The Jesus Code
What can dinosaurs teach us about the Bible?

First preached at Booones Ferry Community Church - June 10, 2006 - mp3 available

Prayer: Our Father thank you for our time together that you have given us to study your word. Please open our eyes and ears and minds to the truth of your word and lead us so that we are walking in the steps you want us to follow.

Last time I talked about a fundamental of Christianity--faith; where our faith comes from; how our faith grows; and how we use our faith; and what happens when reason and faith are in conflict. This morning I'd like to continue with the theme of talking about Christian fundamentals--the foundations of our faith so to speak--and discuss a topic that has resulted in many people losing their faith or turning away from Biblical Christianity

(1) This morning we'll be talking about… the Jesus Code.

I've mention my topic to several people over the past few weeks and they've all reacted the same way, "Oh, you mean the Da Vinci Code." No. The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction that has very, very little in common with reality. This morning I will be talking about the Jesus Code, which is not fiction. Yes, I an using a play on words based on the Da Vinci Code, but the evidence we'll be looking at is, unlike the Da Vinci Code, real and factual. So I'll present the evidence as we unravel a mystery, and we'll see what answer you arrive at.

What is the Jesus Code?

It is information we can see in ancient artwork and documents that are spread around the world that reveals the truth about Jesus and what he did several thousand years ago. This is information that has been kept secret by a diabolical organization that is led someone who is very powerful and well known, but whom few people suspect.

By the way, sometimes where is the best place to hide something? Right out in plain sight. I'm not saying we'll be looking for hidden messages, but everything we will be looking at is right out in plain sight--but it has been hidden from you. That powerful head of a diabolical organization that I mentioned is very good at doing that.

There is a lot to the Jesus Code, and we'll only be able to touch on a very small portion this morning. But, I think it will be enough to allow you to arrive at a conclusion. So let's start looking at the Jesus Cod and you decide for yourself what it means.

To reveal the Jesus Code we'll need to travel around the globe. Parts of the code can be found in every country on earth. We don't have time to visit them all this morning, so we'll just be going to Cambodia, Peru, Italy and the American southwest.

(2) Magnificent jungle temples in Cambodia were built by the Khmer civilization, beginning as early as the eighth century AD and extending through the fourteenth century A.D.

(3) These temples were rediscovered by Portuguese explorers and Catholic missionaries in the 16th century and many were restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. Ta Prohm, one of the most picturesque, was left in its natural state. It was never restored. Ta Prohm is filled with stone statues and relief carvings. (4) Almost every square inch of the temple is covered with ornate carvings. Hundreds of decorative stone circles surround familiar animals they saw every day, such as (5) monkeys, (6) deer, (7) water buffalo and (8) parrots.

(9) The carving all show animals they saw every day, including this animal
What is this a carving of? It looks like a (10) Stegosaurus--a dinosaur.
Remember, these carvings were made hundreds of years before dinosaur fossils were discovered. Hundreds of years before we learned what dinosaurs looked like. Even if these ancient people had found a fossilized dinosaur bone, they had no way to reconstruct what the dinosaur looked like. The only way they could create such an accurate carving of a Stegosaurus would be if they actually saw a living Stegosaurus.

Scientific examination of the stone reliefs show they have not been tampered with or modified. These are the original stone carvings. The area of the stegosaur appears lighter (especially the raised portions) because it was cleaned by the famous French photographer Claude Jacques. Nevertheless, the "patina"--which is the thin layer of color or corrosion that develops with age--is still obvious in the recesses You can see it under the tail, under the chin, in front of both legs, on top of the "ground" between the legs, above and between the plates on the back).

Some say that this was a creature from Cambodian mythology. However, that just does not make sense. Why would they show a series of real animals, and include one in that series that was mythological? And if it was mythological, how did it come out looking exactly like a real dinosaur--a Stegosaurus? Historically, in cultures around the world, mythological creatures are usually a combination of human and animal features. People take what they know and mix and match to create fictional creatures. But a Stegosaurus is not like any animal we know. It looks nothing like an elephant, rhinoceros or hippopotamus. It looks like a…. Stegosaurus.

