To me the actual Hebrew undermines the claim made by Henry et al that there
was no death in the universe prior to the fall. Mankind was offered
immortality; the animals weren't. Notice that in Romans 5:12 that death
passed unto all MEN, it doesn't say 'men and animals'.
romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death
by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
But once again Henry corrects the Bible and adds the doctrine 'death passed
to the animals' yet that is nowhere found in the Bible. In fact the
creation of reproductive abilities for the animals argues against a
deathless world. Why would animals need to reproduce if they weren't going
to die? It is as easy for God to create 10 billion cattle as two and if
they weren't going to die, He easily could have produced 10 billion sexless
cows and been done with it.
>
>The possibility of sin was there, and the test (tree), and that was good,
>even very good, giving choice and freedom to the man and woman. But
>apparently perfect is too strong a word for it. As you pointed out that
>word, or at least the first uses of it, is reserved for the perfect Lamb of
>God (or a sacrificial lamb representing Him), and those who follow Him
>completely (Gen 6:9;Lev 22:21).
And this implies that the creation, at creation, didn't completely follow
the PERFECT.
>
>The creation, good as it was, I guess will not be really complete until the
>restoration, the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells (2
>Peter 3:13).
AMEN.
glenn
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
Foundation, Fall and Flood
& lots of creation/evolution information
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm