Q: Wouldn’t the world be overpopulated if Adam and Eve had not sinned?

This is a fair question that many have asked. I’m not sure how other creationists or theologians answer it, but here are my eclectic thoughts in no particular order:

  1. Since the Bible says God greatly multiplied Eve’s conception after she sinned, it may be that pre-sin women could only have conceived once every seven years instead of every month as it is today.  I’m sure everyone would have liked that better!  Even still, with children spaced out further and delayed maturation (married at 100+?) the eventual problem of filling the world remains.
  2. With greater fruiting capacity, the earth could have supported a population of hundreds of billions. He formed the earth to be inhabited (Is 45:18). Today, the earth is about 3% habitable since 70% is covered by water and lots covered by ice, desert, mountains and other unlivable places. Even with a 90+% habitable earth and 1000% more ability to produce food per acre, as they may have had, the problem still remains. That is, unless God had always planned a 6,000-year life for the earth before going into the new dimension of eternity, whatever that is.
  3. Matthew 24 tells us that God will gather his elect FROM the furthest part of earth TO the furthest part of heaven. So, there must be LOTS of room someplace “out there” where He intends to take us someday.  Maybe, if Adam and Eve had not sinned, God intended for them to populate other planets or galaxies?  There seems to be no end to those, so the space problem would disappear. Just a wild idea to consider.
  4. Years ago I read about an experiment where a man raised deer in captivity, but surrounded their enclosure with pictures of deer and models of deer and even movies of deer.  Apparently the deer “thought” their area was too crowded and they never went into estrous to be able to reproduce.  It could have been God’s plan to fill the earth with X bazillion people and then everyone just lives forever, but no more babies would be born. Just as many animals grow to fit their container, maybe the population would grow to fit the space and food supply?

I welcome any other ideas and input others may have.  In one sense, the question is moot since we know (and God knew in advance) that they did sin and we do die.  I suggest we focus on getting people ready for THAT!  Time is running out, so pour on the coals winning souls!

Feel free to use our material if they will help you witness to others.  “A man’s gift maketh room for him” (Prv 18:16). It’s easier to talk to anyone as you give him or her a gift like a tract or DVD.