Worldview #10: Man and Dinosaurs Co-Existed?

 According to evolutionists, mankind and dinosaurs never existed together.  The History channel stated that the dinosaurs went extinct some 65 million years ago, while man first appeared some 200,000 years ago. Many of us have been indoctrinated with this teaching from an early age. Yet historical, archaeological, and Biblical evidence teach otherwise.

The historical record reveals that dinosaurs and mankind coexisted. However, the word used to describe the creatures we call dinosaurs has changed. The term dinosaur was first used in 1841 by the famous paleontologist Sir Richard Owen at a meeting for the British Association for the Advancement of Science to describe the giant lizard like creatures that were being discovered by paleontologists. Prior to this, dinosaurs were known by different names. The most commonly used term prior to the acceptance of the term dinosaur was “dragon.” Even as recent as 1946, the primary dictionary listing of a “dragon” was a “Now rare, huge serpent.” Dragon history is universal in cultures across the globe. Worldwide, drawings, carvings, and pictures depict very similar creatures. How could this happen unless there were numerous eye-witnesses?  The written record also includes things like personal encounters, science books, and legendary accounts. (For a very thorough listing of the written record see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6M1b36KbHs).

The archaeological evidence tends to be censored since it contradicts the modern evolutionary theory. There are numerous carvings, temples, sculptures, artifacts, etc. which are frequently placed in historical artwork. Why would one place these images among historical artwork depicting normal life? The obvious answer is that they existed together in normal life.  Dr. Don Patton describes how the fossils of mankind have been found in the same rock layers that dinosaurs are found at (for more information see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX6KIQVFnZE). 

The Biblical evidence for dinosaurs must also be understood in light of the 1841 origination of the term dinosaur. The most widely used translation of the Bible at that time was the King James Version, which was translated in 1611; thus 230 years prior to the invention of the term dinosaur. It is for this reason, that we do not find the word dinosaur in the Bible today. However, a careful examination of the Bible reveals 5 separate creatures that were clearly dinosaurs. We will discuss more about this next month and what happened to the dinosaurs. But the bottom line is the Bible does describe mankind and dinosaurs coexisting.

Therefore, we have briefly considered the historical, archaeological, and Biblical evidence which supports man coexisting with dinosaurs.  Ken Ham the president of Answers in Genesis said, “If we accept God’s Word, beginning with Genesis, as being true and authoritative, then we can explain dinosaurs and make sense of the evidence we observe in the world around us” (The New Answers Book, p.176).

In His service,

            Matt 

Man, The Image of God #6: The Choice

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deut. 30:19). 

God did not force Adam and Eve to love and obey Him. Rather, He gave them a choice. He placed them in the Garden of Eden that was full of wonderful delights and invited them to partake of any tree except one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they chose to pursue their own desires for what they had been warned not to, consequences would result. The primary consequence would be a separation from the One who greatly loved them, God Himself. And that is the type of death that Adam and Eve experienced on that day for we know that they chose their own desires rather than God (Gen. 2:17).

True love demands a choice. Likewise, love cannot be forced; it requires a freewill decision. With the freedom of Adam and Eve’s choice came the potential for the highest love or the gravest peril. Unfortunately, they chose not to love the One who gave them life, and the One who sought to protect them from the dangers of going down the wrong path.

This was a catastrophic decision. “The corruption and condemnation resulting from sin are experienced not only by human beings but also by the entire universe. Man as the image of God is designed to stand in a particular relationship with both God and the world. When sin corrupts the image, these relationships are also distorted. Thus, when the human race fell into sin, in a real sense the physical creation as a whole experienced a fall. The penal consequences of sin apply not only to human beings, but also to the whole of creation. Thus, in addition to human death there is a kind of cosmic death, a cosmic curse” (Jack Cottrell, The Faith Once for All, p. 215).

Much of the evil and suffering that is in our world today is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin. Like it or not, other people’s choices do impact us. An example of this is the choice of one person to drink and drive which can result in the death of an innocent individual who was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. And unfortunately, the consequences of our original parents in the Garden have far reaching affects. Much of the suffering, cancer, diseases and death are a result of the fall.

On the other hand, we should not point the finger too harshly at Adam and Eve since, given time, every one of us would have done the same thing. How do we know that? Ecclesiastes 7:29 states, “God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes” (NET). And Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

While mankind has maintained the likeness of God despite the fall in the Garden (James 3:9), we are not fully like God as prior to the fall. Wayne Grudem explains this in the following way. Man’s “moral purity has been lost and his sinful character certainly does not reflect God’s holiness. His intellect is corrupted by falsehood and misunderstanding; his speech no longer continually glorifies God; his relationships are often governed by selfishness rather than love, and so forth.

Though man is still in the image of God, in every aspect of life some parts of that image have been distorted or lost. The full measure of the excellence of our humanity will not be seen again in life on earth until Christ returns and we have obtained all the benefits of the salvation He earned for us. Nonetheless, it is encouraging to turn to the New Testament and see that our redemption in Christ means that we can, even in this life, progressively grow into more and more likeness to God” (Systematic Theology, p. 444). For example, Paul says that we as Christians have a new nature which is “being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator” (Col. 3:10).

Therefore, as we grow in Christian maturity, we grow and radiate more of His glory (2 Cor. 3:18). The evidence of this glory can be seen in the fruit of the Spirit being present in our life: such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Thus, may we make the choice to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  

In His service,

     Matt