No Death Before the Fall - A Young Earth Problem
by Rich Deem

Introduction

No Animal Death?

In writing this paper, I searched the Internet for biblical arguments in favor of the doctrine that no animal death occurred before Adam's sin. What I found, even on the "premiere" young earth websites was primarily an appeal to emotion (e.g., "millions of year of suffering and death"). In contrast to the young earth pages, this page cites over 60 biblical passages that support the Bible's claim that there was animal death, but no human death, before Adam's sin.

Rich Deem

Most Young earth creationists claim that there was no death before the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden. The doctrine is primarily tied to two passages - Genesis 1:29-30 in the Old Testament and Romans 5:12 in the New Testament. Out of context, without the consideration of the remainder of the Bible, the verses seem to support the doctrine. Genesis 1:29-30¹ says that God created plants with seed and fruit and gave it to the animals for food. Romans 5:12² says that sin entered the world through Adam and death through sin.

The extent of no death before the Fall

Even among young earth creationists there are differences in opinion about what kinds of death did or did not occur before the Fall of mankind. Some say that there was no death of any creatures - plants, animals, or humans. Others say that there was no animal or human deaths prior to the Fall. This paper will show that the Bible claims that only humans did not die prior to Adam's sin.

No plant death prior to the Fall?

The idea that no creatures, including plants, died prior to the Fall is the extreme position of a minority of young earth creationists.³ They claim that only parts of plants are eaten, and, therefore, no plants actually died. Although a number of grazing animals eat only the tops of grass or leaves, leaving the plant alive, there are a number of exceptions. Even grass grazers pull up whole plants (including the roots) on occasion, which results in the death of entire plants. Some animals eat only roots, such as gophers. Once the roots are eaten, the plant quickly dies. Many sea animals eat diatoms and microscopic plants - ingesting and killing entire organisms. So, unless God changed the way these herbivores eat, plants surely died during the fifth and sixth days of creation.

Some young earth creationists claim that the Bible indicates that plants do not die. Therefore, eating them does not constitute death. However, the Bible specifically compares the deaths of humans to those of plants, making this idea ridiculous. Both the Old Testament⁴ and New Testament⁵ compare the deaths of humans to the deaths of grass, flowers, and herbs. Therefore, the idea that the Bible claims plants don't die is not at all supported.

Death of animals

Since it is obvious that plants died before the Fall, most young earth creationists say that the death referred to in Romans 5:12 was the death of animals⁶ and humans. Let's examine Genesis 1 and 2 to determine what it says about the death of animals.

Genesis 1:29-30

Genesis 1:29-30¹ says that God created plants with seed and fruit and gave it to the animals for food. However, the verse does not say that all animals ate only plants. It merely says that the plants were given as food. Ultimately, all animals rely upon plants for food - even the carnivores. In addition, this decree was never rescinded as it was for humans.⁷ There is no verse in the Bible stating that animals could, at some point, start eating meat. Genesis 1:29-30 applies only to a specific class of animals. The text indicates that plants were given to the nephesh⁸ creatures - those that have a soul (mind, will, and emotion). A partial list is given, including the beasts of the field, the birds, and the creatures that creep around. Notably missing from the list are the large creatures of the sea, created on the fifth day. With few exceptions, these animals are all carnivores. Did God make them starve until after the Fall? Finally, as we shall see, Genesis 2 specifically tells us that animals did eat each other prior to the Fall.

God created the carnivores on day 6, before mankind

Genesis one specifically describes the creation of wild animals,⁹ which are the carnivores. The Hebrew words used to describe the creation of these animals refers to animals that eat other animals (for more information, see Did God Create Carnivores on Day 6?).

Adam named the animals, using terms that described their carnivorous activity

Before the creation of Eve, God brought the animals before Adam for him to name. The text makes it clear that Adam, and not God, named the animals.¹⁰ This is important for an understanding of what Adam had seen prior to the Fall. If the young earth creationists are correct, one would expect the names of the carnivores to reflect the non-carnivorous activities of these creatures prior to the Fall. However, Adam gave some very unusual names to some of the carnivores. For example, the Hebrew name for lion is derived from the Hebrew root that means "in the sense of violence." Was Adam referring to the violence with which the lion ate its vegetables? It doesn't seem likely! In addition, Adam named some of the predatory birds using a Hebrew word with the meaning "bird of prey." Were these birds preying on fruits and nuts? In naming the eagle, Adam used the Hebrew word whose root means "to lacerate." Was the eagle ripping up plants with its talons? Likewise, the Hebrew root for the word "owl" means to "do violence to" or "treat violently." Although it is possible that Adam named the animals in some language other than Hebrew, and that those names were entirely different than the Hebrew ones, there is no biblical evidence for this idea. Even so, if the names were transliterated into Hebrew at a later point, one would assume that they would carry forward their original meanings, or else the Bible would have never made a big deal about Adam giving the animals their names. If the naming of the animals by Adam was important enough to be put into the Bible, one must assume that those names had meaning that related to their character. Otherwise, why would God have bothered to make Adam go through the exercise of naming the animals. Throughout the Bible, names are given great significance (for examples, please see God's Names speak to & reveal God's Identity, Constitution, Nature, Character, Essence).

