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This site is for thoughtful Christians learning how to answer the hard questions people are asking today
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Were there people before Adam?

Evidence from Bible and science

Bible: Man looking at city where people lived before Adam
PURPOSE: Helping Christians engage in intelligent conversations with doubters and unbelievers
Bible creation questions

QUESTIONS

discussed on this page

Tough questions people are asking about whether or not there were people before Adam:

Was Adam the first human on earth?

What does the Bible say about when and where Adam lived?

How do Christians explain skeletons and cities much older than Adam now being discovered?

How do Christians explain that Adam's first-born son, after killing the second-born, but before birth of the third-born, went to a distant city and there married a woman and became a builder in that city?

Did Jesus ever say anything about Adam or a calamity on earth caused by someone's sin?

How can a Christian give an intelligent and compelling biblical answer to people who are absolutely convinced from archaeological, scientific, and historical evidence that there has been human activity on earth for tens of thousands of years ... and who think Christians – and the Bible – are flat-out wrong in saying that humans didn't even exist until less than 10,000 years ago?

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INTRODUCTION

What happens here

Confident Christian

Most Christians have been taught that Adam and Eve were the first humans on earth, inferred from the first two chapters of Genesis. The Bible says, through genealogies, that Adam lived about BC 4,000.

However, there is overwhelming evidence from archaeology, history, and science to conclude that there has been human activity on earth for tens of thousands of years.

Christians are becoming conflicted by the evidence, and large numbers of young people are leaving the church because it won't face facts and answer the obvious questions.

This page shows how there is another way to read the Genesis story and conclude that, even though Adam was the first sinner, there were other people living outside of the Garden before God placed Adam into it. This interpretation builds confidence in the Bible because it is consistent with both scripture and modern knowledge.

Informed Christian

After re-reading the two Genesis stories – 'days' of creation and Garden of Eden – whether or not a Christian believes that Adam was the first human on earth, at least he or she should be familiar with other views and be able to discuss them objectively.

This page gives another view that is rarely discussed in church because it's too controversial and not in accord with church tradition.

Interesting Christian

The very idea of who were the first people on earth – and where, when and why – is a fascinating subject for most people, and a good conversation starter leading to the Bible.

This page gives you the information needed to engage in interesting conversations with anyone about Adam and people who may have lived before him.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Bible credibility and Christian witness

Why this matters today

Adam lived about BC 4000 according to genealogies recorded in the Bible. If Adam was the first person on earth, the Bible is then in complete contradiction to science, which has conclusive evidence that there was human activity on earth long before that time.

This contradiction causes millions of people to believe that they must make a stark choice either for the Bible or for science, one or the other. Most people today are choosing science and concluding that the Bible is NOT a trustworthy book of truth.

Gallup Poll tracks beliefs about origins

Every third year for the past 45 years, Gallup Polls has tracked what people believe about human origin.

Woman thinking about Bible being true

The most recent poll shows that more than half of church-attending American Christians still believe that 'God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time WITHIN THE LAST 10,000 YEARS OR SO.'

The reason that polls, news reports, and general literature usually use 10,000 years (rather than Bible's 4,000 years) is to give allowance for possible gaps in the genealogies, as discussed here in Bible genealogies.

The huge human age discrepancy between science and the Bible is widely known by unbelievers and doubters and, to them, this portrays devout Christians as poorly educated people with blind faith in an ancient book that is flat-out wrong.

Most Christians don't give much thought, if any, to this issue, but it's a big issue for many people thinking about trusting the Bible and becoming a Christian.

Adam has become a proof issue to test the Bible

Most biblical issues cannot be measured and tested, but this one is different. Here the Bible comes up against hard facts

The real issue here is not whether or not there were people on earth before Adam but whether or not the Bible is a credible book of truth. People conclude that if the Bible is wrong about our origin, it is probably wrong about our destiny too, and therefore it cannot be trusted as a book of truth.

To say that there were no people on earth before Adam (approximately BC 4000) is an indefensible position in light of modern knowledge, and most people think it is ignorance or mindless religious indoctrination to hear Christians say it.

The present situation is similar to times past when Christians quoted Bible verses to 'prove' that the earth is flat ('four corners of the earth' and 'ends of the earth,' Job 37:3 and other verses) and that the earth is setting on foundations ('He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved,' Psalm 104:5 and other verses).

This study shows that the Bible does not preclude the possibility – or even the probability – that there were people before Adam. Adam was the first sinner but not necessarily the first person.

READ AS TWO STORIES

Creation / Garden of Eden

Read Genesis 1-4 as two stories

Most people read the first four chapters of Genesis and see only one continuous story, as they have been told. Others read the same four chapters and see two distinct stories.

Most people have been taught that Adam and Eve were the first humans on earth – and created in the Garden of Eden – though few have ever seriously studied the account of God's creation and the account of Adam and Eve directly from the Bible themselves.

Most people just assume from tradition that it is a single continuous story, never realizing that it's probably two stories: Creation (Genesis 1:1 thru 2:3) and Eden (Genesis 2:8 thru 3:24), with a summary transition statement (Genesis 2:4-7) and a very long period of time in-between.

FIRST STORY (Creation – Genesis 1:1 - 2:3)

This is the well-known story of God's six days of creation and seventh day of rest.

The creation of humans occurred in Day 6, but the Eden story occurred in Day 7, as explained in the Bible study here on God's creation days.  

A 'day' (Hebrew yō·wm) as used in the Genesis 1 context is longer than 24 hours.

Genesis 1 says only that God created humans, male and female, but doesn't mention any individuals, choices, or actions.
Genesis 2-4, much later in time, describes named people, their decisions, and their sins.

TRANSITION SUMMARY (Genesis 2:4 - 2:7)

This is the transition summary between the two stories as clearly stated in the summary preamble: 'This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created' (Genesis 2:4).

It is a brief summary of what happened in Genesis 1, the first story: God created the heavens and the earth ... at first, no life or growth ... mist came up from the ground where water came in contact with earth's hot but cooling crust ... then wondrous explosion of life forms ... ultimately, in the final act of creation, God formed man (Hebrew hā·’ā·ḏām, meaning mankind) as a special living creature in the image of God (not evolved) from the dust of the earth (ordinary stuff, atoms, not divine or immortal).

This summary of the first story may have covered a very long period of time.

To affirm this understanding of the time gap, consider these three passages from Genesis 2:

Verse 7 (transition, summarizing story 1): 'And the Lord God FORMED man [hā·’ā·ḏām, mankind] from the dust of the earth ...'

Verse 8 (in story 2): 'Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man [a human being] he HAD FORMED.'

Verse 19 (in story 2): 'Now the Lord God HAD FORMED out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man [individual named Adam] to see what he would name them ...'

There is a time gap between FORMED and HAD FORMED; otherwise, we would conclude that God created man first and then created animals for him to name – i.e., that God created man before He created animals – which we know is wrong based on Genesis 1.

From the transition summary forward, the whole focus of the Bible changes from God's creation of earth and all its life forms to just a single creature: hā·’ā·ḏām (mankind), God's crowning creation and purpose of it all.

The transition summary sets the stage for the second story.

SECOND STORY (Eden – Genesis 2:8 - 3:24)

Beginning with verse 8, God places a particular human (named Adam) in a special place (garden) in the east, in Eden. There God meets Adam personally in the first-ever encounter between God and man. God gives Adam the first simple law (don't eat this particular fruit) and says the penalty for violation is certain death (earth's default condition), i.e., no eternal life.

Then God creates a wife for Adam (not from dust of the earth but from Adam's side, a female spiritual clone), the first recorded divine miracle (apart from the six-day creation of the entire universe). Adam names her Eve and tells her about the law. They are now the first spiritual beings on earth ... life-long married couple (one flesh)... knowing God ... accountable to God ... with opportunity for eternal life (if they choose the Tree of Life).

The second story continues by telling about commission and consequences of the first human sin and ends by introducing Genesis 5, which shows how this first couple started a new spiritual family line that ran to King David, then split to Mary and to Joseph, but rejoined in the birth of Jesus about 4,000 years later. As shown in the genealogy chart, Adam and Eve started the human family tree of the Savior. The whole story leads to Jesus.

The Bible clearly states that Adam was the first sinner but does not compel a conclusion that he was the first person.

By explaining to doubters and unbelievers that many Christians believe that the first four chapters of Genesis are two stories, separated by a long time period, a conflict between the Bible and science is eliminated and some of the Bible's lost credibility is recovered.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

about people before Adam

I Corinthians 15: 'First man Adam'

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam [Jesus], a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual' (15:44-46). This is the Bible passage people use most often to 'prove' that there were no people before Adam, but that's not what this passage actually says.

This is a comparison between Adam and Jesus on the spiritual level. This juxtaposition states simply that Adam was first and Jesus was last. For what? We know this is not speaking about physical life because people lived after Jesus; i.e., Jesus obviously was not the last man to live physically. So just as there are people who lived AFTER Jesus, likewise, there may have been people who lived BEFORE Adam.

The context and words – 'there is also a spiritual body – make it clear that this is not about the natural being, but about the spiritual being, which this passage says comes after the natural. Adam was the first spiritual man ... coming after the natural man ... the first to have a personal relationship with God, a command from God, accountability to God, and an offer of eternal life from God.

See Bible study here on I Corinthians 15.

Romans 5: 'Death through sin'

'Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned ...' (Romans 5:12). This Bible passage is often quoted to 'prove' that Adam is the first man on earth, but that's not what this passage actually says.

This verse says only that sin entered the world 'through Adam,' the first sinner, and not because Adam sinned but 'because all sinned.'

Thousands of years could have elapsed between God's creation of humans in Genesis 1 and Adam's sin in Genesis 2.

Romans 5 implies that there were people before Adam: '... before the law was given [do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil], sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law' (Romans 5:13).

This passage does not say that Adam was the first human on earth, only that he was the first sinner. From Adam forward, it's no longer just physical death for humans as for everything else, but 'death through sin' (resurrection, judgment, hell and then final death). A moral and spiritual dimension was added.

See Bible study here on Romans 5.

Genesis 1: God created mankind

'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them' (Genesis 1:27). People assume that 'man' was a person named Adam, but the passage doesn't say it. The word (not name) in the original Hebrew text is hā·’ā·ḏām, meanings 'mankind.' The verse says only that God created human beings.

There could have been a long period of time between the creation of humans in Genesis 1 and the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2.

Chapter and verse divisions in the Bible are man-made for citation convenience, not part of the original manuscripts. In the original Hebrew language, all text runs together continuously without markings.

If the beginning of Chapter 2 were instead marked at Genesis 2:8, the whole story of Adam and Eve reads much differently. Everything before that verse is about God's original creation (Days 1-6), detail and summary. Everything after that verse (present Day 7) is about how God first revealed Himself personally to mankind and gave the first simple law.

Geneticists say that new species never begin and survive from a single male-female pair but rather from a gene pool within a population. The phrase 'male and female he created THEM' allows for the possibility that God initially may have created many humans simultaneously.

Genesis 2: No suitable helper found

Adam was not created in the Garden of Eden but placed there from the outside. 'The Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it' (2:8). Adam began the work as God directed. 'But for Adam no suitable helper was found' (2:20).

The phrase 'no suitable helper was found' implies that women already existed (outside the Garden, from where Adam came) but were not suitable (spiritual), so God created a special spiritual woman for Adam, to start a new line of people with access to eternal life.

Genesis 3: Adam and Eve naked

Adam said, 'I heard you [God] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid' (Genesis 3:10). Humans are the only creatures in God's creation that are not always naked. Only people wear clothing.

Adam could know about clothing only if he had observed it himself before God placed him in the Garden or if Satan told him that people are usually clothed. Either way, the implication is that other people were clothed before God made the first garments for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21).

Genesis 4: Eve 'mother of all the living'

'Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living' (3:20). This is the commonly quoted wording from the New International Version (NIV), but a more accurate translation – used in most Bible translations of this passage – is 'she WAS mother of all the living' (title she already had, given to her before pregnancy with first child).

Eve could not be the literal 'mother of all the living' unless she were also the mother of Adam, but he was alive outside the Garden before she even existed (Genesis 2:8).

Eve's first-born son, Cain, murdered his brother, and when God told him that his punishment was banishment from the area, Cain protested: 'I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me' (Genesis 4:14). Who was mother of those people already grown and dispersed?

Cain moved to a city where he found a wife and became a builder (Genesis 4:16-17). Who was mother of those people?

The name Eve was given to her by Adam in Genesis 4 after the punishment and spiritual understanding received in Genesis 3. In ancient Hebrew, Eve is derived from the root word  נפש חיה (Chaiah), which means to be alive. Perhaps the name signifies that she was the first woman – like Adam was the first man – to start a new line of spiritual people with access to eternal life. Some versions of the Bible say 'the mother of all who live' and 'the mother of every living soul,' which are more precise translations.

See the section on this site titled, What about Eve?

Genesis 1-2: Childbearing

When God presented Eve to Adam (Genesis 2:23), Adam said, 'she shall be called woman (female, mother).' Adam was able to recognize a female at first sight – apparently had seen women before – and knew immediately that she could be a mother.

As punishment for Eve's sin, God said: 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children' (Genesis 3:16). God said this to Eve before she had children. It would be meaningless for God to say that he will 'increase' the pains of childbearing if there had never been any childbearing anywhere on earth.

Genesis 4: Farmer, rancher and builder

Adam's firstborn son, Cain, was a farmer. His second-born child, Abel, was a rancher:

'Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil. So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD, while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock.' – Genesis 4:3-4

History and archeology reveal a common picture of ancient peoples throughout the world. At first they were hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place, always searching for better food supply. Over long periods of time, people learned how to process seeds, clear ground and plant crops ... and how to domesticate sheep, goats and pigs for reproduction and slaughter.

If Adam were the first person on earth, then Cain and Abel were the first two humans ever born. It is highly improbable that they could have achieved this level of sophisticated specialized labor so quickly before their next sibling was born (Genesis 4:25) and before Cain was married (Genesis 4:16-18). It is likely that they learned farming and ranching from t,he experiences of generations of other people in the area after they were evicted from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 4:13-16).

Genesis 4: Cain's wife and city

Adam and Eve's first son, Cain, murdered his brother, Abel, and then this happened:

[Lord God speaking] 'Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground ... You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.'

'Cain said to the Lord, 'My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on earth and whoever finds me will kill me.'

'But the Lord said to him, 'Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.' Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

'Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.' – Genesis 4:10-17

At that point in time, when life was raw and perilous, other people would have had to exist because it would be impossible to survive as a lone 'restless wanderer on earth' without human assistance of any kind.

Cain was worried that 'whoever finds me will kill me.' Cain was Adam and Eve's first son, but he knew there were already dangerous people out there.

Cain went to a distant land, married a woman, and became a builder in a city. Starting from nothing, it takes thousands of years for humans to develop understanding, language, tools, and skills to build cities. Cain, Adam and Eve's first child, joined a civilization already in existence and changed his career from farmer to builder.

Genesis 2:8: Adam lived in our Day 7

The Bible says that God created the universe in six 'days' (or periods). Mankind (Hebrew ’ā·ḏām) was created in Day 6: 'male and female he created them' (Genesis 1:27). But the account of the Garden of Eden (starting Genesis 2:8) is in Day 7, which is God's day of 'resting' (pausing) in new physical creations, the day that is still open, the day in which a man named Adam was placed in the Garden. See Bible study here on God's creation 'days.'

We are still in Day 7, continuing until God resumes by creating a new heaven and a new earth. There could have been countless numbers of people early in Day 7 before God revealed himself to Adam.

Genesis 5:2: God called them 'man'

'Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden: and there he put the man he had formed' (Genesis 2:8). Many people contend that this verse proves that Adam was the first person on earth.

However, they overlook this explanatory verse in Genesis 5:2: 'When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female; at the time they were created, he blessed them and called them 'man' (Hebrew ’ā·ḏām, meaning mankind). So, according to the Bible, 'man' can mean either all mankind or a single male individual, depending upon the context.

'Then God said, Let us make man (Hebrew hā·’ā·ḏām) in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule ...' (Genesis 1:26). The word ’ā·ḏām or derivatives is used 552 times in the Bible and it usually means generic mankind. Therefore,  'the man' (individual) in the Eden account is not necessarily identical with 'man' (generic) in the creation account.

It appears that the original creation statement (Genesis 1:26-27) and the summary creation statement (Genesis 2:7) refer to mankind, and the Eden story (Genesis 2:8) refers to a particular individual living long after creation was completed.

Romans 5:13: 'anyone's account' before Adam

'To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law' (Roman 5:13).

Here we first need to ask, what law? The law given to Adam (don't eat forbidden fruit) or the law given to Moses (Ten Commandments)? It obviously means the law given to Adam because sin WAS charged against Adam BEFORE the Ten Commandments were given.

This verse says that there was sin – people doing bad things – in the world even before the law was given to Adam, but since there was no divine law for them, nothing was charged to 'anyone's account.' This strongly implies that there were people before Adam, but Adam was the first person to receive law from God and was the first sinner.

Acts 17:25-26: Every nation from 'one man'

[Apostle Paul speaking about God to civic leaders in Athens] '... because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live' (Acts 17:25-26, NIV version).

The original Greek text does NOT say 'From one man he made every nation;' it says literally that 'he made then of one every nation.' The 'one' (Greek henos) is not specifically identified. That's why many translations, including King James, say from 'one blood.'

It'is unlikely that the Athenians knew anything about either Adam or Noah or that Paul even mentioned them.

Paul was speaking to Greek polytheists and commenting on the city's altar 'to an unknown god.' He was simply saying that this unknown god can now be known and that every people group on earth can trace its existence back to the marvelous creation of the human race ('one blood') by the one God he is proclaiming. This is NOT the same as saying that a particular man named Adam in the Garden of Eden was the first human who ever lived.

PIVOT POINT IN HISTORY

about BC 4000

BC 4000 was a time of major change on earth

The Bible, history, and science all tell us that the time around 4000 BC was a time of major change on earth, a pivot point when the whole order of life took a new direction:

Bible: Graphic of BC 4000  changes at time of Adam

CIVILIZATION. Primitive cultures were becoming civilized with farming, ranching, mining, specialization of labor, small-scale manufacturing, and trade about BC 4000.

This was a time of synergy as people began learning and working together in community. Populations were becoming centralized with construction projects and governments extending human control over nature and people.

WRITTEN LANGUAGE. Written language systems began surfacing about BC 4000. This was a huge advance over the drawings and symbols previously carved or painted on cave walls.

This was the start of historical records that document events as they occur and survive millenniums of time. Written language was a way to share and preserve technical knowledge. Communication became more precise and nuanced.

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO MAN. After billions of years of preparation, something astounding happens! The Creator of the universe reveals himself to man and initiates a personal relationship!!

The relationship brings a major change to the world – from physical only to physical AND spiritual. Now we have God's command, accountability, sin, punishment, and offer of eternal life for humans.

According to Bible genealogies, Adam lived about 4000 BC. See chart here for time calculations based on the genealogies.

HISTORY, ARCHEOLOGY, AND SCIENCE

about people before Adam

Populations

Population experts estimate that the world's population in 4000 BC was about 7,000,000, as shown in this composite chart compiled from many sources:

World Population by Year

World population by year

Ancient cities

Archaeologists are now unearthing many cities that were already in existence in BC 4000. Today we can see many of the amazing settlements that thrived in the general area of the Garden of Eden (Mesopotamia), evidence of transition from settled villages to urban cities before that time.

An example is Catalhoyak, Turkey. The city was built in stages between BC 5200 and BC 7400. The stratigraphy of 18 settlement layers (over a 2,000-year span) shows its development, reshaping and expansion. The city is so huge and tightly packed – covering 37 acres – that only 5% has been excavated so far (160 buildings) after 60 years of digging. The estimated population was 3,000 - 8,000 people.

Similarly, the biblical city of Jericho, Palestine, was founded approximately BC 10000 and had already been in existence for about 6,000 years before Adam – the same approximate length of time as from Adam to now! Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 20 successive settlements on that site. Bodies of the dead have been found buried under the floors of homes and in the remains of abandoned buildings.

Fossils

Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of fossils that look similar to modern humans, most called hominids, some dating back several millions of years ago. (For perspective, dinosaurs vanished from the earth about 63 million years ago).

All human remains dated to the Holocene period (approximately BC 10000 to present) are classified by scientists as homo sapiens (modern humans). The fossil evidence keeps growing, and scientific testing methods keep improving, and now there is overwhelming evidence that humans existed on earth long before Adam.

Migrations and DNA

By the time Jesus was born – sometime between BC 6 and BC 4 – every major part of every continent on earth was populated, with the population totaling about 250 million people. If Adam were the first human, that means that all the original world-wide human migrations would have had to occur within a span of fewer than 4000 years ... starting from nothing ... no history or knowledge of the world ... no tools or skills ... brutally hard conditions ...

With the reluctance to move unless forced by climate or enemies, and facing almost unimaginable perils and adjustments, including sailing the oceans and crossing frozen land bridges, these migrations would have taken much longer than a few thousand years.

Scientists once had to reconstruct humanity's distant past only from ancient settlements, bones, and artifacts, but now DNA and RNA are powerful new ways to read genetic code of our early ancestors.

The DNA of thousands of skeletons of people who lived 6,000 to 12,000 years ago has been sequenced and analyzed by computer to show migration patterns and times, showing beyond doubt that humans moved throughout the earth prior to BC 4000 (before Adam).

Testing methods and apparent age

More than a dozen scientific methods are used to determine dates of bones, artifacts and man-made structures uncovered by archaeologists. Cross-validation can now be done on the same object with various testing methods.

Some people say that scientific dating is irrelevant because God could have created the universe with 'apparent age' (everything just looks old), but see the study on this site which shows why 'apparent age' is a flawed argument.

FIVE REASONS

for believing humans existed before Adam

✓ REASON 1. Old Testament clues

Nowhere does the Old Testament specifically say that Adam was the first human being. It is silent about people before Adam except for some clues in the first four chapters of Genesis:

  • The Bible says that 'for Adam, no suitable helper was found,' so God created Eve, which might imply that there were other people then existing
  • God's words to Adam assume that Adam already knew about human sexuality and death
  • When Adam's first-born son (Cain) murdered Adam's second-born son (Abel), they already had specialized knowledge of agriculture and husbandry, probably acquired knowledge from generations of farmers and ranchers outside of the Garden
  • When God pronounced punishment for the murder (banishment to be a wanderer), Cain pleaded with God to protect him from people in other regions who might kill him
  • Cain went to another region and married a wife
  • Cain became a builder in a distant city
✓ REASON 2. New Testament silence
Nowhere does the The New Testament specifically say that Adam was the first human being.
Neither Jesus nor the Apostles (except Paul) even mention Adam's name. Paul briefly mentions him in I Corinthians 15 and Romans 5 but does not specifically say that he was the first human being, only that he was the first sinner.
When the Bible is silent, we are free to follow historical and scientific evidence wherever it leads.
✓ REASON 3. Archaeology
Archaeologists have unearthed many cities that are much older than Adam. By the time of Adam, some cities already had thousands of inhabitants. The archaeological finds yield not only objects but also rich history and timelines.
✓ REASON 4. Human fossils
There are now many scientific methods for testing age. Confidence is gained when different methods (chemical, radiological, stratigraphical, dendrochronological, DNA, etc.) all converge in the same age range. Human fossils (homo sapiens) have been found which date to thousands of years before Adam.
✓ REASON 5. DNA and migrations
The DNA of hundreds of ancient human skeletons have been sequenced and analyzed, and migration patterns plotted to show beyond doubt that people were traversing the earth prior to 4000 BC (before Adam).

FAILING IN MISSION

Bible credibility and Christian witness

Christians are failing in mission

This chart shows that American Christians are doing the opposite of what Jesus told us to do (Matthew 28:19). As share of population, we are losing disciples rather than making disciples.

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
Percent of U.S. population / 2021
Religious affiliation in America 2021
– Updated source 2021: Pew Research Center

Need to improve messaging

One of the big reasons for this poor performance is poor messaging. People outside of the church don't understand what people inside are saying, or even care, because the messaging is so convoluted, unbelievable, and seemingly irrelevant. It's like two ships passing in the night.

Over the centuries, Christians have stretched and added so much to what the Bible actually says that educated people are repelled by assertions they know to be false or blatantly contradictory, and they lose confidence in the Bible as a book of truth.

If the Bible is wrong about things they know, they reason that it's probably wrong about other things too.

Stretching and adding to what the Bible actually says creates unnecessary push-back and argument, reduces confidence in the Bible and hinders our mission of making disciples.

Christians need to give greater attention to making the gospel message simpler and more coherent for doubters and unbelievers.

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Is Adam's sin the cause of all death on earth?
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I found this to be extremely informative. I'd always had doubts about the "original sin" and being punished for my ancestors sins, but this explained why "original sin" doesn't really exist in a way that resonated with me. Thank you. I will definitely check this site more often.
2nd law of thermodynamics disproves big bang & evolution.
Amazing! I have been studying this subject and drafting a book for about 5 years. I discovered your web site today. In those 5 years, I have come to many of the same concepts as you. Good job folks.
Yes, I agree there is a lot of evidence to substantiate what you say. I have often thought about this myself. Thank you for all the research you have done.
Have always believed in this way ,read and ask for understanding and it will be given to you.
Bullshit. Just utter bullshit.
Trying to reinterpret the Bible according to man’s interpretations that are based on unprovable assumptions destroys the authority of the Bible. God was there. Man was not.
This site is a literal God send! I've been struggling with reconciliation of what scripture says and what I've been taught through various denominations and their individual traditions. I'm so grateful, honestly, to have permission to think critically and to allow the Holy Spirit to teach me directly.
When are you going to have more?
This is heresy. I hope you repent and trust the Scriptures.
Does the bible really say humans will burn forever in hell or is it really more like thrown in the fire and destroyed? Ps I already know the answer!
Fascinating and deightfully clear!
Very insightful
Since your website is new and still in the making, it leaves me excited yet hungry for more understanding. Thank you so much for putting your website together to help those of us asking questions about traditional lines of thinking. I look forward to reading more!
Excellent points here.
Great job! Fantastic resource for believers not only to be able to speak intelligently in a time of waning faith, but for our own education and edification as well!
There are too many pastors and theologians who take the simplicity of God's Word and try to make it profound when they should be taking the profoundness of God's Word and making it simple.
Wrong!!
I agree there had to have been other people before Adam. The sons had children, with whom? Certainly not with their own mother or the gene pool would have died out.
You really don’t understand the Bible at all.
Amen. Thank you.
Fascinating to think about. Here is something also to absorb. Let Us make man in Our image. Who is Us? Why not let Me make man in my image. Sounds plural to me. Thank you for the compelling argument Adam is not the first man:)
The main reason people believe that Adam was the first man is that is what someone told them. It’s man following man and not man reading the Bible for the truths that are in it.
This is great, I am going to read more of your topics!
It’s too bad that the Christian community cannot allow for mistranslation of both an ancient language and understanding of that language.
Don't know, don't need to know. It'll all be revealed by & by.
Beautifully done and very reasonable. I’ve been struggling with the contradictions in the Bible and science for years. I believe that there is a God but I wasn’t always sure if the Bible Was Gods word or man made. Thank you! Makes so much sense!
This is a very interesting read and I'm going to be reading it again. 
I find your explanation very compelling and appreciate that we do need to answer questions of unbelievers, there needs to be effort in this direction. So I thank you for your efforts
What a great and informative article! This information is invaluable when discussing biblical concepts with others, both Christian and non-Christian.
Interesting topics. The bible is good for salvation but not for earth history
lov it
No scripture to back up your words.
FInally someone uses their brain instead of emotions to explain what I have thought and tried to say for sooo long. Thank you!
About time!
This is from the devil. The Bible says Satan is a liar and the creater of it. This is a lie created by Satan to deceive people. Adam was the first man and the first sinner. His sin is what started death.
Love the study
Some scientists are open to intelligent design, the problem is some scientists think they are trying to bring church into the classroom.If some scientists find out that some believe in intelligent design they will lose funding.
This is a great Bible study, it explains everything perfectly so there is no confusion anywhere, it just helps understanding the Bible and God's word so well.
Very good and educational, explaining how it all connects and coincides with the Bible’s account.
The information that I read was very informative.
THANK YOU. You are helping me to understand so much more! I have always questioned, and for the first time, feel I am getting answers, or at least more of an insight to my own feelings and beliefs.
One of the best study sites I have found!
Death and suffering had not taken place until the original sin, so no one was before Adam.
I like that explanation it makes since it has scientific evidence to back it up
Thank you for your studies. I find them fascinating. And I will read more of your articles.
I absolutly loved this! My daughter is a high school science teacher, and we are both christians. We had our own ideas of what scriptures say, and what actual physical science says. This brought ALOT to light! Thank you.
Scientists make mistakes, and when the scientists' beliefs don't match the Bible then God's word, the Bible, is right, and the scientists are wrong.
