Detectable C14 in Dinosaurs

 

Detectable Carbon 14 In Dinosaurs Bones—Why Is It Significant?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, January 18, 2025

According to the secular religion, dinosaurs died out “millions of years” ago. Cultures around the world have been indoctrinated to believe this religious view. It was taught to me. God refutes this belief in His Word and said that He created land animals—which include dinosaurs—on the six day of creation (Genesis 1:24-31).  

There are many who mistakenly think that carbon-14 (C14, radiocarbon, ¹⁴C) dating confirms millions of years for dinosaur fossils. The problem is that C14 can’t give dates of “millions of years”. It’s impossible. The reason is simple—C14 can only give alleged short age dates. But this causes a big problem for the secular side. Let me briefly explain.

Carbon Dating

C14 has a short half-life—at least that is what is projected. We’ve never observed an entire half life of C14 decaying in a lab. So, researchers assume by extrapolation that it would be 5,730 years. Assuming this is correct, it yields that a theoretical maximum of 50,000 to 100,000 years for a sample of C14 to exist.[1] In other words, there should be NO DETECTABLE C14 in any dinosaur sample.

Let’s put this in laymen’s terms, if the entire earth was C14, in 1 million years there would be none. So, this means that NO dinosaur, (or coal layer, crude oil, or diamonds) should have any C14 if they really are “millions of years” old. This is testable by the way. So, test it.

C14 Where It Shouldn’t Be

Dinosaur fossil remains (e.g., soft tissue etc.) have detectable C14. The presence of measurable amounts of carbon-14 in dinosaur bones presents a massive challenge to the secular humanistic geological timescale, which posits that these fossils are millions of years old. Therefore, finding C14 in dinosaur fossils means that they are much younger than the secular religious adherents suggest.

Dr. Brian Thomas of the Institute For Creation Research (ICR) reports that radiocarbon dating of various dinosaur fossils, including Triceratops and hadrosaurids, yielded detectable ¹⁴C levels, corresponding to theoretical ages of tens of thousands of years, not millions.[2] These findings were consistent across multiple samples and laboratories, indicating that the C14 detected is intrinsic to the fossils rather than a result of contamination.

Similarly, Answers in Genesis (AiG) has highlighted that measurable radiocarbon has been found in fossils, coal, and diamonds—materials alleged to be millions or billions of years old.[3] Since ¹⁴C should not be present in specimens of such purported antiquity, its detection raises serious questions about the reliability of secular dating methods and assumptions. Furthermore, the presence of C14 is expected from a biblical view that has a younger age for these materials.

Both ICR and AiG argue that these findings align more closely with a biblical creationist perspective—and I would agree. It makes more sense that the geological record is primarily evidence of a global Flood occurring thousands, not millions, of years ago.

Measured Examples

Dr. Brian Thomas, a science writer at the Institute for Creation Research and Dr. David Plaisted of TASC Creation Science have reported several instances of detectable carbon-14 in dinosaur bones. Here are a few examples.

1. Triceratops Bone from Montana: A Triceratops fossil discovered in Montana underwent radiocarbon dating and yielded a C14 age of approximately 24,340 ± 70 years. This finding is inconsistent with the secular age assignment of about 65 million years for Triceratops fossils. [4]
2. Hadrosaur Femur from Montana: A hadrosaur femur excavated from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana was dated using accelerator mass spectrometry, revealing a C14 age of approximately 25,170 ± 220 years. This result contrasts sharply with the secular age of around 70 million years assigned to hadrosaur fossils.[5]
3. Apatosaurus Bone from Colorado: An Apatosaurus bone from the Morrison Formation in Colorado was subjected to radiocarbon dating, yielding a C14 age of approximately 38,250 ± 160 years. This is significantly younger than the secular age of about 150 million years for Apatosaurus fossils.[6]
4. Allosaurus Bone from Colorado: An Allosaurus fossil from the Morrison Formation in Colorado was dated and found to have a C14 age of approximately 31,360 ± 100 years. This finding challenges the secular age assignment of about 150 million years for Allosaurus specimens.[7]
5. Centrosaurus bones from Alberta, Canada: Thomas writes, “The eLife study authors carefully excavated a bone from a ceratopsian called Centrosaurus apertus found in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada”. There was C14 detectable here as well contradicting the millions of years.[8]

