Crusader37
Creation, Dinosaurs & The Bible
After the Flood Noah's his descendants migrated to the plains of Shinar. On this plain, today known as Iraq, (Summer c. 3500 BC to 2000 BC) became the first civilization on earth. The religio/political upheaval which followed "Tower of Babel" induced people to migrate to other parts of the world.
There is increasing evidence of the connection between Biblical Genesis (Ch. 1-11) and the origin of Chinese Civilization. In Genesis 10 we have the Table of Nations, that is, the descendants of Noah's three sons Shem, Ham and Japhet. Ham is regarded as the father of the Mongoloid and Negroid races because he generated Canaan whose two sons Heth (Hittites/Cathey) and Sin (Sinite/China) who are presumed to be the progenitors of the Mongoloid stock.
"The name Sin appears frequently in the Chinese language, and the city of Xian, a provincial capital in western China, was known as Sianfu in the nineteenth century, meaning "Father Sin." Some scholars have suggested that the Sin referred to here may have been Fu Xi, the legendary first king of China, who began his reign in 2852 B.C. Later, when the first Chinese kingdom broke up in the first millennium B.C., a state named Qin (also spelled Tsin or Ch'in), arose near Xian; the Qin rulers reunited the land in the third century B.C., and the whole land became known as China, named after Qin. Thus the name "Sin" came to us in a roundabout fashion, altered over the ages to become "China." The ancient name also appeared in its original form in the 1960s and 70s when news reports told about the "Sino-Soviet" border dispute." (see http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/A Biblical Interpretation of World History)
Most likely the Chinese Civilization began in the area of the former Chinese capital Shensi or Siang-fu (Father Sin) also called Hang'an and today called Xi'an meaning city of "Everlasting Peace". This is the place where the Silk Road began and served as the first capital of the unified empire. "One ancient Chinese classic called the "Hihking" tells the story of Fuhi, whom the Chinese consider to be the father of their civilization. This history records that Fuhi, his wife, three sons, and three daughters escaped the great flood. He and his family were the only people left alive on earth. After the great flood they repopulated the world. An ancient temple in China has a wall painting that shows Fuhi's boat in the raging waters. Dolphins are swimming around the boat and a dove with an olive branch in its beak is flying toward it." (Webpage: Evidence-the Great Flood)
There are also cultural similarities between the Chinese and Chaldeans which suggest their origin. Like the Chaldeans, the Chinese had astronomical knowledge and belief in astrology, used same of methods of measurement, the cycle of sixty and decimal system. They believed in interrelation and correspondence of five elements, the five colors, the harmony of numbers and a multitude of other customs that the Chaldeans had. All of this cannot be mere coincidence." (Webpage: Archeology, The Bible and the Post-Flood Origins of Chinese History/ article by Roy L. Hales)
Another indication of the origin of the Chinese was their monotheism. They believed in Shang-Di, the Supreme Heavenly Ruler of whom they never made an image.
At the Border Sacrifice, a single calf, male of female, was sacrificed. "Why a calf? Because of its guileless simplicity,' says Kâu Hsü of our eleventh century; earlier than Kû Hsî, who adopted his explanation. The calf, whether male or female, has not yet felt the appetency of sex, and is unconscious of any 'dissipation.' This is a refinement on the Hebrew idea of the victim lamb, 'without blemish.'" (footnote 1: Book IX, The Kiao Tehe Sang, Sec. 1:2) The oldest Chinese historical source tells us that in the year 2230 BC at the "Border Sacrifice", the Emperor Shun sacrifice to Shang-Di offering the following prayer:
"Thou hast vouchsafed, O Di, to hear us for, Thou regardest us as a Father. I, Thy child, dull and unenlightened, am unable so show forth the dutiful feelings".
"Thy sovereign goodness is infinite. As a potter, Thou hast made all living thing. Thy sovereign goodness is infinite. Great and small are sheltered [by Thee]. As engraven on the heart of Thy poor servant is the sense of Thy goodness, so that my feelings cannot be fully displayed. With great kindness Thou dost bear us, and not withstanding our shortcomings, dost grant us life and prosperity."
