# Garden of Eden



## Ronnie T (Aug 16, 2011)

How long were Adam and Eve in the garden?

One year.
One thousand years.
Ten thousand years.
One million years.


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## JFS (Aug 16, 2011)

Millions of years.  The story of the Garden of Eden is an allegory for man's development of certain cognitions and psychologies, which in turn lead to "sin" as well.  Once developed, there was no going back, at least not without some help from Jesus.  But man's existence prior to these developments, as sybolized by Adam and Eve, likely lasted for quite some time.


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## gordon 2 (Aug 16, 2011)

Ronnie T said:


> How long were Adam and Eve in the garden?
> 
> One year.
> One thousand years.
> ...



One year or less. Eve had to know God to dislike His neighbourhood. One day she did and on that day she had to decide if she wanted to stay in the Garden or move to a "finer" home.

The wine to move away might have seemed like one thousand years for Adam.

However, one year or less is all it took them both, to figure out enough about all this God "stuff" and that it was not logical. ( When mama ain't happy nobody is happy... so even baby powder fresh Adam has doubts about the wisdom of God's ways...)

We must note that Adam and Eve were adults or at the age of puberty at least, when they were "made" into the Garden. Otherwise, if they had been younger they would not have been company to each other. This is because before puberty boys are "ick" and girls are "yark". Right?

So being mature adults and one flesh, they were both to a perfect place that they chose to leave... and backslide back to the old days and that, as it is still today, takes less than a year and definetly not thousands. Their's were the choices of individuals not generations.

Now their ancestors might have lived for thousands of yrs before this, but they did not know The Garden and its trees just like ours did not know the Kingdom.

Perhaps it is like when we are "called" to the Kingdom and must chose if we will stay.  One yr.

Now to be honest I see the Adam and Eve story as the story of creation and within that creation the creature we call man. Time lines  in the narative are mostly irrelevent except to  distinguish and seperate the spiritual features that define us. If Adam and Eve lived and were part and parcel in a perfect Garden, time as we concieve it, was not even in the dictionary. Time started with Eve's doubts.

Some people will be happy with "I don't know" others will say thousands of yrs. But I say that in less than a yr of knowing God and the Garden, in less than a yr from the day God called them, that Adam and Eve were so inteligently perfect to be able to decide to say no thanks and be atheists. After this there spiritual IQ's went up and down depending on the the corn yields and how the sewers worked.


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## Ronnie T (Aug 16, 2011)

gordon 2 said:


> One year or less. Eve had to know God to dislike His neighbourhood. One day she did and on that day she had to decide if she wanted to stay in the Garden or move to a "finer" home.
> 
> The wine to move away might have seemed like one thousand years for Adam.
> 
> ...



I think you just might have something there.
It might not be scientific or spiritual, but it practical.


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## rjcruiser (Aug 17, 2011)

Scripturally, I don't know how you can reconcile thousands....seeing as Adam was 900 something years old when he died.


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## JB0704 (Aug 17, 2011)

Is there a chance, without being labeled a heretic, that Moses was describing origins in the best terms he understood how to use when writing Genesis? We know Jesus used allegory in his parables, could there be allegory in historical accounts also?


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## rjcruiser (Aug 17, 2011)

JB0704 said:


> Is there a chance, without being labeled a heretic, that Moses was describing origins in the best terms he understood how to use when writing Genesis? We know Jesus used allegory in his parables, could there be allegory in historical accounts also?



I would say no.  Why?  Because he doesn't use allegory in any other place in his historical writings.  Look at the context, look at the author, look at the subject matter at hand.  Genesis is a historical account.  No allegories, no parables, no rhymes etc etc.


It goes back to a discussion that was had on here a long time ago about how long a day was in Genesis 1.  Could the day's of creation be millions of years?  And I'd answer no.....again, Adam and Eve were created on Day 6.  God rested on Day 7....and then we're told Adam was 900 something years old when he died.

Why would the author change the meaning of his units of time in the middle of his writing?  Doesn't make sense.  A day is a day.  A year is a year.


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## formula1 (Aug 17, 2011)

*Re:*

Actually, I don't know and I'm quite comfortable with that. Maybe Adam lived 900 years after the 4th day.   I am confident that time was undefined as we now know it prior to 4th day of creation, as there was no sun or moon until the 4th day.

