Dr Paul Allen

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553): Adam and Eve. Beech wood, 1533. Bode-Museum, Berlin (Erworben 1830, Königliche Schlösser, Gemäldegalerie Kat. 567) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be." ( Mark 13:19 ) In predicting a future judgment on the unbelieving world, the Lord Jesus referred to "the beginning of the creation which God created," thus affirming the biblical doctrine of supernatural, sudden creation. In the pagan world of His day, evolutionism was dominant almost everywhere. The Epicureans , for example, were atheistic evolutionists. The Stoics , Gnostics , Platonists , and others, were pantheistic evolutionists. None of the extra-biblical philosophers of His day believed in a God who had created all things, including even the universe itself. But Christ was a creationist, and the much maligned "scientific crea...

Masaccio, Brancacci Chapel, Adam and Eve, detail. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." ( Genesis 3:15 ) This famous verse--often cited as the first proclamation of the gospel--gave a silver lining of mercy to the curse that followed it. In Genesis 1:28 , God made childbearing a blessing. But in Genesis 3:16, He frustrated our enjoyment of it. Did God's blessings end here? No. First, consider the context for the promise of Genesis 3:15 . Prior to Chapter 3, God placed Adam and Eve in a location ( Eden ) literally meaning "delight" ( 2:8 )--He put them in a paradise! At the end of Chapter 3, God banished them from the paradise ( 3:23 ). In between these two events, Satan (in the form of a serpent) deceived Adam and Eve and ruled over them ( Genesis 3:1-7 ). What is the significance of God's promise of a future crushin...