Census in Eden

At first reading it would seem the Garden of Eden had a very limited population, one man, one woman. When looking closer, the counting may take just a little longer. When studying scriptures it quickly becomes evident that many portions of the Bible deal with issues in great detail, while other areas are somewhat more vague. In some, only the critical information is provided, the high points if you will, without giving us a great deal of detail. Questions such as, where did Cain's wife come from? Who were the inhabitants of Nod, and who were the people who wanted to kill Cain? These can be difficult questions we must look closely at what the Scriptures may be telling us.

How old was Jesus when He was crucified? Most sources place His age at between 30 and 33 years. If asked how old Adam was when he died, your answer would be 930. (Gen. 5:5) When comparing these two lines of thought further, we know Jesus' existence did not begin with His birth. Jesus had been with God, a part of God, for all eternity. Jesus stepped from the realm of eternity to briefly live here on Earth. When we say He was 33 when He died, we are speaking of His mortal existence. Would it be correct to say the Bible is using this same reference when speaking of Adam's age?

When God created man, the world was perfect and man did not know death. When Adam betrayed God and ate of the forbidden fruit, he brought both sin and death into the world. Until that point in time, Adam was immortal, as was Eve. When the serpent tricked him, Adam stepped out of immortality, much in the same way Jesus stepped out of eternity. Is it possible this was the beginning of Adam's 930 year life the Bible speaks of? When recording the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden, would it be necessary to account for all the years lived in immortality before Adam become mortal? Before the temptation? Were these years crucial to the teachings and lesson the Bible was intended to convey? There are possible indications this was indeed what the Bible meant.

In Genesis Chapter 4, we see the story of Cain and Abel. This comes just after the account of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. While all of the events in the early chapters of Genesis are not in exact chronological order, it is essential to understand Cain and Abel were not born until after their parents ate of the forbidden fruit. The Bible tells us of the birth of Cain and Able because it is another significant event in history, the first murder, not the first children born. We can be certain Abel was not killed until after the temptation of his parents, otherwise he would have committed the first sin, not his parents. At this point we have Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden, Cain being born, followed by his brother Abel. How can we be certain Cain was not the first born son? Scripture makes this fact very clear.

If Cain and Abel were not born until after Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, it is then logical to assume Cain was not the first born. In Genesis 3:16 God tells Eve "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing, with pain you will give birth to children..." God is capable of anything, but how can you increase something that has yet to happen? If Eve had never had children, why would God tell her he would 'increase' the pains in childbearing? This passage seems to clearly indicate Eve bore children before being expelled from the Garden. Is it then to be assumed Adam and Eve existed for a period of time before being tempted by Satan? During which time they followed God's instructions to be fruitful and multiply. (Gen. 1:28 "Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth...") Since they lived in peace and harmony, the Bible does not cover this portion of their lives in detail. The Bible picks up their story at the next crucial point in their existence, the deception of the serpent. Is it possible to estimate the number of people on the earth at this point in time? In his article 'World Population Since Creation' Lambert Dolphin uses mathematical formulas to show the world population at various stages of history. Dolphin shows the world population could increase at a far faster rate than many skeptics believe. Henry Morris in his work "The Biblical Basis for Modern Science" shows the world population could reach as high as 3.2 million people in as little as 800 years. If Adam and Eve had lived in Eden for a period of 800 years before succumbing to temptation, the world's population could have been near or exceeding 3 million people when the garden of Eden was closed to mankind. Not within the realm of traditional thought, but it does provide potential answers to our earlier questions. Where did Cain's wife come from, and who were the people Cain so feared would kill him that God put a mark upon Cain so no one would harm him? (Gen. 4:15) In Genesis 4:17 we see Cain living in the land of Nod with his wife. Where did she come from? Was she just 1 of the 3 million inhabitants of the Earth at that time?

The population of the Earth at the time of the temptation depends on how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before curiosity got the better of them. Was it 800 years, a 1,000 years, 10,000 years, more, less? The Bible gives us no answers for these questions, and in fact only gives vague hints there was indeed an extended existence in the Garden of Eden. While none of us can know what happened in Eden, it seems hard to believe even the most curious of people would not have existed for a lengthy period of time in such a place before they succumb to temptation. Just how long this period might have been is unknown. If there were indeed a prolonged period of existence and population growth in the Garden of Eden, why would the Bible writers leave this out? Once again it is important to remember the Bible often skips over periods of time and covers only the important points or events. The Bible clearly shows children being born to Eve prior to Cain, and it most definitely mentions the existence of a population larger than just Adam and Eve.

In 1987 Rebecca Cain wrote an article appearing in Nature Magazine. The article introduced the world to an ancestor that has come to be called "Mitochondrial Eve". DNA studies indicate all humans are decedents of a single human female, a sole mother who lived approximately 200,000 years ago, according to Cain. More recent calculations place this ancestor living as few as 40,000 years ago. The debate continues in the scientific community, but this does present us with some interesting possibilities. If mankind came from a single mother who lived approximately 40,000 years ago, then our pre-temptation time line is established at approximately 33,000 years. This is based on the thought the Bible begins its account of Adam and Eve somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 years ago. Based on Dolphin's calculations mentioned earlier, this would have easily allowed for a significant world population even if Adam and Eve had not begun having children right away, or if they were not as prolific as Dolphin's calculations project.

Upon close inspection, scripture reveals a population in the garden of Eden far greater in number than traditional thought indicates. How might this change our view of scripture? In need not change at all, except to re-affirm our faith in the word of God. We are commanded by scripture to always know how to answer when questioned about our faith. (Colossians 4:2-6) Critics will quickly point to the questions mentioned concerning Cain's wife and his enemies who sought his death. This passage of scripture, will to some critics and new believers appear to be in contradiction with other portions of scripture. This does not need not to be the case. As has been shown there is a logical and one can even argue scientific answer to these questions. With study, prayer, and persistence you can increase your confidence in the scripture's accuracy, and more importantly, know how to respond to those who question you.