Tag Archives: dinosaurs

The Great Sea Monsters

Creature Features which aired for six seasons in Chicago from 1970-1976 was the first television series to highlight the concept and possibility of real-life monsters on earth. The first nationally televised show devoted to mysterious phenomena started one year later. In Search Of ran from 1977-1982 with Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy served as the narrator of this hour-long documentary series. This show introduced me to sea creatures like the Loch Ness Monster.

God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it, Genesis 1:21.

While reading the Bible recently, I was amazed to see that God created great sea monsters as noted by Moses in the Book of Genesis. According to the Hebrew word used for great sea monsters, God is specifically referring to creatures of monstrous size and shape. The Bible also mentions the Dragon, Behemoth, and Leviathan. The book of Job suggests the Leviathan is either an alligator or crocodile. Meanwhile, the Behemoth is some sort of beast of the sea (either giant squid, serpent or whale).

Can you draw out the leviathan (the crocodile) with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook or a spike? Will he make many supplications to you [begging to be spared]? Will he speak soft words to you [to coax you to treat him kindly]? – Job 41:1-3.

If 71 percent of the earth is water, there are likely many great sea creatures that have yet to be discovered. While most dinosaurs perished either during or after the biblical flood in Genesis, scientists annually find a species that they thought was extinct. As someone who has always been intrigued by mysterious phenomena, it would be convenient to have more evidence on the great sea monsters on earth. Yet, for now I place my trust in the Lord who was the creator of these unique large creatures.

by Jay Mankus

Oops I Have Done It Again

In the earliest days on earth, God provided Adam and Eve with a vast amount of freedom. The passage below states Adam’s daily responsibility in the Garden of Eden. There wasn’t a long list of to do’s and dont’s. Rather, God limits the rules to one: do not eat from the tree of knowledge. With the boundary line between right and wrong clearly set, only one tree and it’s fruit was off limits. This couple didn’t have to guess what the right thing to do was nor could they claim to be amoral, not knowing right from wrong.

And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die, Genesis 2:15-17.

When Eve flirted with Lucifer, a serpent in disguise, a seed of doubt was conceived within her mind. The longer this conversation continued, enticement and lust for this forbidden fruit grew. Despite standing right there next to his wife, Adam was complicit, serving as a curious bystander. This joint act of disobedient forced God to introduce a new set of laws via the Torah to combat original sin. While God was willing to forgive this transgression, punishment is handed out for each guilty party in Genesis 3.

Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong]?-Job 1:6-8

While Genesis is the first book of the Bible, Job is the oldest book. Comments made in chapters 40-41, suggest that Job was living in a land of dinosaurs. If this is true, that would mean Job lived prior to the flood detailed in Genesis 6:17. Job doesn’t refer to Satan as a snake. Rather, Lucifer is a fallen angel who has retained his supernatural powers. Like a spiritual lion seeking to pounce on weak minded individuals, this fact is not to be taken likely. If you disregard or ignore this information, you may find yourself ensnared by sin, stuck in pitiful addicted state. Instead of saying “oops I have done it again,” make sure repentance results in acts of contrition. May this blog inspire you to focus on spiritual transformation.

by Jay Mankus

Angels with Error

The book of Job, the person not what Trump wants to create, is the oldest book in the Old Testament.  What this means is that Job was finished prior to Genesis.  Why its not clear if Job lived before the flood, he does talk about walking with dinosaurs.  Due to the atmospheric changes in the weather following the flood and lack of dinosaurs mentioned on Noah’s ark, Job could have died prior to Genesis 7.  Another clue is found in the first few chapters of Job’s book, referring to Satan by name twice and angels with error.  All of this leads me to believe Job experienced a moment in time when 1/3 of the angels were kicked out of heaven, falling to earth in the form of demons.

If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, Job 4:18.

