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Saturday, March 28, 2026

The Quran and the Trinity

 

The Quran and the Trinity

When reading the Quran, one is surprised time and time again with the fact that the Allah of the Quran conducts himself quite differently from the God of the Bible. Of course, “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God,” like its equivalent Old Testament Hebrew term elohima general term for deity that was used by the Jews to refer both to the one true God, as well as to the false deities of their pagan neighbors (e.g., Genesis 35:2; Deuteronomy 29:18; Daniel 3:25). So the term “God” in whatever language (English, Arabic, or Hebrew) is a generic term to refer to deity. Muslims claim that the Allah they worship is the same God that Abraham and the Jews worshipped. Nevertheless, it is possible for one to pay lip service to following the God of the Bible, and yet so recast Him that He ceases to be the same Being about which one reads on the pages of the Bible. The meaning and identity that each culture or religion attaches to the word may differ radically.

Many current Christian authors do this very thing when they claim to be writing about the Jesus of the New Testament. They misrepresent Jesus, recasting and refashioning the Jesus of the Bible into essentially a different Being than the One depicted on the pages of the New Testament—one who is unconcerned about obedience, and whose grace forgives just about everybody unconditionally (e.g., Lucado, 1996). But that is not the Jesus of the New Testament. They have so misrepresented the person, nature, and conduct of Jesus that for all practical purposes, their writings depict a different Jesus.

In like fashion, the Quran has Allah saying and doing things that the God of the Bible simply would not say or do. Actions and attitudes are attributed to Allah that stand in stark contradistinction to the character of the God of the Bible. Though Allah is claimed by Muslims to be the same God as the God of the Old Testament, the Quran’s depiction of deity is nevertheless sufficiently redefined as to make Allah distinct from the God of the Bible. This stark contrast is particularly evident in the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

The Bible depicts deity as singular, i.e., there is one and only one divine essence or Being (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19). However, the Bible also clearly depicts God as a triune Beingthree distinct persons within the one essence—with a triune nature. For example, during the Creation week, God stated: “Let us…” (Genesis 1:26, emp. added). Both the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2) and Christ (John 1:1-3) were present and active at the Creation with God the Father. The New Testament alludes to the “Godhead” (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9). At the baptism of Jesus while He was in human form, the Father spoke audibly from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17). All three are sometimes noted together (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). Each person of the Godhead is fully God, fully deity, fully divine. Jesus is repeatedly referred to as God (Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-3,14; 8:58; 20:28; Micah 5:2). The Holy Spirit is also divine (John 14:26; 15:26; Romans 15:19; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Ephesians 4:4; Hebrews 9:14).

In contrast to the biblical portrait, the Quran goes out of its way to denounce the notion of Trinity:

O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers and say not “Three”—Cease! (it is) better for you!—Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendant majesty that he should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favoured angels. Whoso scorneth His service and is proud, all such will He assemble unto Him (Surah 4:171-172, emp. added).

They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil‑doers there will be no helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (Surah 5:72-74, emp. added).

The Christian is surely startled to read such forthright denunciations on those who believe in the Godhead as depicted in the Bible. The Quran declares in unmistakable terms that those who do believe in the Trinity will be excluded from paradise and will experience a “painful doom” by burning in the fire of hell.

Regarding the third person of the Godhead, Muslims insist that the Quran knows nothing of the Holy Spirit—all seeming references simply being, in the words of Muslim scholar Mohammed Pickthall, “a term for the angel of Revelation, Gabriel (on whom be peace)” (Pickthall, p. 40). Thus the Quran denies the person of the Holy Spirit, acknowledges the existence of Jesus while denying His divinity, and insists that the person of Allah is singular in nature. The Quran and the Bible are in dire contradiction with each other on the doctrine of the Trinity.

REFERENCES

Lucado, Max (1996), In the Grip of Grace (Dallas, TX: Word).

Pickthall, Mohammed M. (n.d.), The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (New York: Mentor)

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Friday, March 27, 2026

A Monumental Discovery at Tel Shimron: How a Canaanite Cult Center Illuminates the Biblical World of Joshua

 

A Monumental Discovery at Tel Shimron: How a Canaanite Cult Center Illuminates the Biblical World of Joshua

The ancient Canaanite city of Shimron—named only briefly in the book of Joshua—has suddenly emerged as one of the most archaeologically significant sites in northern Israel. Recent discoveries atop Tel Shimron in the Jezreel Valley reveal a monumental Middle Bronze Age structure and a vast ritual favissa1 that together bring extraordinary clarity to the biblical world in which Shimron appears. What Scripture mentions in only a few lines now stands illuminated by one of the largest cultic deposits ever uncovered in the Levant.2

