Why did people in the scriptures live so long?


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One theory I've heard is because they were closer to Adam and Eve, who had "perfect" bodies when palced on this earth, and the Fall made their bodies corruptable, but not immediately corrupted. As generation after generation went by, more corruptions began seeping into the gene pool (not sure how, I guess genetic mutation?) causing the human body to age faster, and illnesses and such started cropping up, killing people off before their time.

I don't personally believe it (not that I don't believe it's not possible, just that I haven't gained any Witness of it) but it's one of the more interesting theories I've heard.

Another one is to look at the "years" as being months instead, and you find that the ages come down to be pretty much average when you do that.

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The days of old when the likes of Adam and Methuselah were alive, their days were lengthened for the benefit of their mortal probation and the replenishing the earth. In the last days our days are shortened because the love of man waxes cold and nobody would be saved if we lived long enough to survive widespread despair and rumors of wars. The very elect would be deceived. Things are hard enough right now. It's all happening even now. Just turn on CNN or Fox News Channel.

LDS.org - Ensign Article - These Are Your Days

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I believe that Adam came with a perfect body. Once the fall took place, blood began to flow in his veins (see "fall of adam" or "flesh" in bible dictionary). We know that genetic mutations occur, and that they bring disease and physical ailments. I think the patriarchs lived so much longer, b/c their bodies didn't have all the genetic mutations and problems that we have inherited. Man's body has been devolving ever since the fall of Adam. He had a perfect body, and since he fell, the human body has devolved. All known mutations in higher organisms (excluding bacteria) have been detrimental. There has never been observed a benefical mutation in the body of mankind, nor any other higher organisms. As such, the body of man use to live longer and be more resilient. Now, not so much. Man is devolving, not evolving. (read doctrines of salvation by JFS compiled by BRM book 1).

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Guest GhostRider

THis is a great subject!

Someone help me out. there is an old testament scripture that states that the life of man will be no more than 120 years old. After the flood this happened to be with a few exceptions.

one ot the reasons for this is found in the book The secret on arrat by tim lahaye. its a fictisious book with a little bit of scientific fact. it states that when the flood accured that there was another part of our atmosphere that was mostly water and a few other elements. when the "heavens" opened this layer was lost and the elements that were there that preserved life were gone. After doing some research on this it is a documented therory posed by some scientist.

I just wish I could find that scripture!

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One theory I've heard is because they were closer to Adam and Eve, who had "perfect" bodies when palced on this earth, and the Fall made their bodies corruptable, but not immediately corrupted. As generation after generation went by, more corruptions began seeping into the gene pool (not sure how, I guess genetic mutation?) causing the human body to age faster, and illnesses and such started cropping up, killing people off before their time.

Incest tends to deteriorate the quality of DNA structures, particularly when incest is perpetuated over several generations. Since all of Adam and Eve's children were related and shared similar DNA, their relations with each other could have provided a catalyst for genetic deterioration that would have eventually stabilized until the DNA structures became sufficiently diverse.

Just a thought, although a little gross.

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THis is a great subject!

Someone help me out. there is an old testament scripture that states that the life of man will be no more than 120 years old. After the flood this happened to be with a few exceptions.

one ot the reasons for this is found in the book The secret on arrat by tim lahaye. its a fictisious book with a little bit of scientific fact. it states that when the flood accured that there was another part of our atmosphere that was mostly water and a few other elements. when the "heavens" opened this layer was lost and the elements that were there that preserved life were gone. After doing some research on this it is a documented therory posed by some scientist.

I just wish I could find that scripture!

It was in genesis I think. the firmament in the heavens...

Gen. 1: 6-8, 14-15, 17, 20

6 ¶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Moses 2: 6-8, 14-15, 17, 20

6 And again, I, God, said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and it was so, even as I spake; and I said: Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it was done;

7 And I, God, made the firmament and divided the waters, yea, the great waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so even as I spake.

Firmament = expanse according to the references. God named the expanse heaven. so one could conclude there was water(not clouds, an actual layer of water) in the atmosphere. this has been used to possibly explain giants and longevity of life. supposedly because of the difference in pressure, things could grow a lot larger. I have heard, though not investigated, that scientist have grown things in a similar pressure and the result was that the things grew oversize etc.

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Unless I have any good reason to believe otherwise I would rather accept the Biblical account as accurate and if it says someone lived to be hundreds of years old I will believe it. How old was Sarah when she had Isaac? She knew she was well past child bearing age. If the months were being counted as years then wouldn't that have made her a bit of a lass?
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THis is a great subject!

Someone help me out. there is an old testament scripture that states that the life of man will be no more than 120 years old. After the flood this happened to be with a few exceptions.

one ot the reasons for this is found in the book The secret on arrat by tim lahaye. its a fictisious book with a little bit of scientific fact. it states that when the flood accured that there was another part of our atmosphere that was mostly water and a few other elements. when the "heavens" opened this layer was lost and the elements that were there that preserved life were gone. After doing some research on this it is a documented therory posed by some scientist.

I just wish I could find that scripture!

The scripture is this:

Genesis 6:

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

However, it does not refer to the age of men forever, but how long they'll live until the flood occurs.

This is clarified in Moses 8:

17 And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them.

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I don't think they did. I think it was a matter of symbolism, where the ages were a usage of gematria.

HiJolly

Ah, love reading your posts. Gematria is a word I had never heard before.