These few [of many potential] examples that could be given are good evidence of detectable carbon-14 in dinosaur bones. These evidences are a great confirmation that these fossils are much younger than taught by the secular crowd.

C14 Is In The Ballpark Of Biblical Dates, But Biblical Dates Are Still The Standard

Instead, these fossil evidences are much more aligned with a biblical perspective. Of course, C14 dates are still errant—not really as old as the reported theoretical maximums. These dinosaurs (and the coal, oil, etc.) were buried and/or formed in Flood sediment about 4,350 years ago[9].

It is always better to go with dates that can be derived from God’s Word over any fallible dating method. For more on dinosaurs, I suggest:

• Dinosaurs And The Bible by Brian Thomas
• Dinosaurs, Dragons, And The Bible, by Bodie Hodge
• What Really Happened To The Dinosaurs? (booklet) by Ken Ham

Image Credits: Presentation Library 

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[1] Not that I agree with this alleged time, but for arguments sake, let’s analyze it.

[2] Brian Thomas, Carbon-14 Found In Dinosaur Fossils, Monday, July 6, 2015, ICR, https://www.icr.org/article/carbon-14-found-dinosaur-fossils.

[3] Andrew Snelling, Carbon-14 in Fossils and Diamonds An Evolution Dilemma, January 1, 2011, AiG, https://answersingenesis.org/geology/carbon-14/carbon-14-in-fossils-and-diamonds/.

[4] David Plaisted, Carbon 14 Dating of Fossils, June 1, 2017, TASC Creation Science, https://tasc-creationscience.org/article/carbon-14-dating-fossils.

[5] Brian Thomas, Carbon-14 Found In Dinosaur Fossils, Monday, July 6, 2015, ICR, https://www.icr.org/article/carbon-14-found-dinosaur-fossils.

[6] David Plaisted, Carbon 14 Dating of Fossils, June 1, 2017, TASC Creation Science, https://tasc-creationscience.org/article/carbon-14-dating-fossils.

[7] David Plaisted Carbon 14 Dating of Fossils, June 1, 2017, TASC Creation Science, https://tasc-creationscience.org/article/carbon-14-dating-fossils.

[8] Brian Thomas, Radiocarbon in Yet Another Dinosaur Fossil, Thursday, July 18, 2019, ICR, https://www.icr.org/article/Radiocarbon-in-yet-another-dinosaur-fossil.

[9] Or in the aftermath of the Flood.

Potiphar

 

Who Was Potiphar And What Happened To Him?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries January 11, 2025

Many of us are familiar with Joseph—the son of Jacob (Israel) who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. But what do we know about the man who bought Joseph in Egypt?

Potiphar is mentioned a few times in the Genesis account. He was an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, making him a prominent official in Pharaoh's court. His account is primarily connected to Joseph (Genesis 37–50).

Potiphar Purchases Joseph

Potiphar purchased Joseph as a slave after Joseph was sold by his brothers to Midianite traders (Genesis 37:36; 39:1), who were intermingled with the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:28; 39:1). The Midianites and Ishmaelites were descendants of Joseph’s great uncles: Midian (son of Abraham with Keturah) and Ishmael (son of Abraham with Hagar).

These traders were not mere strangers; they were also his kin—cousins, in fact. We often think of Joseph’s brothers betraying him, but we cannot overlook that his cousins were part of the plot to harm him as well.

