In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood

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If life evolved in outer space as easily as some people believe, many extraterrestrial “civilizations” should exist, especially on planets around stars that evolutionists say are older than our Sun. Some civilizations should even be technologically superior to ours and have tried to reach us with verifiable evidence. Any superior civilization within our galaxy would probably have already explored and colonized our solar system, at least with robots. Because this has not happened, extraterrestrial life probably does not exist, certainly within our Milky Way Galaxy.

Almost all stories of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have since been traced to natural or manmade causes. Even if technically advanced flying objects exist, they may have a terrestrial, not extraterrestrial, origin. The United States, for example, developed and flew the superfast SR-71 aircraft and its prototype several years before most senior military officers in the United States knew such technology was possible. Evidence that UFOs are from extraterrestrial civilizations, although not disproved, has not been verified and usually relies on the truthfulness, rationality, or accuracy of a few alleged witnesses.

Could God have created life elsewhere? Certainly, but the Bible is largely silent on this subject. However, the Bible does say, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” (Exodus 20:11a). So if life were created in outer space, it would have happened during the six creation days. Also, because Genesis 1:14–19 says heavenly bodies were made on the fourth day, one can narrow the possible time for creating extraterrestrial life to the 4th, 5th, or 6th creation days.

Three other Bible verses suggest that conscious, rational life is unique to earth.

    * Romans 8:22 states, “the whole creation groans and suffers” because of Adam’s sin. This would be a strange statement if humanlike beings existed in outer space, because it would mean that those not descended from Adam suffer because of Adam’s sin.
    * Romans 5:12 tells us, “through one man [Adam] sin entered the world.” The Greek word we translate as “world” is kosmos, which generally means the entire universe. Again, if intelligent beings exist beyond Earth, they would be suffering—unjustly, it would seem—for Adam’s sin.
    * Genesis 1:14 states that the heavenly bodies were made “for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.” It does not say that they were created as habitats for other creatures.

Is there life in outer space? Except as noted on page 249, probably not. Many people enjoy speculating on this subject, and some want to believe life is in outer space, usually life that is superior to ours. They may be right. However, little rational basis exists for this belief—either scientific or biblical.

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Is There a Large Gap of Time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?

The idea that a vast period of time elapsed between the first two verses of Genesis is known as the gap theory. Most variations of this theory interpret Genesis 1:1 as the first creation, which included the creation of the heavens, the earth, plants and animals, and even a race of humans preceding Adam! Perhaps billions of years then elapsed, during which time Satan and his angels fell and corrupted earth’s inhabitants. God then judged and destroyed the earth and all its inhabitants. Thus, the earth became “formless and void” (Genesis 1:2) and remained that way for eons. Genesis 1:3, according to the gap theory, describes the beginning of the second creation with the first day of the (re)creation week—the familiar six-day creation. This series of events is also called the “ruin-reconstruction theory” or “the pre-Adamic cataclysm theory.”

The modern gap theory was popularized in 1814 by Thomas Chalmers, a leading Scottish theologian. Some geologists of his day argued that the earth was much older than Genesis implied. Chalmers, therefore, proposed the gap theory to harmonize Genesis with those demands. No clear record shows anyone prior to 1814 interpreting Genesis 1:1–2 in this way.1 This is especially significant, because Hebrew scholars 2,000 years ago certainly understood Hebrew writing better than we do today. The gap theory simply accommodated the growing demand for long periods of time.2 Unfortunately, the adherents to the theory are usually unaware of all the scientific evidence supporting a young earth.

What are the problems with the gap theory? Gap theorists generally believe that the fossil record was formed, not in a global flood, but when God destroyed the earth in “the gap” between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Gappists have not understood how the flood rapidly formed fossils and deposited sedimentary layers with a total average thickness of one mile. For that reason, they believe Noah’s flood was less destructive than the judgment they claim preceded the creation week. No clear biblical passage supports the worldwide destruction they imagine, and they ignore references to Noah’s flood by many biblical writers and Christ Himself (Mt 24:37–39, Lk 17:26–27). The gap theory resulted, to a large extent, from a failure to comprehend the flood.  [See pages 102–131.]

Gap theorists also ignore this clear biblical statement that no great time gap preceding the completed creation:

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them ... (Exodus 20:11)

The gap theory states that the heavens were created long before the six creation days—perhaps billions of years earlier. Exodus 20:11 says the heavens (and everything else) were made in six days. If the gap theory is correct, the Sun must have shone on earth to support the life that existed before the “gap.” But Genesis 1:14–18 says the Sun was made on the fourth day of the creation week.

Gap theorists miss the importance of Christ’s words in Mark 10:6, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them [Adam and Eve] male and female.” Christ knew that Adam and Eve were created at the beginning, not after a vast gap of time.

