How Old Is Old Age?

ARTHUR BRISBANE, a noted newspaper columnist of his day, repeated the assertion on several occasions that “what man can imagine he can do.” This is not literally true, but the statement comes to mind in connection with a recent well displayed news item reporting the opinion of certain scientists who claim that if a fraction of the money now being spent on atom bombs to destroy life was devoted to research to discover ways of prolonging life, it would be entirely possible that our great grandchildren might well live to be 800 years old, and some of them 2,200 years old. One scientist, Dr. Thomas S. Gardner, of Rutherford, New Jersey, says that “barring accident and atomic war my daughter may well live to be 120.”

Such a development, however, would, as viewed by statisticians, present problems of its own. For example, if within a few years the life span of human beings should be increased to 120 years, and nothing interfered with propagation, it would mean that by the year 1990 the population of the United States alone might well be nearly one billion. And unless seven generations crowd into a one-family home, five times the present housing would be needed. Think of the home building program that would mean! Again, unless people were willing to spend an average of fifty-five years on old-age pensions, it would be necessary for our educational system at least to be doubled in order to train “oldsters” for new careers. And many other problems would arise.

When viewed in the light of the Bible, however, these statements of the scientists are not nearly so fantastic as they might seem. When God created our first parents and provided a garden home for them “eastward in Eden” nothing was said to indicate that they would ever die, unless they disobeyed divine law. And despite their subsequent disobedience and banishment from their garden home, Adam lived 930 years. Practically all their progeny up until the time of the Deluge lived to be several hundred years old. Methuselah, who died in the year of the flood, reached the ripe old age of 969.

After the Deluge the life span began to shorten, although Noah lived 350 years after the Flood, and died at the age of 950. Abraham lived to be 175. Later, however, the Scriptures speak of the years of man as being three score and ten—or seventy—suggesting the possibility of some attaining a slightly greater age than this. And it is this general standard of old age to which the world has been accustomed for a long time. Almost universally today, those who are past seventy are spoken of as living on “borrowed time.”

While we may not take seriously the scientists’ prophecy that our great grandchildren will live to be 800 years old, it is well to remember what has already occurred within the lifetime of our generation. Fifty years ago the average length of life in the so-called civilized world was thirty-three years. Now it is sixty-five. True, this average has been raised to some extent by reducing the mortality rate among the infants and children; but it has also been increased all along the line. Medical science is constantly finding ways to cope more successfully with the various diseases which kill us off, and many of them have been well nigh conquered.

Science has known for a long time that there is no such thing as a “natural lifetime” for human beings. In other words, there is nothing inherent in man which, by nature, demands that he must die at a certain age, or, in fact, that he must die at all. This viewpoint is fully in harmony with facts set forth in the Word of God, which reveals that man, while now a dying creature, was not created for such a destiny. Man now dies because he became a sinner, that is, a transgressor against God’s law, the penalty for which is death. The great theme song of the Bible is that God has made provision to set aside the penalty of death which came upon the race because of sin, and to give all mankind an opportunity to live forever.

All who have studied the Bible—even those who have but a nodding acquaintance with it—know that in its pages are contained many promises of eternal life. Few, however, have realized that these promises have any bearing on the prospect of the human life span being increased, or made eternal; but many promises do. Yes, many promises of the Bible assure us that what the scientists are working for today—their hope that the time will come when people will live to be hundreds of years old—will actually come to pass. In fact, the hopes of the scientists come far short of what the reality will be, for God’s plan is that the human race will be restored to perfection and live forever.

That it is the divine purpose to restore the human race to the perfection which was lost because of original sin and the willing and obedient live everlastingly on the earth, is one of the fundamental teachings of the Word of God. However, the vast majority who read the Bible overlook this fact and attempt to spiritualize the many promises of God which give us this assurance. The result of this is that every promise of eternal life which is recorded in the Bible is construed to mean eternal life in heaven as angelic beings. But this is an erroneous application of many of the precious promises of the Word of God.

