Sam Neill, Dinosaurs, and the Gospel

I was sad to hear yesterday that the actor Sam Neill had passed away at the age of 78. In all honesty, I wasn't familiar with most of his filmography, nor with much of his personal life. I knew he had battled cancer recently, but aside from that and a handful of movies, I didn't know much about the man.

But I do know that he starred in one of my all-time favorite movies: Jurassic Park.

Now, I know as a Christian, much of what's told us in the film regarding dinosaurs is untrue. But, having such an interest in the "terrible" lizards, seeing them on the silver screen was mesmerizing, especially as a child. In fact, I liked it so much that I watched it every single day for about a week. I know most of the lines. And I could probably recreate most of the movie from memory. Do with that what you will.

But Mr. Neill played Dr. Alan Grant, and his old-timey ways and gruff outlook towards children provided a good lead character in the movie.

This post isn't meant to be an eulogy, though. But a springboard, really, to discuss a couple of topics.

It's always sad every year or so to see people whose work we loved pass away. It does serve as a reminder of the fragility of life.

Sadly, so, too, does the story of the dinosaurs. These amazing creatures are known to us only by their bones and the fractures of history that we can piece together through paleontology, dragon legends, and, thankfully, God's word.

Even then, it's largely a mystery. We can't know for sure how they looked, what they ate, how they lived, and how mankind interacted with them.

I know that the majority secular view says that these beasts and man were separated by millions of years, but the Bible shows us that this can't be the case, never mind the vast amount of dragon stories the world over.

And so, in a way, I envy those early peoples who experienced life alongside these creatures, however terrifying that may have actually been.

But they're gone, and all we have left of them is bone and tiny amounts of soft tissue.

Death claimed them along with so many other animals over the course of history, and I suspect more species to follow.

But death is not natural. We treat it as such because it's normal. But it wasn't always the case. It wasn't in the original creation.

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-" Romans 5:12

I understand that Paul is specifically speaking about Adam and the effect of death upon mankind (which still matters to our discussion). But he goes on in Romans 8:19-22 to remind us that all of creation was plunged into futility because of man's sin.

And so, it is right for us to be sad when someone dies, or when we see animals suffer, or when we think of the fact that creatures such as dinosaurs are no longer with us. Why? Because of sin and death.

But Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 7:2:

"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart."

In other words, it is good to take stock when we ponder these topics.

Ultimately though, Christ defeated the power of sin and death. And while they both still wreak havoc on this world and in our lives, we can know with certainty that Jesus will one day destroy them both fully, and His people will be with Him forever.

And this is accomplished not by our works, but His, not by our perfection (as if we could attain that), but by His.

And so, I would ask you today, if you don't know this Jesus, that if you have never confessed your sin before Him and recognized that He is your only hope, then consider it today.

The bones don't lie; they reveal what is coming for all of us. But God doesn't lie either, and He has said that those who trust in Jesus will be saved from His wrath, from their sin, and ultimately, from eternal death. Trust in Jesus today.