As I researched this I've found lot's of negative comments. People do not want to accept that dinosaurs lived less than 1000 years ago. Some say this is a picture of a hippo with big leaves in the background. Others claim the makers of the Laura Croft movie put this carving there--although tests show the carving is made from the original stone and it has not been tampered with.

It appears people living in Cambodia about 600 to a 1000 years ago saw living dinosaurs. But we can't come to such a major conclusion without other evidence. This is just one small part of the code. Let's go to the American southwest.

(11) A people called the Anasazi lived in the American Southwest from approximately A.D. 400 to A.D. 1300. They left behind their homes which were built high up on cliffs, and they left (12) drawings called petroglyphs on the rocks. These drawings are very interesting. They show people, deer, dogs, eagles… all types of animals the Anasazi saw in their everyday lives. (13) And they show this creature….

Here's another picture. (14) I don't want to give too many hints, but it looks to me like a Triceratops.

(15) In this picture we can see a man and a dinosaur that looks like a Brak-key-oh-saurous. Because of the weathering this is a little difficult to see. (16) Here is another photo of the same rock and the Brak-key-oh-saurus is circled in the lower right. You can see his long neck, body and a large tail. (17) Here's an enhanced picture that makes it easier to see.

It's the same situation as in Cambodia. There are drawings of dinosaurs surrounded by drawings of a deer, a wolf and other animals the Anasazi saw every day. The Anasazi apparently lived with dinosaurs in America from about 700 to 1600 years ago.

What is the evidence in ancient artwork telling us? Could it be that dinosaurs still roamed the earth as recently as 500 years ago?

Let's go to Peru. (18) The Pachachuti people lived in Peru from about 500 to1500 AD. This is the same time period as the Khamer in Cambodia and the Anasazi in North America. The Pachachuti liked to carve stones which they placed in their tombs. These are called Ica stones. (19)

Ica stones come in all sizes. There are small ones that can fit in the palm of you hand, such as the one I have here. Actually this is a replica. A real Ica stone costs about $4,000 to purchase, when one comes on the market. There are also Ica stones as large as a dog. All of the stones have images carved carved into the rock surface. The carving reveals a lighter color than the dark "patina" on the outer surface of the rock.

(20) This carved stone was found in the Kingdom of Chperu-tomb. It shows a man being attacked by two dinosaurs.

(21) Here is another one showing a man riding a dinosaur. The Ica stone I have here shows a dinosaur attacking a man. There are thousands of Ica stones and almost one third show specific types of dinosaurs including Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Pterosaurs. (22) Some dinosaurs appear to have been domesticated, others definitely were not domesticated.

Keep in mind that "modern" man's conception of dinosaurs did not begin until the 1800's. The word dinosaur was first used in 1841. These stones do not depict skeletons but live, active dinosaurs, most of whom are seen interacting with man. The obvious implication is that ancient Peruvians saw and lived with dinosaurs.

The tombs in the deserts of Peru often preserve amazing artifacts which are very old, including the beautiful, intricate textiles of the Nasca culture from about 700 A.D.

(23) Some of their textiles depict living dinosaurs as do their ceremonial burial stones and pottery, again indicating that dinosaurs were still alive at the time and the ancient Peruvians saw them.

These are three locations in which dinosaurs are pictured in ancient art. If it were just one or two instances we might dismiss it as coincidences. But it's not. Dinosaurs are shown in art in Russia, China, Africa… around the world.

I said I'd do three, but let's do one more. We've been to North America, South America and Asia. Let's go to Africa.

This is a photograph of a portion of what has been called one of the wonders of the second century world. It is called the "Nile Mosaic of Palestrina" It shows Nile scenes from Egypt all the way to Ethiopia and includes pictures of many known animals such as crocodiles and hippos.

