When were dinosaurs created and are they mentioned in Scripture?

The most popular question for people—especially from young people—is about where and when are dinosaurs in the Bible. Specifically, when were dinosaurs created and do we see them mentioned in the Scriptures?

Let’s start at the beginning with creation. The Bible says that God created all things. This would include dinosaurs on day 6 in Genesis 1:21, 25 (“great sea creatures” and “beasts of the earth”). Also, since sin was absent from the garden (and death along with it), all animals were created as herbivores in the garden. This gives us a very different vision of the fearsome T-Rex than what we see in the movies! However, with the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, not only was there a break in the relationship between mankind and God but also between mankind and creation. Their sin brought death into the world and this changed everything. No longer would life characterized by harmony with God and creation but it would be a vivid picture of struggle, pain, and death. This change would impact the Earth and all the creatures in it—including dinosaurs.

The flood of Noah’s time destroyed most of the dinosaurs on earth. Today we can see evidence of this in the buried and fossilized remains of the dinosaurs of past ages. The amazing part of this story is that 2 of each kind of dinosaur survived on Noah’s Ark (Gen. 6:19-20) during the flood. Can you imagine that year-long cruise with baby dinosaurs on board! There is biblical evidence that dinosaurs roamed the Earth after the flood. Job, a man that lived between Noah and Abraham, mentions dinosaurs in the book that bears his name in the Bible. Job 41:1 mentions the presence of a great sea creature (Leviathan) unlike anything that exists today. Isaiah 27:1 also refers to this great serpent in the sea. Job 40:15-24 describes an enormous creature called a Behemoth (Sauropod?) which has a tail like a cedar tree and is an herbivore. What a time to be alive during the age of the dinosaurs! Even though all of these incredible creatures have died out long ago, we can still appreciate the power and wonder that they must have had during their time.

Yes, dinosaurs were awesome creatures! Yet, the best thing about these incredible creatures is that they were created by our majestic and all-powerful God! Even as we think about these incredible creatures called dinosaurs we can give praise and glory to our awesome God!