Psalms 119:160.
Every thing in the universe works by some kind of system. Our ability to know things and to ascertain truth is based on a model of inquiry. Every philosophy, religion or human perspective starts by breaking it apart and putting it together piece by piece. Every field of higher learning requires a model to be used so that we have a base to build onto. History is no exception to this rule. The pattern that history is built upon is based on our construction of Ancient Egypt. If Egyptian history is shown to be flawed than the entire model has to be altered. Over the next several articles we are going to work on reconstructing history from the start. A close examination of the Sothic Cycle leads us to believe that the current model we are using to explain this phenomenon is completely flawed. Instead of starting our model in 3100 B.C. we are going to start our model in 4000 B.C. Based on the data that we have given in scripture this is a safe round number to give for the creation of the world. Everything we will be doing from this point will be entirely lenient on this number.
There are a few things that you have to understand about a model. A model is open to error. The fact is that even the best historians make mistakes in their constructions. The entire model can be very sound but there is room for mistakes within the model itself. The second thing is that a model needs to be inclusive. We don’t have to invent data to make our model work. I have no intention of manufacturing data to make this model survive. On the contrary, if the data does not work then the model will be investigated for the flaw. If the flaw is deep and illogical then the model has to be dismantled and discarded. A model without fixed dates should serve as a multi-regional connector. People groups in the Ancient world had contact each with other and there is evidence of it everywhere. We need to take a holistic look at all of these groups and match events like a puzzle. The Bible, Egyptian records, Hittite Annals, Greek Writings, Sumerian tablets should all give us only one story. These stories are interconnected and it is up to us to know how.
For our model we will begin with story of Adam and his creation. This model will include some theology in order to explain certain phenomenon that occurs in the book of Genesis. I encourage one to take a close look at the world as it existed before the fall of man. After the fall and the flood the world changed drastically and become the world that we have come to know.
We are going to look at the following;
I. A perfect world.
II. Creation of humans.
III. The fall of man.
I. A perfect world.
The world that God made was absolutely and unequivocally perfect in every respect. It is hard to give a complete and thorough picture of the pre-flood world because there is so much that we do not know yet. Because the bulk of the research that has been conducted has been skewed to beef up evolution there has been little work cataloging ideas about the world that perished. Let me give you some key ideas set forth by creation scientists that may very well give us an idea of the conditions that Adam and Eve were subjected to.
The antediluvian world was one that was perfect in every way imaginable. There are a numbers of theories that have been proposed to explain the atmosphere of the planet before the flood. Henry Morris and John Whitcomb who are champions of creationism proposed the idea that there was a kind of water canopy that sat over the earth and protected humans from the harmful effects of UV rays. The key passage that is used to bolster this model is II Peter 3:5. While I deeply respect Morris and Whitcomb I have to admit that such a model cannot be proven, tested, unproven or retested. The biblical text seems to be very sparse in dealing with the atmospheric conditions of the pre-flood world. However, it is very likely that the atmosphere of Eden was far more friendly and hospitable to ancient man. A few hundred years ago there seemed to be less reports of skin cancer than we find today. A few thousand years ago the Ozone layer would have been sufficient to protect ancient man from the harmful effects of the sun. In fact, a water canopy is not necessary to even explain the warmer conditions of a pre-flood world. According to John Woodmorappe in his article; Hypercanes; rainfall generators during the flood he says the following about pre-flood weather;
A global canopy is not necessary to explain the existence of a much-warmer, pre-Flood world than the world we know today. My research has highlighted alternative conditions that would have sustained a frost free planet. These include the absence of ice caps at the poles, the absence of tall mountain ranges (whose presence tends to deflect global wind circulation from a more polar direction. according to some models), larger atmospheric carbon dioxide (for a greenhouse effect), and the existence of shallow seas over much of the continental-interior areas.