Original source: Shu Ching, Book of History/Documents
Hieromonk Damascene reflecting on the above prayer states: "In general, reading the text of the Border Sacrifice reminds us strongly of the prayers of the Ancient Hebrews as found in the Old Testament: the same reverent awe before God, the same self abasement, humility and gratitude before his greatness. ... It seems that the most ancient Chinese religion and the ancient Hebrew religion are drawn from the same source." From the above it is most likely that the Chinese brought with them the religion of Noah as they migrated from the plains of Shinar.
Lie's in the textbooks
The Dangers of Evolution
the Hovind Theory
Mokele-mbembe
At
Here is some recently contributed information by
David Woetzel (who has done expeditions in search of Mokele-mbembe):
1.) The older 20-45 ft long creatures live and mate in the Dja and maybe the Sangha rivers. These mature MM's (Mokele-mbembe) have very tough scales, like the back of a crocodile. Also like a croc, their underbelly is much softer. Their coloration is a dulled brownish gray.
2.) The younger creatures live in the Likouala swamp region. Their scales are softer and their colors are a more vivid reddish-brown. They're probably more skittish then their older counterparts.
3.) This sharp contrast in areas by age suggests a migration that only happens once in their lives (although the mother likely goes with its offspring to take them to the swamp).
4.) Their birth instincts are peculiar and vague. The native people say the MM gives birth to live young every 20 years. This is not a trait likely in reptiles, maybe the people their have it wrong because they are not able to find a nest site (some nests have been found) for how territorial these animals are they likely guard their nests very aggressively. They would likely kill anyone that gets close enough to see the eggs.
5.) No matter what, the mother's birth migration probably happens 1 of 2 ways. They either migrate to the swamp and lay eggs (or give birth) there, or they lay their eggs along the river and the mother and offspring go to the swamp together. I'm in favor of that idea because the nests are found along the rivers and the only time more than one MM is seen is when it is with its mother (according to the natives).
6.) The mother remains with her offspring for about a year (it may use this time to take the baby to the swamp and prepare it for life on its own)
7.) The adult male has a shorter neck but it also has a spiky back, and the female has a longer neck without the spikes.
8.) The young all have dermal ridges.
Someone from the internet recently told me about these sightings from people in
Witness: Doreen
Date: unknown
Place:
Observed: A creature like a giant elephant, with a long tail and a long, snake-like neck. It appeared to be about 30 feet long.
Witness: Ama
Date: October, 2003
Place:
Observed: A snake-like creature that had an elephant-like body. It’s neck was around ten feet long and had a tail about fifteen to twenty feet long. It appeared to be around forty feet in length.
Cryptozoology, Living Dinosaurs
this is a live lochness cam ..
every so aften ya might need to refresh the screen.
Or you can go to the link below the picture
The Officially Original Loch Ness Monster LiveCam
16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
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
2 Canst 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.
swanmix10: even on the comment section you could not provide any evidence.
swanmix10: its still wrong and stupid bu at least people wont directly call you an idiot.
swanmix10: all the animals are made of playdoe,
and my hair has a lot to do with sting theory.
i dont know why you keep trying.
if you didnt you would have not 1 thing to say about it and you would ignore it
but it bothers you and them alright.. you dont want it exposed and have to give it up.
because you will have to admit you are accountable for the way you live
swanmix10: you cannot put togather a coherent thought without saying some trivail nonesense.
you just ignore the thing and hope and try to get other people to too
because you dont want to believe it
and go to a school that does not have evolution,
but has only science and they dont brainwash you like you have been
ass pin pals from the middle east or somae jack ass priest who tells you,
just because you got your cookies taken away
swanmix10: these are the arguments you must use agianst scientists
and athiests to win their respect and prove them wrong.
just like atheism is and they are both cults too by the way
Like fish, some of the great reptiles of the sea could have lived through the Flood without being taken in to the Ark. Noah was told to protect land-dwelling animals and birds, not fish and other creatures that could survive in the floodwaters.