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According to most versions of the gap theory, the death and destruction shown by the fossil record, including the death of supposedly pre-Adamic man, preceded Adam’s creation. But the Bible clearly states that death came because of (therefore, after) Adam.

If Satan fell before the creation week, as most gap theorists maintain, it is strange that at the end of the creation week, God pronounced that all He had made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Also, the fossil record gives evidence of death and violent burial on a global scale. How could such destruction be described as “very good” if it preceded God’s pronouncement?

Why then do some believe in the gap theory? As mentioned earlier, they have accepted, perhaps unknowingly, claims that the earth is billions of years old. Therefore, they try to find where a vast period of time might fit into the Bible. They know that long periods of time cannot be inserted after Adam’s creation because the various genealogies are tightly linked.3 Consequently, the only place billions of years can be inserted is before Adam. Because time flowed smoothly and continuously during the creation week, a week that for various reasons is composed of normal 24-hour days, the time gap must be inserted before the first creation day. Rather than start the creation week at Genesis 1:1 as most Bible scholars do, gappists start that week at Genesis 1:3. Therefore, they believe that before Genesis 1:3, a vast length of time existed—as they state, “whatever geologists demand.”

To justify this, they propose nontraditional translations of several verses. They believe that Genesis 1:2a should be translated “the earth became formless and void,” instead of the more widely accepted translation “the earth was formless and void.” Prior to 1800, no one ever translated this verse as gap theorists do. While it is true that the Hebrew word “hayah” can be translated “became,” it is usually translated “was.” In fact, in the 4,900 times “hayah” occurs in the Old Testament, almost 98% are translated as “was.” Hebrew grammarians and linguists have almost uniformly rejected the translation “became” or “had become.”

Gap theorists rely heavily on Isaiah 45:18, which states:

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited),

They correctly state that God did not create the earth a waste place. Genesis 1:2, using the same Hebrew word as in Isaiah 45:18 for “waste place,” describes the earth as “formless and void.” Gap theorists unfortunately conclude that after the earth’s first creation, it must have become a waste place that was “formless and void.” A more straightforward and internally consistent interpretation is that the earth was temporarily “formless and void” during the first day of its creation. At the end of the sixth creation day, the earth was completed, inhabited, and “very good”—not “formless and void.” In other words, God “did not create it [to be] a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited.”

Another verse used to support the gap theory is Genesis 1:28, which in the King James translation states “... Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it ...” Today, the word “replenish” is a recognized mistranslation of the Hebrew. All modern translations translate this word “fill.”

Most people who accept the gap theory have great confidence in the Bible and oppose evolution. However, they accept many evolutionary interpretations of such things as dinosaurs, ice ages, and coal-producing peat bogs. They avoid controversy by placing dinosaurs, ice ages, and coal formation in the “gap,” and thus fail to see their connection with the flood. So gappists generally take a position of noninvolvement in the origins issue other than saying they accept creation and oppose evolution. This attitude helped the evolutionary viewpoint go largely unopposed in our schools and media for decades.

The gap theory has declined in popularity in recent years.4 It was one of many attempts to reinterpret Scripture to conform to a belief that was becoming popular among some scientists in the 1800s—a belief in an old earth. Unfortunately, the gap theory is inconsistent with the Bible in many ways.

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Is Evolution Compatible with the Bible?

Many people, although they may not know the term, are theistic evolutionists; that is, they believe God used evolution to create the universe and everything in it. For some, this is an acceptable compromise—belief in at least some aspects of evolution and belief in God. The first provides scientific respectability, while the second satisfies an inward conviction that there must be a Creator. For these people, evolution is compatible with the Bible.

But is it? Since Darwin’s time (mid-late 1800s), many who knew what the Bible said have tried to reinterpret Scripture to make it compatible with the theory of evolution. The fact that there are about twenty theistic evolution theories indicates the general dissatisfaction with each. It also suggests that reconciling evolution with the Bible is not as easy as some claim.  You will soon see why.

Better-known efforts to reinterpret the early chapters of Genesis include the day-age theory,1 the gap theory (pages 320–321), the framework theory,2 the revelation theory,3 and progressive creation.4 Each theory uncritically accepts some aspects of evolution and then reinterprets Genesis to force it to accommodate those aspects. These reinterpretations contradict obvious meanings in Scripture, interpretations of the text made by ancient and modern Hebrew scholars,5 clear statements of many Old Testament writers, all New Testament writers, and Jesus Christ Himself.

Many who accept these theories sincerely reject evolution. Unfortunately, they fail to realize the evolutionary assumptions on which these theories, and their personal beliefs, are built. Those assumptions may appear “scientific,” unless the evidence is closely examined.

No single theistic evolution theory incorporates all 74 beliefs listed below.6 However, each is compatible with one or more of the primary theistic evolution theories. Actually, no compelling scientific evidence supports any of these evolutionary positions, and much scientific evidence refutes them. [See “The Scientific Case for Creation,” pages 6–98.]

Notice how many ideas in the left-hand column below are uncritically accepted by mainstream society. Notice also how these ideas have subtly alienated many from the Bible—which both contradicts theistic evolution and lays the foundation for some of our most basic beliefs and institutions. Undermining this foundation has obviously contributed to many societal problems. [See “What Are the Social Consequences of Belief in Evolution?” on page 336.]

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Table 23. Theistic Evolution vs. The Biblical Account

In the following there will be two statements following a set of the same numbers. The first number is for Theistic Evolution and the second one is the Creation version given in the Bible.

I.e.


1. Creation required few, if any, miracles. Science can now explain how everything evolved. (Theistic Evolution)

1. Creation was a miracle. Evolution, if true, would require many miracles. [See pages 6–98.]  A miracle is a departure from physical laws. (The Biblical Account)


2. Genesis 1–11 is either allegory, poetry, or myth. It is not literally true.
   

2. Genesis 1–11 is accurate history involving real people and major events. Jesus Christ and every New Testament writer cited these foundational events that shaped human culture.  [See the 68 references beginning on page 329.]

3. Genesis contains two conflicting creation accounts, Genesis 1:1–2:3 and Genesis 2:4–2:25. Obviously, both cannot be correct—or taken literally.
   

3. Genesis contains two descriptions of creation. The first is chronological, while the second is from man’s perspective. A close study of the Hebrew words shows no conflict. Christ, who in a single sentence mentioned both descriptions, knew they referred to the same creation event. (Mt 19:4–5) [Endnote 1 on page 299 contains additional information.]

4. Natural processes (or “Mother Nature”) can explain the formation of the heavenly bodies, earth, and life. Matter preceded mind.
   

4. The Creator, with supernatural power, brought forth the heavenly bodies, earth, and life.  Mind preceded matter.  (Gen 1–2, Ps 33:6)

5. Space, time, and matter are eternal. Time existed before things were created.
   

5. God who is eternal, created space, time, and matter. The creation came out of nothing. There was a beginning.7  Time began at the creation. (Gen 1:1, Mt 24:21, Mk 13:19, Jn 1:1, Col 1:16, Heb 11:3)

6. The universe began as a burst of light with the big bang. Ten billion years later, the earth slowly formed in the presence of sunlight.
   

6. On the first day, the earth was formed in darkness. (Gen 1:2) Soon afterward, but before the Sun and stars were made, light was created.  (Gen 1:3)      [See page 274.]

7. The big bang was the basic creation event. It occurred during a fraction of a second.
   

7. A series of creative acts occurred during the creation week. (Gen 1)

8. Hydrogen, helium, and some lithium formed millions of years before all the other 100+ chemical elements.
   

8. All chemical elements came into existence during the creation week. (Gen 2:2, Ex 20:11)

9. Since the big bang, the average temperature of the universe has continually decreased. Eventually, the Sun will exhaust its fuel and the earth will lose its heat and freeze solid.
   

9. The earth began in a relatively cool state (see #12 below). Eventually, intense heat will destroy the heavens and the earth. (II Peter 3:7,10,12)

10. The Sun and most stars formed billions of years before Earth.  Stars are still forming.
   

10. Earth was created three days before the Sun and stars. Today, stars are dying, not being created.  (Gen 1:2, 1:16; Ex 20:11)  [See page 31.]

11. During the fourth creation period (not the fourth day), the Sun, Moon, and stars were “made to appear”8 on a previously cloud-covered earth.
   

11. On the fourth creation day, the Sun, Moon, and stars were made.
(Gen 1:14–19)  If the word “day” in Genesis 1:14 means a long period, what do the words “year” or “night” mean in that verse?

12. The earth initially had a hot, molten surface. Millions of years later, water—chemically locked in the earth’s interior—oozed out.
   

12. On the first day, the earth had a liquid water surface.9 Therefore, the earth was relatively cool at the beginning. (Gen 1:2)

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13. The earth slowly coalesced from meteoritic impacts that melted the earth’s surface and vaporized all surface water.
   

13. The earth formed quickly. After the second day, its surface was spread out above the liquid subterranean waters.  (Ps 24:2, 104:3, 136:6)

14. Land formed before oceans.
   

14. A global ocean existed before land. Dry land appeared when the surface waters were gathered into one place.  (Gen 1:2, 1:9)

15. Evolution took place over billions of years, not in six literal days. The word “day” in the Bible can, in rare cases, mean an indefinite period of time. The six creation “days” may have been six ages, so each creation age had millions of evenings and mornings. Another possibility is that God created in six literal days, but each day was separated by millions of years.
   

15. Creation took place in six literal, consecutive days. (Gen 1, Ex 20:11)  The Hebrew word for day, yom, always means literal, consecutive days when modified by a plural number. Yom was defined as a literal day when it was first used. (Gen 1:4,5)  Each creation day had only one “evening and morning.”

To survive, plants need the Sun and animals—especially insects. All were created within three literal days of each other. (Gen 1:11–23) Had it taken much longer, plants could not have survived.10  (Gen 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31)

16. In the Bible, a day can be a long time. For example, Psalm 90:4 and II Peter 3:8 say that “a day is like a thousand years.”
   

16. Those verses do not refer specifically to the six creation days. Instead, they say that God is outside of time; He can see the intimate details and the big picture. Besides, no evolutionist believes creation took 6,000 years.

17. Since the earth began, natural disasters have occurred: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes, tsunamis, droughts, and impacts by meteorites, asteroids, and comets.
   

17. The earth was created “very good,” so natural disasters did not occur initially. (Gen 1:31)  Part II of this book explains why each type of natural disaster was a different consequence of the global flood. [See pages 100–256.]

18. The present is the key to the past; that is, presently observable natural processes explain all past events. (This principle, called uniformitarianism, underlies much of geology.)
   

18. The present is not always the key to the past. God sometimes works suddenly, as He did during the creation, the fall, and the flood. (Gen 1–3, 6–8)  No natural process on earth approaches the flood in its power, destructiveness, or extent.  (II Peter 3:3–6)  [See pages 100–255.]

19. Once the atmosphere began to evolve, rains occurred on the earth.
   

19. Before the flood, man apparently had not seen a rainbow in the sky. (Gen 9:11–17) The hydrodynamic cycle must have been quite different. It probably did not rain before the flood.  [See pages 298–299.]

20. There have been no worldwide floods—only brief, local floods. “Noah’s flood,” if it happened, was only a local, or regional, flood. God’s promise, in Genesis 9:11, not to again flood the earth cannot be taken literally.
   

20. A catastrophic, worldwide flood covered all11 the earth’s preflood mountains after 150 days. (Gen 7:19–20, 7:24; Ps 104:6–9) This year-long flood (Gen 7:11, 8:14) destroyed almost all humans and air-breathing land animals. (Gen 6:13, 6:17, 7:4, 7:21–23, 8:21, 9:11; Lk 17:27; I Pet 3:20; II Pet 2:5, 3:6)

21. The first animals were microscopic, single-celled creatures.
   

21. The first animals included great sea monsters, such as whales, and other complex creatures.  (Gen 1:20 – 21)

22. The first sea life was a small blob of complex chemicals. It took a billion years for other sea life to form.
   

22. On the fifth day, sea life was created, and the waters swarmed with all the various kinds of sea creatures.  (Gen 1:20 – 22)

23. The original atmosphere consisted of methane, ammonia, and other poisonous gases. Over billions of years, the atmosphere became what it is today.
   

23. The atmosphere was created quickly and has since supported all living things. (Gen 1:6–8)

24. Plant life helped produce our atmosphere.
   

24. The atmosphere was created before plant life.  (Gen 1:6–12)

25. Plants evolved over a long period of time. Flowering plants evolved 220 million years after all other plants.
   

25. All major categories of plants, including their seeds and fruit, were created on the third day.  (Gen 1:11–12)

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26. The Sun evolved several billion years before plant life.
   

26. The Sun was made one day after plant life.  (Gen 1:12–16)

27. Various forms of plant life and animal life evolved during each of four sequential, geological eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. These eras were of unequal length.
   

27. Life was created during only three of the six creation days—3rd day: plant life, 5th day: sea life and birds, and the 6th day: other land animals and man. (Gen 1)

28. Since the earth began, new forms of life have continued to arise within each of the major categories: plants, sea creatures, birds, and land animals.
   

28. All plants were created first, then all sea creatures and birds, then all land animals. Finally, man was created.  (Gen 1)

29. There is continuity among all forms of life. All organisms have a common ancestor. Therefore, there were continuous transitions among all plants and among all animals. The millions of species are not fixed and not distinct.
   

29. There are permanent discontinuities between the many different “kinds” of life. In fact, the Bible states 10 times that each “kind” will reproduce after itself. (Gen 1) The kinds are fixed and distinct.  (I Cor 15:39)

30. Sea life preceded land life by hundreds of millions of years.
   

30. Sea life did not precede land life.  (Gen 1:11–13, 1:20 – 23)

31. Adam could not have named all the animals in one day, because there were too many. Besides, most animals and plants became extinct before man evolved.
   

31. The Bible does not say Adam named all the animals. On Day 6, he named “all the cattle,” “the birds of the sky,” and “every beast of the field” (domesticated animal). Adam did not name, for example, sea creatures, creeping things (insects), and the beasts of the earth (wild animals). (Gen 2:20)  All animal kinds have lived contemporaneously with man. (Gen 1:20 – 30)

32. Insects evolved millions of years before birds and flowering plants.
   

32. All birds and plants were created before “creeping things.”  (Gen 1:20 – 24)

33. Either reptiles or dinosaurs evolved into birds. More than a 100 million years later, 60 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct, man evolved.
   

33. Birds were created before dinosaurs, reptiles, and other beasts of the earth. (Gen 1:20 – 25)  Man saw and wrote about dinosaurs and giant seagoing reptiles.  (Job 40:15–41:34)

34. Fish evolved hundreds of millions of years before birds and fruit trees.  The first fish and birds came from eggs.
   

34. Fruit trees were created before fish. Fish and birds were created on the same day.  Fish were created swimming, and birds were created flying.
(Gen 1:11, 21–22)

35. It is uncertain which came first, the chicken or the egg.
   

35. Eggs were within the first chickens, so both came together. All animals were created fully formed and functional.12

36. The first animals were simple sea creatures. Much later, fish evolved, then amphibians, and finally mammals. The last mammals to evolve included whales.
   

36. The first animals created included highly developed mammals such as the great whales. The next day, many so-called “lower forms” were created. (Gen 1:21, 1:24)

37. For hundreds of millions of years before man evolved, many animals were carnivores (meat eaters).
   

37. Early animals were herbivores (plant eaters). After either the fall or the flood, some became carnivores.  (Gen 1:30)

38. Females evolved before males.
   

38. Males and females within a “kind” were created on the same day. (Gen 1:20 – 25) The first human male came before the first human female. (Gen 2:22)

39. Macroevolution continues today, so creation is a long process.
   

39. Creation was a distinct event. (Ps 148:5) God finished “all His work” in six days. (Gen 2:1–3; Ex 20:11, 31:17; Heb 4:1–11)

40. Everything in nature, from protons to people, evolved by slow, continuous processes.
   

40. Everything in nature was created in one or more rapid, discrete steps. (Ps 33:6–9) Five times Genesis states that “God said ... and it was so.” (Gen 1:6–7, 1:9, 1:11, 1:14–15, 1:24)  All the Bible’s miracles occurred quickly, including the biggest and first miracle—creation itself.

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41. Evolution works, in part, through a process called “survival of the fittest.” Violence, pain, and death were necessary for animals to become more complex. Suffering, cruelty, and death are natural results of the evolutionary process. In this sense, death produced man.
   

41. God is all-powerful and does not need to use violence, pain, or death to create. God did not author evil, suffering, disease, or calamity. Several attributes of our Creator are love, peace, and joy. Right after the creation, everything was “very good.” (Gen 1:31) Suffering and cruelty entered the world when Adam sinned. (Gen 3)  In this sense, man produced death.  (Gen 2:17, Rom 5:12, I Cor 15:21)

42. Man is a product of nature. Man is controlled and shaped by his environment. In fact, the environment largely determined how man evolved.
   

42. Man was given dominion over nature. God told man to control his environment—to subdue the earth and rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.  (Gen 1:26, 1:28–30)

43. Man is an animal that has evolved a little higher than the apes.
   

43. Man, who was given dominion over all animals, was created in the image of God. (Gen 1:26–27, 1:30, 5:1)  Man was made “a little lower than the angels.” (Ps 8:5)

44. Man evolved from a lower animal.
   

44. Adam was formed from the dust. (Gen 2:7)

45. Man has existed during only the past 1,000th of the earth’s history—10,000,000,000 years after the universe began and 4,000,000,000 years after the earth formed.
   

45. Man has existed since the creation. (Mt 19:4; Mk 10:6, 13:19; Lk 11:50–51a; Jn 8:44; Rom 1:20)

46. There really was no one individual we can call “Adam”; the term refers to “mankind” or a race of primitive men. Adam and Eve may be mythical characters in a saga explaining how evil originated—or characters in a timeless myth representing the sinful choices we all make.
   

46. Inspired writers of both Testaments spoke of Adam as an individual, not as a race of people. (Gen 5:3; I Chron 1:1; Lk 3:38; Acts 17:26; Rom 5:12; I Cor 15:21–22, 15:45–47) Eve was also a unique person. (I Cor 11:8–9, I Tim 2:13–14)  We are all descended from Adam and Eve.  (Gen 3:20)

47. Almost all fossils formed before man appeared on earth.
   

47. Man was created before any fossils formed.

48. Man’s genealogy includes many apelike animals. It spans more than a hundred thousand generations. Adam had millions of years’ worth of ancestors.
   