What is the definition of a day prior to day 4? Can any man know?

But light was created on the first day! Ever thought about how there could be light without the sun? Hmm!


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## JB0704 (Aug 17, 2011)

formula1 said:


> But light was created on the first day! Ever thought about how there could be light without the sun? Hmm!



I had never thought of that.  I just re-read Gen.1, it says plants were here before the sun.


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## formula1 (Aug 17, 2011)

*Re:*

To me at least, when I understand that light existed before the sun and the moon and the stars, it just brings some clarity to the following scriptures and I hope it means something to you as well:

John 1
 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Rev 22:5
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.


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## gordon 2 (Aug 17, 2011)

rjcruiser said:


> Scripturally, I don't know how you can reconcile thousands....seeing as Adam was 900 something years old when he died.



Did you know that the earth rotated faster back then? Once apon a time an earth day was six hours because the earth was rotating fast relative to today. LOL Jesse Jackson might know, I'm sure he was there.

Anyway back then depending on which calander four or less days might have been equal to one of ours. I think the bench mark is 1840( to our time) or something like that if you what to go back and measure the length of days.


A six hour day would explain in part why  some people "feel like  an afternoon nap" and then complain they can't get  more than 4-5 hrs sleep at night!


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## gordon 2 (Aug 17, 2011)

formula1 said:


> Actually, I don't know and I'm quite comfortable with that. Maybe Adam lived 900 years after the 4th day.   I am confident that time was undefined as we now know it prior to 4th day of creation, as there was no sun or moon until the 4th day.
> 
> What is the definition of a day prior to day 4? Can any man know?
> 
> But light was created on the first day! Ever thought about how there could be light without the sun? Hmm!



Yep, you don't need the sun for light on the first day, all you need is to drop your nut on a flint in september close to a duck marsh and you get a big bang, flash and lots of racket.

Perhaps the light was inner?


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## gordon 2 (Aug 17, 2011)

rjcruiser said:


> I would say no.  Why?  Because he doesn't use allegory in any other place in his historical writings.  Look at the context, look at the author, look at the subject matter at hand.  Genesis is a historical account.  No allegories, no parables, no rhymes etc etc.
> 
> 
> It goes back to a discussion that was had on here a long time ago about how long a day was in Genesis 1.  Could the day's of creation be millions of years?  And I'd answer no.....again, Adam and Eve were created on Day 6.  God rested on Day 7....and then we're told Adam was 900 something years old when he died.
> ...



Moses did not write the creation story out of nothing. Moses was an Egyptian and not a bumkin we are told. Also his father in law was a wise man, I believe. 

Creation stories from Egyptian sources, which are in turn from Indian ( India) sources are indeed allegorical and full of symbol and I cannot conceive how a creation account could be otherwise. For one example the tree of life motif in creation accounts is many thousands of yrs older than Moses.

( If fox news reported on the event, even their best reporters would have to use poetry to describe their witness to " history in the making"...)

That an allegorical text is not included in prophetic scripture is not in keeping with any prophet I know of, nor in the records of the very words of Jesus.

This is just my two cents.... as I find lots in the books attributed to "Moses" that is indeed allegorical, epic and poetic.


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## StriperAddict (Aug 17, 2011)

It encourages me to consider God can and probably did create the earth in the 6 days as told in Gen 1.  Why not?  Why put creation into long allegories?, what purpose does it serve but to pat a few scientists on the back?  I put no confidence in the flesh (mine or anothers).
The bottom line, Christ said he was going away to prepare a place for us.  That was 2000 yrs ago.  If the wonder of this earth took 6 days, imagine how incredible that "place" will be


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## pbradley (Aug 17, 2011)

Ronnie T said:


> How long were Adam and Eve in the garden?
> 
> One year.
> One thousand years.
> ...



I don't know.


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## jason4445 (Aug 17, 2011)

It is so silly watching people trying to put something purely allegorical into a human based timeline.  To me the Garden of Eden is all of God's creation that can be experienced by man - as far as I am concerned we are still in the Garden of Eden and still messing it up.

God gave us the perfect place to live with one rule not to eat the forbidden fruit and we did.  So after a while God thought "Hey that did not work to well", so he sent Jesus down to give us one more rule - Do unto others" and durn if we could not follow that one either.