An ancient Hebrew legend says that the only animals to survive the Flood, besides those on the Ark, were "the giant og, the monster reem and the fishes." The word "og" means gigantic and long necked--a good description of the big plesiosaurs (PLEE-see-o-SORS). In every part of the world, ships have made reports of animals like this and other types of unknown creatures. Most scientists agree there are probably many more sea creatures to be discovered. Man knows more about the surface of the moon than he does about life in the world's great oceans. There is more sworn evidence for "sea monsters" than would be needed to prove any ordinary case in the court of law.The Navy ship U.S.S. Stein tangled with such a creature on its way to track submarines near South America. When its sonar equipment suddenly stopped working, the captain headed the ship back for repairs at the Long Beach Naval Dockyard. When the tough underwater sonar dome was examined in dry dock the crew found a big surprise. The rubber covering that protects the dome was torn and battered with dozens of big gouges. Hundreds of sharp, hollow teeth (or claws) were broken off in the covering. Some were longer than a inch. It looked as if some sea creature had been attracted to the underwater sound of the sonar and tried to bite it and break it. Naval Oceans Center made a decision. The animal "must have been extremely large and of species still unknown to science."
The "leviathan" the Bible talks about in Job 41 is described as the greatest creature in the sea. Unlike a crocodile or fish, it was useless to try to catch a leviathan with hooks, harpoons or anything else. "Nothing on earth is his equal--a creature without fear" (Job 41:33, NIV). What was a leviathan? The large size, strong jaws, great teeth, fast swimming ability and its protected back and underside all give clues. It could have been a Kronosaurus (KRON-oh-SOR-us) or something like it. This was one of the greatest, most overwhelming animals ever to swim the seas. It was not a true dinosaur, but it was reptile-like and had great, sharp teeth. It seems these animals were still alive at the time of King David. Psalm 104 says they played where the ships go to and fro. This was probably the Mediterranean Sea. It is interesting that many reports of "sea serpents" closely match the ancient pliosaurs and mosasaurs. They looked somewhat like huge lizards or crocodiles with flippers or webbed feet. Fossils show their backbones were very flexible. They could probably swim in a snake-like motion. A creature very much like these was reported during World War I by a German submarine. Captain Georg von Forstner described what happened:
"On July 30, 1915, our U28 torpedoed the British steamer Iberian carrying a rich cargo in the North Atlantic. The steamer sank quickly, the bow sticking almost vertically into the air. When it had gone for about twenty-five seconds there was a violent explosion. A little later pieces of wreckage, and among them a gigantic sea animal (writhing and struggling wildly), was shot out of the water to a height of 60 to 100-feet. At that moment I had with me in the conning tower my officers of the watch, the chief engineer, the navigator, and the helmsman. Simultaneously we all drew one another's attention to this wonder of the seas...we were unable to identify it. We did not have time to take a photograph, for the animal sank out of sight after ten or fifteen seconds. It was about 60-feet long, was like a crocodile in shape and had four limbs with powerful webbed feet and a long tail tapering to a point."
When did animals begin to kill and eat other animals?