(25) The portion of this mosaic shows African animals being hunted by black-skinned warriors known as Ethiopians. (26) They are hunting what appears to be a dinosaur.

Let's look at a different type of evidence. (27) In the 1500's, a European scientific book, called Historica Animalium listed and illustrated the animals that were known at the time. It included animals we would call dinosaurs, and it identified them as being living, real animals.

Is all this just a coinincidence or is this evidence telling us something?

(28) By the way, if I had not mentioned the word dinosaur, what would you have said this image looked like? A dragon maybe? The word dinosaur was not invented until the year 1841. What did people call dinosaurs before we had the word dinosaur? Might it be the word dragon?

Imagine people and dinosaurs living at the same time. What happens today if a bear or cougar were found to be wondering around Tualatin? They'd get out the nets and tranquilizer guns. Let's say it was 50 years ago, what would happen. The bear would be hunted down and killed. When dangerous animals and people come into contact, the dangerous animals are eventually eliminated.

What do you think happened when a dinosaur crossed paths with human civilization?

Here's a true story as documented by an Italian named Aldrovandus. I'm quoting what he wrote:

(29) The dragon was first seen on May 13, 1572, hissing like a snake. He had been hiding on the small estate of Master Petronius near Dosius in a place called Malonolta. At 5 PM, he was caught on a public highway by a herdsman named Baptista of Camaldulus, near the hedge of a private farm, a mile from the remote city outskirts of Bologna. Baptista was following his ox cart home when he noticed the oxen suddenly come to a stop. He kicked them and shouted at them, but they refused to move and went down on their knees rather than move forward. (30) At this point, the herdsman noticed a hissing sound and was startled to see this strange little dragon ahead of him. Trembling he struck it on the head with his rod and killed it.

Where can we learn more about dragon? (31) What about the Bible? Are there "dragons", or should I say, dinosaurs in the Bible?

Job 40:15-24 says the following. I'm reading from the King James version:

(32) "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 the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares." (Job 40:15-24)

This can't be a mythological creature. God is giving an example of how he created the largest animal that ever lived, a brachiosaurus, so that Job will better understand who God is--because God is someone who can create such a huge and powerful animal. If this was not describing a real animal, it would be totally meaningless.

Some, more recent translations say that behemoth is an elephant. But verse 17 says behemoth had a "tail like a cedar". (33) Does this tail look like a cedar tree? No, it's not even close.

Other translators say that behemoth is a hippopotamus. (34) But a hippo's tail looks like a piece of thick rope, not like a cedar tree.

What is this describing?

(35) It sounds like the largest dinosaur ever found, a brachiosaurus (Brak-key-0h-saurus). 20 meters long and weighted 74 tons as much as 20 elephants.

(36) When the Bible talks about dinosaurs it uses the Hebrew word "Tannium" Keep in mind that the word "dinosaur" was not created until the 19th century. Early translators of the Bible didn't have the word "dinosaur" available to them, but they accurately translated the word "Tannium" as dragon, because this was an animal they knew about. We've now come to think of dragons as mythological, and it has only been recently that the evidence is surfacing and we are learning that dinosaurs lived with man, and the term people used to describe them is dragon.

The word "tannium" is used about 50 times in the Bible. But because modern translators did not know what this word means they sometimes translated it as "dragon", but other times it was translated is serpent or jackal. Here are some examples. Notice that in all of these examples dragon are spoken about like real animals that the people at that time would recognize and be familiar with. I'll be reading from the King James Version, but I'll mention the word NIV uses instead of "dragon".

(37) Psalm 91:13: "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet."

(38) Psalm74:13: "Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength; thou breakest the heads of the (serpent) dragons in the waters."

(39) Jeremiah 14:6 "And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like (jackels) dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass."

(40) Malachi 1:3 "And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons (jackels) of the wilderness."

Yes, the Bible talks about dinosaurs and it does so in the same manner as it does any other real animal. Dinosaurs are mentioned throughout the Old Testament.

