christians, do you really believe that people in biblical times lived to be hundreds of years old?

Question

Isn't that a bit silly?

Answer 1

Not only do I believe it, but in my opinion, it helps to confirm the TRUTH of Scripture.

How?

Sho-Nuff actually refers to what I was going to say, but here are the details:

Before the flood, there was a water canopy above the earth. - Genesis 1:6-8.

People born before the flood lived almost 1,000 years.
People born after the flood began to have shorter and shorter life spans. This was probably a result of a combination of factors: Growing further and further away from perfection of our ancestors. Adam and Eve and their immediate descendants, although sinners, were still nearly perfect.
Additionally, humans were protected from, not only UV radiation, but other cosmic radiation that may have had harmful genetic effects.

If the message from the Bible is NOT from God, and the flood account was fictional, how would the writers know to include a shortining of life spans that began after the flood? The fact they include this is another piece of evidence that supports the Biblical authenticity.

By the way, even today scientists cannot explain why cells begin to die off causing humans to grow old and die; they say there is no apparent reason that we should not continue to live indefinitely.

“Aging,” wrote Harvard University biologist Steven Austad, “so constantly confronts us that I’m surprised more people don’t perceive it as a central biological mystery.” The fact that everyone grows old, Austad noted, “makes [aging] appear less puzzling.” Still, when you really think about it, do aging and death make sense?

Last year, in his book How and Why We Age, Dr. Leonard Hayflick acknowledged the marvels of human life and growth and wrote: “After performing the miracles that take us from conception to birth and then to sexual maturation and adulthood, nature chose not to devise what would seem to be a more elementary mechanism to simply maintain those miracles forever. This insight has puzzled biogerontologists [those who study the biological aspects of aging] for decades.”

Are you also puzzled by aging and death? What purpose do they serve? Hayflick observed: “Virtually all biological events from conception to maturity seem to have a purpose, but aging does not. It is not obvious why aging should occur. Although we have learned much about the biology of aging . . . , we are still left with the inevitable outcome of purposeless aging followed by death.”

So no, it isn't silly.

Answer 2

Why people in early chapters of Genesis lived long lives is somewhat of a mystery. There are many theories by Biblical scholars and scientists. The genealogy in Genesis 5 records the line of godly descendants of Adam – the line that would eventually produce the Messiah. God possibly blessed this line with especially long life as a result of its godliness and obedience. While this is a possible explanation, the Bible nowhere specifically limits the long life-spans to the individuals mention in Genesis chapter 5. Further, other than Enoch, Genesis 5 does not identify any of the individuals as being especially godly. It is likely that everyone at that time period lived several hundred years. Several factors probably contributed to this.

Genesis 1:6-7 mentions “waters above,” a “canopy” of water that surrounded the earth. Such a “water canopy” would have created a “greenhouse effect” on the entire earth, and would have blocked much of the radiation that now hits the earth. This would have resulted in ideal living conditions on the earth. This seems especially so considering how quickly the lifespans began to shrink after the Flood. Genesis 7:11 likely indicates that, in the Flood, the “water canopy” was poured out on the earth, ending the ideal living conditions. Compare the ages before the Flood (Genesis 5:1-32) with the ages after the Flood (Genesis 11:10-32). Immediately have the Flood, the ages decreased dramatically.

Another factor to consider is that in the first few generations after Creation, the human genetic code had not developed many defects. Adam and Eve were created perfect. They were surely highly resistant to diseases and illnesses. Their descendants would have inherited these advantages, albeit to lesser degrees. Over time, though, as a result of sin, the human genetic code became increasingly corrupted, and human beings became more and more susceptible to death and disease. This would have resulted in a drastically reduced lifespan.

