There are Bible teachers who say that Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are two different accounts of creation. Some even say that there is a long period of time between these chapters which allows for the standard evolutionary time frame.
However, there is a much simpler explanation which fits better with the text. Genesis 1 is a sequential, step-by-step account of creation. Genesis 2 is a complementary summary account, which also gives additional details. Continue reading
Eating in the Garden of Eden was meatless as is explained in the verses below.
Genesis 1:29-30 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
In Eden, food came from plants. This was true for the land animals too. Some may scoff that some animals cannot survive without meat. That may be true in our fallen world, but not in Eden. Even in a fallen state, some animals which normally eat meat sometimes choose not to. (See No Taste for Meat and Unexpectedly Vegetarian Animals – What Does It Mean?) The prohibition against eating meat ended after the Flood of Noah. (Genesis 9:3) So there is no biblical reason to practice vegetarianism in our current dispensation.
Plant life is critical for the Earth, providing a source of energy for other lifeforms. This was all part of God’s plan during the creation week.
Genesis 1:11-13 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.