creation Ex Nihilo Magazine, editor, Answers in Genesis Ltd., Qld, Australia, answersingenesis.org. Sept. 1997, p. 42-43.
3. Noah to Abraham: The Turbulent Years, Erich A. Von Fange, Ph. D., Living Word Services, 1994. p. 36.
4. A Closer Look At The Evidence, Richard L. & Christina (Tina) E. Kleiss, Search for the Truth Pub., Midland, MI.