There is some question as to whether there was any rainfall in the antediluvian world. Some have suggested that is was minimal or non-existent. The Bible does not make this very clear. However, it is my opinion that there was little to no serious rainfall in the ancient world. The core of the earth is like a nuclear reactor. It is possible that as it warmed up it caused water to come out of the ground and water the earth’s surface. In other words the earth had its own sort of built in sprinkler system. Consider the following scripture as the basis for this idea.
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
Genesis 2:5-6.
In addition to the water that rose from the ground, it appeared that Eden itself was compassed about with at least four rivers. The Bible indicates that there was one river that ran through Eden and brought water to the garden area. We know that in Ancient Egypt the Nile was a source of water that caused the vegetation to flourish. It was important that the Nile had a good inundation for the crops to grow sufficiently. Perhaps the river that ran through Eden also inundated on a regular basis. The earth was not separated by oceans and all the landmass was unified. Secular scientists agree that all the landmass sat together at some point in time. This landmass is commonly referred to as Laurasia. In the midst of this landmass sat the Garden of Eden. I am not sure how large Eden was and based on the evidence I would be unable to make an accurate guess. However, based on the two rivers that we can identify it would appear that it was large and the modern day Jerusalem may have sat in the center of the Garden. This was a perfect place for God to place the man.
II. The Creation of humanity.
The Bible records that in Genesis one that God made man and the animals on the same day. Adam and Eve were not made on separate days but on the same exact day. There tends to be some misunderstanding in regards to the creation account of Genesis one and the creation account of Genesis two. The fact is that if you understand that they are two accounts of the same event it clears up the mess that humans have made out of it. The first is vague and is intended to reveal the chronology of events. The second is specific and tells us how they were made and what events led to the completion of the man and woman.
II. Creation of humans.
III. The fall of man.
I. A perfect world.
The world that God made was absolutely and unequivocally perfect in every respect. It is hard to give a complete and thorough picture of the pre-flood world because there is so much that we do not know yet. Because the bulk of the research that has been conducted has been skewed to beef up evolution there has been little work cataloging ideas about the world that perished. Let me give you some key ideas set forth by creation scientists that may very well give us an idea of the conditions that Adam and Eve were subjected to.
The antediluvian world was one that was perfect in every way imaginable. There are a numbers of theories that have been proposed to explain the atmosphere of the planet before the flood. Henry Morris and John Whitcomb who are champions of creationism proposed the idea that there was a kind of water canopy that sat over the earth and protected humans from the harmful effects of UV rays. The key passage that is used to bolster this model is II Peter 3:5. While I deeply respect Morris and Whitcomb I have to admit that such a model cannot be proven, tested, unproven or retested. The biblical text seems to be very sparse in dealing with the atmospheric conditions of the pre-flood world. However, it is very likely that the atmosphere of Eden was far more friendly and hospitable to ancient man. A few hundred years ago there seemed to be less reports of skin cancer than we find today. A few thousand years ago the Ozone layer would have been sufficient to protect ancient man from the harmful effects of the sun. In fact, a water canopy is not necessary to even explain the warmer conditions of a pre-flood world. According to John Woodmorappe in his article; Hypercanes; rainfall generators during the flood he says the following about pre-flood weather;
A global canopy is not necessary to explain the existence of a much-warmer, pre-Flood world than the world we know today. My research has highlighted alternative conditions that would have sustained a frost free planet. These include the absence of ice caps at the poles, the absence of tall mountain ranges (whose presence tends to deflect global wind circulation from a more polar direction. according to some models), larger atmospheric carbon dioxide (for a greenhouse effect), and the existence of shallow seas over much of the continental-interior areas.
There is some question as to whether there was any rainfall in the antediluvian world. Some have suggested that is was minimal or non-existent. The Bible does not make this very clear. However, it is my opinion that there was little to no serious rainfall in the ancient world. The core of the earth is like a nuclear reactor. It is possible that as it warmed up it caused water to come out of the ground and water the earth’s surface. In other words the earth had its own sort of built in sprinkler system. Consider the following scripture as the basis for this idea.