The Iconic Pyramids Of Giza 

[Credit: Pixabay (Crop; Free for commercial use; no attribution required)]

Nevertheless, Potiphar, a high-ranking official for the king of Egypt (Pharaoh) as the captain of the guard, purchased Joseph. Recognizing Joseph's competence and integrity, Potiphar made him overseer of his household, entrusting him with all his possessions (Genesis 39:3–4).

Potiphar Imprisons Joseph

God blessed Potiphar’s household because of Joseph, and everything under Joseph's management prospered (Genesis 39:5–6). However, the relationship between Joseph and Potiphar changed due to an incident involving Potiphar’s wife. She attempted to seduce Joseph, but he refused, citing his loyalty to Potiphar and his commitment to God (Genesis 39:7–9).

Angered by Joseph's rejection, she falsely accused him of assaulting her. Potiphar, believing his wife's accusation, had Joseph imprisoned (Genesis 39:10–20). It is worth noting that as captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar likely oversaw certain military and security forces, making him a powerful figure.

Potiphar’s Continued Involvement

Potiphar was likely involved in the imprisonment of the baker and the cupbearer who shared space with Joseph in prison. The prison where they were confined was at “the house of the captain of the guard” (Genesis 40:3; 41:10), where the king’s prisoners were held (Genesis 39:20). Potiphar may have been part of the investigation that cleared the cupbearer and condemned the baker, as Joseph had predicted.

Although Potiphar's name does not appear in the narrative at this point, his title does, and there is no reason to assume it was not still Potiphar overseeing the prison (with keepers, guards, and so on working for him). While the baker and cupbearer were imprisoned, the captain of the guard assigned Joseph to care for them. This was likely Potiphar, who knew of Joseph’s capabilities and the blessings he had brought to his household.

When the cupbearer finally mentioned Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams to Pharaoh, he referred to Joseph as “a servant of the captain of the guard” (Genesis 41:12), reinforcing the connection to Potiphar. When Joseph was summoned to Pharaoh, it was likely Potiphar who facilitated his release, as it was his dungeon at his house and he was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.

Joseph Becomes Second in Command

Through God’s providence, Joseph rose quickly to power in Egypt under Pharaoh (Genesis 41:38–44). Joseph became second in command, ranking above Potiphar, who was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Imagine the reaction of Potiphar and his wife, who were now under Joseph’s authority. Potiphar’s wife, in particular, likely faced immense stress knowing Joseph’s elevated position.

As history unfolded during the seven years of plenty, Joseph managed the storage and distribution of resources. During the subsequent seven years of famine, events took an interesting turn. At one point, the Egyptians—this would include Potiphar and his wife—sold all their possessions to Joseph on behalf of Pharaoh (Genesis 47:20–21). Eventually, the Egyptian—once again including Potiphar and his wife—even sold themselves into slavery to Pharaoh through Joseph (Genesis 47:23–25).

Reflection on Potiphar

The Bible does not provide specific details about Potiphar’s interactions with Joseph after these events. However, if Potiphar and his wife were still alive during the famine, it must have been a humbling experience. If they were still living, Joseph, whom they had wronged, was the one who ultimately saved them.

Whether Potiphar ever learned the truth about his wife’s false accusation is not disclosed. However, the Holy Spirit reveals in Genesis what truly happened. Did Potiphar ever come to know the full truth? It remains an unanswered question.

The irony in Potiphar’s life is profound. As an Egyptian official, he purchased Joseph as a slave. Yet, in the end, he became a slave to Pharaoh through Joseph, who turned out to be the greatest official Egypt ever had.

 

What Is God's Will For My Life?

What is God’s Will for My Life?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries January 4, 2024 (The Tenth Day of Christmas)

Many ask this question—sometimes multiple times in their lives. Did you know that God answers this question directly?

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” 1 Peter 2:15, NKJV

God wants you to do good. It’s that simple!

And yet, you are probably still thinking, I get that but what about my specific life. What am I supposed to do? You might be thinking this with regards to a job, or a relationship, or a financial decision and the list goes on!

