Interpretative Key 2: There Are No Gaps in Genesis 5 and 11

[Credit: Jordan, general theology]

Much as with creationism, there seems to be no improvement to interpreting the timeline of the patriarchs of Genesis by inserting unmentioned gaps, other than to accommodate atheistic naturalistic science. While concealed gaps are certainly possible anywhere in the Bible timeline, they would have to be revealed by cross-referencing a different part of Scripture, according to the literal method I am using. No such cross-references exist for Genesis.

Therefore, if there are gaps in Genesis 5 and 11, it is impossible to construct a timeline of Bible history from the Bible alone, which runs so contrary to the obvious intent of the wealth of carefully designed chronological data in Scripture as to be (from my perspective) intellectually untenable for someone who deep dives this aspect of God’s Word.

Calculations

130: Birth of Seth (Genesis 5:3)

235: Birth of Enosh (Genesis 5:6)

325: Birth of Cainan (Genesis 5:9)

395: Birth of Mahalalel (Genesis 5:12)

460: Birth of Jared (Genesis 5:15)

622: Birth of Enoch (Genesis 5:18)

687: Birth of Methuselah (Genesis 5:21)

874: Birth of Lamech (Genesis 5:25)

930: Death of Adam (Genesis 5:5)

987: God takes Enoch (Genesis 5:23)

1042: Death of Seth (Genesis 5:8)

1056: Birth of Noah (Genesis 5:28)

1140: Death of Enosh (Genesis 5:6)

1235: Death of Cainan (Genesis 5:14)

1290: Death of Mahalalel (Genesis 5:17)

1422: Death of Jared (Genesis 5:20)

1651: Death of Lamech (Genesis 5:31)

1656: Death of Methuselah (Genesis 5:27)