After the Flood, God gave people official permission to kill animals for food and eat them. Man could now eat everything, green plants and animals (Genesis 9:2,3). This means that people from Noah's family could have eaten dinosaurs, if they tasted good. But God told the animals (including dinosaurs) that they should not kill people. If they did, they would have to answer to God for it (Genesis 9:5b). At the same time, the Bible does not say that animals were forbidden to kill other animals in this new world. God does not repeat his command, here or later, that animals are to eat plants. So, it could be that the end of the flood marks the time when land animals and birds began to develop the habit of killing for food. Or, it might just be the time when these habits started to become common. In the world before the Flood some animals might have died because of natural causes. For example, some must have been killed by injuries, like falls from trees. Other animals would surely find these dead bodies and smell them. Could it be that some animals, also, decided to taste the bodies and even eat them? Actually, this would have been a good thing. It would be best to have a quick way to get rid of dead, smelly bodies in the world after the Fall. Today, it is important for animals to do this. So, it could be that animals ate dead animals once in a while before the Flood, but that few (if any) animals killed for food until sometime after the Flood. This seems to make sense, since the fossils show that the pre-Flood world had plenty of plants to eat. The animals probably did not need to kill to live. Meat-eating would have been encouraged by the Flood. The Flood was the world's greatest disaster. It destroyed all the world's huge, lush forests of plant life. Until new forests grew, there was much less food. The Flood would have left a certain number of decaying animal bodies unburied on the earth's surface. The bodies would have been tempting meals for hungry, sharp-toothed animals. It must have been much harder to survive in the world after the Flood. Since food was no longer so abundant, some animals were forced to compete. This would cause quarrels and fights, even among animals in the same family. Plants growing in the soils of the destroyed earth would have had less protein and vitamins than before, especially in certain areas of the world. With an increasing taste for meat, hunger could have driven some animals to kill for food, instead of waiting for dead bodies to turn up. Animals needed to feed their hungry families. Hunger and starvation can make some creatures desperate and vicious. What an awful thing sin did to God's wonderful, peaceful Creation! Ever since Adam and Eve, Man's whole environment has forced him to see just how serious sin is. Adam's disobedience ultimately changed all of his kingdom for the worse (Romans 8:20-22, Genesis 3:14-19). The effects of sin are everywhere. As the apostle Paul said, "the whole creation has been groaning in pain up to the present time" (Romans 8:22). There is another mystery about dinosaurs to be explored. Today, many books and films show dinosaurs as terrible, ferocious beasts. But since there are only fossils to study today, it is very difficult to know for sure how dinosaurs behaved. Most dinosaurs had small brains in comparison to the size of their bodies. The 29-foot long Stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut. Even the great Apatosaurus's brain was not much larger than a kitten's. If a huge Brachiosaurus (BRACK-ee-o-SOR-us) could be shrunk to the size of a human, its brain would be 10,000 times smaller than Man's. This does not necessarily mean these animals were stupid as animals go, but they were surely no match for Man's brain. Many of the dinosaurs were quite small. The Saltopus (SALT-oh-puss) was really tiny--no bigger than a housecat. Most of the dinosaurs killed by the Flood were less than fifteen inches long, not including their tails which made them more than twice as long. In museums, most people never see the small dinosaurs because the jumbo-sized ones are so much more impressive. And of course, all young dinosaurs were small. If they were born from eggs, they were very little. No one knows for sure if all dinosaurs laid eggs, but they may have. The eggs that have been found are never very big. The larger they are, the stronger and thicker the shell has to be. This made it harder for the baby dinosaur to get out. Eggs from medium-size dinosaurs are never much bigger than a turkey's egg. No one has found an egg from a great Brachiosaurus or Apatosaurus, but eggs were discovered from the 39-foot-long Hypselosaurus (HIP-se-loh-SOR-us). This dinosaur's shape was somewhat like the Apatosaurus. Its biggest egg was only 12 inches long.
It probably took big dinosaurs a very long time to reach great size. Perhaps like the people before the Flood, dinosaurs also had long lives. One man, Methuselah, lived 969 years in those days of better health and environment. Adam and Eve were originally created with perfect hearts and eyes, perfect hearing and health--perfect bodies in every way. And so were the animals. Dinosaurs were not the only animals that grew very large. The fossils show there once were giant kangaroos, giant deer, giant birds, giant dragonflies, giant bears and bison. There were even giant beavers (eight feet long)! Even many plants grew much larger in ancient times. Perhaps the people were bigger, too. No one knows for sure, but it seems possible.The tyrannosaurs - were they really ferocious?
In the original Creation dinosaurs were certainly not vicious or troublesome. When God finished making the animals He said they were all "very good." What colors were they? How different are the skeletons of dinosaurs we find killed by the Flood and those first dinosaurs created by God? Unfortunately, only the people before the flood knows what dinosaurs (or any other animals) really looked like when God created them.. Originally, dinosaurs were harmless--designed to delight man and benefit the world, just like all the other animals. When first created, all dinosaurs ate only plants and fruits.