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## JFS (Aug 18, 2011)

jason4445 said:


> Hey that did not work to well", so he sent Jesus down to give us one more rule - Do unto others" and durn if we could not follow that one either.



I think that's essentially it in a nutshell.  What was the effect of eating the fruit?


> 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
> 
> 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
> 
> 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”


Self-awareness and fear, and it is that self-centeredness that is the essence of sin.  And why Jesus, who's message of thinking of others as yourself, compassion, and self-sacrifice is the antidote.    It is a very meaningful story, but the value is lost and it becomes gibberish if you take it literally.


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## willie (Jan 7, 2012)

gordon 2 said:


> Did you know that the earth rotated faster back then? Once apon a time an earth day was six hours because the earth was rotating fast relative to today. LOL Jesse Jackson might know, I'm sure he was there.
> 
> Anyway back then depending on which calander four or less days might have been equal to one of ours. I think the bench mark is 1840( to our time) or something like that if you what to go back and measure the length of days.
> 
> ...



could they have been using the moon cycle as a year back then?  Just asking, because it wasn't till about 45 bc that the julian calendar was used.  Don't know what they used before that.


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## 1gr8bldr (Jan 8, 2012)

jason4445 said:


> It is so silly watching people trying to put something purely allegorical into a human based timeline.  To me the Garden of Eden is all of God's creation that can be experienced by man - as far as I am concerned we are still in the Garden of Eden and still messing it up.God gave us the perfect place to live with one rule not to eat the forbidden fruit and we did.  So after a while God thought "Hey that did not work to well", so he sent Jesus down to give us one more rule - Do unto others" and durn if we could not follow that one either.



We got kicked out. Jesus speaking as "the second Adam" said that he was returning.


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## mtnwoman (Jan 8, 2012)

jason4445 said:


> It is so silly watching people trying to put something purely allegorical into a human based timeline.  To me the Garden of Eden is all of God's creation that can be experienced by man - as far as I am concerned we are still in the Garden of Eden and still messing it up.
> 
> God gave us the perfect place to live with one rule not to eat the forbidden fruit and we did.  So after a while God thought "Hey that did not work to well", so he sent Jesus down to give us one more rule - Do unto others" and durn if we could not follow that one either.



One day we will have a new heaven and earth and it will all be perfect, including us. We will enjoy this beautiful earth. We'll be able to fly with the eagles and swim with the whales. We will be able to eat the fruit of the earth and it will be pure and clean. I cannot wait!!


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## mtnwoman (Jan 8, 2012)

willie said:


> could they have been using the moon cycle as a year back then?  Just asking, because it wasn't till about 45 bc that the julian calendar was used.  Don't know what they used before that.



Maybe using the sun dial to seperate the days? along with the moon, etc.   And the stars as they moved from day to day, because the earth moved not because the stars moved.


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## StriperAddict (Jan 9, 2012)

mtnwoman said:


> One day we will have a new heaven and earth and it will all be perfect, including us. We will enjoy this beautiful earth. We'll be able to fly with the eagles and swim with the whales. We will be able to eat the fruit of the earth and it will be pure and clean. I cannot wait!!


 


Amen! Preach it, sister!


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## Gabassmaster (Apr 1, 2014)

Ronnie T said:


> How long were Adam and Eve in the garden?
> 
> One year.
> One thousand years.
> ...



We do not know how long they were in the garden until sin occurred. We do know it was after they were banished that they began to fulfill the command to be fruitful and multiply. we can't exactly determine how long they were in the garden of Eden, it is impossible to form any opinion as to what the length of time was but we do know when their third son was born.

Genesis 5:3-And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:

So it had to be between 0-130 years they lived in the garden, it couldn't be thousands or millions. It could of only been 1 year but thats up for interpretation. Me personally i think they were there for many years.


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## centerpin fan (Apr 1, 2014)

Gabassmaster said:


> We do not know how long they were in the garden ...



... but we do know this thread died two years ago.


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## Gabassmaster (Apr 1, 2014)

centerpin fan said:


> ... but we do know this thread died two years ago.



i havent logged in this site for two years, im catching up.


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## Ronnie T (Apr 1, 2014)

Gabassmaster said:


> i havent logged in this site for two years, im catching up.



Welcome back.
.


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