48. Man’s genealogy begins with Adam and Eve. It involves only a few hundred generations. The Bible gives the line of descent from Adam to Noah and even up to historical times.  (Gen 5, I Chron 1, Lk 3:23–38)  Christ never mentioned any ancestors of Adam; Adam had none. (Mt 19:4)

49. Although apes, man’s closest relatives, have no difficulty or pain in giving birth, human childbirth is painful and dangerous for mother and child. Natural selection should have eliminated women with narrow birth canals.13
   

49. Humans are a special creation; they did not descend from apes or any ancestor of apes. Pain in human birth was multiplied as a result of the fall.  (Gen 3:16)

50. God breathed a spirit into an apelike creature. This became man.
   

50. God breathed the breath of life into a lifeless human body.  This became man. (Gen 2:7)

51. The earliest people were meat eaters. The first animals that could be considered human were hunters. Hundreds of thousands of years later, man began farming.
   

51. The earliest people were vegetarians. (Gen 1:29) The first man, Adam, was a gardener. (Gen 2:15) Later, Adam became a farmer; his son Abel was a herdsman. (Gen 4:2) Less than 10 generations later, man began hunting. (Gen 9:3)

52. Because man evolved from the animals, there is very little difference in the psychological makeup and behavior of animals and man. (This premise underlies much of modern psychology.)
   

52. Man was created distinct from the animals and in the image of God. (Gen 1:26–27, 5:1) Adam did not find any animal that was physically and emotionally compatible with him. Only another human, Eve, could be his counterpart.  (Gen 2:20)

53. The first man came from a woman. Woman, like man, evolved from animals. The story of Eve being formed by “divine surgery” from Adam’s side is nonsense. Eve had a mother.
   

53. The first woman came from a man. (Acts 17:26, I Cor 11: Eve was specially created—taken from the side of Adam.  (Gen 2:21–23)  Eve had no mother.

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54. Marriage, a cultural convention, evolved from human experience. Marriage therefore changes as culture evolves.
   

54. Marriage is a permanent bond instituted by God. (Gen 2:24)

55. Man slowly developed our basic units of time: a day, a week, a month, and a year.
   

55. Genesis 1, which was not composed by man, defines our basic units of time.

56. No one established the seven-day week. It was culturally derived. Surprisingly, practically all known cultures throughout history have had a seven-day week.
   

56. God established the seven-day week for man’s benefit. (Mk 2:27) It reminds us of His activity and rest during the creation week.  (Gen 1, Ex 20:8–11)

57. The Garden of Eden is a myth.
   

57. Eden was a literal place. (Is 51:3; Ezek 28:13, 36:35; Joel 2:3)

58. People have rarely lived beyond 100 years, especially in the primitive past.
   

58. Before the flood, conditions were such that at least the people listed in chapter 5 of Genesis lived to be about 900 years old.  [See page 317.]

59. Lunar months may have been mistakenly called “years” by the early Hebrews. Thus, the patriarchal ages (typically 900 “years”) in Genesis 5 could be much younger in true years.
   

59. Two patriarchs were 65 years old when their sons were born. (Gen 5:15, 5:21) If those “years” were lunar months, then they had children when they were 5 years old!

60. Early man was quite primitive and technologically immature.
   

60. Within only a few hundred years after the creation, man built musical instruments and refined alloys. (Gen 4:21–22)  Early man also had the technology to build Noah’s Ark (Gen 6:14–16) and the Tower of Babel. (Gen 11:3–6)

61. The genealogies listed from Adam to Joseph contain many gaps.  Each gap may span centuries.
   

61. The genealogies from Adam to Joseph are tightly linked, because each patriarch’s age is given when the next named patriarch was born. [See pages 317–318.]  Therefore, more time cannot be inserted between patriarchs.

62. Cain, Adam and Eve’s first son, was banished to a distant land and would not have had a wife, unless he married a subhuman primate or another evolved human.
   

62. Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters. (Gen 5:4) Cain probably married a sister, or perhaps a niece.14

63. Language evolved slowly; it began with grunts and signs of emotion. (Most linguists admit they do not know how languages multiplied. Today, languages are rapidly becoming extinct.)
   

63. Adam, who was created with a large vocabulary, conducted intelligent conversations from the beginning. He named many, but not all, land animals on the day he was created. (Gen 2:18–24)  Languages multiplied suddenly at Babel. (Gen 11:1–9)  [See “Language” and “Speech” beginning on page 9.]

64. For a billion years, millions of species have slowly improved and become more complex. This is still happening.  New forms of life are always evolving.
   

