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By Randy Alcorn

"This book has been recommended to me by more people than any other book. An incredible story." - Steve H.

"Is this the day I die?" wonders Li Quan as he endures persecution for his faith. Half a world away his college buddy, businessman Ben Fielding, steps on the plane to China. Reunited after 20 years, both men face decisions that will determine their destinies---and the fates of their nations and the world. 400 pages, softcover from Tyndale.

Dinosaurs In The Bible:

If dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, shouldn't the Bible talk about dinosaurs?

Yes -- and it does. Dinosaurs are one of the most frequently mentioned animals in the Bible. The only thing is, the word dinosaur is not used.

The word "dinosaur" was not invented until 1841. It could not be used by early translators of the Bible. For example, the King James Version translation was completed in 1611, over 200 years before the word "dinosaur" was created.

Is there another word for dinosaur that is used in the Bible?

Yes! Here are a few verses:

"...and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness." - Malachi 1:3 (KJV)

"...they snuffed up the wind like dragons." - Jereniah 14:6 (KJV)

"...and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea." - Isaiah 27:1 (KJV)

The word is dragon. It's interesting to note that people around the world have similar stories about "dragons"... and the descriptions of "dragons" are similar in all cultures... and those descriptions basically match what we think dinosaurs look like.

When the Bible talks about dragons, it is talking about what we now call dinosaurs.

Here's a detailed description from Job 40:15-19

"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is chief of the ways of God."

What is behemoth?

This is the largest (chief) land animal God made. Some Bible translators have said behemoth may be an elephant or hippopotomus. But both of those have small tails, not a tail that moves like a cedar tree.

The problem is that we limit ourselves to animals that are alive today, and none of those fit this description. What best fits the description is a Brachiosaurus--the largest of the dinosaurs. A dinosaur with a giant tail that was like a cedar, and huge legs that must have had the strength of brass and iron in order to support his enormous body. Brachiosaurus was 75 feet in length, 41 feet in height, and weighed 89 tons--as much as 12 African bull elphants. This was a true behemoth!

Yes, the Bible talks about dinosaurs. They are mentioned in the Bible nearly more times than any other animal.

• The Days of Creation
• Millions of Years vs. 6,000 Years
• Dinosaurs and People Living Together
• Dinosaurs in the Bible

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