It is true enough that the Bible does contain promises of everlasting life in heaven, as spiritual beings, but these promises do not apply to the human race in general; for they are made exclusively to the footstep followers of Jesus—promises which assure these that if they remain true to their Lord, proving faithful even unto death, they will not only share everlastingly a heavenly home with him, but will be associate rulers with him during the thousand years of his kingdom reign here on earth. The divine arrangement for this class which is willing to suffer and die for the cause of Christ, is styled a “heavenly calling.”—Heb. 3:1

To these Jesus made a wonderful personal promise, saying that when he returned at his second advent he would gather them to himself, that they might be with him—“that where I am, there ye may be also,” are his exact words. (John 14:3) These, throughout the age, have not, as many have mistakenly supposed, at death gone immediately to heaven to be with Jesus. The Scriptures explain that this heavenly reward is not extended to faithful Christians until after the Master’s second advent, and that then it is necessary that they be raised from the dead. The awakening of these from the sleep of death is described in Revelation 20:4,6, as the “first resurrection,” and we are told that those who are brought forth from death in the first resurrection shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years.

However, the fact that the bringing forth of the church from death is described as the “first” resurrection indicates clearly that there is to be another resurrection, and so the Scriptures clearly teach; and those who are to be raised from the dead in the after resurrection are to be given the opportunity of living forever right here on the earth as human beings.

So we see that the Bible also surpasses the dreams of the scientists in that it assures us not only that those living at the time when Christ becomes the recognized King of earth shall live forever if they are obedient to the laws of that kingdom, but also that those who have died throughout the ages of the past are to be awakened from death and likewise given an opportunity to live forever. And shall we doubt the ability of the Creator to fulfill his promises to give everlasting life to those who accept Christ and obey the laws of his kingdom? Surely not, for if human wisdom has reached the point where, as now imagined by the scientists, it seems almost possible to conquer the disease of old age, surely the One who created life, and knows its secret, is abundantly able to accomplish his purpose toward his human creation. One of the precious promises to this effect is John 3:16, which states that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The reason the simplicity and beauty of God’s promises of everlasting life on earth have been overlooked by so many is that the superstitions of the Dark Ages have beclouded so much of the truth concerning death and the hope of life after death. According to these traditions of the past, death did not mean death, but rather, conscious punishment in a literal lake of fire and brimstone. Destruction also meant torment, and to perish meant to be consigned to a place of eternal torture. According to these superstitions, everlasting life meant to escape from eternal torture in a fiery hell. Naturally, with these erroneous views in mind, one would not be in a position to understand and appreciate the reality of God’s promises to give eternal human life to all of mankind who, during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom, when the truth is revealed to them, accept the provision of God’s grace through the blood of Christ and obey its righteous laws.

Today, the human race is faced with a living room problem, which, while not seriously acute for the present generation is certain to become so within the next century or two, and especially if the scientists find a way to lengthen materially the present span of human life. In view of this, one naturally raises the question as to how the living room problem will be solved if human beings are to live forever, and if all who have died in the past are to be restored to life.

This might seem to present a problem in connection with the fulfillment of God’s promises, but not actually so. One reason it does not, is that Christ’s kingdom is now so near, and the Scriptures reveal that one of the great changes which will occur during the reign of Christ will be the cessation of human propagation. When God created our first parents he commanded them to multiply and fill the earth. This command was clearly limited to the filling of the earth, and when fulfilled, the powers of procreation by which it was implemented will be withdrawn.

We have a good illustration of the human living room question in the mathematical problem of two germs in a bowl. Supposing that through propagation their number doubled every second, and that at the end of one day the bowl would be completely filled with germs: at what point in the day would the bowl be half full of germs? The correct answer is, that it would be only half full at the beginning of the last second in the final hour of the day. And it is at this point in the span of human existence that the race is now living.

As of now there is plenty of room on the earth both for the living as well as for those who have died; but in an alarmingly short time from now, there would not be room enough even for the living. So God, the great timekeeper of the universe, has planned the near establishment of the kingdom of Christ as the means by which his original purpose in the creation of man will be consummated.

And even now, just as the scientists are visualizing a greatly increased span of life as we near the time when God will give everlasting life, in civilized countries the trend is toward smaller families. Indeed, it is becoming more and more customary for married couples not to have children at all. Thus along this line also, the human race may be getting accustomed to some of the marked changes which will be brought about during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom.

Perhaps today many may doubt the desirability of living too long in view of the stress and strain and worry and suffering involved. But in the kingdom these conditions will also be changed. There will be no more war; economic security will be guaranteed to all; disease and pain will be destroyed, and all tears will be wiped away. Who will not praise the Lord when his wonderful provisions for his human creatures are made manifest!

