BEHEMOTH
_Job 40:17-24
17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. 18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. 19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. 20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. 21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. 22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. 23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. 24 He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares. The above passage is from the Book of Job, which is thought to be one of the oldest written books of the Bible. In the passage, God is describing a creature called ‘Behemoth’. No known living animal, such as the elephant or hippopotamus, fits the passage adequately. Could the Behemoth be a Sauropod dinosaur?
|
|
Leviathan
Job 41:1-34
1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? 2Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? 4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? 5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? 7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. 9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? 11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. 13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? 14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. 15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. 17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. 21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. 22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. 23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. 25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. 29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. 33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. 34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? 2Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? 4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? 5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? 7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. 9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? 11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. 13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? 14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. 15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. 17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. 21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. 22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. 23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. 25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. 29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. 33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. 34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
- Isaiah 27:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
- Psalm 74:14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
- Psalm 104:26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
In these passages, God is describing a creature called "Leviathan". Each scripture seems like it is speaking of a real creature that existed at that time. Could this be a creature like the Mosasaurus? From the text, it seems to have an ability similar to fire breathing. Is this evening possible? In the video to the right, you can see the defense mechanism of the Bombardier Beetle. When threatened, it sprays the attacker with a boiling hot mixture of chemicals. The predator hears a loud pop, then finds itself bathed in a cloud of toxins reaching 212° F (100° C). Could this be similar to the process of the Leviathan?
|
|
Fiery Flying Serpents
- Isaiah 14:29 Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
- Isaiah 30:6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
- Isaiah 59:5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
- Jeremiah 8:17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.
Some have speculated that the fiery flying serpents in the Bible are flying snakes like the Chrysopelea which glide through the air. The video on the right shows their gliding technique. Some speculate that the term "fiery" refers to a strong or painful venom. The problem with that theory is that flying snakes like the Chrysopelea have very mild venom and can only harm very small prey. National Geographic says that they are considered harmless to humans. The next problem is that the Bible infers that these creatures lived in the middle east. Modern flying serpents only live in rain forests and thick jungles in areas like Asia. A modern flying snake does not seem like a good match to the Bible's description of the fiery flying serpent. Could the Bible be speaking of a creature like the Rhamphorhynchus?
|
|
Dragons
- Deuteronomy 32:33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
- Job 30:29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
- Psalm 44:19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
- Psalm 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
- Isaiah 13:22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
- Isaiah 34:13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
- Isaiah 43:20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
- Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
- Jeremiah 14:6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
- Jeremiah 51:34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
- Ezekiel 29:3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
- Malachi 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
- Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Pre-Flood Environment
If you examine the timeline of mankind from the beginning of Genesis to a time after the flood, you will see that the average lifespan of man starts at about 850 total years, then it decreases dramatically after the flood. The Bible tells us that the world was different before the flood, and that leads to many theories about the conditions and atmosphere of Earth. The Bible tells us that it never rained before the flood. In fact, most believe that there was a type of green house effect that unrestrainedly supported life. Genesis 6:4 Tell us, "There were giants in the earth in those days". This Giantism occurs in many types of animals and plants which can be observed in the fossil record.
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica CD (2005) "The significant difference between growth in reptiles and that in mammals is that a reptile has the potential of growing throughout its life, whereas a mammal reaches a terminal size and grows no more, even though it may subsequently live many years in ideal conditions."
If you consider that some turtles today live to be 200, if the same turtle could have lived before the flood to be 1,700 years old, they would have been about 40 feet in diameter. This could explain the massive size of some dinosaur fossils, even though the average dinosaur size was comparable to a car.
An experiment was done to try to replicate this theorized perfect environment. Director of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas, Dr. Carl Baugh has invented and patented a 'Hyperbaric Biosphere' chamber to test Biblical claims regarding pre-flood atmosphere and magnetic conditions based on Genesis. The experiment was very successful in it's attempts. The results were as follows:
• Extended life span of drosophila fruit flies up to three generations.
• Molecular change of venom in copperhead snakes to a non-toxic state.
• Accelerated growth of piranha fish - from 2" to 16" over a 2.5 years period.
You may read about the experiment here.
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica CD (2005) "The significant difference between growth in reptiles and that in mammals is that a reptile has the potential of growing throughout its life, whereas a mammal reaches a terminal size and grows no more, even though it may subsequently live many years in ideal conditions."
If you consider that some turtles today live to be 200, if the same turtle could have lived before the flood to be 1,700 years old, they would have been about 40 feet in diameter. This could explain the massive size of some dinosaur fossils, even though the average dinosaur size was comparable to a car.
