Theology

Quick Thought: Animal Death before the Fall?

Author Greg Koukl Published on 04/09/2015

When the Bible was written, writers and historians were free to shift some things around a to make a point, and it wasn’t considered deceptive or an error. It was a different way of writing. It’s the same with Genesis.

“How do I deal with animal death given Genesis 1?” The presumption is that Genesis 1 teaches animals did not die until after the fall. If you’re an old-earther, that’s a problem. Animals did die before the fall on an old-earth view, so that would seem like the old-earthers are at odds with the Scripture.

I don’t see where it says that animals didn’t die before the fall in Genesis 1, and I can see an interpretation of Romans 5, which would bring someone to that conclusion. Paul isn’t talking about all creatures, he’s talking about human beings. He’s not addressing the question of animal death in the passage.

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