Prayers for Peace

SHORTLY after the outbreak of the first World War, a day was officially set apart in America when all Christians—Protestant and Catholic—were urged to pray for peace. The war ground on for nearly four painful years after that. Later, when international tension was building up to a breaking point prior to the second World War, numerous appeals were made by Catholics and Protestants alike for the people to pray for peace. But the war started, and throughout the long years of suffering which followed, prayers for peace were constantly being offered. And now again, particularly since the beginning of the Korean war, the people are being urged to pray for peace.

One of the latest of these appeals was made by the Pope who, in an encyclical prompted by the Korean war, has urgently called upon the more than three hundred million Catholics the world over to pray for peace, or, as the Pope put it, “for the dispersal of the dark menacing clouds which now threaten the world with atomic war.” In this encyclical, the Pope reminded the world that war brings only ruin, death, and every type of misery, and that new war techniques “not only destroy armies and navies, not only cities, towns and villages, not only the treasures of religious art and culture, but even the innocent children with their mothers, the sick, and the undefended aged. All that of beauty, good, and health, which human genius has produced, all, or almost all, can be destroyed,” said the Pope. Continuing, the encyclical reads:

“If therefore war, above all today, presents itself to every honest observer as something terrifying and lethal, it is to be hoped that—through the forces of all and especially of the rulers of the people—the dark and menacing clouds which are now such cause for trepidation, may be driven away and that true peace will finally shine among peoples. However, knowing that everything given, and every perfect gift comes from above, descending from the Father of light, we deem it opportune, venerable brothers, to make new public prayers and supplications to employ concord among peoples.”

Probably most Catholics will give heed to this request by the Pope, and will earnestly pray for peace. At the same time there are doubtless millions of Protestants who are more or less regularly petitioning God to make an end of war and of the fear of war. What hope is there that these petitions will be answered favorably by divine intervention in the affairs of men to establish peace?

The answer to this question is found in the Bible, and certainly it assures us of a}time when God will make wars to cease unto the ends of the earth. One of God’s promises to this effect is found in the prophecy of the Psalmist. He tells us not only that the Lord will make wars to cease, but that he will also destroy the implements of war. (Psalm 46:9) However, in this same prophecy we are invited to “behold … what desolations he [the Lord] hath made in the earth,” as though the establishment of peace would not take place until much that is in the world today is made desolate.

One of the Old Testament prophecies pointing forward to the birth of Jesus declares that he would be given the title, “The Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6) It was in keeping with this that the angel which announced the birth of Jesus said that as a result of his birth there would be peace on earth. There can be no doubt, then, but that it is God’s purpose to establish peace on earth, so the question arises: Why have so many prayers for peace seemingly gone unanswered? And the further question: Will the prayers for peace now being offered by both Catholics and Protestants also go unanswered?

The Scriptures declare of God’s people that they “ask, and receive not” because they ask “amiss,” that is, they do not ask in harmony with the will of God. (Jas. 4:3) In considering the value and power of prayer, this is a very important point to keep in mind, for it should be obvious that the God of the universe is not depending upon his frail and imperfect creatures here on earth to tell him what to do, or what not to do. Prayer, in other words, was not designed by God as a means of keeping him informed regarding what he ought to do for his human creation. If we get this thought clearly in our minds it will help us to realize that the only blessings we can expect to obtain from God by means of prayer are those which he has designed and promised to give.

To pray effectively, therefore, one needs to know the will of God as it is expressed through his Word. This is true whether we pray for personal blessings, or for blessings upon our families, upon our communities, or upon the nations. If we pray for God to prevent war, or to stop war after it has started, we want to be sure that such a procedure on his part is in keeping with his plan. Since God has said so much in his Word about making an end of war, the first conclusion we might come to could very well be that he would certainly answer our prayers for peace since he has promised to establish peace.

However, this does not necessarily follow. It is made plain in the Bible that every promise God has made to establish peace on earth is to be fulfilled through the kingdom of Christ, and not through the kingdoms or governments of this world. Jesus related two parables which very well illustrate this point. One of them was the Parable of the Wineskins, in which he explained the uselessness of putting new wine into old wineskins. The other was the Parable of the Patched Garments, in which he explained the waste of effort involved in sewing new patches onto old garments. (Luke 5:36-38) Both these parables teach us that in the outworking of his plan God does not propose to patch up the institutions of this present evil world and thereby transform, or attempt to transform them into the kingdom of Christ.

