Luke 11:50 – The Earth, Mankind, and Jesus Christ

Advocates of the theory of evolution allege that the earth came into existence about 5 billion years ago. Further, they insist that mankind did not arrive upon this planet until some 3 million or so years ago. Simple mathematics would reveal, therefore, that man, as per this view, is a new-comer to this globe. According to these figures, in no reasonable way could it be claimed that man has been around since “the foundation of the world.”

Contrary to these unsupported assertions regarding the comparative ages of the earth and humankind (which many Christians apparently have no problem in accepting), Jesus Christ taught otherwise.

In the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Christ delivered a sharp rebuke to the leaders of the Jewish community. He charged them with gross hypocrisy, and He scathingly revealed that they were as evil as their ancestors who had so viciously persecuted the ancient prophets (cf. 11:45ff).

The Lord then announced that the blood of the prophets (shed by rebellious Jews across the centuries) was going to be avenged upon that generation. He was alluding, of course, to the destruction of Jerusalem — which would be effected providentially by the Roman armies in A.D. 70 (cf. Matt. 22:8).

In describing this divine judgment, however, the Lord was very precise in His language. He said that “the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation” (11:50). Christ pinpoints the earliest persecution of the righteous at the commencement of time. He even refers to the murder of Abel in this connection (v. 51).

It is thus quite apparent that our Lord did not subscribe to the modern view that the beginning of the world occurred billions of years before mankind evolved. Underline the expression “foundation of the world,” and in your margin note: Mankind existed from the beginning.

You might also enter these marginal references. See Mark 10:6; Romans 1:20.