64. Right after the creation, God saw all that He had made, and it was “very good.” (Gen 1:31)  Since then, things have deteriorated (Gen 3:16–19, Rom 8:18–22) and diversified.  We have never seen a new kind of life evolve. (Ex 20:11)

65. Death entered the world just after the simplest form of life evolved—a billion years before man evolved.
   

65. Death entered the world after Adam was created and sinned.  (Rom 5:12)

66. Death preceded the activities that some people call sin.15
   

66. Sin preceded death.  (Gen 2:17, 3:1–24; Rom 5:12, 6:23, I Cor 15:21)

67. The fall of Adam had only spiritual consequences.
   

67. The fall of Adam had both spiritual and physical consequences. (Gen 2:17, 3:14–24; Rom 8:18–22; I Cor 15:21–22)

68. Ever since plants evolved, some have been poisonous. This enhanced their survivability.
   

68. Before the fall, every green plant was edible.  (Gen 1:29–30)

69. Thorns and thistles evolved along with plants.
   

69. Adam’s sin caused thorns and thistles.  (Gen 3:17–18)

70. Man’s wickedness is a result of his animal nature.
   

70. Man’s wickedness is a result of his fallen nature.

71. God gave Adam a spirit, so Adam was the first primate who could be called human. He died physically as did his primate ancestors, but not as a penalty for disobedience. Adam’s penalty for disobedience was only spiritual death—separation from God.
   

71. The first Adam brought physical and spiritual death into the world for humans. The last Adam (Jesus Christ) brings physical resurrection from the dead and spiritual life.  If Adam’s body evolved from an animal, this profound theological correspondence is broken, along with the “plan of redemption.”16 Both “Adams” had miraculously created bodies, but both could die as a penalty for human disobedience. (Rom 5:14–15, I Cor 15:45)

72. Struggle and death preceded man’s arrival on earth. This struggle has continued ever since.
   

72. The completed creation, which included man, was “very good.” (Gen 1:31) There was no struggle and death. Subsequently, man (by his willful disobedience) fell from this universal paradise, causing struggle and death to enter the world. Someday, this paradise will be restored as a “new heaven and a new earth.”  (Is 11:6–9, Rev 22:2–3)

73. Ever since the earth evolved with God’s guidance, natural disasters—such as floods, earthquakes, storms, lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, and impacts by asteroids, meteors, and comets—have brought death to earth.
   

73. These deadly calamities were not part of God’s “very good ” creation. Later, man’s sin destroyed that tranquility. Man’s wickedness became so bad that God chose to destroy almost all men and air breathing animals in a global flood. These calamities are a consequence of the flood. (Gen 1:31, 6:5–7)  [See pages 100–255, 298.]

74. Man is continually improving—physically, mentally, socially, morally, and spiritually.
   

74. Since early times, man has advanced technologically. (Gen 4:21–22) This was largely inevitable. (Gen 11:6)  However, man has regressed physically and spiritually.  (Gen 3, 5, 11)

75. Because man culminates billions of years of upward progress, his well-being and continued improvement must be our greatest concern.17
   

75. Because God created man (and everything else), God should be our greatest concern. Man, who was made in the image of God, was given dominion over all other creatures. (Gen 1:26)  Man must exercise great care and concern for the creation, especially for his fellow man. However, men are special creatures who have sinned and, therefore, need a Savior.  (Jn 3:16)

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Having examined the many contradictions between theistic evolution and the biblical view of life and history, one should consider the following question:

If God is not limited in power and could have created the world, if He has given man a record of what He did, and if the scientific evidence does not contradict it, then what prevents you from believing that it actually happened?18


If evolution happened, then death was widespread before man evolved. But if death preceded man and was not a result of Adam’s sin, then sin is not the cause of death—so we do not need a Savior.

(My Own Note Added Here: If this is the case then the entire Bible is a lie and God is a liar. We know this is not true as God does not lie and the Bible is the word of God.)

[Soldier4Christ]

Does the New Testament Support Genesis 1–11?

Over the past century, claims that evolution is a scientific fact have become more entrenched in our schools. As a result, the first eleven chapters of Genesis have slowly become an embarrassment within many Christian churches and seminaries. Few people in these churches and seminaries have stopped to consider just how foundational these chapters are to the New Testament. The early chapters of Genesis were frequently referred to by every New Testament writer and Jesus Christ Himself. What happens to their credibility if these early chapters are incorrect? Listed below are 68 direct references in the New Testament that refer back to these foundational chapters of Genesis. [Based in part on Dr. Henry M. Morris’ book, The Remarkable Birth of Planet Earth (San Diego, California: Institute for Creation Research, 1972), pp. 101–103.]  There are many more indirect references.

All New Testament writers believed that Genesis 1–11 was historically accurate.  Note:

a. Every New Testament writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis (Genesis 1–11).

b. Jesus Christ referred to each of the first seven chapters of Genesis.

c. All New Testament books except Galatians, Philippians, I and II Thessalonians, II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and II and III John refer to Genesis 1–11.

d. Every chapter of Genesis 1–11, except chapter 8, is directly referred to somewhere in the New Testament.

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Table 24. New Testament References to Genesis 1–11  (*The words of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry.)   