Answer 3

Wow, there are some REAL great answers in here. Like the SEASONS guy, even if you divide by four your still telling me abraham was 225 years old when he died, NO. OH atmospheric pressure guy your arguement is futile because you have to actually believe that the world was in fact created 6000 years ago to believe that, and besides wouldn't god have made the earth perfect and not have a lower or higher pressure than was actually needed. Not to mention the fact that that would have NO effect on lifespan. And the hours were shorter guy even if an hour was 20 minutes it wouldn't change the amount of time the sun was above your head or set, it would still be the same. Oh and if you look at the ancient egyptians who HAD A CALENDER, you'll now they had a 12 month system, a year was a year. Pull your heads out of your a$$'s and look around you, your wrong.

Answer 4

Silly? What is silly about that? We are accustomed to what we currently observe as a "normal life expectancy". There are numerous theories on what causes "aging" (e.g. toxic by-products in the metabolism, inefficient immune (defensive/repair) systems, etc). There are a large number of scientists today who believe that once the causes are fully determined, the process can be markedly slowed...possibly even extending life to several hundred years. From a scientific/biblical standpoint, it is interesting that early humans were recorded to live for 600-900 years. Apparently, whatever caused the degradation (aging) of cells became more pronounced through time...our DNA structure simply has deteriorated to where it does not resist the aging process as it once did...

Answer 5

Some how all other people who lived in the same time had shorter life spans. in Asia the life span was about 50 at that time. But those people in the middle east must have had it nice. Scorching sun, lack of water, diseases and waste in the streets are exactly what helps people to live well past 350.
Some how this does not stand up against a 2nd graders question. But that is the great thing about religion, people can have blind faith and do not need to think about logic.
B

Answer 6

I don't think it's silly because back then, they did / didn't do the following:

1. Didn't eat processed junk food
2. Did walk everywhere thus get their excercise
3. Most didn't sleep around thus getting and spreading disease
4. They didn't knock down forests in order to build malls, thus vegetation was in greater abundance helping to clean the air and create more oxygen.
5. They slept more hours
6. They valued family relationships thus prioritized family
7. They didn't have media so there was no skinny models and commercials to tell them they were too fat or ugly thus needing to starve themselves.
8. They used all natural cleaners thus not putting chemicals in and on their body.
9. They ate all natural foods that came from mineral rich soil because they let their land rest as God said it should.
10. Their cows were allowed to roam freely thus there was no hormones in the milk and there was no infections in the cows from being shoved in tiny stalls to live in feces and filth.
11. They believed in God thus they had less stressful lives, less disease. They had peace.
12. They ate to live, not lived to eat.
13. They didn't have prescription drugs, they used all natural remedies. Prescription drugs are good for life saving but not life maintenance. North America is the most unhealthiest nation yet we are the most medicated. hmm..
14. THey had clean water to drink as factories didn't pollute their water with chemicals. They didnt' need to use chlorine and fluoride in their water.

Answer 7

i'm a genealogist, and that i've got a great great grandfather became born in 1763 and died in 1868. Now right this moment, a hundred and five would not sound that previous, yet think of with reference to the state of medicine in those years while in comparison with right this moment. i think the element i'm attempting to make, in hassle-free terms a rapid at an analogous time as in the past, a hundred and five became possible with none present day drugs, meanwhile my brother at present died at below the age of 40 and he had all some great reward of recent drugs. With all that in the time of my ideas, i'm in no place to doubt something. wish that facilitates.

Answer 8

Don't believe it is silly at all.

When man was first put on the earth, they needed more time to produce more of us. Also, up to the time of Noah, it had never rained. So the canopy over the earth protected them.

Also, there is a gland(?) medical researchers have found that goes dormant when we stop growing. They have no idea what it was ever for. Maybe that gland was also what gave them a longer life

Answer 9

As time went on and man kept sinning, more diseases and sickness entered the world, thus causing a shorter life span. God's word is true from creation to the lifespan of people. Don't get caught up picking and choosing what you think is true or not.

Answer 10

Yes it was before the flood
and before that people never saw rain. my take on this is that it was over cast all the time and the sun is what ages you. if you were never touched by sun how long do you think you would live.

People in the swiss alps live to be well over 100 also because the sun doesn't show around the mountain.