Dinosaurs in the world after the Flood
After the Flood, dinosaurs and all other animals were made to be afraid of people (Genesis 9:2). Animals stayed away from people if they could. They were no longer as trusting and obedient. God probably did this to protect both animals and people in the world after the Flood. Dinosaurs and Man probably lived in their own separate areas--just like people and large, wild animals do today. The fossil bones, teeth and stomach contents of many large dinosaurs killed during the Flood have been found. So far, it appears that most dinosaurs were still harmless plant-eaters at that time--many hundreds of years after the Fall. They were probably not much different in their ways than a giraffe or a elephant. Some dinosaurs, like the Triceratops, had bony spikes on their heads. Others had spikes on their backs and elsewhere. If basic types of horns and spikes like these were originally created by God, then we know something about their purpose. They were not meant for fighting other dinosaurs.The head horns may have been used for getting food by lifting thick foliage. They could be used for poking, rooting or turning plants. Dinosaurs like the Triceratops had very strong jaws and replaceable teeth. Using their extremely strong jaw muscles, they could slice through very tough plants--even good-sized branches and roots. Dinosaurs like this could even have chewed on tree trunks. Some insects have horns similar to those of dinosaurs. It is interesting that scientists used to think that the big, sharp horns of some great horned beetles were meant for stabbing other beetles. Actually, the horns are mostly used to pry or lift.The answer to this question remains a mystery. At this point, there is no proof that any of the dinosaurs were as mean and dangerous as shown in most dinosaur books. It will take many more discoveries before anyone can say for certain how dinosaurs behaved in the world before the Flood or after. However it is likely that more people killed dinosaurs than dinosaurs killed people. Bible-believing Christians can be sure of one thing. When dinosaurs were originally created, they were peaceful and harmless just like all the other animals. The Bible. Dinosaurs fit in perfectly with the Bible's record of history. Dinosaur-like animals are even mentioned in the Bible. Creation. These wonderful creatures did not evolve from reptiles or amphibians. God created them perfectly finished. Today for the most part, we can only guess what dinosaurs were really like in that sinless paradise of long ago. The Creator. God's Son, Jesus Christ, created the dinosaurs, the stars, and you (John 1:1-3). Since He made us, He owns us. He has the right to tell us what to do and how to live. God is the wisest and most loving being in the universe. The Fall. Although everything God created was perfect, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. Their choice brought death as a punishment for sin (Rom. 5:12). Disobedience. All people have disobeyed God. Everyone has sinned, young and old (Rom. 3:23). Sin Always Brings Pain. Adam's body was more perfect than ours today. He lived for 930 years before he died (Genesis 5:5). During his long life, Adam saw many sad changes in the living things under his control. Nothing was as perfect and wonderful as when God created things (animals, plants, people or dinosaurs). In the years after Adam's death, things continued to grow worse. By the time of Noah, the whole world was full of terrible sins and problems. The Flood. Dinosaurs fossils are reminders of the Great Flood when huge numbers of dinosaurs and millions of other animals were buried throughout the world.God Punishes Sin. The Flood reminds us of God's punishment for sin--death. God's Love. Jesus loves us more than we can understand. The Creator came down to this world He made and became a human being. He became the first person to ever live a perfect life without sin. Jesus did this so that He could die for Adam's sins and yours. He took the punishment for our sins--the penalty we deserve. Forgiveness and Eternal Life. His amazing sacrifice can cover up each wrong we have done, so that God will forget them forever--even our worst sins. Then when we die, Jesus will welcome us to live forever with Him. Creation will be perfect again. Jesus has something wonderful planned for those who are truly sorry for their sins and thankfully accept His gift of eternal life. God has promised to one day restore the Earth to the perfect, beautiful place it once was. The world will be the way God meant it to be. There will be no death, suffering or evil. It will be a world full of love, beauty, peace and fun. God will be in charge. The animals will be as harmless and perfect as when they were first made (Isaiah 11:6-9). We will see the dinosaurs (and all extinct animals) in the way God intended, not as dead bones, but as beautiful living creations designed for our enjoyment. And Man will once again be able to rule with love and wisdom over all the animals, even the dinosaurs.
The Bear Lake Monster
You've probably heard of the Loch Ness Monster.
