How long can Humans live?

Submitted by Alan Marsden on Wed, 05/10/2016 - 21:45

Scientists working at the journal Nature have just concluded that humans can only live to 115. Better food supplies, medical advances and general conditions have resulted in major extensions of human longevity over the past century. A man in 1891 might expect to live until 45; in 2011, 79. Yet there has been no corresponding increase in people living beyond 105. Researchers therefore conclude that 115 is the natural barrier or ceiling, despite all our advances. There is always the odd exception; Jeanne Calmen of France was 122 when she died in 1997. She's as exceptional now as she was 19 years ago. If Nature is correct, it will be just as remarkable an achievement in a hundred years time.  

Genesis 6:3 says Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” This latest scientific research merely confirms what the Bible has said for millennia; in 1891 living to 120 would have seemed hugely implausible. In 2016, it's perfectly plausible, yet still barely achievable. At the time of Noah, God determined that the sinful activity of each human would terminate no later than a century and a fifth. This was a gracious decision; although death results in grief, it limits our propensity for cruelty, bitterness and selfishness.
 
Psalm 90:10 states The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. This is a description of the more typical human lifespan. Again, David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, pronounced our average longevity. 
 
James 4:14 reminds us that even if we live to a ripe old age, our existence is minuscule relative to eternity: Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Jeanne Calmen may be the world's oldest verifiable person, but she's as long-gone now as everyone else. 

This scientific study, however, missed the point. This is the truth: every human who ever lived is still alive. Their bodies are long gone or in the process of going, but their spirits, by which I mean their consciousness, personality, intelligence and memories, are still entirely intact. Matthew 25:46 declares 'And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'
 
You WILL outlive your body. You WILL live forever. The manner and place in which you will live is decided by your response to the gospel.