Kinfolk
I read recently that after Jimmy Carter left the presidency, he began doing genealogical research. At the time of a great-great (I don’t know how many greats) grandfather’s 200th birthday, Carter invited the relatives he knew and his newly-found relatives to a family reunion. More than nine hundred people showed up. When I read that, I thought, “Well, sure they did! They were probably all happy to be related to a former president.”
Two years ago in January, I read 6,000 years of world history in two weeks because we were getting a high school world history read to go to the printer. I read 6,000 years of world history this January, too, but I didn’t do it in two weeks — I did it in one. Ray did, too. We finished on Saturday. The reason was the same this year, only this time it’s From Adam to Us.
Many people, places, and events from the history of the world stand out to me after two years of immersing myself in that history, followed by an intense week of reading it all again in a very short time. I hope to share some of those people, places, and events from time to time over the next few weeks. Today I’ll start at the beginning.
The actual beginning of the story of the history of the world was in the beginning when God created the heavens and the Earth. There were no people at all on the Earth then. Zero. That is until day six when God made two.
At the point in world history where we are today, Adam and Eve have seven billion living descendants.
. . . He made from one man every nation of mankind
to live on all the face of the earth,
having determined their appointed times
and the boundaries of their habitation . . . .
Acts 17:26
We could have a great big family reunion and invite everyone. No wonder Jesus told us:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mark 12:31
Those neighbors are our kinfolk!