My father always brought me presents from his overseas endeavors. In those years he was working with the South African Task Force and was often involved in special ops. No matter the nature of the trip he would always bring gifts. Sometimes it would be a hero figurine or a cool remote control car. However, my favorite toy was a battery operated stegosaurus. I loved it! It was so ‘real’. It was complete with dino sounds and able to move smoothly at the press of a button. Oh boy! Any 4 year old’s dream. That was also more or less the time Jurassic Park made it to the big screen. Even though I was underage my father took me to the cinemas to go see it. He knew I enjoyed anything dinosaur at the time. It was one of my all time favorite films. We had it recorded on VHS and watched it many times.
Later during my teenage years when PlayStation was a thing I enjoyed playing Dino Crisis. Because which young man doesn’t love shooting velociraptors and running from the gaping jaws of a blood thirsty T-Rex popping out of the shadows?Recently, during my work in the FMCG space, it has come to my attention how many toys for boys are dinosaurs. Most toy stores have at least a quarter of the entire boys section dedicated to dinosaurs. The rest is cars, legos and superheroes. Next time you walk down the toy aisle have a look in your retailer. I could not help myself from thinking, is this not part of the deception and the brainwashing? It does seem odd.
But were they real? I am talking about dinosaurs. Now, I do think the sounds and the exact appearance can be debated extensively. However, what are the best proofs of their physical existence and what does the Bible have to say about the matter?
The answer is: not much. The Bible does not tell us much about these creatures. At least not in all its sizes and varieties that pop culture has come to embrace and ‘science’ has explained to us. Yes, we do get the descriptions of Leviathan and Behemoth, dragons and other chimeras like satyrs and lion-like men of Moab. But dinos? I have not read something pertaining to the gigantic lizards from the Mesozoic Era in scripture. Even if there was just one interaction. For instance a village fighting off velociraptors? Or Noah saddling up some sauropods to help construct the ark. Yes, we do find some unique or what some would deem mythical creatures in scripture. Isaiah 34 comes to mind and Job’s account of Leviathan and Behemoth. Those we can cross reference and verify with other sources.