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
Genesis 2:5-6.
In addition to the water that rose from the ground, it appeared that Eden itself was compassed about with at least four rivers. The Bible indicates that there was one river that ran through Eden and brought water to the garden area. We know that in Ancient Egypt the Nile was a source of water that caused the vegetation to flourish. It was important that the Nile had a good inundation for the crops to grow sufficiently. Perhaps the river that ran through Eden also inundated on a regular basis. The earth was not separated by oceans and all the landmass was unified. Secular scientists agree that all the landmass sat together at some point in time. This landmass is commonly referred to as Laurasia. In the midst of this landmass sat the Garden of Eden. I am not sure how large Eden was and based on the evidence I would be unable to make an accurate guess. However, based on the two rivers that we can identify it would appear that it was large and the modern day Jerusalem may have sat in the center of the Garden. This was a perfect place for God to place the man.
II. The Creation of humanity.
The Bible records that in Genesis one that God made man and the animals on the same day. Adam and Eve were not made on separate days but on the same exact day. There tends to be some misunderstanding in regards to the creation account of Genesis one and the creation account of Genesis two. The fact is that if you understand that they are two accounts of the same event it clears up the mess that humans have made out of it. The first is vague and is intended to reveal the chronology of events. The second is specific and tells us how they were made and what events led to the completion of the man and woman.
After God created the male animals then he commenced to create Adam. The word Adam means “red.” Adam was taken from the red clay which tends to suggest that he was neither white nor black but Middle Eastern in complexion. The Bible tells us that God breathed into Adam’s nostrils and made him a living spirit. The Hebrew has an interesting twist on this idea. The Hebrew says that God breathed into Adam the “Breath of lives.” The breath, of course, invariably refers to the spirit of man. The idea here is very important and need not to be forgotten. There has been a teaching floating around the body of Christ that the soul of man exists in heaven and is sent to earth by God at the time of conception. However, I believe this text indicates otherwise. I do not believe that the spirit of man pre-exists before conception. The fact is that in some terrific and beautiful way the spirit of man is created at conception as the possibility to create life was placed inside of that first man and woman. All of us are a product of the breath that was breathed into them. God created two spirits and gave them the ability to produce more lives biologically, spiritually, and in the realm of the human soul.
This man was a fully developed hominid with a likeness that bore the image of God. He was very intelligent, physically perfect and spiritually pure. In fact I think that Adam was probably far more intelligent than any human that currently exist. After he came alive, God told Adam that he needed help to take care of the Garden that was placed under his charge. God then commenced to create the female species of animals. They were brought to Adam for him to name and for him to judge whether they could help him tend the garden. Of course, God knew that only Eve could do that, but I believe he wanted Adam to be able to recognize that the helpmeet he was to give him was far more superior and in every way his equal. When God put Adam to sleep and brought Eve forth Adam was able to see a display of the wisdom of God.
Before I discuss the fall there are a couple of features about Adam and Eve I want to mention;
1. Adam and Eve were not created to die. Death is not a part of the process of God in his dealings with man. Could death happen? Obviously, there was potential for something living to become non-living. I am sure that Adam stepped on an ant once or twice. The point is that death was not a part of the natural biological process for animals and humans. The word for animals and humans is a Hebrew word meaning “Living soul.” This word is never used in context with plant life. It is possible that death was possible by accident not possible through the biological process of depravity.
2. Adam and Eve were clothed in the glory of God. C.H. Kang in his book “The Discovery of Genesis in the Chinese language” tells us that ancient Chinese is pictographic and has the Genesis story hidden in its symbols. He claims that researching the etymology of words will show pictures of the stories found in Genesis. His work is very thorough, and I encourage the reader to pick up a copy. There is an interesting idea referring to Adam that Kang sets forth in work. The word for fire and light in Chinese both show a man with rays deflecting from him. Kang believes that this represents the condition of Adam before the fall. The Bible says that he was made in image of God and so no doubt he was clothed with light. The glory of God shown about Adam and Eve and it was not until the fall that they became conscious of their own nakedness.
