Do We Want to Live Forever?

Futuristic thinking about possible medical advances brings an interesting dilemma: Is living longer really better?

This intriguing question was recently posed in a major American newsweekly. " If we could live forever, would we really want to? " (Jonathan Weiner, Newsweek , "The Trouble With Immortality," July 5, 2010, emphasis added throughout). Clearly some intellectuals feel that immortal life would eventually become boring. One late author observed: "After all, there is such a thing as life-saturation: the point when everything is pure effort and total repetition."

Solely from a human viewpoint, perhaps there is a grain of validity to this thinking. King Solomon wrote: "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
See All...). Septuagenarians and octogenarians may have to use their God-given imaginations to make human life perpetually interesting. The most important thing is a daily relationship with our Creator. Remember the prayer of Moses: "Satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! " (Psalm 90:14O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
See All...).

Been there, done that

The Newsweek essay addresses the potential for an extra-long human lifespan: " Thousand-year lives would be the ultimate in conservation . We might even grow up faster as a species if we lived long enough to pay the price for our species's sins in our own skins." But the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. tells us that this 1,000-year life span has already been tried. Men and women in the world before the Flood of Noah's time often lived for 900 years and more. See the genealogy in Genesis chapter 5.

The price for their many sins was duly paid with suffering and death. The ultimate result was that all but eight persons perished in a global flood. The extra years only hardened the old world's addiction to evil—becoming worse and worse as the decades rolled by (Genesis 6:5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
See All..., 12). After the Flood, God mercifully but gradually shortened the human life span to the normal 70 or 80 years spoken of in Psalm 90:10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
See All.... Only in very recent decades have more and more people begun to live to 100 years of age and more.

The Newsweek article expressed our longed-for wishes. "We want a good long life. We also want a good life." The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. promises human beings an abundant, continually interesting life, but ultimately in a totally different dimension— not in the human flesh. God promises us a new spirit body (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 [51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
[53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
[54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

See All...). His Word plainly tells us that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (verse 50).

Both men and women were created in God's image so we could enjoy everlasting life with Him in His divine family (Genesis 1:26-27 [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

See All...; 1 John 3:1-2 [1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

See All...). But first we have to both learn and live by His spiritual values while in the human flesh.

Joy, not boredom

One thing is certain. God has never been bored! Disobedience to His law remains the unrealized source of human boredom. Keeping God's commandments (defined as righteousness, see Psalm 119:172My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
See All...) produces the opposite effect.

The apostle Paul summed up God's overall assessment of King DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical.'s life in Acts 13:22And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
See All...: "I have found DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will ." What is the ultimate result of this way of life? DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. looked forward to eternal fellowship with God. He wrote: "In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
See All...).

The fulfillment of this passage will happen at the time of the resurrection. "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness" (Psalm 17:15As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
See All...). Death is a sleep from which we awake when God resurrects us.

Some 3,000 years ago a Middle Eastern patriarch asked this fundamental question: "If a man dies, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
See All...). Is immortality really possible for human beings? Is everlastingly abundant, perpetually interesting immortal life written into our destiny? God says it is! To more fully understand both how and why from the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ., request in print or download our free booklets What Is Your Destiny? and What Happens After Death?