No Death Before the Fall - A Young Earth Problem
No Death Before the Fall - A Young Earth Problem
Introduction
No Animal Death?
In writing this paper, I searched the Internet for biblical
arguments in favor of the doctrine that no animal death occurred before
Adam's sin. What I found, even on the &premiere& young earth websites
was primarily an appeal to emotion (e.g., &millions of year of suffering
and death&). In contrast to the young earth pages, this page cites
over 60 biblical passages that support the Bible's claim that there was
animal death, but no human death, before Adam's sin.
Most Young earth creationists claim that there was no death before the fall
of mankind in the garden of Eden. The doctrine is primarily tied to two
passages - Genesis 1:29-30 in the Old Testament and Romans 5:12 in the New
Testament. Out of context, without the consideration of the remainder of the
Bible, the verses seem to support the doctrine. Genesis 1:29-30
says that God created plants with seed and fruit and gave it to the animals
for food. Romans 5:12 says that sin entered
the world through Adam and death through sin.
The extent of no death before the Fall
Even among young earth creationists there are differences in opinion about
what kinds of death did or did not occur before the Fall of mankind. Some
say that there was no death of any creatures - plants, animals, or humans.
Others say that there was no animal or human deaths prior to the Fall. This
paper will show that the Bible claims that only humans did not die prior to
Adam's sin.
No plant death prior to the Fall?
The idea that no creatures, including plants, died prior to the Fall is the
extreme position of a minority of young earth creationists. They claim that only
parts of plants are eaten, and, therefore, no plants actually died. Although a
number of grazing animals eat only the tops of grass or leaves, leaving the
plant alive, there are a number of exceptions. Even grass grazers pull up whole
plants (including the roots) on occasion, which results in the death of entire
plants. Some animals eat only roots, such as gophers. Once the roots are eaten,
the plant quickly dies. Many sea animals eat diatoms and microscopic plants -
ingesting and killing entire organisms. So, unless God changed the way these
herbivores eat, plants surely died during the fifth and sixth days of creation.
Many young earth creationists claim that the Bible indicates that plants do
not die. Therefore, eating them does not constitute death. However, the Bible
specifically compares the deaths of humans to those of plants, making this idea
ridiculous. Both the Old Testament and New
Testament compare the deaths of humans to the
deaths of grass, flowers, and herbs. Therefore, the idea that the Bible claims
plants don't die is not at all supported. For a more thorough examination of
this issue, see our page, .
Death of animals
Since it is obvious that plants died before the Fall, most young earth
creationists say that the death referred to in Romans 5:12 was the death of
animals and humans. Let's examine Genesis 1 and 2
to determine what it says about the death of animals.
Genesis 1:29-30
Genesis 1:29-30 says that God created plants
with seed and fruit and gave it to the animals for food. However, the verse does
not say that all animals ate only plants. It merely says that the plants were
given as food. Ultimately, all animals rely upon plants for food - even the
carnivores. In addition, this decree was never rescinded as it was for humans. There is no verse in
the Bible stating that animals could, at some point, start eating meat. Genesis
1:29-30 applies only to a specific class of animals. The text indicates that
plants were given to the nephesh creatures
- those that have a soul (mind, will, and emotion). A partial list is given,
including the beasts of the field, the birds, and the creatures that creep
around. Notably missing from the list are the large creatures of the sea,
created on the fifth day. With few exceptions, these animals are all carnivores.
Did God make them starve until after the Fall?
Finally, as we
shall see, Genesis 2 specifically tells us that animals did eat each other prior
to the Fall.
