Why did dinosaurs exist, and why did they disappear?

The dinosaurs had their time in God’s plan, and their end had a purpose too. Had they continued to rule the earth, human beings could not have developed.

This is a wise and reasonable question. Why did God create huge animals that for a long time ruled the whole earth and stripped its vegetation bare, and why did they then suddenly disappear? At first sight it seems a mystery. With a little reflection, though, it becomes understandable.

As long as the dinosaurs ruled, there was little room for many other forms of life. Had they continued to govern the earth, human beings could not have developed. Many animals and plants that are essential to human life today would not have come into being either. Their end through a global catastrophe was therefore not an accident. It cleared the way for the next stage of creation.

Even after their end, the creatures of that time served human beings. Many were buried deep in the earth, layer upon layer. Under pressure and through chemical processes, the remains of life from earlier ages turned over long periods into oil and other resources. A great part of our modern civilisation rests on this oil, from the car to the aeroplane.

The first verse above expresses the wonder of a thoughtful person who realises that God has created nothing in vain. Even what passed away long ago had its place in a great plan. The second verse says that everything on earth is meant to benefit human beings. Whoever looks at the history of life in this way sees in it not a series of accidents but wisdom and purpose.