This is the 3rd time I have attempted to respond to you and each time when I go to another screen for info, I lose my pending comment post and I'm getting tired of it.
Anyway, I can't discuss these issues with you as I have never researched them. I refer such questions to John Clayton, the science teacher who as an atheist tried to prove the Bible inconsistent with science. And, he became a believer and has spent 30 years sharing his findings with others. Website is http://www.doesgodexist.org/.
But some points......
1 - as we know God can use earth as He chooses. We have the Old Testament days and the New Testament era. There could be many earlier undocumented periods such as the prehistoric ages, etc. It does not matter as regards our lives - it only matters to those that have to delve into the science.
2 - think you misunderstood my statement on eternal life. I was not saying eternal life was given after death. I was saying that earth is not heaven. We live on earth and the eternal life will not be on earth but somewhere else.
When we accept Jesus as the Son of God, repent of our prior sins and we are baptised for the remission of those sins, we are then a part of Jesus church and follow him through our days on earth. Jesus pays the price for man's sins and intercedes for us with God. We are under his umbrella. Through the death of Jesus we become cleansed enough to dwell with God in heaven. Otherwise, we could never be perfect enough to be in God's presence.
The eternal life is after death as each man will die. I do not agree that the Garden of Eden was set up for eternal life here on earth. I have never seen that indicated in the teachings. I'm not saying you are wrong - just I don't readily accept that premise.
Whatever, we are here in this life now. This life does have death and the living food chain for all animal life.
One other point....
The Bible does not give all information to us that would satisfy the scientific minds among us. Which, is probably why scientists often reject biblical teachings.
But - what was the purpose of the Bible? It was to give man instruction on God's plan for his life. It gave history so that we can learn the nature of God and his teachings. It shows us the love for his people, how they continually rejected him for other gods, his rejection of them and then his continual forgiveness and goodness to them.
So, if God's purpose was to give man instruction, it had to be as simple as possible so that all men could learn enough from it to be saved. A scientific document would not serve to save man, just to inform man. We are given what we need for salvation.
One interesting thing. A man in Africa got ahold of a Bible and read it. He showed up one day at a hospital, church or something asking to be baptised because he understood from his study that that was what God required for him to do. So, that man, all by himself without help followed God's plan and became a member of Christ's church, and will have eternal life.
He did not require answers to all creation's mysteries, he did not quibble or negotiate with God, he followed the instructions as a child would do. And, he was saved and is a Christian.
We should all do such first and then spend our years investigating all the questions we want God to answer someday.
Thank you for your comments and wish I could delve into those things with you - but, I am not scientific enough and am not a biblical scholar.