Shimron is introduced in Joshua 11, where Jabin of Hazor forms a northern coalition to resist Israel’s advance into Canaan. The text records: “When Jabin king of Hazor heard this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph” (Joshua 11:1). Later, in Israel’s territorial allotments, Joshua 19 lists Shimron as one of the cities given to the tribe of Zebulun. These verses imply that Shimron was a fortified and influential regional center, powerful enough to join Hazor in resisting Israel and significant enough to receive a tribal inheritance. Egyptian records confirm its historicity: Thutmose III’s annals list Shimron as one of the Canaanite city-states that rebelled against Egypt during the fifteenth century B.C.

This background sets the stage for what archaeologists have now uncovered. Excavations led by Prof. Daniel Master of Wheaton College and Dr. Mario Martin of Tel Aviv University have revealed a monumental complex dating to around 1800 B.C. The discovery—first reported by journalist Ariel David in Haaretz on November 6, 2024—centers on a massive conical structure, a preserved mudbrick archway, and a large ritual favissa containing tens of thousands of cultic remains.3

At the summit of Tel Shimron, excavators uncovered a conical monument approximately 16-20 feet tall, intentionally coated in white chalk to make it visually striking. The rest of the city’s ramparts were covered in dark basalt chips, producing a dramatic contrast visible from great distances. “We are dealing with something…designed to be seen from very far away,” Master explained.4 Its height, placement, and coloration suggest it served as a public symbol of authority—whether royal, ceremonial, or territorial.

Nearby, archaeologists uncovered a rare, perfectly preserved mudbrick archway—one of the few examples of such architecture surviving intact in Canaan. This arch appears to have marked the entrance to an interior ceremonial space within the monument.

The most extraordinary discovery, however, was a chamber later converted into a massive favissa—a sacred repository for retiring ritual objects that could no longer remain in use. A favissa, as defined in Near Eastern ritual studies, is a designated area for depositing cultic items whose ritual function has concluded and which cannot be discarded casually. R.K. Harrison explains that such deposits served to “permanently remove from circulation objects whose sanctity or impurity prohibited further use,” preserving the integrity of sacred space.5

The Tel Shimron favissa is one of the largest ever excavated, measuring roughly 730 square feet and originally constructed with thick mudbrick walls and two staircases. Shortly after the structure was built, both stairways were intentionally sealed, and the chamber became a roofless deposition pit for sacred items. Archaeologists recovered approximately 40,000 burned animal bones, primarily from sheep, goats, and cattle—many burned at temperatures far exceeding domestic cooking. This strongly indicates ceremonial sacrifice.

Alongside the bones were 57,000 pottery sherds, including numerous miniature ritual vessels rather than domestic ware. The most striking objects were two bronze bull or calf figurines, likely representing Baal or El, the chief deities of the Canaanite pantheon. Added to this was an elaborately decorated Minoan jug imported from Crete—only the third such artifact found in Israel—demonstrating Shimron’s international trade connections and elite status.

The favissa contained no stratified layers, suggesting that its contents were deposited rapidly, either during a single major ritual event or in a short series of ceremonies. Many vessels were deliberately broken before deposition, a common ritual practice in the ancient Near East. The entire assemblage reflects a sophisticated and deeply polytheistic cultic system, one concerned with both the potency and the impurity of sacred objects.

This discovery sheds new light on the biblical narrative. The monumental scale, ritual complexity, and international connections of Middle Bronze Shimron align with the expectations for a city prominent enough to join Hazor in the coalition against Israel. The biblical portrait of a regional Canaanite power is not embellishment but a reflection of historical reality. When Scripture names the “king of Shimron,” it refers to a city whose ritual and political presence is now unmistakably confirmed by archaeology.

The Tel Shimron favissa also offers a compelling point of comparison with later Israelite practice. Israel, too, developed mechanisms for retiring sacred objects, but the nature of those deposits differs dramatically. Israel’s system, governed by Levitical law, emphasized purity, order, and the exclusive worship of YAHWEH. By contrast, the Tel Shimron favissa embodies the iconographic, multi-deity world of Canaan: bull images, high-intensity sacrificial burning, and ritual vessels tied to polytheistic worship. The conceptual overlap—retiring sacred objects—only accentuates the theological gulf between Israel and its neighbors.

One final detail is striking: though Tel Shimron was occupied in the Hellenistic, Roman, Islamic, and Ottoman periods, no later construction ever occurred atop the summit where the white monument once stood. Whether this was due to reverence, fear, or inherited cultural memory is unknown, but the result is remarkable. The Bronze Age complex lay undisturbed for nearly four millennia, its mudbrick walls and ritual archive preserved until modern archaeologists uncovered them.

The discoveries at Tel Shimron transform a brief biblical reference into a vivid historical setting. They reveal a Canaanite city of enormous ritual energy, political sophistication, and regional influence. In doing so, they remind modern readers that the world of Joshua was neither mythic nor imagined but firmly rooted in the complex and vibrant landscape of the Late Bronze Age.

[Dr. Jonathan Moore—Field Archaeologist with the Shiloh Excavation, Israel; Adjunct Faculty at Freed-Hardeman University; and Founder of Seeing His World, a missions-based educational nonprofit dedicated to providing academically grounded yet spiritually transformative guided experiences throughout the Bible lands (www.seeinghisworld.com).]

Endnotes

1 As discussed later in this article, a favissa is a special pit or room where ancient people placed religious objects that were no longer used but still considered sacred.

2 The eastern Mediterranean region.

3 Ariel David (2024), “Atop Tel Shimron, archaeologists reveal enigmatic monumental ‘white’ structure from Canaanite era…,” Haaretz, November 6, www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2024-11-06/ty-article-magazine/giant-trove-of-canaanite-cultic-artifacts-found-in-northern-israel/00000192-fc9e-d9d0-a996-fdfe51e50000.

4 Quoted in Ariel David (2024).

5 R. K. Harrison (1993), “Ebla Tablets and the Favissa Tradition,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 36[1]:3-8.



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Thursday, March 26, 2026

Predestination and the Bible

 

Predestination and the Bible

  • Does the Bible teach that God predestines some people to go to heaven and others to go to hell?
  • Is this fair?
  • How could a loving God predetermine which people are saved and lost?

If you have read the Bible, you have likely wondered about these questions, since they naturally arise when reading certain Bible verses. For instance, Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-5). In Romans 8:29-30, the Bible says: “For whom He [God] foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Skeptics use verses such as these to demand that the God of the Bible shows favoritism and is unjust for arbitrarily saving some and condemning others. Certain branches of Christianity claim that God does, indeed, choose whoever He wants to be saved or lost before they are born, but since He is God, He can do whatever He wants. The fact is, however, that neither of these positions accurately represents the Bible’s teaching on predestination. The Bible teaches that God has predetermined and predestined which people are going to be saved and lost, but it is a group selection based on behavior, not an arbitrary individual selection.

What is the difference between group selection based on behavior and arbitrary individual selection? Individual selection would be if God were to create people and say, before He created them, “I am choosing Jane Smith to be saved no matter what she does. She is elect and chosen. She will go to heaven. I am rejecting John Jones, no matter what he does. He is reprobate. He will be lost.” Group selection based on behavior would be if God were to say, “From this point on, I am choosing all those people to be elect and saved who behave in a certain way, and I am rejecting all those who behave the opposite way.”

Let us look at a simple illustration of this principle. Suppose a teacher wants her class to read the book Gulliver’s Travels. She states that all those students who read the book by the end of the week will get a 100% test grade, and all those who do not will get a failing grade. At the end of the week, 25 of her students have read the book. They receive a test grade of 100%. Ten of her students did not read the book, and they fail. This is an example of group predestination based on behavior. The teacher predetermined who would be rewarded based on each person’s behavior. It is fair, and once the criteria for reward are decided, it is not something that changes. The rules have been set, and the destinies of those involved are based on their decisions. The teacher did not go down the list of students and arbitrarily decide to give some 100s and others 0s. She based their “destiny” on their compliance with her request.

There is a very clear Bible verse that shows us that God’s predestination of His human creatures involves a group determination based on behavior. When Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica, he told them: “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Thus, we can see that before time began, God chose the group that would be saved under the New Covenant that was established by Jesus Christ—those who believe in and obey the Gospel. He also predestined the group that would not be saved, “those who do not know God” and those “who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

God is not an unfair tyrant who arbitrarily decides who will and will not be saved based on His whims. He has predestined a group, based on behavior, and informed us exactly how to be in that group. Sadly, even though God has gone to great lengths to admonish and encourage all those who are lost to choose to be in the group that is predestined to be saved, most refuse God’s offer. Indeed, God has called all people to Him through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Those who are not chosen are simply those who refuse the Gospel call. Will you decide today that you will be one of God’s chosen, predestined, elect?1

Endnotes

1 For more information about what the Bible teaches about salvation, see Receiving the Gift of Salvation at https://apologeticspress.org/issue/receiving-the-gift-of-salvation/.



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Wednesday, March 25, 2026

God, Remission of Sin, and the Timing of Jesus’ Death

 

God, Remission of Sin, and the Timing of Jesus’ Death

Q:

When were the Old Testament saints forgiven—during their lifetime or after Jesus died on the cross?

A:

As finite beings, we are completely tied to time. We cannot even conceptualize existence without our conceptions being characterized by the transpiring of time. But such is not the case with God. God is not subject to time. He exists outside of time and is the Creator of time. Indeed, He is “the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15). As this divine attribute relates to the question of salvation, God did not have to wait until the literal, physical crucifixion of Christ in order to forgive pre-cross peoples on the basis of Christ’s blood. The fact that pre-cross saints could not be forgiven without the blood of Christ did not mean that they were in some sort of spiritual limbo and unsaved until the cross. They could be saved at the time they lived on Earth—as subsequently made clear by their being placed in the Paradise portion of Hades.1 Perhaps, then, the old expression “sins were rolled forward” is inadequate to express Bible teaching on this subject.

Indeed, to speak of “the righteous in Hades”2 is an admission that they were saved (Luke 16:22-23). The mere fact that they were in Paradise demonstrates that they were already redeemed by Jesus. In fact, why have two separated areas—one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous—if both were yet unforgiven? The phrase “that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Hebrews 11:40) stresses that their salvation was not disconnected from the salvation that those after the cross would receive. They were tied together based on the same divine sacrifice. Indeed, while the faithful were alive on Earth long before the cross, God reckoned them “righteous,” “pleasing to God,” an “heir of the righteousness which is according to faith,” and “look[ing] to the reward”—as indicated in Hebrews 11:4,5,7,26.

Critical verses that clarify this concept may be seen in Romans 3:25-26 and Revelation 13:8. The first passage, referring to Jesus, reads: “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness.” In other words, God did not have to consider pre-cross saints as lost because He was able to forgive them, based on the blood of Christ, since His sacrifice was an inevitability. Neither Satan himself nor anyone else could thwart the eternal purposes of God. No wonder, then, that Jesus is described as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8; cf. “before time began”—2 Timothy 1:9). Atonement, so far as God was concerned, was a “done deal” since He is not subject to time constraints. His eternality places Him above time and He could reckon forgiveness to the faithful even before the earthly, physical mechanisms were brought to fruition.

God used the physical hemoglobin that flowed through the physical body that He “prepared” (Hebrews 10:5) for Jesus to inhabit as the means by which He could count people forgiven—but that forgiveness occurred in God’s mind, not on a wooden cross in first-century Palestine. Neither the wooden cross and nails nor the physical hemoglobin possessed any intrinsic saving power—even as the waters of baptism do not. Yet Scripture declares that both “save.” But in what sense? Only in the sense that, in harmony with His perfect, infinite nature, God designates them as components of His plan to redeem people. Hence, “passed over” in Romans 3:25 does not mean they remained unforgiven. It means God forgave them based on the timeless, eternal sacrifice, thus demonstrating His justice in allowing them to be saved prior to the actual sacrifice. If, on the other hand, they remained unforgiven until Jesus died on the cross, then they should have been in the torment “compartment” of Hades and not in the Paradise portion. The timeless nature of God in handling man’s redemption is further seen in the fact that if Jesus’ blood could be shed for countless people yet unborn and sinless without regard to actual timing, why not also for those before the cross?

Hebrews

The writer of Hebrews provides crucial clarifications regarding what was needed to atone for sin, and that the blood of bulls and goats would not do it (10:4). But these technicalities were not divulged nor understood until the New Testament era. Old Testament saints could not have known these subtleties (1 Peter 1:10-11). Nor did they need to. But what they did need to know was that, if they manifested “obedient faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26), they were saved (which is precisely what Hebrews 11 elaborates). Consequently, God provided ample reassurance to those who predated the cross of Christ that they were in a saved condition. Here is a small sampling of such indications:

  • Leviticus 4-5 uses the expression “it shall be forgiven him/them” eight times to describe the condition of those Israelites for whom animal sacrifices were made.
  • Numbers 15:25-26 states twice that the sin offerings would enable the “whole congregation” of Israel to be forgiven.
  • In Psalm 103:12, David insisted: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
  • The prophet Micah declared: “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19).

