The Biblical Wisdom Series

Pamphlet #1003

When Did Dinosaurs Live on Earth?

Conflict? Is there a conflict between the Biblical account of creation and scientific discoveries about the age of the earth? When did dinosaurs roam the earth?

Let's explore what the Bible tells us. We'll start with the six days of God's divine activity described in Genesis.
 

• Day 6 starts in Gen. 1:24 with the words "And God said"
• Day 5 starts in Gen. 1:20 with the words "And God said"
• Day 4 starts in Gen. 1:14 with the words "And God said"
• Day 3 starts in Gen. 1:9 with the words "And God said"
• Day 2 starts in Gen. 1:6 with the words "And God said"
• Day 1 starts in Gen. 1:3 with the words "And God said"

What about the first two verses in Genesis? What are they telling us? What happened during the time that passed between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2, prior to God starting these six days of activity? We must look to other places in the Bible for these answers. We will explore the following verses, in the King James Version. Gen. 1:1-2, Gen. 1:28, Gen. 8:3 - 9:2, Jer. 4:23-26, 2 Peter 3:5-8, Isaiah 14:12-14, Isaiah 45:18, Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Psalms 136:6-7.

Let's first examine Gen. 1:1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. What do we know about this? Isaiah 45:18 tells us he made the earth to be inhabited and not in vain (Heb., tohu, meaning empty) and 2 Peter 3:5 tells us the earth was standing out of the water.

Gen. 1:2 says the earth was (Heb.,hayah, meaning became) without form and void (Heb., tohu va bola, meaning, waste and empty) and darkness was (became) upon the face of the deep (flooded). 2 Peter 3:6 says the earth was (became) overflowed with water and perished.

Note: Peter is not talking about Noah's flood because all the world did not perish in Noah's flood.

If we look at Jeremiah's vision of the earth (Jer. 4:23-26) it was without form and void; and had no light and the mountains trembled and the hills moved. And there were no men and all the birds were gone. He said the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities were broken down because of the Lord's anger. He must have seen the earth as it is described in Gen. 1:2 and as Peter described it in 2 Peter 3:6 because the earth has never been empty and waste and dark since the six days of God's activity as described in Gen. 1:3 to 2:25. The only time the sun and stars were not allowed to give light was the period before the six days. They have been giving light ever since. There never has been a time or will be a time when there were no men on earth since then. Yet Jeremiah said all the cities were gone.

What was happening on earth between (Gen. 1:1), Isaiah's vision of the inhabited earth or (2 Peter 3:5 Peter's description of the earth standing out of the water and; (Gen. 1:2) Jeremiah's vision of the flooded, empty and void earth or (2 Peter 3:6) Peter's overflowed earth?

What about Lucifer, the fallen angel (Satan). Isaiah 14: 12-14 tells us that Lucifer fell from heaven, was cut down to the ground (earth) which weakened the nations! Why? Because he wanted to ascend into heaven and exalt his throne above the heights of the clouds and be the most High. Read Ezekiel 28:11-19.

When did this happen? It must have been before the six days of God's activity because he was already a fallen angel in the garden of Eden.

Lucifer must have had a kingdom here on earth and it must have been between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. Were there men in his kingdom? He weakened the nations Isaiah 14:12. At no place in the Bible does God refer to nations except to nations made up of men.

Jeremiah, in Jer. 4:25, saw no men when he saw the earth as it was in Gen. 1:2. In verse 26 he says all the cities were broken down by the fierce anger of the Lord.

Ezekiel saw Lucifer cast to the ground before Kings, in Ezek. 28:17, and all that know him among the people shall be astonished, in verse 19.

When Peter described the overflowed earth where the world perished he was describing Lucifer's Flood between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2.

If you are still not convinced that men lived on earth before Adam's time look at the following two verses. Gen. 9:1 after Noah's flood, God tells Noah and his sons to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. In Gen. 1:28 God tells Adam to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. If people didn't live on earth between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2 how could Adam replenish? The earth most certainly was plenished with men before the six days.

How long ago did God create the perfect, inhabited earth of Gen. 1:1? It could have been hundreds of billions of years ago!

How long did Lucifer have a kingdom here on earth, where he ruled over nations, before he tried to move his throne to heaven and be the most high?

How long did God put up with sin before he got angry enough to completely destroy the nations of the dateless past? It could have been hundreds of millions of years.

How long was the earth void and flooded as in Gen. 1:2? It could have been hundreds of millions of years. Did these first men live on earth at the same time as the dinosaurs? I don't know.

God didn't choose to tell us very much about this long period of the earth's history in the Bible. Just enough to know there is no conflict between Biblical accounts of the earth's age and scientific discoveries. If God did not allow the sun to shine on the earth for a period of time from Gen. 1:2 till Gen. 1:3 (day 1), guess what, the Ice Age! Scientists have discovered the frozen carcases of animals at the Arctic Circle that are millions of years old. In their stomachs they found undigested tropical plants. How can this be? Very simple, when God cursed the earth after Lucifer's fall and flood he cut off the light and warmth of the sun and there was an instant ice age and everything perished.

When God turned the sun's light back unto the earth, starting Gen. 1:3 (day 1) the ice began to melt and starting Gen. 1:6 (day 2) some evaporated to form clouds. Starting Gen. 1:9 (day 3) dry land appears again. Starting Gen. 1:14 (day 4) the sun is again able to shine on dry land. Starting Gen.1:20 (day 5) he created fish and brought forth birds. Starting Gen. 1:24 (day 6) he created man for the second time and brought forth living beasts.

So you see, if you search the scriptures and as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 2:15 "rightly dividing the word of truth", you find that there is no conflict between scientific discoveries about the age of the earth or its pre- historic inhabitants and what God has revealed to us in the Bible. Once scientists discover how old the earth really is we'll also know more about what the earth was like between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. We'll also know what the people who lived on earth at that time were like.

Gen. 1:1-12 & 20-23, Gen. 6:1-13, Gen. 8:1-14, Isa. 14:12-14, Ezek. 28:11-17, Jer. 4:23-26, Ps. 104:7, Luke 10:18, and 2 Peter 3:6

After Lucifer's Flood                                                     After Noah's Flood

Earth made waste                                                                         Not made waste
Earth made empty                                                                         Not made empty
Earth made totally dark                                                                Not made dark
All vegetation destroyed                                                            Vegetation not destroyed
God rebuked the waters                                                              Waters gradually receded
    they hastened                                                                                 away over a period of months
All fish destroyed                                                                        Fish were not destroyed
No foul were left                                                                           Foul did not disappear
No animals left                                                                              Animals were saved
No men left on earth                                                                    Men were saved
No social system left                                                                   Social system was preserved
Caused by fall of Satan                                                               Caused by fall of man
Became necessary to re-create                                                  All things preserved