I would have thought these impossible ages were the creation of a fanciful imagination, perhaps equivalent to "there be dragons". In the second age of Middle Earth, the Numenorean Kings also are recorded to have lived exceedingly long lives. Of course there were dragons there, as well as Elves. :)

Here is an interesting Gematria tidbit I ran across while looking for a definition:

Gematria carried over into early Christianity which helped make the dove a representation of Jesus; the Greek word for dove, peristera, equals 801 as do the Greek letters in alpha and omega, which represent the Beginning and the End.

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Hi Skalenfehl.

I have a different interpretation....on The words of the Lord concerning the Elects...

"If it were possible. - They shall deceive the very elect."

It is not possible to deceive the very Elect.....The Lord is using this term to how how much the world is deceived. We are living the times described by the prophets...were men shall call good evil and evil good. - Where only a few shall have not have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. If I were to deliver the full truth on this ....they would ban me from this board.

Isaiah 24:5 - The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

They who have the Love of Christ within are the Elect of GOD and these will not allow anything from this world nor from the Spirit world to separate them from the Love of Christ.

-----------------------------------------------------

Romans 8:35 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:36 - As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Romans 8:37 - Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:38 - For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Romans 8:39 - Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As for long lives...the promises are for everyone....just as the grave.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [[This promise of Eternal life can be received in the flesh...ie Elijah, Enoch etc.]]

One of the blessings of God is having our days lengthtened:

Exodus 20:12 - Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Proverbs 3:1 - MY son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

Proverbs 3:2 - For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

Each man is given an set time on the earth. This time can be lengthtened or shortened by our thoughts, actions and words.

In the Odes of Solomon...if we become United with God in our lifetime we shall become immortal at the time it occurs. One does not need to go to the grave in order to receive the promises of Eternal Life. The fullness of the Gospel of Christ is about overcoming the world and the fall. - To be redeemed to our former state.

Peace be unto you

bert10

The days of old when the likes of Adam and Methuselah were alive, their days were lengthened for the benefit of their mortal probation and the replenishing the earth. In the last days our days are shortened because the love of man waxes cold and nobody would be saved if we lived long enough to survive widespread despair and rumors of wars. The very elect would be deceived. Things are hard enough right now. It's all happening even now. Just turn on CNN or Fox News Channel.

LDS.org - Ensign Article - These Are Your Days

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There is always the old explaination of "a day to the Lord is like 1000 years to us", and the Lord did say that they would die in the day they partook of the fruit.

The days of man were shortened after the flood.

Don't really know how that fits in, but it was an explaination given to me a long time ago.

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Genesis 6:

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

This is a bit which has always puzzled me. Why is there a distinction made between the daughters of men and the sons of God? It reads as if there are two races or even two species which are intermarrying.

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Bert, you might have misinterpreted my post. I made no indication of who exactly the elect were (only that it would be in the last days), although I might have inferred that those who lived in days of old weren't, which was not my intention. I only commented on the fact that in today's world (the last days) there is so much evil that it is not difficult for the very elect to be deceived (lose their way, their faith, their testimony, etc).

Matthew 24:24

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:22, 37

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This is a bit which has always puzzled me. Why is there a distinction made between the daughters of men and the sons of God? It reads as if there are two races or even two species which are intermarrying.

The Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis clears these verses:

Moses Chapter 8

13 And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God.

14 And when these men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that those daughters were fair, and they took them wives, even as they chose.

15 And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves; for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice.

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Hi Skanefehl - It is all related....Children of the Light shall have long life, health and prosperity. The Lord promise to them who would put the kingdom first in their life that all things shall be added to them. In Isaiah...God said...before they leave off from asking I will hear.

You are saying that in these latter days that it is easy to lose our way. It is not. though there may be times when we have to stop and listen even ask God to make the way clearer.... But mostly all things flows to us...either from the Light or from the darkness.More on this below (Isaiah 30:21). Anyone trying to walk by the BOM or Bible shall be deceived by Satan. Our wisdom and knowledge of those books and of the laws on what is right and wrong is simply not sufficient. It can never suffice and prevail against the gates of hell.

--------------------------------------------------------------

We all have crosses to bear....The symbology for the Cross is the post that rises from the ground and goes up straight to heaven. This is the symbology for the straight path....And in each of our life...we come to cross-roads where we can turn to the left [error] or we can turn to the right [zealousness].

I can say that the difference between the straight and the right or the left is like night and day. Isaiah taught what it would be like.

Isaiah 30:21 - And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

For them who have become the children of the Light...the things of darkness are made manifest and their view of what is of the Light and of the Darkness is made plain.

Hearing God in our heart is the Light we should walk by....It is also called the "Noon day sun" and below is the condemnation of the Lord to the elders who are not walking by the Greater Light. For to walk in darkness is to walk according to our light instead of that of God.

D&C 95:6 - They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day.

if it were possible to deceive the elect. But it is not. For nothing shall separate them from the Love of Christ unless they willingly and knowingly choose the darkness after knowing the Light. For these they are unable to be renewed unto repentance.

Let me know what you think.

Peace be unto you

bert10

Bert, you might have misinterpreted my post. I made no indication of who exactly the elect were (only that it would be in the last days), although I might have inferred that those who lived in days of old weren't, which was not my intention. I only commented on the fact that in today's world (the last days) there is so much evil that it is not difficult for the very elect to be deceived (lose their way, their faith, their testimony, etc).

Matthew 24:24

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:22, 37

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