Biblical Evidence
Although we cannot travel back in time to see the first dinosaurs, we do have an eye-witness report from the only person who was on hand to observe their origin, God Himself. On the fifth day of creation, “God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:21 NAS). These “sea monsters” would include plesiosaurs, the great swimming reptiles. The flying creatures would have been created on the same day, including the great reptilian pterosaurs that once filled the skies of the early earth. There is no question that the straightforward, plain teaching of God’s Word leads one to believe that dinosaurs and man coexisted. God Himself declared, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:” (Exodus 20:11 KJV). The pattern of God’s literal six-day creation and Sabbath rest is an example for His followers to set aside a day of rest and worship every week. Dinosaurian creatures were created on the sixth day alongside man (Genesis 1:25) and the two co-existed thereafter. There are a number of fascinating biblical passages that appear to allude to the great reptiles:
While some of this remains merely speculation, it becomes clear that some very fascinating animals have become extinct since Biblical times. But some readers might object to using arguments from the Bible, claiming that it is not a reliable resource. There are several lines of evidence that the Bible is God’s Word. Skeptics respond that there are supposed to be a great many contradictions in the Bible. Again the facts come down on the side of God’s Word being consistent, entirely without error in the original, and remarkably preserved.