In the bible it says that they were people who lived up to 1,000 or so years....

[gurlygurl2004]

I'm not sure if I believe this literately happened. First off science, history, and evolutionary studies have shown that in early human history all the way up to modern times (18th century and beyond) people rarely lived passed the age of 40.

And I have a theory of why (despite some people's ability and demonstration that shows we can live past 100) we have preteens and teens who go through puberty and have sexual urges before they are considered old enough to be an adult or to marry. Also maybe the inspiration behind most country's decision to make the age of adulthood between ages 16-21.

It's kind of like we as a modern society are moving in the opposite direction of our ancestors normal impulses and at the same time holding onto them instinctly.

How this applies to the bible is that if there really were people in the ancient world living to 1,000 wouldn't we as a modern society already have a natural impulse to go through puberty at a later date (like maybe after the age of 20); and maybe up the consenting age to 30 or more? What do you think?

[Sesen]

:hmmmmm: ....I think the bible says a lot of things that shouldn't be taken literally, just like any other spiritual text. I haven't given it much thought before, but the numbers given for peoples ages in genesis could have kabbalistic meaning. Since this is the Christian witchcraft forum that might be something you would be interested in looking into since the old testament is Hebraic in origin and Kabbalah is part of the mystical aspect of that religion. Or maybe not, Im not really sure what Christian witchcraft is......but it may prove interesting none the less.

[Rudas Starblaze]

i was gonna get all scientific with an explaination since my brother is a researcher/speaker/office manager for the worlds largest christian scientific organization and ive had it explained to me, but i chose not to...

(yeah, ironic eh, a Negative Magic & Satanism forum guide knowing the scientific stuff behind christianity too!) lol

look up Genisis 1 vrs. 6-8 and think about what the oxygen levels and greater gravity would have been like and why oxygen is essentual for long life and what the world would have been like with a mysterious body of water surrounding the entire earth ABOVE sky and the waters below. (which also explains where the water would have come from during the great flood.) ;)

[LostSheep]

This is quite interesting, as an attempt to explain it from a fairly literalist point of view (their "mission statement" says
We DO NOT believe that a Christian should have anything to do with Halloween, astrology, dowsing, ouija boards, Reiki, Shamanism, people who claim to communicate with the dead, (See The Occult and Psychics section) the likes of Harry Potter or any other kind of psychic phenomena. so that's the kind of position they're coming from)

(bad harry ...)

http://www.inplainsite.org/html/methusela_lived_how_long_.html

[ancestral_lee]

look up Genisis 1 vrs. 6-8 and think about what the oxygen levels and greater gravity would have been like and why oxygen is essentual for long life and what the world would have been like with a mysterious body of water surrounding the entire earth ABOVE sky and the waters below. (which also explains where the water would have come from during the great flood.) ;)

however, oxygen is toxic in greater concentrations to humans. it forms free radicals in the body which are harmful and lead to diseases such as cancers. hence why antioxidants are a big thing these days nutrition wise.

now, as to that canopy of water.... well, with that much water in the sky above us as vapour the earth would be an oven. water vapour is extremely good at creating a greenhouse environment. then of course you have to ask yourself where it all went.

my advice, treat the bible as a metaphor. not as a literal truth.

leave the bible for spiritual matters and science for scientific ones.

[Faol-chù]

It could well be that years were reckoned differently. I know that at one point, the Jews (and a lot of other cultures) reckoned there to be 2 years in what we reckon to be 1. I've often considered that they could have been reckoning a 'year' to be one cycle of the moon.

I think that would explain a lot...

Also, it is very true that the numbers involved have some specific meaning. I know the number 40 is quite auspicious.
Consider, also, the fact that in Hebrew, each letter has a corresponding number. That could suggest further that there is some sort of symbol involved.

[Faol-chù]

I'm not sure if I believe this literately happened. First off science, history, and evolutionary studies have shown that in early human history all the way up to modern times (18th century and beyond) people rarely lived passed the age of 40.

And I have a theory of why (despite some people's ability and demonstration that shows we can live past 100) we have preteens and teens who go through puberty and have sexual urges before they are considered old enough to be an adult or to marry. Also maybe the inspiration behind most country's decision to make the age of adulthood between ages 16-21.

It's kind of like we as a modern society are moving in the opposite direction of our ancestors normal impulses and at the same time holding onto them instinctly.

How this applies to the bible is that if there really were people in the ancient world living to 1,000 wouldn't we as a modern society already have a natural impulse to go through puberty at a later date (like maybe after the age of 20); and maybe up the consenting age to 30 or more? What do you think?

As far as our "natural impulses"...I don't think that the "early" puberty and other issues are necessarily "going against" anything. I don't think they are the same as they ever were, I don't think they are the same as they will be, and I don't think that they are necessarily the same as they are in other places in the world RIGHT NOW.

I think that such things are determined by what we are born with, as well as our surroundings, and as well as what our individual will (as potentially influenced by what we are born with and our surroundings) determine them to be.

In short, I think we have more willful impact on 'evolution' than we often like to acknowledge.

[Shaw]

Two people in the bible were punished with immortality. So if the Xian God favored you you might live 1000 years, Adam and Eve had many many children not just Cain and Able. Don't forget Enoch who was made immortal and transfigured into an angel, strike that not an angel THE Angel, Metatron(Voice of God).

[nido]

Doesnt the statement about 1000yr old people teach you anything CG? At the very best the bible is a book of well meant stories or fables, some have meanings but not literal mere guidelines!