Image credit: Illustration by Dane
Johnson/Museum of the Rockies
Fossils belonging to a newly
discovered species of extinct crocodile found in Montana which Live Science
reports was not carnivorous as other crocodilian species are but that it may
have eaten plants based upon the shape and design of its teeth. [1]
Not much more is known about the specimen except that Montana is not the only place where its remains were found. Identical specimens have also been found in Eurasia. [2]
In a pre-fallen world, there were no
carnivorous animals but only vegetarian.
When the world was initially created, it was plants that were given as
food to all animals including crocodiles. (Gen. 1:30) and a discovery like this
would be consistent with the Genesis account of a time when animals did not
initially eat each other like they do today but relied on plant life for food
and if the Genesis account of creation is true and if there was a time when
animals did not prey on each other and when mankind saw no need to seek animals
for food themselves, then it should be expected that such discoveries should be
found and when these kinds of discoveries are made, it becomes another that is
added to the long list of discoveries in every field of science, archaeology,
and history that affirm the testimony of scripture as being the divinely
inspired Word of God. (2 Tim. 3:16)
For those who may be ignorant of the
account given by the Bible of the origins of life or who have denied its
account because they have been made to believe the Genesis account of creation
to be a lie, it may amaze them that there could ever be such a thing as a plant
eating crocodile, but for those of us who have accepted the Genesis account of
creation and of the account of scripture of what the world was like before it became
what it presently is today, it should be not be unreasonable to think that
crocodiles once ate vegetation and that we should find fossils of plant-eating
crocodiles and yet we find that hard to imagine because we have been taught that
there, ever since the beginning of life itself, has always been hunter and prey
and the only crocodiles we know of to have once existed and still presently
exist are those that feast on flesh for survival but according to what God has
spoken to us in His scripture, this was not always so.
Before the world fell into its
present condition, all creatures were created to be harmless because the world
was initially created by a God who is not a God of death, violence, suffering,
and destruction, but a God of life, peace, and happiness and because His is a
God of life and peace, He had initially created the world to be a place of
light, life, and peace and in it, existed a perfect and uninterrupted harmony
between God, man, and nature until the day that
sin and death entered into the world due to a fateful transgression
committed by the first man Adam and his wife Eve who was the first woman and
that consequential act of disobedience that they had committed was the eating a
fruit forbidden to them that came from a tree that was called the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, having been warned in the day that they ate from
the fruit of that tree, that they would surely die. (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3)
Of every other tree, Adam and Eve
could freely eat from, but it was from that one tree whose fruit they were not
allowed to eat. As to the purpose of
that tree, we do not know but what we do know is that it was not meant for
human consumption, but rather than heed that prohibition and warning from God,
they ate of that fruit forbidden to them and it was in that day that sin
entered into the world through Adam and with sin came death and it was due to
the sin that entered into Adam and Eve that sentence of death of which they
were warned had been pronounced upon them (Gen. 3:19) but the consequences of
their disobedience did not stop with them but extended to the rest of mankind
and all of creation because the sin that entered into them was then passed down
to all of mankind (Rom. 5:12) which is why we all sin and as a consequence we
all die, for as it is written, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) but the
consequences of that transgression which brought sin and death into the world
did not stop at mankind, but the course of nature itself was also changed for
the worse because all of creation has been affected for the worse which is why
death, decay, pain, and suffering abound in it to this very day (Rom. 8:19-22)
and the suffering that abounds in this world today includes animals eating and
killing each other and even going so far as sometimes prey on even man which
they at one time did not do.