Well, "Nessie" might be the most famous, but he (or she) is not the only lake monster in the world. Many strange creatures have been seen in bodies of water the world over -- several right here in the United States. Arkansas, Idaho, and New York are only a few places where lake and river monsters have been reported. but it seems there are many more. Lots of lakes in the U.S. have legends and lore about the strange denizens of their depths. One such watery abode is Bear Lake in Utah. Nestled high in the Wasatch-Cache mountains, Bear Lake is 20 miles long and 8 miles wide, and in places as deep as 208 feet. Half of the lake is in Utah, and the other half in Idaho. Bear Lake is believed to be one of the oldest bodies of water in the region, part of a prehistoric lake that once stretched all the way from Idaho to Nevada. The first published report of an unusual animal living in the lake appeared in the Deseret News in 1868, but oral legends of such a creature go back much further. The Shoshani tribe tells stories of the monster carrying away unwary swimmers. According to the Shoshani, the creature looks like a giant serpent, and has even occasionally been seen on dry land, standing on short legs.
In June, 1868, Mr. S.M. Johnson, who lived near the lake, saw something moving in the water. At first he thought it might have been a large tree trunk. Suddenly the thing opened its mouth, which was large enough to swallow a man. It had huge ears, and was blowing water from its mouth and nose. Mr. Johnson also noticed its small legs sticking out of the water.
In a few days, several more witnesses reported sightings of the monster. A group of four adults, all prominent citizens of the area, claimed that on the way home from a party one evening, they saw four very large animals and six smaller ones swimming in the lake, traveling at a speed of about a mile a minute. Early pioneers to Utah claimed to have encountered the uncanny creature, including distinguished members of the Pratt, Slight and Broomhead families. In 1946, an executive of the Boy Scout organization swore he saw the creature and described his experience in painstaking detail.
Descriptions of the creature vary. Its size has been estimated from 40 to 200 feet. Its head is shaped either like a walrus or an alligator. On land it moves awkwardly, but it swims like a serpent at a speed of 60 miles an hour.
So far, there is no hard evidence of the existence of the creature -- just the sworn testimony by frightened witnesses. Attempts have been made in the past to capture the creature, but none have succeeded. Utah Lake, a 150 squre mile body of water in north-central Utah, has a rich tradition of monsters and other unnatural creatures living in its depths. The Ute Indians told legends about evil dwarfs living in the waters of the lake. The Indians called these dwarfs "water babies" because they made sounds like crying babies that lured mortals into the water where they drowned. The Ute also told of a "Water Indian" who would drag unlucky braves to their deaths. They also told of a creature so large it was able to swallow a man whole. Reports from white settlers to the area soon seemed to confirm the tales of the enormous creature, at least. The first reported sighting occurred in 1864, when Utah settler Isaac Fox saw a 30 foot long reptile near the lake's north shore. According to Fox, the beast chased him to shore, then swam back to join another monster in the water. Later that same year, a visitor to Utah Lake named Henry Walker claimed he saw what looked like a large snake with the head of a greyhound.
Over the following years, several more sightings occurred. In 1866, for instance, two men claimed they saw a large yellow creature with black spots and a red forked tongue.
In 1870, fishermen found the skull of a large creature with a five inch tusk. Whether it was genuine or a hoax will never be determined, since no one is sure whatever became of this important piece of physical evidence. Two boys claimed to see the beast in 1880. According to their story, they saw a creature approaching from the middle of the lake. They thought it was a dog or a beaver, and paid no attention to it -- until it got closer and they saw how huge it was. They claimed it roared like a lion, opening its three-foot-long alligator-like jaws and lifted itself part way out of the water. The thing had four legs, each about a yard long. The boys screamed and ran away. As long as these tales have been told, skeptics of the Utah Lake Monster have been plentiful. Scoffers suggested that the witnesses were seeing nothing but floating logs or swimming birds and letting their imaginations run wild. Some historians believe that the lake monster tale was the settlers' way of adapting the original Indian myths.
In any case, by the mid-1880s, reports of the Utah Lake Monster ceased. Some theorize that the whole thing was a hoax from the beginning, and that lake monster hoaxes had simply fallen out of fashion.
