The technological advancements in our world today are mind boggling. I still stand in amazement as I watch a passenger airliner take off from the ground, or observe my children playing virtual games with friends (over 700 miles away) on an iPad. We live in an amazing time of scientific and technological advancements. From space exploration, to anticipated defense programs like a possible new Space Force, to robotics, to life-saving medical treatments, to quantum computing that will likely make our present technology feel like ancient relics from the past— sometimes we wonder where, when, and if it is going to stop!
But in the midst of all of this progress, and as remarkable as it all is, there is no medical or scientific discovery of greater practical significance than the cure for human aging. By far.
Did you know that roughly 150,000 people die every day across the world, and about two-thirds of these people die from aging-related causes? That’s 100,000 people. Every day. (Think about the size of many American football stadiums to get a pretty good picture of that enormous number of people. Again— every day.) In industrialized nations the proportion of deaths from aging-related causes reach up to 90%. Is it possible that “aging” as we know it actually is a disease, and that there could be a cure for this disease?
Well, there are certainly a lot of groups out there who think so, and more than most people realize. The amount of work and money that is going into aging research today is quite astonishing, especially since many people today would consider a cure for aging to be a completely “bizarre” idea. Some in the scientific community are pioneering the way forward in this “too bizarre to be true” idea, and are expecting a cure for aging to be discovered within the next few decades. Groups such as the 250-staff-member Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Calico (backed and financed by Alphabet, the parent company of Google), SENS Research Foundation founded by Dr. Aubrey de Grey, the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research which identifies as “sixteen of the world’s brightest and most distinguished gerontologists…”, and I could go on. I have included here a Global Longevity Landscape chart from 2017 to give you a better idea of the amount of research going into this question of aging.
But even with all of these groups and scientists working on this “age old” issue, they all have a real problem— and it’s a problem that sets them apart from the work of Aardsma Research and Publishing and Dr. Gerald Aardsma— they have no observational data. (At least they don’t think they do.) At Aardsma Research, we believe we certainly do.
So here’s a very basic and brief science review; something we all probably learned in grade school. Scientific discoveries usually result from scientific observation. In science, it is necessary to make observations in order to prove or disprove a hypothesis, using what we call the scientific method. This is the process of hypothesizing, predicting, testing, and concluding based on one’s observations.
But do we actually have observations, or even records, of anyone living much longer lifespans than we do today? All of the research groups mentioned earlier would emphatically say, “No.” They do not believe there have ever been any humans in the observable past who have lived significantly longer lifespans than we do today. And this certainly is a disadvantage to the cause. While some great progress and discovery has been made by these groups, there is a lot of groping about in the darkness as to the actual cause of human aging.
However, here at ARP, we emphatically say, “Yes.” We do have real-world observational data, from history, of people who lived much longer lifespans than we do today. And we have had this data in our hands for a very long time— an ancient document we call Genesis. And if these records in Genesis are true and literal… they are absolutely invaluable to mankind.
The longevity thesis from Dr. Aardsma has its roots in the book of Genesis. Bringing Genesis into the lifespan question is unique to Aardsma Research, and this is what sets the work here apart from others. The Genesis data have turned out to be the key to understanding the cause and cure for aging. Observational data can be gathered from the most ancient historical document available to mankind, which records lifespans far in excess of what we see as normal today— humans living in excess of 900 years.
Taking a literal and honest view of Genesis is invaluable in science, and taking an honest and high view of science is invaluable in building our faith in and having a proper understanding of Genesis. It is God’s word and it is God’s world. And, contrary to modern belief, these things are not at war with each other. They may be at war with our own pre-conceived ideas, but they are certainly not at war with each other. What the world desperately needs are some honest, humble, open-minded truth seekers who will not be guided by pre-conceived ideas. If the Bible is actually God’s real word, it will ultimately be shown to be true in God’s real world. Those who have truth ultimately have nothing to fear. Christianity really isn’t a cult. And true science isn’t either.
“It is God’s word and it is God’s world. And, contrary to modern belief, these things are not at war with each other. They may be at war with our own pre-conceived ideas, but they are certainly not at war with each other.”
Many who are already Bible believers need to have a sort of wake up call. And I have a timeline that I think can at least assist in doing just that. In Genesis chapters 5 and 11 we have real-world observational data of how long men can and did live (and love and play and build and dream)— real lives, in excess of 900 years.
“And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” (Did you see that? That’s 930 years.)
“And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve (Don’t let that slip past, that was 912 years.)
“And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.” (That was 905 years— not weeks or months, but years.)
“And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.” (Yep, it says 910 years. That 9 is in the hundred’s place.)
“And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.” (Young fellow, only lived 895 years.)
“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.” (Longest one in the data list, a whopping 969 years!)
We will stop here with the observational data. But anyone is welcome to go to the source and see the data for yourself. Not only the lifespan data, but the dramatic decline in lifespans. You can also read about the event that caused the decline— Noah’s flood.
Now, as familiar as we are with these verses, have you ever considered that these accounts show us the reality that men were actually created by God to live much longer than 70 or 80 years? In addition to that, something else recently dawned on me. Look at the span of time since the creation of the world that men were experiencing this kind of longevity. I put a timeline together to illustrate this. Take a good look at this, and let it sink in for a few minutes.
According to the biblical data, mankind was living well beyond one hundred years of age for nearly one-third of human history. Sometimes we forget about the prolonged period of time covered by the book of Genesis.
Now, let me go a little bit further. On our timeline above, we stopped at Jacob, whom the Bible records dying at the very young age (in relation to his predecessors) of 147 years old. (Jacob would have likely been in his early 90’s when he fathered Joseph. In Genesis 47 there is a fascinating conversation between Jacob and Pharaoh, concerning the years of Jacob’s life. Side note: Pharaoh was likely concerned about the declining lifespans, and took time to question this patriarch from another region about how old he was.) But we can continue to extend our longevity highlight on our timeline if we go even further in the Bible, through the account of the Exodus. Here we see Aaron dying at 123 years of age, Miriam at 126 years (anyone living to these ages today would be studied by every gerontologist who could get their hands on them!), Moses at 120 (who did not die of natural causes, but whose life was taken by God), and Joshua at 110. These observational data are now added into our timeline, below.
According to Genesis, for well over one-third of human history mankind experienced far greater longevity than we do today. Although there is much more that could be said here, the point of this article is simply that the Genesis record, taken at face value, shows immediately that modern human “aging” should not automatically be considered “normal” for the human body. We may be engulfed by a misconception. If we take biblical history seriously, should we then conclude that average death at 75 is not as normal for humans as we might think?
It’s interesting that man experienced longevity for one-third of human history. Interesting again that God seems to be setting things in motion for man to live a long time once again.