> Off Topic Discussions
Interesting: why we have a short span of life
Gina:
I have an Amplified, too, and never saw that before. Are you saying the cumulative effects of man's sin down through the ages are what is causing mankind to die earlier than 120? Or the sin in the individual life of each believer and non-believer? Keep in mind that sin isn't what passed from man to man; it's death that passes from one man to the next. Are we being judged collectively as sinners, or individually? I'm pretty sure it's individually: Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Still, 70-80 years (on average) isn't too far a cry from 120 years.
Herbert Armstrong http://www.cogwriter.com/news/church-history/herbert-w-armstrong-died-23-years-ago/ was sinning up and down and all around--I'd even go so far as to say he was downright evil. And look at what age he died -- 93 and a half!
How come he lived as long as Ray's mother who was a very kindhearted woman?
Mao Zedong lived to 82. Pretty evil guy.
Saddam Hussein could have possibly lived much longer than his 69 years, we won't know since he was killed. But 69's not that short of a lifespan when you take into account all his evils.
If sin were the determining factor in a person's life expectancy then I think Saul (Apostle Paul) as murderous as he was ("chief" of all sinners) should have died at a very young age.
I don't believe that sin has any bearing on when a person dies. I believe it's all decided by God:
Job 14:5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with you, you have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
And how about those who lived before Adam -- they had much shorter life spans; and not only that but they lived before the law was given; and as we've been told, where there is no law there is no transgression of the law (Rom 4:15). So in effect, they, like the animals, didn't break any laws because there were no laws put in place to break; and therefore, they should have lived on average a long, long, long, long time. :D
I hope I don't sound like I'm nitpicking.
doug:
--- Quote from: Gina on June 17, 2012, 01:40:57 AM ---I have an Amplified, too, and never saw that before. Are you saying the cumulative effects of man's sin down through the ages are what is causing mankind to die earlier than 120? Or the sin in the individual life of each believer and non-believer? Keep in mind that sin isn't what passed from man to man; it's death that passes from one man to the next. Are we being judged collectively as sinners, or individually? I'm pretty sure it's individually: Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Still, 70-80 years (on average) isn't too far a cry from 120 years.
Herbert Armstrong http://www.cogwriter.com/news/church-history/herbert-w-armstrong-died-23-years-ago/ was sinning up and down and all around--I'd even go so far as to say he was downright evil. And look at what age he died -- 93 and a half!
How come he lived as long as Ray's mother who was a very kindhearted woman?
Mao Zedong lived to 82. Pretty evil guy.
Saddam Hussein could have possibly lived much longer than his 69 years, we won't know since he was killed. But 69's not that short of a lifespan when you take into account all his evils.
If sin were the determining factor in a person's life expectancy then I think Saul (Apostle Paul) as murderous as he was ("chief" of all sinners) should have died at a very young age.
I don't believe that sin has any bearing on when a person dies. I believe it's all decided by God:
Job 14:5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with you, you have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
And how about those who lived before Adam -- they had much shorter life spans; and not only that but they lived before the law was given; and as we've been told, where there is no law there is no transgression of the law (Rom 4:15). So in effect, they, like the animals, didn't break any laws because there were no laws put in place to break; and therefore, they should have lived on average a long, long, long, long time. :D
I hope I don't sound like I'm nitpicking.
--- End quote ---
No Gina!! ----- You aren't nitpicking!!! LOL I was fascinated by what Joel found in his Amplified bible for Psalm 90 and your contribution. Very interesting discussion! I had always thought that Psalm 90 inferred that God had "pegged" the longevity of mankind.... for all people... for all places.... for all time. Maybe that wasn't the case?
doug:
--- Quote from: indianabob on June 15, 2012, 01:07:21 PM ---
Plus our progenitors, had original revealed knowledge and intellect and physical attributes that would put to shame those of us who are the result of centuries of deterioration and genetic diseases.
--- End quote ---
Hi Bob,
Your's is a good assumption. I tend to think that this societies present knowledge is the accumulative effect of centuries of preserved recorded knowledge (but of course not God's Wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit being accumulative), and that is why imo we are as advanced to the point we are today. You wipe out most of the recorded scientific knowledge (natural disasters, war etc.) and we would be back to "square one"! I, like you, believe early man was far more intelligent than we are today as evidenced by the many ancient unexplainable structures still standing. Scientists are baffled as to the how and why.
Gina:
I don't know about that, Doug. ;)
Was Jesus impressed with Job's knowledge? (Job was a Pharoah who built pyramids.)
Anything built with a foundation that expansive would be pretty hard to topple over -- pyramids aren't exactly top-heavy. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm
Was Jesus impressed with those who built those stone temples?
ha, ha, You guys remind me of this verse: Mark 13:1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Our ancestors (before Adam) didn't live past 20, 30, 40 years on average. They couldn't have been that intelligent.
What about the Redwood trees? They were made by God, have been around thousands of years, and are still alive. http://listverse.com/2011/07/30/10-magnificent-living-trees/ Those pyramids and other structures have no life in them at all).
Mat. 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take you thought for clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Jesus basically said Solomon's glory paled in comparison to the lilies of the field. HA! Wow! What a compliment! (And Solomon wasn't stupid!)
And Jesus was basically saying that all the cumulative/collective knowledge we may have acquired down through the ages will never be enough to add one cubit to our stature (or life).
Who can add one cubit to his stature by taking thought? Jesus didn't think they were very smart.
Still, this is a fascinating discussion. Thanks for allowing me to post my thoughts.
Kat:
There are many ideas out there to try to explain how God brought about the reduction of the lifespan from Adam's generation: the diets of the time; a change in the biochemical nature of humans, speeding up programmed cell death (apoptosis); the flood caused a 'genetic bottleneck' which limited the gene pool; harsher environment after the flood; etc. Whatever the cause it seems clear to me that God had pre-determined for this and brought it about according to His time table exactly as He wanted it to be.
http://creationwiki.org/File:Life_Spans_Before_and_After_Flood.PNG
It seems evident to me that God has also prevented the accumulation of worldly knowledge and it's spread to a great extent over the centuries. One way was limiting mankind's interaction since Babel, spreading us out over the earth. Up until resent yrs there was not a quick or easy ways to communicate across the miles, to share knowledge. Then think of all the wars that brought destruction of invaluable sources of knowledge, one was the Library of Alexandria and all its contents (vase collection of scrolls said to contain much known knowledge around the world), it burned sometime around the first or second century AD. You can only imagine what was lost during the Dark Ages and the cultural and economic deterioration that occurred at that time. All these things may have hindered the continuation of some knowledge being passed on, but I do not believe that it would have been the reasons for the dramatic shortened lifespan.
But we can see that at this time knowledge is been permitted to increase at an expedient rate, obviously also pre-determined to be so. Instant communication in most cases, doesn't everybody have a cell phone :) Travel carries us to great distances in relative short time periods... what would peopel from the pass think of jet planes or fast cars for that matter. The biggest means may be the internet though, it is a tremendous means for most anybody to research, exchange and spread information/knowledge and it most certainly came about exactly when and how it did by God's will.
Dan 12:4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
mercy, peace and love
Kat
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version