There was another sighting of the creature in 1921, followed by a brief flurry of sightings, but since then the Utah Lake Monster seems to have disappeared for good. If it's still out there, we'll just have to wait and see if it ever re-emerges from the watery depths of Utah Lake -- or the imaginations of the nearby residents.
South Bay Bessie
Lake Erie's contribution to U.S. Lake Monsters is a water serpent known as South Bay Bessie. Reported sightings began in 1817, and have continued through the 1990s. The creature is described as being a serpent-like creature between 35 to 60 feet in length. Tom Solberg, the owner of Huron Lagoons Marina, is the spokesman for a group that has offered a $100,000 reward for creature if delivered alive and unharmed. In 1969, an eyewitness near South Bass Island claimed that a water serpent came within 6 feet of his boat. Although he could not determine the length of the thing, it looked to be at least two feet wide. In 1981, a witness watching from her house saw a snake-like reptile that appeared to be frolicking in the water. It was so large, she said, it could have easily capsized a boat.
In 1983, another witness claimed she saw the creature from the front porch of her house just before dawn. The lake was calm. At first she thought what she was looking at was a capsized boat. Then she realized that it was an animal, greenish-brown and about 40 - 50 feet in length. An eye was visible on the side of the thing's head. In the summer of 1985, two boaters separately saw the serpent. Both described the creature as having several humps raised out of the water, and one said it was twice the length of his sixteen foot boat. In 1990, a family was fishing from their boat when a 35 foot long serpent with a snake-like head swam past their boat. Later in 1990, two fire inspectors saw the thing.
Skeptics offer many theories to explain the sightings. One is that the creature is really a species of sturgeon that has been known to grow to weigh 300 pounds and reach a length of 20 feet. However, it has been pointed out that sturgeon are fish who dwell on the lake bottoms and are rarely seen on the surface. And many of the eyewitnesses scoff at the notion that they saw a mere fish.
Under The Black Sea
14 September 2000
Robert Ballard, discoverer of the wreck of the Titanic, has captured the headlines again this year with his findings 300 feet under the surface of the Black Sea. In a telephone interview from his ship, 12 miles off the northern coast of Turkey west of Sinop, Ballard reported that his remotely-operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) had found evidence for human settlement. He reports finding well-preserved artefacts including carved wooden beams, wooden branches and stone tools. He also said he located a collapsed structure “clearly built by humans” in a former river valley beneath the sea.
This exciting discovery provides concrete evidence that people once lived in that now inundated region. It contrasts with last year’s expedition when, due to choppy waves and strong currents, the ROVs were unable to record anything on the sea floor.
Whatever prompted Ballard to search for evidence of human settlement 300 feet under the sea? It started with geologists Bill Ryan and Walter Pitman of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York who suggested that, toward the end of the Ice Age, the Black Sea suddenly rose some 300 feet.
What is remarkable about these reports is the unabashed enthusiasm for linking this Black Sea flood with the Flood of the Bible. The trend started with Pitman and Ryan’s book “Noah’s Flood: The new scientific discoveries about the event that changed history” and has continued with ongoing references to “Noah’s Flood”, a “great flood”, “the biblical Flood”, “the Bible story of Noah”, “biblical Noah”, and the like. This is surprising considering geologists, explorers, researchers and the media are normally very sceptical of the Bible, and disparage creationists who accept literally the Genesis record of Noah’s worldwide Flood. Has there been a sudden change of heart?
Is it Noah’s Flood?
For all the talk, these people still don’t take the Bible seriously. The flood they describe is definitely not the worldwide watery judgment of the Bible. This website has already addressed the fallacious claim that Noah’s Flood was really a local flood in the Black Sea area—see Proof of Noah’s Flood at the Black Sea? More detail can be found in my article, “The Black Sea flood: definitely not the Flood of Noah”, TJ 14(1):40–44, 2000.
