Dinosaurs—From A Biblical Viewpoint
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, April 27, 2026 (Donate)
Dinosaurs are a hot topic in today’s secularized culture. We
are commonly taught by secularists that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago—at
least that is what we see in secular textbooks, journals, paleontology books, kids’
books, and museums.
As you can see, the secular humanistic religion is dominating much of the Western World—particularly in educational realms. Secular
humanism is basically the religion of man (i.e., that man’s ideas and opinions are the
supreme authority on all matters).
Biblical Christianity is in opposition to the religion of secular humanism. In other words, God disagree with the assessment that man is supreme;
instead, God is supreme and His Word come with that same supremacy. We see His authority beginning with the very first verse of the Bible.
The subject of dinosaurs is an excellent way to see how the
Bible views dinosaurs differently from the secular view. Dinosaurs are easily understood
within a straightforward reading of the Bible, especially Genesis. Although I
have written an entire book on the subject (Dinosaurs,
Dragons, and the Bible), here is a concise summary of the biblical perspective.
Brief Definition
Dinosaurs are land-dwelling reptiles, with one of two hip
structures so that they walk upright. They were created by God during the
Creation Week. The term “dinosaur” is a modern label (dubbed in the 1841 by Sir
Richard Owen), but the creatures themselves are considered part of the broader
category of “beasts of the earth” described in Scripture (Genesis 1:24–25,
NKJV).
Some passages such as Job 40:15 and Psalm 91:13 (Behemoth and
certain land dragons) are often suggested as possible tentative descriptions of
dinosaur-like creatures. Creatures like leviathan or water flying dragons
(e.g., fiery flying serpent) would not be considered dinosaurs but dragons.
Dragon is an overarching term that includes flying dragons (e.g.,
pteranodons), sea dragons (e.g., plesiosaurs), and land dragons (e.g., T-rex,
and brachiosaurus), where dinosaurs are a subset of the land dragons—because of
their specific definition. Even crocodiles could be termed as a dragon by the classical
definition. The Bible often used the words dragon/dragons in older translations
and I think they are more accurate to the original Hebrew words.[1]
When Were Dinosaurs Created?
Dinosaurs, being land animals by definition, were created on
Day Six of Creation Week, along with other land animals and humans
(Genesis 1:24–31). This places their origin only thousands of years ago, not
millions. They predate man, but only by hours.
They lived in the same world as Adam and Eve and were
originally part of a “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31), meaning there
was no death, suffering, or predation before sin. All dinosaurs were originally
vegetarian—like all other critters…until sin.
Effect Of The Curse (Genesis 3)
After Adam’s sin, the Curse brought major changes to all
creation (Genesis 3:17–19; Romans 8:20–22). Dinosaurs, like all animals, were
affected in several ways:
- The introduction of death: animals began to die.
- Changes in behavior: some animals likely became carnivorous or more aggressive.
- Environmental hardship: thorns, disease, and struggle for survival entered the world.
- Cursed design might have affected dinosaurs in ways we may not fully understand; consider that the serpent was cursed to physically change form and the vegetation brought forth thorns.
Thus, dinosaurs went from living in a perfect environment,
with perfect bodies in perfect harmony to surviving in a fallen, deteriorating creation.
Were Dinosaurs On The Ark?
Yes! According to Genesis 6:19–20, Noah brought “two of
every sort” of land animal (with more of some kinds). Dinosaurs were included
because they are land animals with the “breath of life.”
Dinosaurs and other creatures that did not get on the Ark, died. Many decayed, but those that were rapidly buried by watery sediment were candidates for fossilization. Dinosaurs fossils found in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rock are from the Flood of Noah.
Importantly, Noah likely took representatives of “kinds,” not every species, and these were probably juvenile or perhaps smaller
individuals. This would make space on the Ark more feasible and a better vigor
when coming off the Ark—speaking of which...
Did Dinosaurs Come Off The Ark?
Yes. After the Flood, all animals on the Ark, including
dinosaurs, disembarked and began to repopulate the earth (Genesis 8:15–19). Therefore, dinosaurs would have lived alongside post-Flood humans for
some time.
Bear in mind that man initially settled at Noah’s Farm, then
as Noah’s descendants were to move to their allotted land they tried to defy
God and moved to Babel for some time. They built a city and tower but God came
down and confused their languages and scattered them. The point is that many
animals—like dinosaurs—would have a head start.
As people encountered dinosaurs and other dragons’ recordings
were preserved in petroglyphs, ancient writings, and descriptions. This helps
explain dragon legends found in many cultures. These are historical memories of
encounters with dinosaur-like creatures.
Why Did Dinosaurs Die Off?
Dinosaurs are believed to have gone extinct over time after the Flood, not in a single prehistoric extinction event millions of years ago—nor did they evolve into birds.
Several key factors that helped lead to dinosaur extinction are:
- Post-Flood
Environmental Changes
The Flood drastically altered earth’s climate and ecosystems. Conditions after the Flood were less stable and often harsher, making survival more difficult for large animals. - An Ice Age was triggered by the Flood and about 1/3 of the earth was covered with ice at a glacial maximum (creationists and evolutionists agree on this!). This also lowered sea levels to expose land bridges for animals to migrate to far places like the British Isles, Japan, the Americas, and likely Australia. But reptiles do not do well in the cold and so, the Ice Age may have caused the numbers of dinosaurs to diminish in many parts of the globe.
- Food
Supply and Habitat Loss
Changing vegetation, climates, and landscapes would have reduced suitable habitats and food sources for many large reptiles. Many old accounts of dragons has them living nears swamps and much swamp ground had been decimated and drained for farming for the past 1,000 years. - Human
Activity
Humans likely hunted large and dangerous animals, including dinosaurs, contributing to their decline. - Population
Pressures
Larger animals reproduce more slowly and require more resources, making them more vulnerable to extinction. - Natural
Degeneration in a Fallen World
Since creation is under the Curse (Romans 8:22), decay, disease, genetic defects, and extinction are expected outcomes over time.
In Brief
In the biblical view, dinosaurs were created by God on Day
Six, lived alongside humans, were affected by the Fall, survived the Flood on
Noah’s Ark, and gradually went extinct afterward due to hosts of factors like environmental,
biological, and human-related influences.
When we start with God’s Word and reject the idea that
dinosaurs lived millions of years before humans, it makes perfect sense. Dinosaurs
and dragons are brilliantly explained within the biblical timeline.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
* Image generated using ChatGPT
