Published by admin on 14 Oct 2006 at 09:57 pm
HOW LONG CAN WE LIVE?
People often wonder how long we can live. Modern medicine thinks they have made great strides in adding years to our lives, yet many people die way too soon. Psalm 90:10-11 says “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” So for that, many believe our years are limited to 80. And it would seem by looking around that’s pretty much it. But is it?
A couple weeks ago I was watching a well known minister on TV teaching on how we should believe God for 120 years to live, because Genesis 6:3 says we can have 120 years, and it was cited for the evidence. It says, “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.” Well, OK, that sounds better, I like 120 years better than 80. I started getting excited about that extra 40 years. I got to talking about it to God, and the Holy Spirit witnessed to me the following: “I didn’t limit man’s live to 80 years, or to 120 years. Let every word be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses.” There’s one witness for the 70-80 years, so it can’t stand as doctrine. David was just making a lamentation about life. There’s one witness for the 120 years, so it can’t stand either. He went on to teach me why: When God got fed up with the wickedness of mankind, He said He was going to put an end to it. Let’s read Genesis 6:1-8, “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 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. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children unto them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air: for it repenteth Me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
Verse 13 says, “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence though them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” You know the rest of the story I hope. God told Noah to build an ark, which he did. That took 100 years. Apparently it was 120 years from when God said “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth….” until He destroyed them with the flood. In essence, God was saying, They’ve got 120 more years to live, and they’re going to die. I hate it when people teach the Bible to others when they haven’t researched what they’re teaching.
Far, far too many years I accepted for the truth the teachings of ministers who got their teachings from someone who got them from someone else. Let me tell you, if you get it from me, I’ve personally researched it. It is written in James 3:1, “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” I know I’m responsible for what I teach, so I do it with great fear and trembling before God. In fact, I don’t want you to take my word for what I teach. PLEASE ! Search the scriptures for yourself! Don’t fall into the trap of accepting every teaching that comes down the pike and end up with lots of “garbage” for doctrinal truth. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES DAILY!
Consider what the Word said about letting every word be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses. If man only had a 120 year life span after the flood, why did Noah live 350 years after the flood? Noah begat three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth who were born to him after the flood; Shem lived 602 years, his son Arphaxad lived 438 years. Nothing is said of the lifetime of Ham and Japheth that I can find. Going down to later generations, Terah, the father of Abram (Abraham) lived to be 205 years old. Abraham lived to 175 years. Ishmael lived 137 years, Isaac 180 years. Jacob lived 147 years, Moses 120, Aaron 123 years. It seems after Moses that man’s life span was not much over 120, but yet today we have those who live over 120 years, not many, but some. Did God wait until Moses’ generation to limit man’s life to 120 years? Could be. But, it is not specifically written so.
I like to look for the two or three witnesses from the Word. So what limits man’s life span? It appears to me, just as before the flood, the longer man lives upon the earth, the more wicked he becomes. Life seemed to be fairly long after the flood, but as sin multiplied upon the face of the earth, life shortened. Sin must have something to do with length of life. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself. As a result, His life was only 33 years as far as we know. He who knew no sin became sin that we could live forever. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are now free from the law of sin and death. And if He isn’t, this is a good time to change that! Ask Jesus into your heart right now if you haven’t already. In Psalm 91, the Lord said, “He shall call upon Me and I will answer him. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
How long can we live? 80 years? 120 years? Why limit yourself to 120 years? Why not live long and be satisfied? Then go home and be with the Lord forever.