The Bible says that Noah’s Flood was global, but the Black Sea flood was only local. The Bible says the Flood covered the highest mountains, but the Black Sea flood only rose by a few hundred feet. It didn’t even cover the mountains in the local area. The Bible says that Noah built an Ark, but the Black Sea flood needed no such vessel. The water came up so slowly that the residents would have walked to higher land. The Bible says that everyone outside the Ark drowned, but the Black Sea flood simply displaced the residents. The Bible says that only the animals and birds on the Ark survived, but not so with the local Black Sea flood. The Bible says there was forty days of rain, but the Black Sea flood had no rain. The Bible says that the Flood ended when the waters went down and land was dry. But the waters of the Black Sea flood have not gone down yet. The list could go on. There is absolutely no resemblance whatever between the Black Sea flood and the biblical Flood of Noah.
These people know that the Black Sea flood does not fit with the Bible. So how do they justify their claim? Simple. They say the Bible got it wrong. They do not read the Bible as an accurate historical document of a global Flood. Their link with Noah’s Flood is totally arbitrary. They need a flood, so presto, pluck Noah’s Flood out of the air. It is a good flood to pick, because it creates a lot of interest. By saying that Noah’s Flood was a local flood, do they think they can dismiss the implications of the real global Flood described in the Bible, viz. that God judges human sin?
Even their claim that the Black Sea flood is the basis for flood legends does not make sense. Almost every culture on Earth includes an ancient flood story. Details vary, but the basic plot is the same. The classic example is the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, but there are flood stories among the ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese and even the Irish. Although a long stretch of the imagination, it may be possible to envisage these legends originating from the Black Sea flood some 7,000 years ago. But what about the flood legends of the American Indians and the Australian Aborigines? The latter supposedly entered Australia 40,000 years ago, some 30,000 years before the Black Sea flood. Was there a good news service in “Neolithic” times that carried the stories “down under”? The explanation cannot even account for the flood legends. It makes more sense that all the legends are corrupted memories of the true, worldwide Flood of Noah, as recorded in the Bible.
What really happened?
If we accept that the Black Sea flooded towards the end of the Ice Age, we can link it with biblical chronology and the true history of the world. There is a good case for the Ice Age being post-Flood. Ussher’s Bible-based chronology places the Flood of Noah at 2348 BC, and creationist research suggests that the Ice Age took 500 years after the Flood to reach its maximum and a further 200 years to melt back. (Remember these are estimates only.) Thus, the Black Sea flood occurred after most of the continental ice sheets had melted, thereby raising ocean levels and allowing the Mediterranean to spill into the Black Sea some 700 years after the Flood.
So, with the Flood at 2348 BC, the Ice Age peak would have been around 1850 BC and the melt back completed by 1650 BC at which time the Black Sea area flooded. The discrepancy between this and the published date of 5600 BC (7,600 years ago) for the Black Sea flood is because the date of the Black Sea flood is based on 14C analyses. The problem is that the 14C dates have not been corrected for the increase in the atmospheric ratio of 14C/12C following the Flood. The sudden burial of masses of vegetation changed the balance in the carbon reservoirs on the earth, and equilibrium is still being approached. Properly corrected 14C dates would agree with the biblical date. Thus, the Black Sea flood is one of many post-Flood catastrophes that have occurred around the world (e.g., Siberian mammoths, Iceland’s mega-flood).
Conclusion
It is clear from the geological investigations that there is a good case for a sudden drowning of the Black Sea Shelf thousands of years ago. The weight of evidence is compelling, even more so now with Ballard’s reports of definite signs of human habitation beneath the water.
But the link with Noah’s Flood is wrong—nothing but wild, unsubstantiated speculation. Not one of the characteristics of the Black Sea flood matches the tell-tale signature of the Flood described in the Bible. The assertion that the biblical record is just a corrupted version of flood legends derived from their Black Sea flood is both wrong and arrogant. That doesn’t even explain how flood legends arose, especially those in places like America and Australia. On the contrary, the flood legends are corrupted recollections of the one-and-only worldwide Flood, the true account of which is faithfully recorded in the Bible.
Rather than Noah’s Flood, the Black Sea evidence points to a local, post-Flood catastrophe at the end of the Ice Age around 1650 BC.
