Ask a Pastor Column

Q: How do dinosaurs fit into the Bible? Were there dinosaurs on the ark?

A:  When it comes to the question of dinosaurs in the Bible, we have little information, but most of that information is drawn from one of the most reliable and trustworthy ancient documents in history: the book of Genesis.

When we look into Genesis, we find a narrative clear and detailed; containing genealogies, geographical locations and the history of Israel’s ancestors. It is clearly intended to be read as a historical account of real people, and is consistently treated as such by the Apostle Paul (Romans 5:14-15; etc.), the Apostle Peter (II Peter 3:3-7), and the Lord Jesus Himself (Matthew 19:3-6). The account it provides has been corroborated by countless archaeological digs and verified by Hebrew scholars.

This historical narrative offers a clear account of the origin of the created world and all the creatures that inhabit it. Genesis 1:24-25 tells us that ‘all creatures that walk upon the earth’ were made by God on the 6th day of creation, right before the creation of the first human couple (Genesis 1:24-26). As creatures that walked on the earth, dinosaurs would be included in this category, thus predating man by a matter of hours, not millions of years. As some of the many created kinds of animals it is reasonable to also add dinosaurs to the list of animals destroyed by God in the Flood (which would explain why we have so many fossils of them! Genesis 6:17), as well as the pairs of “every created kind” included upon the ark (Genesis 6:19). What happened to the various created kinds after the Flood is not something which the Bible comments on in any detail.

Obviously, this contradicts several current scientific perspectives, which should not overly concern those convinced of the authority of Scripture. Scientific perspectives are constantly shifting and changing, what they are confidently proclaiming today will be replaced tomorrow. While Christians should not be dogmatic regarding our own imperfect perspectives, neither should we be swayed by the confident preaching of the scientific community; they have been wrong in the past, they will be shown to be wrong in the future. The only work that has an unimpeachable track record is Scripture itself; it is the unchanging rock upon which we can build our lives and perspectives.

The questions and answers compiled over the last year are now available in hard-copy and digital format. To request a copy send an email to askapastor [email protected] or by mail to Formoso Church; P.O. Box 66; Formoso, Kan. 66942