Christ’s misguided followers back in the Dark Ages tried this by uniting church and state. They designated this unholy union the kingdom of Christ, or Christendom. The evils of that system of government are now a matter of history. Under that arrangement many of the bloodiest wars of the past were fought, when one section of “Christ’s kingdom” made war on another. Back in those days, while doubtless many sincere souls prayed earnestly for peace, the most popular prayers were those which asked God to fight on one or the other side of the contending factions of Christendom. And, of course, the Vatican encouraged prayers for the victory of Catholic arms, as in the Wars of the Crusades, and more recently in the subduing of Abyssinia.

Just as there is no evidence that God favorably answered the misguided prayers of his people in the past—prayers which, in effect, asked the Creator to bless the “patches” they were attempting to make stick on the corrupted and sinful “garments,” or institutions of this present evil world—so, similarly, we should not expect such prayers to be answered today. As the tides of war ebb and flow, there are times of comparative peace, and periods of bloody wars, and since 1914, world wars, but it is doubtful that the prayers of Christendom have much to do with when the tide ebbs or when it flows, and that is especially so today.

However, there is an effective way to pray for peace! It is the way which Jesus taught his disciples. He told them that they should pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) The true followers of the Master throughout the entire age have been offering this prayer, and they are doing so today. It is a prayer which we can present to God’s throne of grace with full assurance that it will receive his attention, and in his due time will be answered. We know that when we offer this prayer to God we are asking in harmony with what he has designed and promised to do.

Yes, throughout both the Old and New Testaments God has continued to emphasize that it is his purpose to set up a world government, a government which will establish righteousness and peace, a government which will satisfy the legitimate desires of all nations. Having made so many promises to this effect, there can be no question about the propriety of praying for such a kingdom. In doing so, we are not formulating God’s plans for him, but merely asking for that which he has already planned to do. That is why we know that such prayers will be answered!

But not only has God promised to do certain things for the blessing of his human creatures, he has also outlined in his Word the very way by which he will fulfill them. In connection with his promises to establish the kingdom of Christ in the earth—a righteous government which eventually will rule from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth—he has foretold that first of all the kingdoms or governments of this world must be destroyed, or set aside. Furthermore, he has revealed that in connection with this setting aside of the kingdoms of this world there was to be a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) The Scriptures indicate also that this period of trouble would be characterized by wars, revolutions, and general chaos—or what some have referred to as “international anarchy.” Furthermore, it was to be a time when religious authority, as well as civil, would be called in question and flouted by the very people who once venerated and obeyed without question these humanly constituted rulers of this “present evil world.” (Gal. 1:4) It was to be a time when the “heavens” [the ruling powers] were to “pass away with a great noise.”—II Peter 3:10

In the Book of Revelation we are told of the time when the sovereign ruling power of the earth would be taken over by Christ, and of that time it is prophesied that the nations would become angry, and that it would be the time of God’s wrath upon them. (Rev. 11:15-18) This same thought is graphically set forth in the 2nd Psalm. Here we are told by the Creator, Jehovah, that he has established his Son, Christ Jesus, to be earth’s new King, and that this King will dash the nations to pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Since these and many other prophecies of the Bible so clearly indicate that just before the full manifestation of the kingdom of Christ in the earth all the present governments of the world would be broken to pieces like a potter’s vessel, it would hardly seem in keeping with the divine plan to ask God to call a halt on the very agencies which are bringing about the fulfillment of what he has prophesied. The Scriptures explain that the overthrow of the kingdoms of this world was not to be accomplished by a direct intervention of God and the use of divine power, but rather that the nations would be permitted to destroy one another. This they have been doing, slowly but surely, since the outbreak of the first World War in 1914. There have been intervals of partial peace, but each new spasm of conflict helps to bring about the end of this present evil world.

This does not mean that there is no good in the world, nor that both sides in the world conflict are equally selfish and corrupt. As Christians, we should be thankful for the blessings we are enjoying under the rulership of democracy and should have no sympathy for the intolerance and cruelties of totalitarianism, of whatever nature it might be. But even the best form of government the world has produced comes far short of what the kingdom of Christ will be.

So, let those who have placed their hope in the promises of God continue to pray for the kingdom which he will establish in the hands of Christ. This kingdom will result in all the genuine blessings we now enjoy under democracy, and more. It will give peace and security to the people; and besides, it will give them health and life—yes, everlasting life. Concerning the Ruler in that kingdom, the people will then say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, … we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 25:9

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