What Happened to the Dinosaurs?
Science long ago answered the question, “What happened to the dinosaurs?” Are you ready for the answer?
It explained that something from outer space, perhaps a gigantic asteroid, comet, or other space-born object, collided with our “evolving” planet, which led to massive changes in the climate, atmosphere, and topography and ultimately signed the death warrants of these early residents of Earth.
Recently Princeton University professor and paleontologist Gerta Keller proposed a new theory. Keller believes the dinosaurs and other mass extinctions can be tied to an intense period of volcanic activity and resulting greenhouse effects, and probably a series of asteroid hits.1 The National Academy of Sciences, in fact, published her theory.
Scripture, however, provides a more logical explanation.
God told Noah to build an ark. Noah was to bring aboard a male and a female of all ritually unclean, living creatures; seven pairs of ritually clean animals; and seven pairs of birds (Gen. 7:2–3). Everything outside the ark died in the flood. The animals inside survived and were later set free to repopulate the earth.
These animals undoubtedly included dinosaurs. However, when they were set free, they found the world a different place. Under the Noahic Covenant, animals could be hunted for food; and many species were hunted into extinction. Climate and food changes also affected the dinosaurs. But they survived. The book of Job references the Behemoth (Job 40:15–24) and Leviathan (Job 41), which certainly sound like dinosaurs: “His [Leviathan’s] sneezings flash forth light….Out of his mouth go burning lights; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils,…and a flame goes out of his mouth” (41:18–21).
Down through history there have been legends of monsters and dragons and the brave knights and sportsmen who slew them. perhaps these legendary beasts were dinosaurs that survived the flood.
Today reptiles like the Komodo dragons of Indonesia, discovered at the start of the 20th century, can grow to 10 feet long and are the largest lizards in the world.2 The Galapagos Tortoise, which lives about 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador, is the largest tortoise known to exist. Perhaps even our own American alligator descended from a dinosaur that survived extinction.
ENDNOTE
- Marsha Walton, “What really happened to the dinosaurs,” March 2, 2004 <www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/03/02/coolsc.dinosaurs>