An experiment was done to try to replicate this theorized perfect environment. Director of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas, Dr. Carl Baugh has invented and patented a 'Hyperbaric Biosphere' chamber to test Biblical claims regarding pre-flood atmosphere and magnetic conditions based on Genesis. The experiment was very successful in it's attempts. The results were as follows:
• Extended life span of drosophila fruit flies up to three generations.
• Molecular change of venom in copperhead snakes to a non-toxic state.
• Accelerated growth of piranha fish - from 2" to 16" over a 2.5 years period.
You may read about the experiment here.
Dinosaurs on Noah's Ark
If Dinosaurs existed in the time of man, they would have to be on the ark of Noah along with other animals. Here is an article from www.answersingenesis.com explaining how this can happen.
"Although there are about 668 names of dinosaurs, there are perhaps only 55 different “kinds” of dinosaurs. Furthermore, not all dinosaurs were huge like the brachiosaurus, and even those dinosaurs on the Ark were probably “teenagers” or young adults. Here are some reasons to bring young animals on the ark: 1) They are smaller. 2) They weigh less. 3) They eat less. 4) They sleep more. 5) They are entering their reproductive prime. Creationist researcher John Woodmorappe has calculated that Noah had on board with him representatives from about 8,000 animal genera (including some now-extinct animals), or around 16,000 individual animals as a maximum number. When you realize that horses, zebras, and donkeys are probably descended from the horse-like “kind,” Noah did not have to carry two sets of each such animal. Also, dogs, wolves, and coyotes are probably from a single canine “kind,” so hundreds of different dogs were not needed. |
|
According to Genesis 6:15 , the Ark measured 300 x 50 x 30 cubits, which is about 510 x 85 x 51 feet, with a volume of about 2.21 million cubic feet. Researchers have shown that this is the equivalent volume of over 500 semitrailers of space.
Without getting into all the math, the 16,000-plus animals would have occupied much less than half the space in the Ark (even allowing them some moving-around space)."
Curious why human fossils are not found in the same layers as Dinosaurs? Answers In Genesis explains why HERE.
Without getting into all the math, the 16,000-plus animals would have occupied much less than half the space in the Ark (even allowing them some moving-around space)."
Curious why human fossils are not found in the same layers as Dinosaurs? Answers In Genesis explains why HERE.
Species Variation
If one of every kind of animal were spared on the Ark, how can we explain the variety we see in species today? According to Nature.com, "Within the same species, individual organisms can look very different. For all three species of butterflies on the right vary in wing color and pattern depending on the season during which they were born. The butterflies at the top were born under different temperature and light conditions than the ones at the bottom." We see similar Dinosaurs and consider them different species. Could it simply be an example of species variation? Even the Brontosaurus was proven to be the Apatosaurus. Click here to see a list of similar types of Ceratopsians.
|
Another explanation of species variation could be explained by genetic mutation. According to telegraph.co.uk, there was a snake found in China that had a genetically mutated foot growing from it's body. This proves that the snake must have the genetic ability to produce a limb like that even though it is an abnormality. Typically animals with genetic mutations do not live long lives, but it is not always the case. The "Methuselah Mutation" has been found to prolong life in worms, flies, mice and even humans.
|
According to the University of Utah Health Sciences, "Genetic variation is useful because it helps populations change over time.....This process of natural selection can lead to significant changes in the appearance, behavior." They also say, "Radiation, chemicals, byproducts of cellular metabolism, free radicals, ultraviolet rays from the sun—these agents damage thousands of nucleotides in each of our cells every day. They affect the nucleotides themselves...knocking a base off its backbone, or even causing a break in the DNA strand.
Evolution says that men wouldn't even know what Dinosaurs looked like before 1841. If Dinosaurs and mankind really existed in the same time frame, wouldn't there be some visual evidence to support this claim? In the next section, we will look a look at some visual evidence.
**FAIR USE NOTICE** These Videos May Contain Copyrighted (© ) Material. The Use of Which Has Not Always Been Specifically Authorized by The Copyright Owner. Such Material is Made Available to Advance Understanding of Ecological, Political, Human Rights, Economic, Democracy, Scientific, Moral, Ethical, Social Justice Issues, Teaching, and Research. It is believed that this Constitutes a ''Fair Use'' of Any Such Copyrighted Material as Provided For in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In Accordance With Title - 17 U.S.C. Section 107, This Material is Distributed Without PROFIT to Those Who Have Expressed a Prior General Interest in Receiving Similar Information For Research and Educational Purposes. For More Information: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode