The British Rock Group, Queen, released a song in 1986 titled, “Who Wants to Live Forever?” That song begins:
“There’s no time for us,
There’s no place for us,
What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us.
Who wants to live forever,
Who wants to live forever…..?
There’s no chance for us,
It’s all decided for us,
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.”
Is it possible for a human to live forever? Let’s make the question more reasonable. Is it possible for a human to live to be 200 years old? It is if you believe what the Bible says about how long people lived in the past. In Genesis five, the bible says that Adam lived 950 years, Seth lived 912, Jared lived 962 years, and Methuselah lived 969 years. Some people say that time was figured differently, but a careful reading of scripture shows that the time was kept similarly to how we keep it. There may have been slight variations because of using lunar cycles instead of solar cycles but this is not enough of a difference to discount the lifespans given in Genesis five.
Modern researchers believe that not only is it possible for people to live much longer than we currently live, but go so far as to claim that “The first person to live to be 200[1] years old , even 1,000 years old is certainly alive today …whether they realize it or not, barring accidents and suicide, most people now 40 years or younger can expect to live for centuries.[2] ” Reading various articles on the internet shows that many people not only believe that it will be possible to live hundreds of years, but that many researchers are already working on projects to encourage rejuvenation in cells with human trials planned in the near future.[3] Some scientists are looking at telomeres which are sequences of DNA on the ends of chromosomes. These telomores protect our genetic data and a disruption in these keeps the cell from dividing so it dies.[4] The thought is that if a way to keep these telomeres from being used up is found, a person could possibly live untold hundreds of years.
The bottom line is that many scientists believe there is no reason why man shouldn’t be able to live much, much longer than the current 70 to 100 years we currently live. The truth is, man was originally created to live forever and it was only because of sin that God graciously limited man’s time on this earth. Can you imagine living forever in a sin-filled world with no relief from it? Imagine evil people being allowed to live for thousands of years propagating their evil. The good news is that one day, God will allow us to live forever but sin will have been eliminated. Methuselah’s 969 years will seem to be a drop in the bucket compared to eternity in heaven. All it takes is to be “born again.”
When Jesus said in Matthew 4:17, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” He was telling the people that they needed to change their attitude toward God and sin. He was telling them to turn away from sin and turn toward God. Jesus knew what God’s plan was, He was in on the plan. Jesus knew that in just three short years He would offer up His life in place of our lives. In other words, He would die in our place. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory. In Romans 6:23, the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, BUT, that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. All we must do is repent, confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead and we will be saved – eternal life. This is the good news!
Back to the question the rock group, Queen, asks. “Who wants to live forever?” I do, but I don’t want to settle for a possible few hundred years of life with certain death eventually coming? I want eternal life and God has made it possible for me through Christ Jesus and I’ve grabbed onto it. How about you? Why not go for eternal life in Jesus Christ today?
[1] http://ktwop.com/2012/12/27/the-first-200-year-old-human-has-already-been-born/. Accessed on 01/21/2016.
[2] http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/03/can-humans-live.html. Accessed on 01/21/2016.
[3] http://www.newsmax.com/SciTech/aging-researchers-immortality-Aubrey-de-Grey/2015/04/16/id/638926/. Accessed on 01/21/2016.