Why is all of this important?

The key verse for today's message is Genesis 1:24-25. Let's turn there. It describes some of the things God created on day six of creation.

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."

"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

We know that dinosaurs are real. We have their fossils, and by the way, it doesn't take millions of years to form a fossil. There is a lake here in Oregon that if you drop a towel into today, tomorrow your towel will be fossilized.

Dinosaurs are real. What are dinosaurs? They are land animals. When did God create all the land animals? On day six of creation. When was man created? Also on day six of creation. Based on the Bible men and dinosaurs had to have lived together--just as we see revealed in ancient art.

The Bible plainly says that the land dinosaurs were created on day six. There is no other way to understand these verses.

(42) Here is the key question of the morning. Why is this important? Why are dinosaurs important?

Don't we have more important things to worry about and preach about? (43)

Abortion -- Divorce -- Homosexuality -- Pornography

…and a whole list of other problems we should be focusing on. So why is this morning's message important?

(44) Because if evolution is true… evolution which claims dinosaurs lived and became extinct millions of years ago…

(45) then the Bible is false. then God did not create dinosaurs on day six.

(46) And if evolution is true, then everything was made by natural processes… without God.

(47) Then God does not own us, and He has no right to tell us how to live.

(48) And that means there is no absolute morality. Anything goes. There is no sin.

(49) And that means there is no judgment and no need for a Savior, and Christianity is a false religion.

No, there is no other way to fit dinosaurs into the Bible… to fit them into history. Some have tried to fit them into a "gap" between the first two verses of Genesis. but it doesn't work.. you end up with the same result… the Bible is not true, there is no judgment and no need for a Savior.

(50) But even though we've just looked at a very small part of the historical record, and in addition to the evidence people have left there is extensive evidence in natural science, physical science, geology, biology, paleontology… all across the board the evidence tells us the Bible is true exactly as written and the theory of evolution is false. I've called it the Jesus Code. It's just as Romans 1:20 says:

(51) "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that you are without excuse."

By the way, who is that leader of the diabolical organization that is trying to keep you from knowing this? It's Satan of course. The last thing he wants you to know is that the Bible is true in all that it claims to be true. Because Satan wants to keep you from this…

People have turned away from God because they thought dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, that the evidence for evolution was overwhelming, and thus the Bible was not true. Now you know the truth. Now you know the Jesus Code.

There is just one more part, and it has to do with you and your relationship with God.

(52) This shows you. Here on the right is God. Notice that you are surrounded by black. This darkness is your sin and it keeps you separated from God. Romans 3:23 says:

"For All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

What is sin? It is disobedience of God. Our disobedience keeps us separated from God--because we are turning away from God.

And Romans 6:23 tells us that as a result of our disobedience we have earned something… the death penalty.

"The wages of sin is death."

(53) But God sent His own Son to die in our place. To pay the penalty we had earned so that we do not have to pay this penalty ourselves. John 3:16 says: "But God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life."

(54) Jesus was buried. The tomb was sealed. And to be sure no one stole the body Roman soldiers guarded the tomb. But here is some really amazing news. Jesus had promised us that if we believed in Him, we would have life after death. And to show us that was true, Jesus rose from the dead.

(55) God sent an angel to roll away the stone and scare away the soldiers. Soon afterward God took Jesus back to heaven. Jesus paid the price for our sins, and Jesus conquered death.

(56) Jesus is the only way we can come to God. Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father (*God) except through Me." John 14:6

Through Jesus, we can be forgiven of all our sins and be with God forever.

(57) But knowing this is not enough. We must put our faith in Jesus. We must trust Jesus to save us from the results of our disobedience.

What choice will you make? Trust in Jesus, be forgiven and have eternal life, or reject Jesus and suffer eternal punishment in fire?

(58) You can't save yourself. The only way is to trust Jesus to save you from the penalty for your disobeying God. "God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things you've done, so none of us can boast about it." - Ephesians 2:8 & 9