My second question: I have often thought that perhaps the serpent in the garden of Eden was a dinosaur, and when God gave him his punishment in Genesis 3:14, that was the end of the dinosaur era. They would have then morphed into reptiles such as alligators and snakes. Any chance this may explain the mysterious dinosaur era? -- Nancy Nair (Minneapolis)
I think this is trying to explain too much. The dinosaur era almost certainly ended long before the creation of human beings. For more on this, see my recent book, Genesis, Science & History (2004). Part of the curse was causing the serpent to lose his mode of locomotion. Yet while snakes slither on their bellies (or bodies), there are many, many reptiles that still go on all fours. Some, like the Komodo Dragon, look very much like dinosaurs. These facts militate against your speculation, interesting as it is.
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