Theology introduces many terms which were created and developed to help common church going individuals to understand the complex.  One of these biblical ideas is the concept of free will.  The definition eludes to freedom given by God to make choices without coercion or force.  This element also applies to angels, also known as cherubs, seraphim and archangels.  The context of Job 4 is Eliphaz, a close friend of Job addresses and begins to contemplate why Job has endured several trials.  While the initial statement refers to trust, one possible explanation is that angels with error, now demons, have unleashed their wrath.

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day, Jude 1:6.

According to Jesus, everyone will face a day of judgment.  While the facts of life will be presented in the form of video clips that include highlights and low lights, this will be a scary day for all.  Nothing that you do now can save you.  What I mean by this is that in the end, there is no one righteous.  All have exercised free will, falling short of God’s glory.  Yet, Romans 5:8 gives the hopeless hope through God’s demonstration of love.  While I deserve hell and damnation, God sent His one and only Son to restore that which was lost, Luke 19:10.  Despite angels with error, eternal life is in reach of the humble by grace through faith.  Reach out today by accepting God’s free gift, Romans 6:23.

by Jay Mankus

The Power of Diligence

A couple of weeks ago, I listened to a talk show about the impact mojies and texting is having on the English language.  Initially, I was unfazed, not seeing the connection between the two.  However, the more I think about it, social outlets like Instagram and Twitter are enabling slang to steal the power of words.

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized, Hebrews 6:11.

Subsequently, dynamic vocabulary is fading away, becoming extinct like dinosaurs of the past.  One of these terms is diligence, referring to an attentiveness, motivated by vigor to carry something to completion.  This trait once made the United States a great nation, igniting the Industrial Revolution.  Yet for now, those who possess this quality is limited.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised, Hebrews 6:12.

According to the author of Hebrews, those who lack diligence tend to fall prey to laziness.  The solution to this potential snag is to imitate the faith of Israel, willing to wait up to 400 years before finally possessing God’s promised land.  When diligence is exhibited in the hearts and minds of individuals, God’s promises don’t feel so far away.  Yet, when doubt causes God’s people to lose hope, the fruits of diligence disappear.  Therefore, the next time an urge to walk away from your dreams arises, fight back with the power of diligence.

by Jay Mankus

Globing Warming?

The Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius is credited as the father of Global Warning.  According to Lenntech.com, Svante suggested fossil fuel combustion may result in enhanced global warming in 1896.  However, actual warming and cooling trends throughout history can be traced back to major volcanic eruptions or an absence of these eruptions.  Following the explosion of Mount Saint Helens on May 18th, 1980, experts in the media thought the earth was nearing a second ice age.  Thirty five years later, a lack of major eruptions have steered scientists back in the other direction, clinging to Svante’s presupposition.

God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. – Genesis 1:10

Prior to Noah’s flood, the earth contained one continent, known as Pangea, consistent with Moses’ words in Genesis 1:10.  The initial climate on earth was ideal for dinosaurs, similar to the equator without the rain, Genesis 2:5-6, known as the Open Canopy Theory.  While most scholars claim dinosaurs disappeared after a meteor crashed into the earth, the Bible tells a different stories.  According to Genesis 7:11, a major eruption took place underneath of Pangea, setting into motion modern day tectonic plates which have formed 7 continents from one.  At this moment in time, the Yellowstone Caldera or super volcano underneath modern day Yellowstone National Park erupted for the first time.  Immediately following this event, the atmosphere was transformed causing rain to fall for the very first time.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. – Genesis 7:11   

These massive eruptions likely led to the first ice age, as the rain which fell in the polar regions gradually began to freeze, forming glaciers at the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.  With the sun blocked by clouds of volcanic ash, the temperature likely fell to their coldest recordings ever.  This is the real version of The Day After Tomorrow, except not as fast, giving Noah and his family time to head south from Turkey for the Middle East.  Although global warming enthusiasts will continue to use propaganda to convince the masses, the average citizen can look out their window, read the thermometer and use common sense to tell when the globe is cooling or warming.

by Jay Mankus