God created the carnivores on day 6, before mankind
Genesis one specifically describes the creation of wild animals,
which are the carnivores. The Hebrew words used to describe the creation of
these animals refers to animals that eat other animals (for more information, see
Adam named the animals, using terms that described their carnivorous activity
Before the creation of Eve, God brought the animals before Adam for him to
name. The text makes it clear that Adam, and not God, named the animals. This is
important for an understanding of what Adam had seen prior to the Fall. If the
young earth creationists are correct, one would expect the names of the
carnivores to reflect the non-carnivorous activities of these
creatures prior to the Fall. However, Adam gave some very unusual names to some
of the carnivores. For example, the Hebrew name for lion is derived from the
Hebrew root that means &in the sense of violence.& Was Adam referring to the
violence with which the lion ate its vegetables? It doesn't seem likely! In
addition, Adam named some of the predatory birds using a Hebrew word with the
meaning &bird of prey.& Were these birds preying on fruits and nuts? In naming
the eagle, Adam used the Hebrew word whose root means &to lacerate.& Was the eagle
ripping up plants with its talons? Likewise, the Hebrew root for the word &owl&
means to &do violence to& or &treat violently.& Although it
is possible that Adam named the animals in some language other than Hebrew, and
that those names were entirely different than the Hebrew ones, there is no
biblical evidence for this idea. Even so, if the names were transliterated into
Hebrew at a later point, one would assume that they would carry forward their
original meanings, or else the Bible would have never made a big deal about Adam
giving the animals their names. If the naming of the animals by Adam was
important enough to be put into the Bible, one must assume that those names had
meaning that related to their character. Otherwise, why would God have bothered
to make Adam go through the exercise of naming the animals. Throughout the
Bible, names are given great significance (for examples, please see
Adam's names for carnivores
Strong's #
from H717 "in the sense of
&bird of prey& from H7993 &to throw, cast hurl fling& -
referring to its diving in pursuit of prey
&unclean bird of prey&
from an unused root meaning &to lacerate&
from H2554 &to wrong, do violence to, treat violently, do wrongly&
Bird of prey
&a swooper & -
a reference to pursuit of prey
&fast-flying bird of prey&
from H6536,
&to break in pieces, tear&
&to twist& in reference to their killing of prey
from H7779, &to bruise, crush, gape upon, seize, strike out, to fall
upon, bruise&
poisonous snake
&fiery serpent, poisonous serpent (fiery from burning effect of
It is abundantly clear from the names given to the carnivores by Adam that he
had seen these animals in action - eating other animals prior to the Fall of
mankind. The idea that all animals ate only plants prior to the Fall is
contradicted directly by the biblical texts.
God threatened Adam with death, implying he knew what it was
Further support that Adam had seen death before the creation of
Eve comes from God's threat to Adam. When Adam was first put into the garden, God said that he could eat from
any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God threatened that Adam would &surely die& if he broke
this command. This threat makes no sense unless Adam had already seen the death
of animals. There is no recorded reply of Adam asking what death was. If he had
never seen death this would have been an obvious question. This, along with
Adam's names for the carnivores, is strong
biblical evidence that Adam had already seen the death of animals before the
Fall and before
Eve was created.
Did God judge the animals based on Adam's sin?
The young-earth contention that carnivorous activity began at the fall is
without a biblical foundation. In fact, it directly contradicts scripture, since
such a drastic change in animal behavior would have required God to continue the
creation process - something the Bible says He stopped doing after the sixth
If this were true, then God
must have changed some of the animals to become carnivorous. Why would God judge
the innocent animals for the sin of mankind and condemn them to the
&evil& laws of survival of the fittest? If God did change some of the
animals to become carnivorous, it must be one of the better kept secrets of the
What does scripture say happened after the fall? The reality is that God
judged only those who committed sin. The serpent (Satan) would crawl on
his belly and be bruised on the head by the seed of the woman.
Eve was judged by having more pain in childbirth.
Adam was judged by having to work harder for his food. There were no other judgments made by God, since all the guilty
parties were punished. God does not pass judgment upon the innocent. The young
earth idea that God would punish the innocent along with the guilty actually
denigrates the character of God.
Specific arguments
The following represent the &best& arguments made by those who claim that
there was no animal death before the Fall.
Romans 5:12
Romans 5:12 is one of the most egregious misuse of the scriptures by young
earth creationists. As with the rest of scripture, one must read the verse in
the context in which it occurs. My advice is to read the entire chapter of
Romans 5. Here is a brief synopsis. In the chapter 4, Paul explained that
justification before God is by faith in
alone, using the Old
Testament scriptures. In chapter 5, he goes on to explain more about how we are
justified. In verses 1-5, Paul explains the fruits of justification. In verses
6-11, Paul explains how
died for us as a sign of God's love, that
we are justified by Christ's blood, being saved from God's wrath and reconciled
to Him. In verses 12-21, he explains how sin entered the world through Adam and
how we are made righteous through . The entire focus of chapter 5 is
mankind's Fall and redemption through . The chapter has nothing to do
with animals or the creation. Let's look at the specific text in question:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death
through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- (Romans
The verse itself makes it clear that death through sin spread to all men,
because of sin. Animals do not sin, so, to apply the verse to animal death is
completely taking it out-of-context.
1 Corinthians 15:21
This verse is also quoted, but frequently only part of the verse is cited and
usually verse 22 is left out.
For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the
dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1
Corinthians 15:21-22)
Verse 22 clearly indicates that those who die are humans. If the death
in verse 21 is applied to animals as well as humans, then those citing it would
have to say that Christ's death will result in the resurrection of the animals.
Of course this idea is taught nowhere in scripture, being, in fact, contradicted
General arguments
There are a number of weak, general arguments that are commonly used to
support the idea that there was no animal death before the Fall. For the most
part, these arguments are primarily emotional, and so, are quite effective on a
majority of the Christian population. However, biblical support for these kinds
of statements are virtually never offered.
Is animal death inconsistent with the character of God?
On almost every young earth webpage that discusses animal death, you will
find a phrase something to this effect, &Would a God of love design a world
consisting of millions of years of death and suffering?& The question appeals to
many, because we like to think of God as being the God of love. However, God's
character is multifaceted and complex. The God of love is going to throw plagues
against the earth, eventually burn it up in judgment, and ultimately sentence
the unrepentant to eternal torment. Animal death is certainly no less loving
than these things.
What does the Bible have to say about animal death? Since animals lack a
spirit with which to communicate with God, they have no concept of God and are
not under any of God's laws or judgment. Therefore, death and pain inflicted by
animals on other animals is not evil. In addition, scripture clearly tells us
that God Himself allowed humans to kill and eat
animals. In fact, God was pleased with the
sacrifice of Abel, which involved the killing of animals. Therefore, scripture
itself eliminates the death of animals as being evil or bad.
God Himself is implicated in the death of animals. First, God killed animals
to clothe Adam and Eve after the fall and then killed many animals during the flood (). God set up the system of animal sacrifice for atonement for sin. In addition, scripture tells us that . Numerous verse of scripture tell us that God
provides food for the carnivores of the Earth, therefore condoning the death of
some animals for the survival of others. If one
states that the death of animals and carnivorous activity are evil, then one
must admit, according to scripture, that God is responsible for these things and
therefore a perpetrator of evil. Such a viewpoint would make God a sinner -
something vehemently refuted by scripture.
Will God restore paradise in the millennial kingdom?
Yes it is true that God will do away with animal death in the millennial
kingdom. However, none of these verses indicate
that this is the way it was in Eden. The connection to this idea comes
through a common young earth doctrine that claims that God will restore paradise
back to the way it was in Eden. There is no biblical support for restoration
theology. In fact, the Bible says that God will completely burn up the earth and
its elements and create an entirely new heavens
and earth. The new heavens and earth will be
. For example,
Eden was not without pain and temptation to sin.
Although the original creation was very good,
was not perfect, with even part of it being described as &not good.&
The Bible indicates that we will be delivered from paradise into a kingdom that
is eternal and perfect.
Conclusion
Young earth creationists say that God judged the
animals on the basis of man's sin. However, the Bible says that God is
completely righteous in His judgment and does not judge the innocent with the
wicked. This young earth doctrine maligns the character of God. In addition, if one says that animals first died due to sin,
then one would have to say that animals have the capacity to sin. Nowhere in the
Bible is this doctrine taught. Likewise, if Romans 5:12 is referring to animal
death, then the rest of the chapter would have to refer to Christ's death to
redeem the animals. This is outrageous! Finally, applying animal death to 1 Corinthians 15:21
would imply that Jesus' death would allow the resurrection of the animals, in
addition to His followers. Such cavalier uses of scripture to support one's own
interpretation borders on cultic methods, and needs to be corrected by the
Related Pages
by John C. Munday Jr.
For more information see the book
by Mark S. Whorton, Ph.D., a scientist from the NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center. Dr. Whorton's book goes beyond the superficial doctrines
espoused by the young earth &perfect paradise& paradigm to examine underlying assumptions and extra-biblical teachings
of the movement.
examines verses cited as support for the perfect paradise paradigm in
context to determine their actual meaning. In addition, the book compares
the perfect paradise paradigm to the perfect purpose paradigm proposed by
old earth creationists. Since the book sticks to the scriptures almost
exclusively, it cannot be claimed that old earth creationists ignore the
scriptures in preference to &fallible science.&
References
Then God said, &Behold, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which
has it s and to every beast of the
earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the
earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food&; and it was
so. (Genesis 1:29-30)
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death
through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- (Romans
. Old Believing’s Blog. November 19, 2010.
&You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your
offspring as the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.& (Job 5:25-26)&For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout
again, And its shoots will not fail. &Though its roots grow old in the
ground, And its stump dies in the dry soil, (Job 14:7-8)(A Psalm of David.) Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward
wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green
herb. (Psalm 37:1-2)Thou hast swept them away like a flood, In the morning they
are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes, and sprouts
Toward evening it fades, and withers away. (Psalm 90:5-6)My days are like And I wither away like grass. (Psalm
102:11)May all who hate Zion, Be put to shame and turned backward, Let them be like
grass upon the housetops, Which wither (Psalm 129:5-6)As for man, his As a flower of the field, so he
flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, And its place
acknowledges it no longer. (Psalm 103:15-16)For the waters of Nimrim are desolate. Surely the grass is withered, the
tender grass died out, There is no green thing. (Isaiah 15:6)&Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength, They were
disma They were as the vegetation of the field and as the
green herb, As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up.
(Isaiah 37:27)A voice says, &Call out.& Then he answered, &What shall I call
out?& All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the
field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows
Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But
the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)'And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from
heaven and saying, &Chop down the yet leave the
stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around
it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of
heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of
time pass over him&; (Daniel 4:23)
&Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it rem but if it dies, it bears much
fruit. (John 12:24)and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass
he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the
and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its app
so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. (James 1:10-11)For, &ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF
GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD
ABIDES FOREVER.& And this is the word which was preached to you. (1 Peter
But he said to him, &My lord knows that the children are frail and
that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me. And if they are
driven hard one day, all the flocks will die. (Genesis 33:13)&And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become
and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the
Nile.&'& (Exodus 7:18)And the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of
the houses, the courts, and the fields. (Exodus 8:13)&But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel
and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to
the sons of Israel.&'& (Exodus 9:4)&And if one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, then they shall
sell the live ox and divi and also they shall divide the
dead ox. (Exodus 21:35)&If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal
to keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is
looking, (Exodus 22:10)He turned their waters into blood, And caused their fish to die. (Psalm
105:29)&Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none
to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to
deliver? Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke, I make the rivers a
Their fish stink for lack of water, And die of thirst. (Isaiah
50:2)&Then they shall go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have
transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall
And they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.& (Isaiah
66:24)And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood
lik and every living thing in the sea died. (Revelation
&Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for
I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.& (Genesis 9:3)
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
nephesh נפשׁ
(Strong's H5315)
soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being,
desire, emotion, passion
that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the
inner being of man
living being
living being (with life in the blood)
the man himself, self, person or individual
seat of the appetites
seat of emotions and passions
activity of mind
activity of the will
activity of the character
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H5314
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1395a
Then God said, &Let the earth bring forth living
creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind&; and it was so. And God
made the beasts of the earth
after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps
on the g and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:24-25)
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird
of the sky, and brought them to the man to see wha and
whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names
to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field,
but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. (Genesis 2:19-20)
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:'ărîy/'aryêh
אריה/ארי (Strong's
pictures or images of lions
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H717 (in the sense of violence)Same Word by TWOT Number: 158a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:shâlâk
bird of prey
probably the cormorant
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7993Same Word by TWOT Number: 2398a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:shâlak
שׁלך (Strong's
to throw, cast, hurl, fling
to throw, cast, throw away, cast off, shed, cast down
to cast (lots) (figuratively)
to be thrown, be cast
&to be cast forth or out
to be cast down
to be cast (metaphorically)
Part of Speech: verbA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive rootSame Word by TWOT Number: 2398
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:nêts
נץ (Strong's
a unclean bird of prey
hawk, falcon
perhaps an extinct bird, exact meaning unknown
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s
Number: from H5340Same Word by TWOT Number: 1405b,
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:nesher
נשׁר (Strong's
eagle, vulture, griffon-vulture
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an
unused root meaning to lacerateSame Word by TWOT Number: 1437
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:tachmâs
תּחמס (Strong's
a ceremonially unclean bird
a name of the male ostrich
(CLBL) probably the great owl
perhaps an extinct bird, exact meaning
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from
H2554Same Word by TWOT Number: 678b
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:châmas
חמס (Strong's
to wrong, do
violence to, treat violently, do wrongly
(Qal) to treat violently, do wrong
of physical wrong
of ethical wrong
of physical and ethical wrong
(Niphal) to be treated violently
Part of Speech: verbA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a
primitive rootSame Word by TWOT Number: 678
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:shâlak
שׁלך (Strong's H7993)
to throw, cast, hurl, fling
to throw, cast, throw away, cast off, shed, cast down
to cast (lots) (figuratively)
of physical and ethical wrong
to be thrown, be cast
to be cast forth or out
to be cast down
to be cast (metaphorically)
Part of Speech: verbA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a
primitive rootSame Word by TWOT
Number: 2398
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shâlâk שׁלך (Strong's
bird of prey
probably the cormorant
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7993
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2398a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shâlak שׁלך (Strong's
to throw, cast, hurl, fling
to throw, cast, throw away, cast off, shed, cast down
to cast (lots) (figuratively)
to throw, cast, throw away, cast off, shed, cast down
to cast (lots) (figuratively)
Part of Speech: verbA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a
primitive rootSame Word by TWOT Number: 678
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
pâras פּרס (Strong's H6536)
to divide, break in two
(Qal) to break, break up
(Hiphil) to be divided (of hoofs)
Part of Speech: verbA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a
primitive rootSame Word by TWOT
Number: 1821
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
pethen פּתן (Strong's H6620)
a snake, venomous serpent
perhaps the cobra, adder, or viper
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s
Number: from an unused root meaning to twistSame Word by TWOT
Number: 1858a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shephı̂yphôn שׁפיפן (Strong's H8207)
horned snake
(CLBL) a serpent, perhaps an adder or horned snake
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root meaning the same as H7779
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2448a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shûph שׁוּף (Strong's H7779)
to bruise, crush, gape upon, desire?, seize?, strike out?
