Did you know that besides recording the beginning of the earth and its inhabitants, the rules for living well and social laws, the Bible is the book of records for the family blood line of one individual - that of Jesus Christ, our King and the family of Israel.
It is amazing that God saw fit to maintain the history of Jesus's blood line from the beginning of recorded time. It is from Adam and Eve's family that we get Abraham, David, Jacob (Israel) and (most importantly) JESUS. The Bible records not only Jesus' family line, but His birth, purpose, activities, friends, trials, death, and being raised from among the dead to reign here on earth.
It is amazing that God saw fit to maintain the history of Jesus's blood line from the beginning of recorded time. It is from Adam and Eve's family that we get Abraham, David, Jacob (Israel) and (most importantly) JESUS. The Bible records not only Jesus' family line, but His birth, purpose, activities, friends, trials, death, and being raised from among the dead to reign here on earth.
The concept that the Bible is more than a bunch of scattered, unrelated stories about obscure people with difficult names was a revelation to me, a "nugget" which I treasure.
The entire Bible reveals God's plan that He laid out to prepare for Jesus Christ's present reign in His Kingdom (of which we are all a part). Of course it is much more than that. For instance, it is also the "Owner's Manual" for this physical body He has given us. God uses the Bible to show us how to maintain health, how to handle our money, how to deal with other people as well as ourselves. We can learn of God's love and how He wants us to live. He gives us examples of good and bad behavior. He sets down laws for us to live by for our own good. But even more, He shows us how to be good members of the Kingdom of Christ. He lets us know what He would have us do. He actually instructs us on how to be happy and live long. Exodus 2:12; "Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long on the land which the LORD your God gives you."
The beginning of the Bible seems the most logical place to start our search for truth. Everyone knows about Adam and Eve, the garden, the serpent and the apple. This story is an answer to the ageless question - "Where did we come from?" But in this seemingly simple story of man's early history, there are many questions that come up if we are to believe what the churches traditionally teach about Adam being the first man.
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The entire Bible reveals God's plan that He laid out to prepare for Jesus Christ's present reign in His Kingdom (of which we are all a part). Of course it is much more than that. For instance, it is also the "Owner's Manual" for this physical body He has given us. God uses the Bible to show us how to maintain health, how to handle our money, how to deal with other people as well as ourselves. We can learn of God's love and how He wants us to live. He gives us examples of good and bad behavior. He sets down laws for us to live by for our own good. But even more, He shows us how to be good members of the Kingdom of Christ. He lets us know what He would have us do. He actually instructs us on how to be happy and live long. Exodus 2:12; "Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long on the land which the LORD your God gives you."
The beginning of the Bible seems the most logical place to start our search for truth. Everyone knows about Adam and Eve, the garden, the serpent and the apple. This story is an answer to the ageless question - "Where did we come from?" But in this seemingly simple story of man's early history, there are many questions that come up if we are to believe what the churches traditionally teach about Adam being the first man.
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? ? ? Questions to Consider ? ? ?
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- Was Adam the first man on earth?
- After Cain killed Abel why did Cain feel he had to flee or people would kill him?
- Who was God warning when he put a mark on Cain so they would not kill him?
- Did Cain marry someone from the land of Nod (where he fled)?
- Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch. Who lived in this city?
- Did all the different races come from Adam and Eve?
Bible chronologists place Adam's creation around 4004 B.C. But according to paleontology, many different types of humans had lived long before the time of Adam's creation. Must we believe one theory and discard the other in the search for truth? We believe it doesn't have to be all or nothing. We believe there is truth to be found on both sides of MOST questions. Many human bones much older than 4000 years have been discovered. Isn't it possible these belonged to people that lived on earth before Adam? If there were men of different races here on earth before Adam, it would answer all those questions we were struggling with. Would it take away from the Truth of the Bible? We don't think so.
Patriarch Time Line
The Scriptures introduce Adam as the first named individual for which God recorded a special purpose. From Adam's genes would come His own Son, the Redeemer of the world. Many scholars tell us Adam probably was not the first man He created (according to other things recorded in Scripture). Does that really matter? Genesis 1:31; "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good... ."
Genesis 3:19; "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." So no man should feel superior or elevated above others because of the job God gave us to do. We are all His creation. "...we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8). You could say we are all His Pots - some of us are made as great big colorful flower pots, some are little tea pots and some of us are the much maligned chamber pots. We are all made for a purpose in God's Kingdom AND we are all made from DUST! (Can't get too lofty if we keep THAT in mind!)
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Genesis:4, records the birth of Cain and Abel. The churches would have us believe that at this time only four people existed on earth. After Cain killed Abel he was cursed and marked, then driven out of the land by God. Cain realized the danger of his being cast out and says to God in Genesis 4:14 "I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that everyone that findeth me shall slay me."
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If, in fact, only Adam and Eve existed, then who was Cain afraid might kill him? It would not be his mom and dad as they would have already killed him if they were going to. Cain knew there were many people in the lands around them. This fact is verified by God in His response to Cain in Genesis 4:15; "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him."
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Why did God have to put some kind of identifying mark on Cain if the only people that existed (Adam and Eve) knew Cain well? The mark was a warning to other people in the region not to kill Cain, and "whosoever" did, vengeance would come upon that person.
Where did Cain find a wife? Genesis 4:17; "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." Not only was Cain able to find a wife, but there were obviously enough people on earth to be part of Cain's city. Where did these people come from? Cain's marriage, the birth of his son Enoch, and his building of a city all took place before the birth of Seth. All these circumstances point to the existence of men independent of Adam.
Where did Cain find a wife? Genesis 4:17; "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." Not only was Cain able to find a wife, but there were obviously enough people on earth to be part of Cain's city. Where did these people come from? Cain's marriage, the birth of his son Enoch, and his building of a city all took place before the birth of Seth. All these circumstances point to the existence of men independent of Adam.
Even at the time when Adam and Eve were in Eden there is evidence of other persons then existing. The serpent of Genesis 3 is an example. This word "serpent" comes from the Hebrew word "NACHASH" (Strong's O.T. #5172) and has reference to a spell or enchantment by an enchanter in a subtle manner (like a whisper). We often call someone who is sly, devious and crafty a "snake." Thus. the name serpent (NACHASH) is more of a descriptive name, it describes the personal characteristics of this individual who "beguiled" Eve (Genesis 3:13). A snake itself is not considered to be a "cunning” or "crafty” creature, certainly not more "than any beast of the field," which would include foxes, leopards, apes, etc. Only a human being could be more cunning than all other creatures. Further, God told the "serpent" that He would put "enmity" between his seed and Eve's seed (Genesis 3:15). Are we to believe that the Adamic people would have snakes as age-long adversaries? That is obviously not the case. What is logical is that the "serpent" was a devious and crafty human being.
The word "serpent" is likewise used in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 11:3) in describing this same account in (Genesis 3); and also by Christ in describing the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:33). In both cases the Greek word "OPHIS" is translated "serpents" and means: "a snake figuratively, an artful malicious person.” Both the "serpent" in Eden and the Pharisees were cunning and malicious persons, not literal physical snakes.
For a more in depth study on Satan (this is what some people interpret the serpent to be) see "Give the Devil his Due by Sheldon Emery" at benwilliamslibrary.com .
Mary Lou and Bob Becker
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