You might be thinking that God “type casts” each one of us to do one thing and has only one path laid out before us that is “in His will” and if we deviate from that path, then we are not following God’s will for our lives. After all, God is sovereign (in charge) and if we go astray in a direction that He doesn’t want us to go, then are we fighting against God?

Stop for a moment and realize something profound. That kind of thinking limits God to being mechanical with only one option for your life—like putting something into a machine and only getting one result out of it.

Step back and realize that God is all knowing (called “omniscient”)—which means that He knows every possible path we could take or think. God can easily work out His sovereignty and Lordship with the liberties and freedom that God has created us with and given to us. And yet, He knows what we decide before we freely endeavor it. 

Now get this—the next verse after 1 Peter 2:15 says: “as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God” 1 Peter 2:16, NKJV.

God comments on us having a freedom (i.e., liberty)—not to use that freedom to sin with vices—but as servants of God (see also Galatians 5:13). We are given a freedom to follow God but not in a mechanical way or a typecast way (2 Corinthians 3:17). This makes sense, we are made in the image of a free and good God. In fact, God is the absolute standard of goodness.

There are other passages where God consistently affirms that we are to do good. Consider:

• “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor — it is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, NKJV
• “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Hebrews 13:16, NKJV
• “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21, NKJV

God is consistent throughout the Scriptures that we are to do good. Let’s get a little more specific how we do good in a broad sense of Scriptural teachings:

1. To Know and Love God
   God is a personal God and mankind is made in the image of this personal God. Therefore, God desires a personal relationship with man—that includes you (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). This involves recognizing Him as Creator (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11; Nehemiah 9:6), worshiping Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24), and acknowledging His sovereignty and rule (i.e., the Lordship of Christ over all things; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 18:18).
2. To Be Saved Through Christ
   God’s will is for all to come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4; John 3:16-17). This includes all coming to repentance from sin (2 Peter 3:9) and faithfully trusting in Jesus, and His death, burial and resurrection, as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 17:30).
3. To Obey God’s Commands
   God calls us to live in obedience to His Word. This includes loving others (Matthew 22:39; John 13:34-35), walking in holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16), and living justly, mercifully, and humbly before Him (Micah 6:8).
4. To Be Transformed Into Christ’s Likeness
   God’s will is for us to grow spiritually, being conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Thus, one should mimic God’s goodness. This transformation, called “sanctification”, is the work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 2:13), leading to maturity in faith and good works (Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:10).
5. To Share the Gospel
   God desires us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). This is done by proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ which is central to fulfilling His will for man (2 Corinthians 5:20).
6. To Endure in Faith
   Like Job in the Old Testament, God’s will is for us to persevere through trials with faith and gratitude—being joyful that you face such opposition, slander, and hate (James 1:2-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). As Christ suffered the same (e.g., Matthew 26:60-61). Suffering and challenges are opportunities for growth and reliance on God (Romans 5:3-5).
7. To Glorify God in All Things
   Ultimately, God’s will is that everything a person does brings glory to Him (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17). This includes living in harmony—for your part—with others (Romans 12:18) and stewarding His creation responsibly (called “dominion”; Genesis 1:28-31).

God’s will as revealed in Scripture is for individuals to do good. Since God is the standard of goodness the more you know about His Word, the more you’ll understand His will to help you make decision based on doing good, for your specific life. But do good—that is God’s will whether it is a decision about a job, a relationship, sports, a financial decision or simply being a friend and kind to those who need it.

In a way, this door to freedom in your life is comforting knowing that you are not cast to do one thing alone or have only one path carved for you. But have the freedom and opportunity to do many good things throughout your life.

But in doing good be sure to know Christ, be saved through Him—living obedient and holy lives, reflecting Christ’s character, sharing the gospel, persevering in faith, and glorifying Him in all that you do.