Reference                Topic                               Genesis Reference

1. Matthew 19:4     Created male and female     1:27, 5:2

2. Matthew 19:5–6  Cleave to his wife                2:24

3. Matthew 23:35    Righteous Abel                   4:4

4. Mat 24:37–39     Noah and the Flood             6:1–22, 7:1–24, 8:1–22

5. Mark 10:6          Created male and female     1:27, 5:2

6. Mark 10:7–9      Cleave to his wife                 2:24

7. Mark 13:19        Since beginning of creation   1:1, 2:4

8. Luke 3:34–36     Genealogies:                       11:10–26
                             Abraham to Shem
   
9. Luke 3:36–38     Genealogies:                       5:3–29
                            Noah to Adam to God
   
10. Luke 11:51      Blood of Abel                       4:8–11

11. Luke 17:27      Noah's flood                         7:10–23

12. John 1:1–3      In the beginning God             1:1

13. John 8:44        Father of lies                        3:4–5

14. Acts 14:15      Who made the heaven          2:1
                            and the earth

15. Acts 17:24      God made all things             1:1–31

16. Romans 1:20   The creation of the world      1:1–31, 2:4

17. Romans 4:17   God creates from nothing     1:1–31

18. Romans 5:12   Death enters world by sin     2:16–17, 3:19

19. Rom 5:14–19   Death reigned from Adam     2:17

20. Rom 8:20–22   Creation corrupted               3:17–18

21. I Cor 6:16         Two become one flesh         2:24

[Soldier4Christ]

Reference                Topic                               Genesis Reference

22. I Cor 11:3         Head of the woman              3:16

23. I Cor 11:7         In the image of God             1:27, 5:1

24. I Cor 11:8         Woman from man                2:22–23

25. I Cor 11:9        Woman for the man              2:18

26. I Cor 15:21–22  By a man came death         2:16–17, 3:19

27. I Cor 15:38–39  seeds of its own (kind)        1:11, 1:21, 1:24

28. I Cor 15:45       Adam became living being    2:7

29. I Cor 15:47       Man from the earth              3:23

30. II Cor 4:6          Light out of darkness           1:3–5

31. II Cor 11:3        Serpent deceived Eve          3:1–6, 3:13

32. Eph 3:9           Created all things                1:1–31, 2:1–3

33. Eph 5:30–31    become one flesh                2:24

34. Col 1:16          All created by Him               1:1–31, 2:1–3

35. Col 3:10          Created in His image            1:27

36. I Tim 2:13–14   Adam created first               2:18–23

37. I Tim 2:14        Woman deceived                 3:1–6, 3:13

38. I Tim 4:4          Everything created              1:10–31
                            by God is good
   
39. Hebrews 1:10   In the beginning                   1:1

40. Heb 2:7–8        All things in subjection         1:26–30, 9:2–3
                            under man

[Soldier4Christ]

Reference                Topic                               Genesis Reference

41. Hebrews 4:3    Works were finished             2:1

42. Hebrews 4:4    Rest on the seventh day       2:2–3

43. Hebrews 4:10  Rest from His works             2:2–3

44. Hebrews 11:3  Creation of the universe         1:1

45. Hebrews 11:4  Abel offered better sacrifice    4:3–5

46. Hebrews 11:5  Enoch taken up                    5:21–24

47. Hebrews 11:7  Noah’s household saved        7:1

48. Hebrews 12:24 Blood of Abel                       4:10

49. James 3:9       Men in the likeness of God    1:27, 5:1

50. I Peter 3:20     Noah's Ark, eight saved         6:14–16, 7:13

51. II Peter 2:5      Flood on ungodly, 8 saved     6:8–12, 7:1–24

52. II Peter 3:4–5  Earth formed out of                1:6–7
                           water and by water

53. II Peter 3:6     World destroyed by water       7:17–24

54. I John 3:8       Devil sinned from beginning    3:14

55. I John 3:12     Cain slew his brother             4:8, 4:25

56. Jude 11          The way of Cain                    4:8, 4:16, 4:25

57. Jude 14          Enoch, the seventh               5:3–24
                           generation from Adam
   
58. Revelation 2:7 Tree of life                            2:9

59. Rev 3:14        Beginning of the                    1:1–31, 2:1–4
                          creation of God

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Reference                Topic                               Genesis Reference

60. Rev 4:11        Created all things                  1:1–31, 2:1–3

61. Rev 10:6        Who created heaven......        1:1, 2:1

62. Rev 14:7        Who made the heaven.....      1:1, 2:1, 2:4

63. Rev 20:2        The serpent of old, devil          3:1, 3:14

64. Rev 21:1        First heaven and first earth      2:1

65. Rev 21:4        No more death, sorrow,          3:17–19
                          crying or pain

66. Rev 22:2        Fruit of the tree of life             3:22

67. Rev 22:3        No more curse                      3:14–19

68. Rev 22:14      The tree of life                       2:9