Dinosaurs are a hinge upon which the origins debate swings. We know what Evolutionists believe about dinosaurs, but what are Christians supposed to do with them? Where do these fantastic creatures fit into the Bible?
The thing to remember is that dinosaurs are not as unique as Evolutionists want them to be. Don't get me wrong, they're in a category of their own, but Evolutionists act like they're the final nail in Moses' coffin. In reality, they're just animals, much like any other. Dinosaurs and their ilk are no different than any other creature. Take away the millions of years narrative, which is actually very easy to do, and they fit very nicely into the Genesis 1 account.
Although we commonly refer to other animals as "dinosaurs", such as the high flying pteradactyl and the sea faring pleisiosaurus, dinosaurs themselves are all land-dwelling reptiles distinguished by the positioning of their legs directly beneath their bodies, as opposed to sprawled out sideways, like crocodiles and lizards. As such, they fall into the day 6 category of organisms (the aforementioned sea and air creatures being created on day 5). Adam was created a maximum of 23 hours and 59 minutes after the first t-rex.
This is something we can be dogmatic about, however there is additional scriptural support which, while less solid, is relevant none the less. It does appear that the Behemoth described in Job 40 is, in fact, a sauropod dinosaur. As previously discussed on this ministry, sauropod dinosaurs match the description of Behemoth far better than any extant animal. One key statement God makes about Behemoth is that He made Behemoth "along with thee" ("thee" being Job). Thus, if Behemoth is a dinosaur, Behemoth was made on day 6.
While we cannot afford to be dogmatic about the identity of Behemoth, it is indisputable that, Biblically speaking, dinosaurs, as land animals, were created on the sixth day of creation, with man following shortly after. We need not be concerned about their existence. Indeed, these creatures should fascinate us. That our God is capable of creating such magnificent creatures is one of many things that speaks to His glory.