Genesis 1:27-31 - “27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
    29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole

earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along

the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
    31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

Introduction

In Genesis 1:26, God the Father told Jesus, His master craftsman, to "let" Him make mankind in His image. So, Jesus let mankind evolve the capacity to believe God and obey Him. Having evolved this capability, God could have a relationship with His creation in a way that He never could before.

27 So God created mankind in his own image, 

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

Evolution of Mankind

As in the creation of plants, fish, birds, whales, cattle, creeping things, and beasts, God allowed existing life to change into what He wanted it to be. In this case, He wanted mankind capable of believing Him and obeying Him. The fossil record suggests this process began around 5.5 Ma (million years ago), and continued until Homo Sapiens appeared, around 250 Ka (thousand years ago).

"male and female he created them" (v. 27b)

It is easy to assume that this phrase refers to Adam and Eve. However, God's actions in Genesis 1:26-27 clearly produced both genders. The creation of Eve on the other hand was from Adam's rib, because he had no suitable helper. Very different. It suggests that the appearance of male and female humans predates Adam and Eve.

"God blessed them and said to them" (v. 28a)

Based on verses 28 to 30, this blessing preceded several things:

1. Man's subduing of the earth (v. 28b)
2. Man's ruling over the animals (v. 28c)
3. The existence of the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life (v. 29)
4. God's observation that Day 6 was very good (v. 30)

"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it" (v. 28b)

If God's blessing was to Adam and Eve, then when did they receive it? In the Garden of Eden or after it? The blessing was clearly before God's observation that His creation was very good. This places the blessing some time before the Fall. Place the blessing within the Garden however, and exactly how was the earth to be subdued? And did God wait to call His creation "very good" until after He took Eve from Adam's rib? Christians argue these questions quite a bit. However, combine scripture with science and these questions are revealed to be a red herring.

The bible tells us that Adam lived around 7,000 years ago; science tells us that Homo Sapiens began subduing the earth around 250 Ka. If God's blessing was given 250 Ka, then it corresponds with the fossil record. It tells us that God described His creation as very good even before Adam and Eve were born. It means that Adam and Eve were never expected to the subdue the earth from within the Garden of Eden... it was subdued already.

"Rule over..." (v. 28c)

As with the blessing to the subdue the earth, placing the blessing to rule the animals in the Garden creates difficulties, because the blessing was clearly for Adam and Eve, but Adam was ruling the animals before she was created. However, place the blessing at 250 Ka and we find that Adam was able to rule the animals because mankind already had God's blessing to do so.

"I give you every seed-bearing plant and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." (v. 29a)

As with the blessing to the subdue the earth and the blessing to rule the animals, place the gift of all seeded fruit trees in the Garden, and we must explain God's exclusion of the Tree of Knowledge. It means "every" does not mean "every". But once again, place this blessing at 250 Ka, when the Tree of Knowledge did not exist, this difficulty goes away.

Click to see a comparison between Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Scientific Record in tabular form

Conclusion

By placing God's pronouncement (vv. 26-27) 5.5 Ma, His blessing (vv. 28-29) 250 Ka, and Adam and Eve around 7,000 years ago, we can easily match the scripture with the scientific record. With the evolution of Homo Sapiens, mankind subdued the earth. They ruled over the animals. They discovered that they could eat of every seed-bearing plant and every tree that has fruit with seed. When God viewed His work...

 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

With Day 6 over, Jesus rode his chariot-cloud (the Holy Spirit) into the sunset, and into the sunrise of Day 7. The first sabbath had begun. Adam was yet to come.