It is discoveries like the remains of
a plant eating crocodile that give us some insight as to what animals of the
pre-fallen world might have been like in comparison to what they are like today
and what they could be again when the world in its present condition is done
away with and a new one is created in its place (Rev. 21-22) and a day is
coming when that will happen and we will once again live in a world in which
the death, suffering, and evil that we see and experience will be no more
because it was never in the mind of God that animals and people should kill
each other or prey upon each other but that some do is just one of the many
manifested consequences that we see and experience today as a result of fateful
act of disobedience that took place in the Garden of Eden and the process of
redeeming mankind and creation from sin and the affects thereof has already
began and it began when His graciousness
has purchased redemption on our behalf in Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son,
(Jn. 3:16) who came to us in the flesh, (Jn. 1:14) and being without any sin (2
Cor. 5:21) was made that perfect sacrifice (Heb. 7:26-27) that was needed to
take away the sins of the world and because of His perfect goodness, He was
able to offer Himself up on our behalf to satisfy the demanded penalty for all
sin and granting mercy and grace through the shedding of His blood on the cross
and after having died, rose again from the dead three days later that we might
be justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) if we will but call upon His name so that we
might be saved from what would otherwise be a terrifying everlasting punishment
if we will but call upon His name (Rom. 10:9, 13) and believe in our hearts
that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9) for it is by calling upon His
name in sincere repentance that salvation is granted and our souls made clean
from sin thereby liberating us from the threat of eternal damnation and with
that cleansing comes a new spiritual transformation (2 Cor. 5:17) that causes
us to no longer desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but after
those things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven,
to no longer take pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ Almighty who is the source of all truth, (Jn. 14:6)
no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God, (Mt. 6:25-33)
to no longer fear what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, (Jas. 1:5) nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
And it is this new inward transformation that reconciles us to our Creator (2 Cor. 5:18) from whom we had once been estranged and just as our souls are cleansed from sin and our spirits regenerated in Christ Jesus thereby liberating us from the eternal tormenting punishment that must come upon all who remain in their sins, so one day we shall be free from bodily death when these corruptible forms which die in which we live are changed into forms incorruptible and exempt from death (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and finally, creation itself will be liberated from the taint of sin when this present world is done away with and is made anew into a place without sin, death, or suffering (Rev. 21-22) as was intended in the beginning.
Reader, if you have not done so
already and would like to be part of a better world, then I urge you today to
call upon the name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, then I urge you
to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus today for the forgiveness of sins. Redemption and salvation are just a simple
sincere prayer of repentance away:
"Lord Jesus I need you.
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
End notes:
1.
Sascha Pare, “95 million-year-old 'tiny, tiny skull' from
never-before-seen crocodile-like creature discovered in Montana,” Live Science,
September 25, 2025
https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/95-million-year-old-tiny-tiny-skull-from-never-before-seen-crocodile-like-creature-discovered-in-montana?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=Animals
2.
Ibid.
Scripture
references:
1. Genesis 1:30
2. 2 Timothy 3:16
3. Genesis 2:16-17, 3:3
4. Genesis 3:19
5. Romans 5:12
6. Romans 6:23
7. Romans 8:19-22
8. Revelation 21-22
9. John 3:16
10. John 1:14
11. 2 Corinthians 5:21
12. Hebrews 7:26-27
13. Romans 4:25
14. Romans 10:9, 13
15. 2 Corinthians 5:17
16. John 14:6
17. Matthew 6:25-33
18. Matthew 10:28
19. James 1:5
20. 2 Corinthians 5:18
21. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Not much more is known about the specimen except that Montana is not the only place where its remains were found. Identical specimens have also been found in Eurasia. [2]
to no longer take pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ Almighty who is the source of all truth, (Jn. 14:6)
no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God, (Mt. 6:25-33)
to no longer fear what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, (Jas. 1:5) nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
And it is this new inward transformation that reconciles us to our Creator (2 Cor. 5:18) from whom we had once been estranged and just as our souls are cleansed from sin and our spirits regenerated in Christ Jesus thereby liberating us from the eternal tormenting punishment that must come upon all who remain in their sins, so one day we shall be free from bodily death when these corruptible forms which die in which we live are changed into forms incorruptible and exempt from death (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and finally, creation itself will be liberated from the taint of sin when this present world is done away with and is made anew into a place without sin, death, or suffering (Rev. 21-22) as was intended in the beginning.
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
End notes:
https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/95-million-year-old-tiny-tiny-skull-from-never-before-seen-crocodile-like-creature-discovered-in-montana?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=Animals
6. Romans 6:23
10. John 1:14
11. 2 Corinthians 5:21
12. Hebrews 7:26-27
13. Romans 4:25
14. Romans 10:9, 13
15. 2 Corinthians 5:17
16. John 14:6
18. Matthew 10:28
19. James 1:5
20. 2 Corinthians 5:18
21. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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