(Qal) to fall upon, bruise
Part of Speech: verbA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a
primitive rootSame Word by TWOT Number: 2349
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
tsepha‛ / tsiph‛ônı̂y צפעני / צפע (Strong's H6848)
poisonous serpent
a viper snake or adder
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s
Number: from an unused root meaning to extrudeSame Word by TWOT
Number: 1954a, 1954b
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
śârâph
שׂרף (Strong's H8314)
serpent, fiery serpent
poisonous serpent (fiery from burning effect of poison)
seraph, seraphim
majestic beings with 6 wings, human hands or voices in
attendance upon God
Part of Speech: noun masculineA Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H8313
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2292a, 2292b
Then the LORD God took the man and put him
into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And the LORD God
commanded the man, saying, &From any tree of the garden you may eat
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not
eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.& (Genesis
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified
it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and
made. (Genesis 2:3)For He has thus said somewhere concerning the
seventh day, &AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS
WORKS&; (Hebrews 4:4)
And the LORD God said to the serpent, &Because you have done
this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of
On your belly shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And
between yo He shall bruise you on the head, And you
shall bruise him on the heel.& (Genesis 3:14-15)
To the woman He said, &I will greatly multiply Your pain in
childbirth, In pain you shall
Yet your desire
shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.& (Genesis
Then to Adam He said, &Because you have listened to the voice of
your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you,
saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of
In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns
and thistles i And you shall eat the plants of the
By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to
the ground, Because fr For you are dust, And to
dust you shall return.& (Genesis 3:17-19)
&Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the
wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it
from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?& (Genesis
18:25)&These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life.& (Matthew 25:46)
Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the
breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? (Ecclesiastes 3:21)
Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings
of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and
for his offering (Genesis 4:4)
Every moving thing that is alive shall be food
I give all to you, *as I gave the green plant. (Genesis 9:3)
Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his
flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for
(Genesis 4:4)
And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam
and his wife, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)
&You shall not offer the blood of My
sacrifice nor is the fat of My feast to remain
overnight until morning. (Exodus 23:18)
God provides food for the carnivores:
&Who prepares for the raven its nourishment, When its young cry to
God, And wander about without food?& (Job 38:41)&
&Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young
lions, [God speaking] (Job 38:39)&
The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. (Psalm
There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals
both small and great... They all wait for Thee, To give them their food in due
season. (Psalm 104:25, 27)
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have
yet God feeds them. (Luke 12:24)
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard
will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the
And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear
will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw
like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the
weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or
destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge
of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire,
kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7)But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will
pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which
the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with
intense heat! (2 Peter 3:12)&For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the
smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is
accomplished.& (Matthew 5:18)&Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass
away.& (Mark 13:31)&Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass
away.& (Luke 21:33)And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying,
&YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE
HEAVEN.& And this expression, &Yet once more,& denotes the
removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order
that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26-27)
&For behold, I create new hea And the former
things shall not be remembered or come to mind. (Isaiah 65:17)But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth,
in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13)And I saw a new he for the first heaven and the first
earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1)
Part of the curse was to greatly multiply a woman's
pain in childbirth. This indicates that there was already some pain
associated with childbirth:To the woman He said, &I will greatly
multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall
Yet your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.&
(Genesis 3:16)
Then the LORD God said, &It is not good for the man to
I will make him a helper suitable for him.& (Genesis 2:18)
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very
good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis
See Genesis 3:1-7.
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Last updated November 13, 2013