the Decline of Man

Prehistoric - we so often hear this term being used to describe very old objects or a time very long ago. Yet, prehistory never existed, because ever since God created the Earth and instituted the concept of time, there was history. What was before time cannot be comprehended or described as 'prehistory' simply because the premise of time cannot be applied to a timeless dimension.

How then do we usually imagine our most ancient ancestors to be? Stupid lumbering (albeit muscular) bipeds? This secular view is wrong, yet it is so widespread that we tend to think of ourselves as the apex of human history, being more advanced than prehistoric Man. No, Man was never primitive. While it is true that we are technologically advanced compared to our ancestors, we can't really say that society as a whole has developed positively (unlike what evolutionists would have us think).


Let us examine things from the very start. God created Man good and in His image. Certainly this would entail gifting humanity with much intelligence, strength, and a good set of moral principles. However Man rebelled and sinned against God, invoking a curse from God upon Creation. Thereafter, Man regressed from his former noble position. With this in mind, we can reason why Man would have lost much of the mentioned gifts. This is how that occurred:


Intelligence. We always see our generation as the most intelligent, having amassed knowledge from across centuries. This is far from reality. Students may do well in tests, but rarely are they shown to be more effective workers. Often what we learn in school is forgotten in a couple of years. In all, people nowadays tend to have a desperate lack of common sense and memory prowess. Sure, we live in modern buildings and use computers, but what if electricity wasn't available to us? Our form of networking would fall apart, and humanity as a whole.

Meanwhile, nobody has figured how the pyramids were built. Or the other massive construction projects carried out about the world by the ancients. Also, the extensive use of traditional medicine in the past underlies their knowledge of herbs and body anatomy then, while their astronomy and navigation skills were impressive too. The ancients' word-of-mouth communication must also be accurate, for writings wasn't easily reproduced. For example, we can't even get a chinese whisper past a chain of 20 people, while Moses had to command a million men!


Physical status. Humans aren't really living longer. Instead, health care has only managed to restore the 70-80 life expectancy indicated by the Bible. Conversely, it is recorded that people before the flood regularly lived centuries, though that age depreciated to 120 soon after the flood and later to 70-80. In addition, genetic defects accumulate with each generation, while genes are lost through genetic shift. This helps to show that since the Fall, each generation displays signs of aging more quickly.

As to ability, it's easy for us to see that our physical conditioning disappears rapidly without frequent training. On the contrary, athletes in the past took part in sports much more grueling than ours, probably displaying greater strength and skill. Our senses have probably degraded too. Many of us are myopic, but some of our ancestors who did cave-painting drew precise images in a dim cave! The other senses of hearing and smelling have also degraded considerably, where we sometimes cannot differentiate notes or scents.


Morality. Do we often bear the notion that the ancients were barbarians? That is the product of evolution teaching that human society has progressed, away from a dog eat dog world into mutually benefiting communities. Yet that doesn't hold true: social cohesion is falling apart, especially in the face of greater 'freedom of speech/expression', where people plainly declare they don't agree.

Little needs to be said about morality. Humans, ever since the Fall, have always been prone to sinning. A while before the Flood people were already carrying out violence. We think we have laws now which reduce crime, making us a better society than centuries ago, but a major problem now is the legalisation of sins. Murders still exist today, although they are often more subtle in the form of abortion and exploitation. No, mankind has not improved; 'loving thy neighbour' hardly exists beyond religious ideals.


Is there evidence for the highly advanced state of Man in the earliest days? Well, we do have some archaeological discoveries, though they are often eclipsed by the latest news in ape-to-man models. Aside from all that, we have the Bible (which is often disregarded as a credible source by some scientific communities). It is recorded in Genesis 3 that Cain's descendants were masters of different trades, so soon after the Earth came into existence. Doubtless the other people of the Earth shared in their technological advancements, practising animal husbandry, music and metallurgy.

Despite all the gifts God bestowed upon his special creation, mankind turned them to corrupt use, necessitating the cleansing Flood. After the Flood, decline continued. The reason why mankind perceive our ancestors to be less advanced is because we take too much pride in our discoveries and in ourselves. In the same way mankind tries to put themselves on the same level as God. The first time was in the Garden of Eden, when Eve was convinced the fruit would make people as gods. Then there was the Tower of Babel, where people sought to equal heaven. Each time God dealt out punishment. In modern times, many declare 'there is no god', effectively seeing themselves as the ultimate authority. The Lord God does not take this lightly: one day the earth will be consumed by fervent heat.

Man has lost immortality by the Fall, then brought about a catastrophic global Flood due to widespread violence. Later, the peoples of the Earth were scattered and technologically retarded by the judgement passed upon the Tower of Babel. Only in recent times have we regained the technology possessed by the ancients. Whether we have surpassed it remains in doubt, for we have traded off much experiencial knowledge in medicine, navigation, and forcasting. Neither do we match the ancients in lifespan, wits, strength, and skill. Yet, none of these talents matter if we do not see Christ Jesus as the salvation sent to Man. Our sins will bring judgement upon us, and only God can provide a way out.

Hear therefore the cry of Jeremiah in Lamentations 5:21. Though we may never reclaim the physical prosperity of mankind before the Fall, let us pray that God turn us to Him, that we may lay claim to the blood of Christ and be alongside his first children - the few ancients who stayed faithful.
Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.


Additional resources may be found at the following sites.
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Decline_of_humanity
http://www.nwcreation.net/videos/puzzle_of_man.html