“End Of An Age”

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

     Why did people in the Bible live so long? I have heard that after the Flood, it changed the climate dramatically, therefore having a huge impact on humans.  I was just curious what the real answer is or if it is just a ‘best guess’ kind of thing.

Sincerely,
Older By The Minute

Dear Older By The Minute,

There is no specific answer as to why God allowed the age of man to deteriorate down to seventy to eighty years (Ps 90:10) from the hundreds of years that people lived during the pre-Flood era, but many creation scientists attribute the drop to genetic degradation.  As mankind’s genetic pool has deteriorated from the perfect specimens of Adam and Eve, the length of our lives has suffered.  At least, that is one theory.

Think of it this way, Adam and Eve were the most healthy, well-made humans ever.  They were genetic royalty!  Everyone since them has been just a little less perfect.  That is the way genetics work.  Slowly over time, genetic mutations (like hemophilia, Down's Syndrome, etc.) have crept into the genetic code of mankind, and other genetic traits have been lost.  This slow process of erosion has brought us to the point where we are today.  Our bodies are genetically inferior to the earlier generations of mankind, and consequently, can't survive as long.  As you said, another factor may simply be that the post-Flood world is harsher than the pre-Flood world, and that has added to our shortened lifespans.

Like you said, there isn't a definitive answer – it's more of a ‘best guess’ thing.

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