**Adam's names for carnivores**
Animal	Strong's #	Meaning
Lion	H738	from H717 "in the sense of violence"¹¹
Cormorant	H7994¹²	"bird of prey" from H7993 "to throw, cast hurl fling" - referring to its diving in pursuit of prey¹³
Hawk	H5322	"unclean bird of prey"¹⁴
Eagle	H5404	from an unused root meaning "to lacerate"¹⁵
Owl	H8464¹⁶	from H2554 "to wrong, do violence to, treat violently, do wrongly"¹⁷

It is abundantly clear from the names given to the carnivores by Adam that he had seen these animals in action - eating other animals prior to the Fall of mankind. The idea that all animals ate only plants prior to the Fall is contradicted directly by the biblical texts.

God threatened Adam with death, implying he knew what it was

Further support that Adam had seen death before the creation of Eve comes from God's threat to Adam. When Adam was first put into the garden, God said that he could eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God threatened that Adam would "surely die" if he broke this command.¹⁸ This threat makes no sense unless Adam had already seen the death of animals. There is no recorded reply of Adam asking what death was. If he had never seen death this would have been an obvious question. This, along with Adam's names for the carnivores, is strong biblical evidence that Adam had already seen the death of animals before the Fall and before Eve was created.

Did God judge the animals based on Adam's sin?

The young-earth contention that carnivorous activity began at the fall is without a biblical foundation. In fact, it directly contradicts scripture, since such a drastic change in animal behavior would have required God to continue the creation process - something the Bible says He stopped doing after the sixth day.¹⁹ If this were true, then God must have changed some of the animals to become carnivorous. Why would God judge the innocent animals for the sin of mankind and condemn them to the "evil" laws of survival of the fittest? If God did change some of the animals to become carnivorous, it must be one of the better kept secrets of the Bible.

What does scripture say happened after the fall? The reality is that God judged only those who committed sin. The serpent (Satan) would crawl on his belly and be bruised on the head by the seed of the woman.²⁰ Eve was judged by having more pain in childbirth.²¹ Adam was judged by having to work harder for his food.²² There were no other judgments made by God, since all the guilty parties were punished. God does not pass judgment upon the innocent.²³ The young earth idea that God would punish the innocent along with the guilty actually denigrates the character of God.

Specific arguments

The following represent the "best" arguments made by those who claim that there was no animal death before the Fall.

Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 is one of the most egregious misuse of the scriptures by young earth creationists. As with the rest of scripture, one must read the verse in the context in which it occurs. My advice is to read the entire chapter of Romans 5. Here is a brief synopsis. In the chapter 4, Paul explained that justification before God is by faith in Jesus Christ alone, using the Old Testament scriptures. In chapter 5, he goes on to explain more about how we are justified. In verses 1-5, Paul explains the fruits of justification. In verses 6-11, Paul explains how Jesus Christ died for us as a sign of God's love, that we are justified by Christ's blood, being saved from God's wrath and reconciled to Him. In verses 12-21, he explains how sin entered the world through Adam and how we are made righteous through Jesus Christ. The entire focus of chapter 5 is man's Fall and redemption through Jesus Christ. The chapter has nothing to do with animals or the creation. Let's look at the specific text in question:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- (Romans 5:12)

The verse itself makes it clear that death through sin spread to all men, because of sin. Animals do not sin, so, to apply the verse to animal death is completely taking it out-of-context.

1 Corinthians 15:21

This verse is also quoted, but frequently only part of the verse is cited and usually verse 22 is left out.

