In my personal gospel studies, I have been reviewing the creation and first couple of millenia.  As I peruse these records of the early mortals to sojourn on earth, I have struggled to grasp what life would have been like for such a small group of people who were so heavily interwoven.  I find it difficult to comprehend how a son of Adam himself – a partaker of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and a personal acquaintance of both the Father and the Son – could fall the way Cain did.  I strain to wrap my mind around how Enoch’s Zion succeeded in perfecting itself, all while being attacked by extended family from outside…

And I have wondered, as I contemplated the great ages the early mortals lived to, who might have known who?  Which of these men heard Adam’s or Enoch’s testimony and witness firsthand?

And so, as I sat studying today, I began jotting down notes from The Pearl of Great Price and The Old Testament and constructed a rough draft timeline of the early days of mankind.

(NOTE: click on image to see full size display.)

Now, I haven’t figured out how to get Excel to let me add in some additional data, so I’ll just list 3 additional points here:

• The year “0″ represents the ‘birth’ of Adam in the Garden of Eden.
• Enoch’s Zion existed from the years (from Adam’s birth) 687-1,052.
• The Flood occurred 1,656 years after Adam’s birth.

Perhaps this is trivial to others, but looking at this chart I find it absolutely fascinating that Noah was the first descendant to come who did NOT live within Adam’s lifetime!  Now, does that mean they all were personally acquainted with Father Adam?  Perhaps not… but I personally believe anyone worth his salt would seek out the Father of All Living (who was also, incidentally, a direct relative) and meet him face to face.  Speculation, no doubt – but sound reasoning from where I stand.

I also find it intriguing that Enoch’s city, Zion, did not contain the patriarchs that came before him.  I assume that – since Enoch’s death was recorded with his ascension into Heaven – so were all the members of that community deemed ‘no longer living’ at the same moment.  Hence, those between Seth and Enoch were not members of that community.  Now, what does that mean?  I can’t begin to guess.  But it’s all quite fascinating, isn’t it?

And then there’s poor Methuselah.  Not only is he required to exit stage left prior to Zion’s translation, but then he’s called upon to live longer than any other human being on record!  Also interesting to note, is that Methuselah’s death occurs right at the same approximate year as the flood.  I can’t find anything that covers this coincidence, but it’s great fodder for unfounded speculation.

And finally (just to keep this from going on forever in a stream-of-consciousness rambling), it never occurred to me until I reviewed this chart that Abraham lived in Noah’s time!  Hence, it’s possible that Abraham, living 2,000 years after Adam, might have (in my opinion ‘might‘ should be substituted with  ‘almost certainly‘) known Noah, who was possibly acquainted with Adam’s grandson, Enos.

So why bring this all up?  What’s the point?

Does this change anything?   Nah.  But does it enhance my understanding and perspective of those early bygone eras?  Unequivocally.

The more I study, the more I learn.  The more I learn, the greater the detail rendered on the multihued canvas of the history of the Gospel that I have been enhancing and expanding and detailing since my mother and father began brushing strokes of color across it for me as I sat at their feet as a babe.

Knowledge is power.  Intelligence is the glory of God*.  As I learn God’s truths (both the obvious and the hidden), I increase in spiritual stature and move ever closer to becoming the son of God my Heavenly Father knows is within me to be.