III. The Fall of Man.
A great deal could be said about the fall of man. The question is what happened to man at the fall? Theologians, Bible Historians and scientists alike have tried to grab this bull by the horns. However, I believe that what happened here is something that will take many fields to explain. Let us take a look at a couple of different perspectives in order to understand what is going on when we look at Genesis three.
1. From a spiritual standpoint it is clear that there was a breach placed between God and man. This breach changes the dynamics of communication between a holy God and an imperfect creation. Without the light of God in the human soul it will naturally become darker and man will lose the intimate fellowship with God that will not return till the time that Jesus pays the price for sin. The knowledge of good and evil will open up a world of selfishness and human lawlessness.
2. From the standpoint of the physical man it is apparent that disease and death become a part of man’s physical makeup. Whatever they reversed at the fall caused the processes of life to reverse. Theologians have suggested that somehow sin starting running through the blood and took on a physical characteristic known as the sin nature. I disagree with this and find it to be somewhat ludicrous. Sin is not a substance of any kind but it is a disobedience to the law of God. Sin cannot be passed on in the blood of man. However, death can be passed on in a spiritual and natural sense. I believe that this is what the Apostle Paul was trying to tell us in Romans 5:12. (KJV) Sin brought death into the world and death passed onto men and brought about sin as a circular pattern. Moral depravity is not transferable but physical depravity is. However, physical depravity will bring about moral depravity.
3. If man is physically depraved, that is death and disease are a part of his makeup this naturally will darken his appetites, propensities, desires, intellect, emotions and all other factors of the soul/mental realm. This means when a child is born its appetites, desires, propensities accelerate at a rapid rate. From the moment a child enters the world it is helpless and so it is necessary that the totality of its existence is self-oriented. This is not wrong. In a world without sin the child’s intellect, reasoning and conscience would most likely develop quickly. The effects of death on humans have caused these areas to develop slower. By the time that a child reaches the age to know right and wrong the appetites, propensities, and desires of the child will be stronger and more developed than the small conscience, intellect or reasoning.
The Bible tells us there are a number of curses which came upon the human race when our federal head and his wife fell into rebellion against the creator of the Universe. These curses include the following;
1. Sin.
2. Disease.
3. The ground would be hard. (frustration.)
4. Death.
5. Pain in childbearing.
6. The woman being subjected to male domination. (vs.16)
7. A curse that affected all creation.
We are the products of these people and even now we are able to see the fruit of actions that were committed at the beginning of the world. It took a while for conditions to be as they are now, but we know that through Jesus Christ we have the victory over everything that was brought upon us through the fall of Adam. Adam brought sin, sickness, frustration, death, and pain on the world. Jesus Christ brought righteousness, health, peace, life, and joy upon the race. In the beginning when they were driven from the Garden of God the blood of an animal was shed and his skin covered their nakedness. The shedding of Christ’s blood was shed for the same reason; to cover the sin of man.
Woodmorappe, John. Hypercanes; Rain fall generators during the flood? www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v14/i2/hypercanes.asp
C.H. Kang and Ethel R. Nelson, The Discovery of Genesis (Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, U.S.A., 1979).
This article is written by Joshua B. Hughes A.A. October, 2008
www.ricksspace.net/jbhughes/
1. Adam and Eve were not created to die. Death is not a part of the process of God in his dealings with man. Could death happen? Obviously, there was potential for something living to become non-living. I am sure that Adam stepped on an ant once or twice. The point is that death was not a part of the natural biological process for animals and humans. The word for animals and humans is a Hebrew word meaning “Living soul.” This word is never used in context with plant life. It is possible that death was possible by accident not possible through the biological process of depravity.
2. Adam and Eve were clothed in the glory of God. C.H. Kang in his book “The Discovery of Genesis in the Chinese language” tells us that ancient Chinese is pictographic and has the Genesis story hidden in its symbols. He claims that researching the etymology of words will show pictures of the stories found in Genesis. His work is very thorough, and I encourage the reader to pick up a copy. There is an interesting idea referring to Adam that Kang sets forth in work. The word for fire and light in Chinese both show a man with rays deflecting from him. Kang believes that this represents the condition of Adam before the fall. The Bible says that he was made in image of God and so no doubt he was clothed with light. The glory of God shown about Adam and Eve and it was not until the fall that they became conscious of their own nakedness.
III. The Fall of Man.
A great deal could be said about the fall of man. The question is what happened to man at the fall? Theologians, Bible Historians and scientists alike have tried to grab this bull by the horns. However, I believe that what happened here is something that will take many fields to explain. Let us take a look at a couple of different perspectives in order to understand what is going on when we look at Genesis three.
1. From a spiritual standpoint it is clear that there was a breach placed between God and man. This breach changes the dynamics of communication between a holy God and an imperfect creation. Without the light of God in the human soul it will naturally become darker and man will lose the intimate fellowship with God that will not return till the time that Jesus pays the price for sin. The knowledge of good and evil will open up a world of selfishness and human lawlessness.
2. From the standpoint of the physical man it is apparent that disease and death become a part of man’s physical makeup. Whatever they reversed at the fall caused the processes of life to reverse. Theologians have suggested that somehow sin starting running through the blood and took on a physical characteristic known as the sin nature. I disagree with this and find it to be somewhat ludicrous. Sin is not a substance of any kind but it is a disobedience to the law of God. Sin cannot be passed on in the blood of man. However, death can be passed on in a spiritual and natural sense. I believe that this is what the Apostle Paul was trying to tell us in Romans 5:12. (KJV) Sin brought death into the world and death passed onto men and brought about sin as a circular pattern. Moral depravity is not transferable but physical depravity is. However, physical depravity will bring about moral depravity.
3. If man is physically depraved, that is death and disease are a part of his makeup this naturally will darken his appetites, propensities, desires, intellect, emotions and all other factors of the soul/mental realm. This means when a child is born its appetites, desires, propensities accelerate at a rapid rate. From the moment a child enters the world it is helpless and so it is necessary that the totality of its existence is self-oriented. This is not wrong. In a world without sin the child’s intellect, reasoning and conscience would most likely develop quickly. The effects of death on humans have caused these areas to develop slower. By the time that a child reaches the age to know right and wrong the appetites, propensities, and desires of the child will be stronger and more developed than the small conscience, intellect or reasoning.
The Bible tells us there are a number of curses which came upon the human race when our federal head and his wife fell into rebellion against the creator of the Universe. These curses include the following;
1. Sin.
2. Disease.
3. The ground would be hard. (frustration.)
4. Death.
5. Pain in childbearing.
6. The woman being subjected to male domination. (vs.16)
7. A curse that affected all creation.
We are the products of these people and even now we are able to see the fruit of actions that were committed at the beginning of the world. It took a while for conditions to be as they are now, but we know that through Jesus Christ we have the victory over everything that was brought upon us through the fall of Adam. Adam brought sin, sickness, frustration, death, and pain on the world. Jesus Christ brought righteousness, health, peace, life, and joy upon the race. In the beginning when they were driven from the Garden of God the blood of an animal was shed and his skin covered their nakedness. The shedding of Christ’s blood was shed for the same reason; to cover the sin of man.
Woodmorappe, John. Hypercanes; Rain fall generators during the flood? www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v14/i2/hypercanes.asp
C.H. Kang and Ethel R. Nelson, The Discovery of Genesis (Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, U.S.A., 1979).
This article is written by Joshua B. Hughes A.A. October, 2008
www.ricksspace.net/jbhughes/
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