The Genealogy from Adam to Noah
5: 3-32
God had said that there would be continual conflict between the serpent and the children of the woman. There are two seeds here, the battle is between Satan’s seed or offspring and hers (3:15). It will be a long struggle between the seed of Satan and the seed of the woman, the line of the Messiah, the accepted line. The line that we are following now is the line of Seth, the accepted line. This is the line through which the promised Seed will ultimately come.93
The line of the promised seed is ten generations long. This chapter covers the longest period of history in Genesis and is like a walk through the cemetery. There is nothing to indicate that these are anything but normal years, or that there are any gaps in this record. Some evolutionists try to put gaps here to account for dinosaur years, but the wording will not allow for that. If it merely said, was born, they might have a point because that Hebrew word does not always require a direct father-son relationship. It could mean father, grandfather, or great grandfather. However, here it gives the years before and after the birth of the son so that there can be no gaps. Therefore, there would be 1,656 years from the creation to the Flood. Like fast-forwarding a video game, these genealogies move the story along rapidly. It is interesting that Adam lived until Lamech, the father of Noah, was fifty-six years old, and Noah was born only fourteen years after the death of Seth. Evolutionists claim it took millions of years, but the Bible records only two generations from creation to the Flood!
The longevity of these patriarchs was truly amazing, averaging 912 years! The extended lifespans of this time were made possible by the ideal conditions in the pre-Flood world. According to Genesis 1:6, a canopy of water completely encircled the atmosphere, thereby protecting the earth’s surface from the destructive effects of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. It also created a greenhouse effect that moderated climate and temperature, minimized winds, and created the most favorable conditions for plant life. In addition, in this lush tropical setting, rain was not necessary because the entire world was irrigated by a natural sprinkler system – a mist that came up from under the ground (Genesis 2:5-6). The life spans slowly declined after the Flood, probably a direct result of the changes in the environment. These names are repeated in First Chronicles 1:1-4 and Luke 3:36-38. This confirms that the later biblical writers of the TaNaKh and B’rit Chadashah accepted this list as accurate and historical. Not a single name mentioned here died in the Flood.
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