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

Verse 22 clearly indicates that those who die are humans. If the death in verse 21 is applied to animals as well as humans, then those citing it would have to say that Christ's death will result in the resurrection of the animals. Of course this idea is taught nowhere in scripture, being, in fact, contradicted by it.²⁴

General arguments

There are a number of weak, general arguments that are commonly used to support the idea that there was no animal death before the Fall. For the most part, these arguments are primarily emotional, and so, are quite effective on a majority of the Christian population. However, biblical support for these kinds of statements are virtually never offered.

Is animal death inconsistent with the character of God?

On almost every young earth webpage that discusses animal death, you will find a phrase something to this effect, "Would a God of love design a world consisting of millions of years of death and suffering?" The question appeals to many, because we like to think of God as being the God of love. However, God's character is multifaceted and complex. The God of love is going to throw plagues against the earth, eventually burn it up in judgment, and ultimately sentence the unrepentant to eternal torment. Animal death is certainly no less loving than these things.

What does the Bible have to say about animal death? Since animals lack a spirit with which to communicate with God, they have no concept of God and are not under any of God's laws or judgment. Therefore, death and pain inflicted by animals on other animals is not evil. In addition, scripture clearly tells us that God Himself allowed humans to kill²⁵ and eat animals.²⁶ In fact, God was pleased with the sacrifice of Abel, which involved the killing of animals.²⁷ Therefore, scripture itself eliminates the death of animals as being evil or bad.

God Himself is implicated in the death of animals. First, God killed animals to clothe Adam and Eve after the fall²⁸ and then killed many animals during the flood (Genesis 7). God set up the system of animal sacrifice for atonement for sin.²⁹ In addition, scripture tells us that God created carnivores on day 6. Numerous verse of scripture tell us that God provides food for the carnivores of the Earth, therefore condoning the death of some animals for the survival of others.³⁰ If one states that the death of animals and carnivorous activity are evil, then one must admit, according to scripture, that God is responsible for these things and therefore a perpetrator of evil. Such a viewpoint would make God a sinner - something vehemently refuted by scripture.

Will God restore paradise in the millennial kingdom?

Yes it is true that God will do away with animal death in the millennial kingdom.³¹ However, none of these verses indicate that this is the way it was in Eden. The connection to this idea comes through a common young earth doctrine that claims that God will restore paradise back to the way it was in Eden. There is no biblical support for restoration theology. In fact, the Bible says that God will completely burn up the earth and its elements³² and create an entirely new heavens and earth.³³ The new heavens and earth will be vastly different from Eden. For example, Eden was not without pain³⁴ and temptation to sin.³⁵ Although the original creation was very good,³⁶ it was not perfect, with even part of it being described as "not good."³⁷ The Bible indicates that we will be delivered from paradise into a kingdom that is eternal and perfect.

Conclusion

Young earth creationists say that God judged the animals on the basis of man's sin. However, the Bible says that God is completely righteous in His judgment and does not judge the innocent with the wicked. This young earth doctrine maligns the character of God. In addition, if one says that animals first died due to sin, then one would have to say that animals have the capacity to sin. Nowhere in the Bible is this doctrine taught. Likewise, if Romans 5:12 is referring to animal death, then the rest of the chapter would have to refer to Christ's death to redeem the animals. This is outrageous! Finally, applying animal death to 1 Corinthians 15:21 would imply that Jesus' death would allow the resurrection of the animals, in addition to His followers. Such cavalier uses of scripture to support one's own interpretation borders on cultic methods, and needs to be corrected by the Church.

For more information see the book Peril in Paradise: Theology, Science, and the Age of the Earth by Mark S. Whorton, Ph.D., a scientist from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Dr. Whorton's book goes beyond the superficial doctrines espoused by the young earth "perfect paradise" paradigm to examine underlying assumptions and extra-biblical teachings of the movement. Peril in Paradise examines verses cited as support for the perfect paradise paradigm in context to determine their actual meaning. In addition, the book compares the perfect paradise paradigm to the perfect purpose paradigm proposed by old earth creationists. Since the book sticks to the scriptures almost exclusively, it cannot be claimed that old earth creationists ignore the scriptures in preference to "fallible science."

References

Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. (Genesis 1:29-30)
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- (Romans 5:12)
No plant death before the fall. Old Believing’s Blog. November 19, 2010.
"You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season." (Job 5:25-26)
"For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail. "Though its roots grow old in the ground, And its stump dies in the dry soil, (Job 14:7-8)
(A Psalm of David.) Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green herb. (Psalm 37:1-2)
Thou hast swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes, and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades, and withers away. (Psalm 90:5-6)
My days are like a lengthened shadow; And I wither away like grass. (Psalm 102:11)
May all who hate Zion, Be put to shame and turned backward, Let them be like grass upon the housetops, Which withers before it grows up; (Psalm 129:5-6)
As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; And its place acknowledges it no longer. (Psalm 103:15-16)
For the waters of Nimrim are desolate. Surely the grass is withered, the tender grass died out, There is no green thing. (Isaiah 15:6)
"Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength, They were dismayed and put to shame; They were as the vegetation of the field and as the green herb, As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up. (Isaiah 37:27)
A voice says, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)
'And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, "Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him"; (Daniel 4:23)
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)
and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. (James 1:10-11)
For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ABIDES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24-25)
But he said to him, "My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me. And if they are driven hard one day, all the flocks will die. (Genesis 33:13)
"And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul; and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile."'" (Exodus 7:18)
And the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. (Exodus 8:13)
"But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel."'" (Exodus 9:4)
"And if one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox. (Exodus 21:35)
"If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is looking, (Exodus 22:10)
He turned their waters into blood, And caused their fish to die. (Psalm 105:29)
"Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink for lack of water, And die of thirst. (Isaiah 50:2)
"Then they shall go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched; And they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind." (Isaiah 66:24)
And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. (Revelation 16:3)
"Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant." (Genesis 9:3)
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
nephesh (Strong's H5315)
1. soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
  1. that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man
  2. living being
  3. living being (with life in the blood)
  4. the man himself, self, person or individual
  5. seat of the appetites
  6. seat of emotions and passions
  7. activity of mind
    1. dubious
  8. activity of the will
    1. dubious
  9. activity of the character
    1. dubious
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H5314
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1395a
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:24-25)
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. (Genesis 2:19-20)
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
'ărîy/'aryêh / (Strong's H738)
1. lion
  1. pictures or images of lions
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H717 (in the sense of violence)
Same Word by TWOT Number: 158a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shâlâk (Strong's H7994)
1. bird of prey
  1. probably the cormorant
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7993
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2398a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shâlak (Strong's H7993)
1. to throw, cast, hurl, fling
  1. (Hiphil)
    1. to throw, cast, throw away, cast off, shed, cast down
    2. to cast (lots) (figuratively)
  2. (Hophal)
    1. to be thrown, be cast
    2. to be cast forth or out
    3. to be cast down
    4. to be cast (metaphorically)
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2398
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
nêts (Strong's H5322)
1. blossom
2. a unclean bird of prey
  1. hawk, falcon
  2. perhaps an extinct bird, exact meaning unknown
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H5340
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1405b, 1406a
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
nesher (Strong's H5404)
1. eagle, vulture, griffon-vulture
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root meaning to lacerate
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1437
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
tachmâs (Strong's H8464)
1. a ceremonially unclean bird
  1. a name of the male ostrich
  2. (CLBL) probably the great owl
  3. perhaps an extinct bird, exact meaning unknown
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H2554
Same Word by TWOT Number: 678b
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
châmas (Strong's H2554)
1. to wrong, do violence to, treat violently, do wrongly
  1. (Qal) to treat violently, do wrong
    1. of physical wrong
    2. of ethical wrong
    3. of physical and ethical wrong
  2. (Niphal) to be treated violently
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 678
Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17)
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:3)
For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; (Hebrews 4:4)
And the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." (Genesis 3:14-15)
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall bring forth children; Yet your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)

Thistle

Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)
"Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" (Genesis 18:25)
"These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)
Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? (Ecclesiastes 3:21)
Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering (Genesis 4:4)
Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, *as I gave the green plant. (Genesis 9:3)
Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; (Genesis 4:4)
And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)
"You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning. (Exodus 23:18)
God provides food for the carnivores:
- "Who prepares for the raven its nourishment, When its young cry to God, And wander about without food?" (Job 38:41)
- "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, [God speaking] (Job 38:39)
- The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. (Psalm 104:21)
- There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great... They all wait for Thee, To give them their food in due season. (Psalm 104:25, 27)
- Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. (Luke 12:24)
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)
looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (2 Peter 3:12)
"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Mark 13:31)
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Luke 21:33)
And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26-27)
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. (Isaiah 65:17)
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1)
Part of the curse was to greatly multiply a woman's pain in childbirth. This indicates that there was already some pain associated with childbirth:
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall bring forth children; Yet your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18)
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)
See Genesis 3:1-7.

http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/death.html
Last updated July 21, 2011

Evidence for God from Science: Christian Apologetics

No Death Before the Fall - A Young Earth Problem by Rich Deem