Why did people live to be 500 years old?

Question

The Bible clearly states that people once lived to be hundreds and hundreds of years old. I know this happened, I'm not doubting that. All I'm wondering is why can't we live that long now?

Answer 1

With the bodies we have it is impossible. Clearly this statement in the Bible is false.

In response to sisterzeal, evolution is not progress. It is the result of random mutations that can be selected for, against, or most likely neither. (Somebody slept through science class.)

Do not treat the Bible as a factual information book. It is a book that helps you understand the Christian God and morals. It is not to be taken literally for a historical/anthropology-related source!!!! That is nonsense!

" ..Over time according to science our DNA structure has deteriorated due to lots of reasons,we used to have all 12 strands of DNA in operation now we have only 2 strand,many people at the moment are awakening to this and our DNA is being activated allowing us to become again fully conscious fully activated 12 strand beings...these means 100% activation of our brains...and possibly living for longer periods "

The only thing according to science that this says is that you are trying to take what little you learned in science class to try to make a ridiculous statement sound possible. Ugh I give up. Stupid people are everywhere.

Answer 2

Because the time line for that era was/is not the same as we have today. For one thing we didn't have the same calender and for another they didn't live that long. You need to read the Gnostic Bible to understand the life spans of those in the bible.
Todays calendar is the gregorian calendar and not the julian. Nor is it the mayan or the aztecian. The calender we use today was made to balance the year and shows 365 days in a year except for the leap year. Where it then shows 366 days. April Fools day was the Julian calendar's New Years day and once the calendars were changed it become April Fools because everyone thought it was still New Years.
Time was different during the biblical era, in that they did not have clocks or watches and really had no way to detect time changes except for the obvious. They had sun dials and such but on the desert they didn't have anything but the sun moon and the seasons. So how would they really know how old they were? And many didn't even know their birthdays and most didn't know their age as we know it today. Many used to say they were so many months old or so many seasons. Not years. So it can be mistakenly called years when they are talking of months. Remember, the bible was interpreted by scribes who sometimes couldn't read the actual texts and would sometimes write in the book what they thought the words said. Many of the scribes were not that intellegent and some would write down what they believed. So is the case of King James who "amended and revised" the bible to his liking. So not all bibles are the same. The Gideon Bible is a good one if you can find it. As for the life span, I doubt many actually lived to be 500 years old. Just because it's in the bible doesn't make it truth. After all, which is the real bible? After so many revisions who really knows?

Answer 3

There is no right answer. Except when examining those antediluvian records and the ones up past Abraham, a sudden immediate decline in people's lifespan occurs as soon as the flood had finished.

Thus it would seem the drastic decline must have to do with some exposure previously not encountered.

Noah lived some 950 years. His son Shem already down to 600, the next in line #12 was 438 and Abraham #20 was 175, Jacob #22 was down to 147.

And by then it was more or less down to the 80 year lifespan we are familiar with - with the same ups and downs we see today. In Japan two people, one 111 and another 114 are alive today. The 111 year old person looks no more than 75.

Probably genetics, healthy living, a calm lifestyle, and luck (no accident) all contribute toward the final figure.

I made a graph from Adam to Jacob, all interested may have it free for asking.

Answer 4

In reading all the answers to this question, I am absolutely astounded by the utter lack of intelligence on display, and the specious reasoning people employ. Our educational system should be indited for allowing any one of you to have graduated with a high school diploma.

The longest living animals are tortoise, which *might* live as long as 250 years. The human genome has remained unchanged for more than 85,000 years, and no member of our species has ever lived past 130 years.

Believing a human could have lived to the age of 500 is nothing more than ignorance, wishful thinking, and/or self-delusion.

Answer 5

There are probably many theories and conjectures. The original man was created very much perfect, but finite and the environment of Eden was very perfect. So when man was thrust out and into the "real world" life spans started getting shorter and man multiplied and generated away from the first creation.

Another possiblity could be time dilation. The Earth and Sun are slowing and if it was far longer than 10,000 year of man on Earth it is possible for time diation to start shrinking the age of death.

Answer 6

If they did then Jesus wouldn't be around 30+ years old when he died. Buddha wouldn't be around 80 when he passed.

If having children is a sin, then why didn't "God" just kill everyone?
Why do the country with the least number of Christians, the most number of Buddhists, Confucians or Taoists, have the greatest number of people, and yet have the greatest number of centenarians? yet no one's up to the age of 950?

Answer 7

When God created Adam and Eve he made them perfect. After they sinned they became no longer perfect, but they we're close to been perfect. Over the years the human race has deteriorated and We are living for less years. People could live until they we're 100yrs old. But now is very difficult, people are dying just reaching 90yrs.

Answer 8

Ok, what I've been learning (from a literal perspective) that before the Flood, there was a canopy around Earth...keeping everything pure, atmospheric pressure greater, etc. And then, of course, that made people live longer.

Answer 9

Boy will you be surprised and shock if I were to tell you - "I am going to lives forever, without seeing death ?

I have been promised at the right time and age, and I believes I am in that time now so I knows I am not going to die but lives on - IMMORTALITY ! that is.

I believes God will opened more and more of His people eyes to see this truth at this time now as they read their Bible. Immortality truth will jumped out on them. It's all over the places if God's reveals if not you are blinded! No one can knows God except He first Reveal Himself !

Answer 10

How long was a year back in Biblical times? Was it 12 months like it is today? Probably not. Therefore, they could live X amount of years based on how long a year was.