Did Adam really live 930 years? Did Methuselah live 969 years? The answer is “yes” and we have much evidence that they did. If you take the ages of those in Genesis chapter 5, you will see that living over 900 years was common. According to the Bible, this age was drastically reduced after the flood to 120 years and then, at the time of David, to 70 years, where it stands today. We now have some very convincing evidence that the Bible is literally true concerning these ages.

Consider the dinosaurs, how big they were; some were 120 feet long and probably weighed more than 100 tons. Dinosaur fossils have been found within miles of the South Pole. This is interesting for two reasons: (1) the South Pole is very cold and has very little vegetation; and (2) the South Pole is on an island. Also, we know that the dinosaurs had very small nostrils (about the size of a horses nostrils) and very long wind pipes, some as long as 30 feet. If we consider this information, it is obvious that the world has changed in several ways since the day of the dinosaurs. We can safely conclude:

The world climate has changed

The sea level has changed

The food supply in the early world was more abundant

The oxygen in the early world was richer

If we understand the 6-day creation, we can provide scientific evidence for our conclusions:

Genesis 1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. (Note: the firmament is where the birds fly as described in Genesis 1:20)

Genesis 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:6  But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

So, the climate was different; there was water above the firmament (sky) that formed a canopy. The canopy increasee atmospheric pressure resulting in higher concentrations of oxygen.and would also protect the earth from harmful UV and X-ray radiation.  Also, this canopy along with the mist would be perfect for raising fruit and vegetables, much like a greenhouse with a mist system. The canopy was destroyed during the flood and its water, along with the water from under the crust of the earth,  raised sea level to the point where most of the planet is covered with water and we can no longer walk from one continent to another.

Genesis 10:25  To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan.

Note: This scripture, in my opinion, is a record of the end of the ice age when the waters rose to the point where we now have the seven continents.

We have found that elevated atmospheric pressure is good for healing. Barometric chambers are used in many hospitals as a medical treatment for healing. They are expensive and we don’t know the long term effects of the elevated pressure, but we do know that they are used successfully for healing many wounds and diseases. Many athletes and soldiers use these chambers for healing of injuries. Please Google hyperbaric chambers and read about them. According to the University of Pennsylvania, and others, there is evidence that these hyperbaric chambers stimulate the release of stem cells, and we know the benefits of stem cells. Hyperbaric therapy is an area of much medical interest.

So, if we put all of this information together, we see that length of life before the flood could easily be much longer than the present life span. Here are the reasons:

1. Very few genetic mutations (closer to the “very good” original creation)

2. Protection from UV and X-ray radiation (Canopy effect)

3. Abundant food (Canopy, greenhouse effect)

4. Increased oxygen supply (increased atmospheric pressure)

5. More active stem cells (stimulation of progenitor stem cells)

In summary, we should believe the Word of God by faith, but we also should have answers for those with questions. Man did live nearly 1000 years before the flood and now we know why. Dear friends and children; love faith and truth. The Bible is true and can be trusted.