Perhaps a comparable, though admittedly inadequate, illustration would be the way we “pay our bills” every month. When, for example, we receive an electric/utility bill in the mail, we either sit down and write a check for the required amount, or we go online to the electric company website to pay the bill with a credit card. If we write a check, we place that check in a provided envelope, place a stamp on the envelope, and place it in a mailbox for the mailman to retrieve—who then takes that envelope to the central Post Office for sorting in order to redirect that envelope to the electric company. Upon arrival, a machine or employee opens the envelope, retrieves the check, and enters your payment into the system for you to receive credit for paying your bill. At that point, the check is again redirected (physically or electronically), this time to your bank, in order for the electric company to receive the actual funds that are represented by the check that you wrote on your bank account. The bank must then transfer those actual funds from your bank account to the electric company. Once the electric company receives those funds, your bill is actually paid. If you pay the bill online at the electric company website, you enter your bank account number from which the electric company draws your payment—a process that delays you receiving actual credit for having paid the bill.

Carefully observe that throughout this time-laden process, technical payment of your bill is not achieved until all the actions in the chain of events leading up to that payment come to fruition. Yet, when you wrote the check and placed the envelope in the mailbox, and your spouse asks you, “Did you pay the bills?,” you answer in the affirmative. Did you lie? Of course not. So far as you were concerned, you implemented the actions required on your part to fulfill your responsibility to pay the bills. You literally did all you can do to achieve that objective. And so it was with Old Testament saints. When they lived a life of “obedient faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26; Hebrews 11; Habakkuk 2:4) before God, they were in a saved condition. That assured condition was based—in God’s mind—on the blood of Christ, regardless of the time frame and technicalities that God brought to fruition in His own ways and own time (cf. Romans 3:25; Galatians 4:4). All of the righteous—both alive and dead—are eagerly awaiting the Second Coming at which time we will receive the salvation for which He offered Himself: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28, ESV).

To summarize: God did not have to wait for the actual, historical occurrence of the cross on Earth to forgive pre-cross saints. Like Christians today, when they lived a life of obedient faith, walking in the light, and acknowledging their sins and seeking forgiveness, they could be assured of their salvation.

Endnotes

1 Dave Miller, (2002), “One Second After Death,” Apologetics Press, https://apologeticspress.org/one-second-after-death-1188/

2 F.G. Allen (1886), “The State of the Righteous Dead” in The Old-Path Pulpit: A Book of Original Doctrinal Sermons (Covington, KY: Guide Printing & Publishing Co.), 1:274, emp. added.


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Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Session I: What is Evolution, and Why Does it Matter? video 32 min

https://apologeticspress.org/video/session-i-what-is-evolution-and-why-does-it-matter-video-5293/ 


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Monday, March 23, 2026

MOKELE MBEMBE…A LIVING DINOSAUR?

 MOKELE MBEMBE…A LIVING DINOSAUR?

Deep in the dense, untamed jungles of central Africa, across regions like Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon, reports have persisted for generations of a mysterious creature. Eyewitnesses describe an animal with a long neck, a powerful tail, and rounded tracks marked by three claws. The closest known match to this description is not a modern animal, but a sauropod dinosaur. When locals in the Likouala region sketch what they have seen, they consistently draw something that mirrors the form of a sauropod. Even more striking, when shown images of these dinosaurs, they identify them directly as Mokele-mbembe. The name itself means “one who stops the flow of rivers,” and early European explorers, including a French priest, described it plainly as a monstrous animal.
Descriptions remain remarkably consistent. This creature is said to be comparable in size to a hippopotamus or even an elephant, with reported lengths ranging from 16 to over 30 feet, and in some accounts from Cameroon, even larger. Its long neck and tail, sometimes measured at several meters each, align closely with known sauropod structure. Some witnesses even report a distinctive frill or crest on the back of its head, similar in appearance to a rooster’s comb. Over the past two centuries, multiple expeditions into these regions have returned with similar testimonies. The consistency is not random. It demands explanation.
If such a creature were confirmed alive today, the implications would be massive. Not just for zoology, but for the entire evolutionary framework that insists these creatures vanished millions of years ago. Yet from a biblical creation standpoint, this presents no contradiction at all. Scripture tells us that all land animals, including dinosaurs, were created during creation week. Before the modern term “dinosaur” was coined, cultures around the world referred to these creatures as dragons, behemoths, and leviathans. Job 40 gives a direct description of behemoth, a creature whose features align far more closely with a massive, tail-swinging land giant than any modern animal.
According to the biblical record, animals were preserved on the Ark, likely as juveniles or eggs, and lived alongside man after the Flood. Over time, changing climates and human activity would have driven most to extinction. But in a world still filled with unexplored regions, it is not unreasonable to consider that remnants could persist in isolated environments. The reports surrounding Mokele-mbembe do not prove its existence, but they are far from empty stories. They are consistent, widespread, and rooted in real testimony. And they leave open a question that evolution struggles to answer, but Scripture already has.