Beginning of the End

Length of Adam’s Life

For nearly a thousand years Adam tried to stop the spread of evil. He had been commanded to instruct his descendants in the way of the Lord, and he carefully treasured what God had revealed to him and repeated it to succeeding generations. For nine generations he described the holy and happy conditions in Paradise and repeated the history of his fall. He told them of the sufferings by which God had taught him the necessity of strict obedience to His law and explained to them the merciful provisions for their salvation, yet often he was met with bitter reproach for the sin that had brought such woe upon his descendants. BOE 31.2

When he left Eden, the thought that he must die filled Adam with horror. Full of sorrow for his own sin and mourning a double loss in the death of Abel and the rejection of Cain, Adam was bowed down with anguish. Though the sentence of death had appeared terrible at first, yet after beholding the results of sin for nearly a thousand years, he felt that it was merciful for God to bring to an end a life of suffering and sorrow. BOE 31.3

The age before the Flood was not an era of ignorance and barbarism, as has often been supposed. The people possessed great physical and mental strength, and their advantages were unrivaled. Their mental powers developed early, and those who cherished the fear of God continued to increase in knowledge and wisdom throughout their lives. Compared to them, famous scholars of our time would appear greatly inferior in mental and physical strength. As people’s lifespan has decreased and their physical strength has diminished, so their mental capacities have lessened. BOE 31.4

It is true that the people of modern times have the benefit of the accomplishments of others before them. Masterly minds have left their work for those who follow. But how much greater the advantages of the people of that time! For hundreds of years they had among them him who was formed in God’s image. Adam had learned from the Creator the history of creation; he himself witnessed the events of nine centuries. The pre-Flood people had strong memories to retain what was communicated to them and to transmit it accurately to their descendants. For hundreds of years there were seven generations living on the earth at the same time, profiting by the knowledge and experience of all. BOE 31.5

Far from being an era of religious darkness, that was an age of great light. All the world had opportunity to receive instruction from Adam, and those who feared the Lord also had Christ and angels for their teachers. And they had a silent witness to the truth, in the garden of God, which for many centuries remained on earth. Eden stood just in sight, its entrance barred by watching angels. The purpose of the garden and the history of its two trees were undisputed facts, and the existence and supreme authority of God were truths that people were slow to question while Adam was among them. BOE 32.1

Despite the prevailing iniquity, a holy line of God’s followers lived as in the companionship of heaven—people of massive intellect, of wonderful attainments. They had a great mission—to develop a character of righteousness, to teach a lesson of godliness, not only to the people of their time, but for future generations. Only a few are mentioned in the Scriptures, but all through the ages God had faithful witnesses, true-hearted worshipers. BOE 32.2