Dinosaurs: A Biblical Creation and Flood Perspective
by Nate Loper on February 10, 2025
The common thread running through these diverse cultural stories is the portrayal of reptilian giants—creatures that evoke both fear and reverence. From a biblical creation perspective, these legends might not be mere folklore but preserved memories of real-life encounters.
Walking in the Footsteps of Giants
Have you ever marveled at the sheer scale and mystery of dinosaurs? These magnificent creatures, which have captured our imaginations for generations, are not just relics of an ancient past but integral characters in history. From their appearance on Day 6 of Creation to their dramatic preservation during the Flood—and even to modern discoveries that challenge conventional timelines—dinosaurs invite us to explore science, Scripture, and the awe-inspiring creativity of our Creator.
Dinosaurs in the Bible
In the biblical account found in Genesis 1:24–25, God’s creative work culminated on Day 6 with the creation of all land-dwelling animals and man. Imagine a freshly formed earth where the Creator fashioned not only every kind of animal we see today but also incredible giants—the dinosaurs. These creatures, ranging from towering sauropods to swift, agile theropods, were part of God’s “very good” creation in the beginning. However, after the fall of man, sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit, and the Bible tells us that all flesh became corrupted and violent as a result. The violence was not just committed by mankind, but all of God’s creation that was placed under the care and authority of mankind—including the dinosaurs. As a result of that growing wickedness, God sent the Flood in Noah’s day.
The dramatic events of the Flood, described in Genesis 6–8, offer a powerful explanation for the burial and fossilization of many living creatures, including dinosaurs. As the waters rose and submerged the earth, rapid sedimentation occurred as sand, mud, and debris from the destroyed pre-Flood world were carried hundreds to thousands of miles by massive tsunami-like waves and high-speed currents, burying the remnants of that ancient landscape. This sudden covering of life not only wiped out entire ecosystems and all land-based, air-breathing animals (except those on Noah’s Ark) but also set the stage for fossil formation.
Noah was commanded to take “two of every kind” aboard the Ark—a term best understood as referring to a broader classification, similar to the modern concept of an animal family. This means that while many individual species did not all survive, the genetic potential for family “kinds” was preserved, allowing for the diversity of life we see today. Mass burial sites, such as those at Dinosaur National Monument and the Coelophysis quarry at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, serve as impressive reminders of that cataclysmic event.
While the Flood was undeniably destructive, the biblical narrative suggests that not all dinosaurs vanished immediately. The book of Job, written in a post-Flood era between Noah and Abraham, introduces us to a creature known as “Behemoth” (Job 40:15–24). Described as a mighty, plant-eating beast with strength in its loins and a tail “like a cedar,” many creation researchers believe that Behemoth could very well be a sauropod dinosaur. This interpretation hints at a time when humans and dinosaurs coexisted—a fascinating possibility that invites us to reconsider our assumptions about the timeline of life on Earth.
Global Legends: Dragons as Living Memories of Dinosaurs?
Across the globe, cultures from every corner of history have preserved captivating legends of dragons and enormous reptilian creatures. These stories, rich with detail and often surrounded by awe and fear, have been handed down through generations. They feature fire-breathing monsters, winged serpents, and massive water-dwelling beasts—descriptions that bear uncanny similarities to what we now understand about dinosaurs and other large creatures in the past. Could these tales hold more than just flights of imagination? Could they represent actual encounters with creatures from God’s creation that we no longer see today?
In medieval Europe, dragons dominate the tales of knights, villages, and even the margins of illuminated manuscripts. These creatures were often described as reptilian, enormous, and incredibly powerful. Some accounts even described their ability to breathe fire—a trait that might seem fantastical but could easily have been an embellishment or even conflating with other creatures like the biblical leviathan. While modern science views dragons as mythological, these detailed and widespread stories beg the question: Were they based on something real that people once saw?
Moving beyond Europe, we find similar creatures in the legends of ancient China. In Chinese culture, their serpentine bodies and scale-covered forms share a strong resemblance to certain dinosaur species. The fact that these creatures are so central to Chinese art, philosophy, and literature suggests that they played a significant role in the cultural memory of ancient peoples—perhaps even reflecting real encounters with dinosaurs or similar creatures.
Marco Polo, the renowned Venetian explorer, traveled extensively in China during the late 13th century. In his accounts, he described encountering large serpentine creatures that closely resemble traditional dragon depictions. He detailed these creatures as having enormous bodies, two short forelegs near the front, and formidable claws. Polo’s descriptions align with many dragon legends from the Far East, yet he presented them in a straightforward manner, suggesting he perceived them as real animals rather than mythical beings.
In Central Africa, the story of Mokele-mbembe adds a fascinating dimension to this discussion. Described as a large, long-necked creature resembling a sauropod dinosaur, Mokele-mbembe is said to inhabit the dense swamps of the Congo Basin. Over the years, explorers and locals have shared strikingly consistent accounts of this mysterious beast. Although no definitive evidence has yet been found to prove its existence, the persistence of the legend raises compelling questions. Could this creature represent a remnant population of dinosaurs that survived into modern times, as some have suggested?
These dragon-like legends are not confined to Europe, Asia, or Africa. Native American tribes tell of Thunderbird-like creatures, sometimes described or depicted as reptiles with wings, believed to have inhabited the skies and cliffs of North America. Similarly, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia recount tales of enormous reptiles, some of which match descriptions of prehistoric creatures like theropods or pterosaurs. Even the ancient Mesopotamians and their myths of serpent-like monsters, such as Tiamat, bear a striking resemblance to the forms and features of dinosaurs.
The common thread running through these diverse cultural stories is the portrayal of reptilian giants—creatures that evoke both fear and reverence. From a biblical creation perspective, these legends might not be mere folklore but preserved memories of real-life encounters. After the Flood, if dinosaurs survived and coexisted with early human civilizations for some time, it’s entirely plausible that these interactions left a lasting mark. Early humans, without the tools of modern science, would have interpreted these creatures in ways that fit their worldview, imbuing them with mythical or divine qualities. Over time, these encounters could have been exaggerated into the legends we now know.
Dinosaurs and the Modern Era
Under a microscope, these tissues displayed a level of preservation that seemed impossible for fossils supposedly 65 million years old.
This fragment of demineralized tissue, which lined the marrow cavity of a T. rex femur, is shown in three stages. In ‘A,’ the fragment is flexible and resilient, stretching in the direction indicated by the arrow before returning to its original shape. ‘B’ displays the same fragment after air-drying. In ‘C,’ the fibrous structure of the tissue is clearly visible, emphasizing its composition. Image from Associated Press/Science/Huffington Post.
Interestingly, the word “dinosaur” doesn’t appear in the Bible—not because these creatures didn’t exist, but because the term wasn’t coined until 1842 by Sir Richard Owen, a pioneering British paleontologist and founder of London’s Natural History Museum, which I’ve had the pleasure to visit and guide tours in dozens of times. As scientists began to uncover and study dinosaur fossils in the 19th century, the field of paleontology emerged, enriching our understanding of these magnificent beasts. Today, this field continues to provide compelling insights that complement the biblical narrative of a young, purposefully created Earth.
One of the most fascinating breakthroughs in recent years has been the discovery of soft tissue remnants in dinosaur bones—findings that challenge conventional assumptions about the age of these fossils. In the 1990s, paleontologist Dr. Mary Schweitzer stunned the scientific community when she uncovered preserved soft tissues, including flexible blood vessels, in a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex femur. This discovery, initially met with skepticism, has since been replicated and expanded upon, sparking ongoing debates about what these remnants mean for our understanding of dinosaurs and their timeline.
Schweitzer’s work showed that the blood vessels in the T. rex bone were still flexible and contained structures resembling red blood cells. Under a microscope, these tissues displayed a level of preservation that seemed impossible for fossils supposedly 65 million years old. The presence of collagen—a protein that degrades relatively quickly—further complicated the conventional narrative. Laboratory studies suggest that collagen and soft tissues should completely break down within thousands of years under typical conditions, yet here they were, seemingly intact in fossils assumed to be millions of years old.
Since Schweitzer’s discovery, other researchers have found similar soft tissue remnants in fossils from various locations around the world. Dr. Mark Armitage, for instance, has reported the discovery of soft tissues, including stretchy material and intact osteocyte bone cells within Triceratops horns and other dinosaur fossils. Armitage’s findings align with Schweitzer’s in demonstrating that such materials have been preserved far beyond what standard models would predict. These discoveries are not isolated incidents—they represent a growing body of evidence that raises fundamental questions about the assumed deep-time history of dinosaurs.
From a biblical creation perspective, these discoveries provide exciting confirmation of a more recent timeline for Earth’s history. If dinosaurs were created on Day 6 of Creation Week alongside other land animals and later survived the Flood (Genesis 6-8) aboard Noah’s Ark, their fossils could reasonably be expected to date back only thousands of years, not millions. The preservation of soft tissue fits well within this framework, as it suggests that these creatures were buried rapidly and preserved under exceptional conditions, such as those created by the catastrophic global Flood.
Dinosaurs in Arizona: A Walk Through History
For those eager to experience the wonder of these ancient creatures firsthand, the Colorado Plateau offers an extraordinary window into the past. Just north of Flagstaff in Northern Arizona, an area near Tuba City is home to the remarkable Moenave Dinosaur Trackways. These well-preserved tracks, attributed to theropod dinosaurs such as Dilophosaurus and Coelophysis, allow us to literally walk in the footprints of giants. Each footprint tells a story of a time when dinosaurs roamed a dramatically different landscape—a story written in stone and preserved by God’s providence during the tumultuous days of the Flood.
At Canyon Ministries, we believe that exploring the evidence of God’s creative work should be both educational and inspirational. That’s why we’re proud to offer guided tours to the dinosaur tracks near Tuba City. Our tours are designed to bring together science and Scripture in a fun, engaging way—providing participants with a tangible connection to the biblical narrative of creation and the Flood. On our tours, expert guides share fascinating insights into how these dinosaur tracks were formed, how they fit into the biblical timeline, and what they tell us about the incredible power and wisdom of our Creator. Whether you are a seasoned believer in biblical creation or simply curious about the intersection of science and faith, our tours provide an unforgettable journey into the past, right in the heart of the Colorado Plateau.
Dinosaurs are far more than ancient beasts; they are living testimonies to the magnificence of God’s creative work. Their existence—from their creation on Day 6 to their preservation through the Flood, and even to their survival into the post-Flood world—invites us to see the world through the lens of divine purpose and design. From their massive footprints to their mysterious past, dinosaurs remind us that the Creator’s design is always larger than life. Though they may have disappeared from our modern era, their legacy roars loud and clear, echoing the greatness of our God.