Yea
Thank you for your good work.
All present dating methods are based on assumptions that cannot be proven. The methods do not meet scientific requirements of being observable, repeatable, and testable. They can reliable determine chemical compositions, but they CANNOT reliably give age..
Rational Evangelicals. Exellent.
You have an interesting take on how to reconcile the time difference challenge between Bible time history & archeology . I don’t think it will matter about which time viewpoint ya right. What matters is faith & trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin & gaining eternal life
Since your website is new and still in the making, it leaves me excited yet hungry for more understanding.
I want more information and I want bible study
Not only do I thoroughly enjoy the topics you discuss but also the motivation behind their writing.
Of course. If Adam and Eve were the only humans and had children, who did the children copulate with? If it was each other, then everyone would have mental defects. The Adam & Eve story is just the beginning of the Old Testament.
I have believed for many years what you have written here, but who among my friends and fellow-Christians will believe me? I stand alone. It took almost two hundred years before the church—or church members—believed that the earth was not the center of the universe. Will it take that long before Christians will believe that Adam and Eve were not the first humans created?
Not bad, I'll have to check the Hebrew to double-triple check, for this kind of study the KJ is almost useless.
I love this web site. I have always wanted to know more about what the Bible means. Please, please keep expanding this site.
Interesting !!
Very interesting
Unbelievable. Was man there at the beginning to make this determination. No. The human race is so arrogant and ignorant.
What you have said makes so much sense to me. I would love to read more of what you think.
Not sure what to think of this bible study. If nothing else it compels you to really dig deep and think,read and pray for understanding which I think is a good thing.
I stumbled on your website recently, and was impressed by the scope of it and the balance evident in it.
The big bang is a theory. God is a fact.
The problem with "science" today that too much of it is based on theory and not enough observation.
Nice to read a legitimate attempt to harmonize the traditions of the Bible with scientific discoveries.
I like it! I always wondered about the dinosaurs, and whether other people lived before Adam. You see, the Bible says that Cain was worried about being slain by other people. So, what does that tell you? It's more to the Bible than some clergymen are letting on.
Very interesting please keep me posted
Your are wrong
I am excited to have found this site when I was seeking the truth about Bible timelines. I have been forced to justify my beliefs by a pastor who has a very fundamental belief in God's seven days of creation.
I like your site. Good to see others believe as I do.
I really enjoy your site.
You’re freaking idiots led by Satan! Change the Bible, go to hell! Hope you enjoy it!
Dumbest thing I've ever read!
Pure sophistry for the purpose of setting aside the claims of God upon us.
Blessings to you!!
This is such clarity I wish I could've given this argument earlier.
awesome info keep up this good work
Please pray for me as I ponder the input you've provided online.
Great work! Keep up the war against the ignorant churchians, and supporting Christian enlightenment!
Yes to have a intelligence conversation is of most importance.
You guys are doing an incredible job of bringing science The Bible together as one truth thank you Please continue this valuable work to awaken the public that the Bible and science are truly God's truth not contradicting each other
I hope this excellent presentation penetrates the evangelical church where sadly a majority of Christians believe that the Big Bang is an atheistic concept rather the Fingerprint of God that it is!
Just happened upon this site and wow! This is fabulous. I will be back. Thank you for putting this together and sharing it with us all. God bless you and your family.
Thank you so much for confirming what I had always thought!!! Our Father makes wonderous wonders!!!
I ran across your website this morning. At age 50, I lead a women's Bible Study in Florida. I am at a place where I am questioning so many things about what I have been taught - traditions handed down for generations. To continue teaching is becoming challenging. I have a daughter who is also a believer but wrestles aloud with questions concerning Adam and original sin, eternal hell with eternal suffering, etc. Honestly, I think her wrestling has led me to stop and think more. So now I am seeking…
Thank you. I have visited this site before.
You have developed material that is vitally needed for reaching the newer generations.
Excellent reading
This has certainly opened my mind, I believe in the Bible but could never get a lot of answers to my questions. Thanks
Found this to be very helpful. Answered my questions.
praying Gods direction, provision, and anointing on this site and everyone, like me, blessed enough to have been led to it .
How great it is to have a resource to help in ministering to the sceptical. Thank you. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to upcoming studies.
I applaud you on your studies and have to say that I do not disagree with what I have read. You seemed to have covered this subject very thoroughly.
When are more topics coming?
Great read very needed in this current time thank you
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