After the Age of Dinosaurs, so we’ve all been told, came the Age of Mammals. And after Nabisco finished packing tiny little plastic dinosaurs as free prizes inside boxes of Wheat and Rice Honeys, they moved on to prehistoric mammals.
I loved these just as much as I loved the dinosaurs, and I’ve been able to save a few of them. I’m a fiend for prehistoric mammals, and have recruited a lot of them for appearances in my Bell Mountain novels. King Ryons rides–or rather, clings precariously to the top of–a Baluchitherium at the Siege of Obann, and a Saber Tooth Tiger features in the climax of The Last Banquet. I’ve shed all that Darwinian baggage, but I hope I’ll never cease to admire and enjoy these spectacular examples of God’s handiwork. With the whole universe and all of time and space at His disposal, I’m sure God has hung onto His Baluchitherium, somewhere… as I’ve hung onto mine.
(P.S.–Ignore that “Giant Sloth” label on one of the toys. That’s a Barylambda, or I’m Spartacus. And Nabisco deserved great credit for popularizing this very little-known creature as a toy.)
I never realized that Ryon’s mount was a Baluchitherium, but that makes a lot of sense.
It may be that there are animals living in remote parts of the earth that modern science is not aware of. There are legends of huge lizards in a vast swamp in the Congo and possibly in the Brazilian rain forests, but I pass this along as anecdotes, not proven fact.
This, however, raises a very valid point, has God’s original purpose been altered by the rebellion of Satan and mankind’s fall? The only answer I can believe is: No! Whether there are any examples alive today or not, God’s creative works will fulfill His purposes and I don’t believe for one moment that God has lost the ability to make a Baluchitherium, a T-Rex or a Sabre Tooth Cat. At His will,He could instantly place one of each in my living room, although the Baluchitherium or the T-Rex mind find it a bit vertically cramped. 🙂 Note to self: If you ever build your dream house, include vaulted ceilings that anticipate the sudden appearance of a Baluchitherium in the living room. 🙂
What was the earth like thoroughly history? What effect did the Flood have on climate and habitat? Can any species ever truly be lost? (I believe that God would never allow that.) Will we become reacquainted with these prehistoric species in the Retoration Of All Things?
That, it seems, has already begun to happen in Obann.
I’ll be there on the next train, or Baluchitherium driven transport device. 🙂