How Old Can a Christian Live to Be?

by Pastor Matthew Norville, Sr.

In Genesis 6:3 God says,

“My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”

In this verse, God set the minimum number of years that His people should live at 120. This verse could be written and read like this:

“My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be at least a hundred and twenty years.”

God is not saying that man is supposed to drop dead the second that he reaches the age of 120! God is saying that man should at least reach the age of 120 before he dies.

Some people misconstrue this Scripture to mean that Noah had 120 years to build the ark and gather the animals and preach until the flood came. But this verse is not talking about Noah building the ark or gathering the animals.

What God was saying in Genesis 6:3 was that He is not going to let man live forever on this present earth in his present condition—yet he will be allowed to live at least 120 years. We know this verse is not talking about the maximum number of years a person is promised to live, because God says, “yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.” Also, if the 120 years that God was talking about was the maximum number of years that a person could live, then no one would live beyond the age of 120. However, we have plenty of people in the Bible and elsewhere that have lived to beyond 120.

Genesis 5:32 says that Noah was 500 years old when God made this pronouncement. Genesis 7:6 says that Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. This means that Noah built the ark, gathered the animals (with the supernatural help of God), and preached for 100 years—not 120. The 120 years mentioned in Genesis 6:3 has to do with God shortening the lifespan of man down to a minimum of 120 years, which took place gradually during the succeeding generations (Genesis 11:10–32). Previous to this, men were living into their 600's, 700's, 800's, and even 900's. However, during the succeeding generations down the line from Noah (who lived to be 950), men's lives were gradually shortened. Once we get past Abraham (who lived to be 175), Isaac (who lived to be 180), and Jacob (who lived to be 147), we have no record—in the Bible or elsewhere—of anyone living past the age of 140 (with the possible exception of Job; see “Job” below). This means that a person should live to be somewhere between 120 and 140 years of age.

Some Christians say that we are only supposed to live for 70 or 80 years. They use Psalm 90, verse 10, as their “proof text”:

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

A “score” is 20. So “threescore years and ten” would be 70 years and “fourscore years” would be 80 years.

But to say that Christians can only live for 70 or 80 years is ridiculous, because there are many Christians, as well as many sinners, who live well beyond the age of 80. So this couldn't be what this Scripture is referring to.

This Scripture (the 90^th Psalm) was written by Moses when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years waiting for all the people who were adults when they first reached the Promised Land and refused to go in, to die. These people all died when they were about 70 or 80 because of their numerous sins of not believing God and murmuring and complaining during the first year when they came forth out of Egypt (Numbers 14:22–23, 26–35). They were consumed by God's anger and troubled by His wrath (verse 7). Their iniquities were set before God and their secret sins were set in the light of His countenance (verse 8). Their days were passed away in God's wrath and their years were spent “as a tale that is told” (verse 9). Their 70 or 80 years were labor and sorrow and their life was soon cut off and they “flew away” (meaning their spirits and their souls left their bodies when they died) (verse 10).

We see here that the Israelites who were sentenced to die in the wilderness, only lived about 70 or 80 years. This was their sentence. This does not apply to us—unless we live in sin like they did. Then we may only live to about 70 or 80 years of age, instead of obtaining the promise of a minimum of 120 years. You can't just live any old way you want to and expect to live to be 120. You have to live according to the Word of God in order to receive the promises of God.

Here are some verses in the Bible where God promises us long life:

Exodus 20:12:

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

Exodus 23:25–26:

“And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.”

Deuteronomy 5:33:

“Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.”

Deuteronomy 6:2:

“That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.”

I Kings 3:14:

“And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”

Psalm 91:14–16:

“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”

Proverbs 3:1–2:

“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”

Proverbs 3:16:

“Length of days is in her (wisdom and understanding's) right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.”

Proverbs 4:10:

“Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.”

Proverbs 9:11:

“For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.”

Proverbs 10:27:

“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”

Ephesians 6:2–3:

“Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”

What do these verses mean when they say, “that thy days may be long upon the land,” “the number of thy days I will fulfill,” “that ye may prolong your days in the land,” “that thy days may be prolonged,” “I will lengthen thy days,” “with long life will I satisfy him,” “for length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee,” “length of days is in her (wisdom and understanding's) right hand,” “the years of thy life shall be many,” “thy days shall be multiplied,” “the years of thy life shall be increased,” “the fear of the Lord prolongeth days,” and “thou mayest live long on the earth”?

How many years are these verses talking about? Since the Bible defines itself, there must be at least one verse that explains how many years “long life” is.

Genesis 6:3:

“My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”

Notice that all of the above verses are conditional. This means that if you don't meet the conditions, you won't receive the promise of “long life.”

But does this mean that if we meet the conditions then we will live just as long as the people that don't meet the conditions? Of course not! That would be ridiculous! Therefore, those of us who meet the conditions are supposed to live longer than the people who don't meet the conditions.

So, those of us who are Christians, who are living according to the Word of God, are supposed to live longer than all the other people on the earth who are not living according to the Word of God.

The people that meet the conditions are supposed to live to be somewhere between the ages of 120 and 140. The people that don't meet the conditions live to be, on average, about 70 or 80, with some even living to be more than 100.

Here's a list of some of the people of the Bible who lived to 120 years of age and beyond, starting from the time of Abraham.

Notables
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Joseph, the son of Jacob, lived to be 110 (Genesis 50:26).

Joshua, the son of Nun, lived to be 110 (Joshua 24:29).

Miriam

Miriam, the elder sister of Moses and Aaron, was old enough to watch and see what would happen to her three-month-old baby brother, Moses, when he was set among the reeds in the Nile River in a basket by their mother and was picked up out of the water by Pharaoh's daughter. She then talked to Pharaoh's daughter and asked if she should go and get a “nurse” of the Hebrew women to breastfeed Moses. Pharaoh's daughter then told the girl to go and get one (Exodus 2:1–8). Miriam must have been an old enough girl to perform these tasks. Therefore, she must have been a number of years older than Moses and Aaron (who was three years older than his brother, Moses (Exodus 7:7)). Considering that she died in Numbers 20:1, near the end of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness, she must have been at least in her late 120's, because Moses died at the age of 120 right at the end of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

Mordecai

Mordecai (mawr-deh-KAY-iy) of the book of Esther, who raised his cousin, Hadassah (Esther), had been carried away from Judah to Babylon (in the second deportation of Jews from Judah to Babylon during the Babylonian Captivity) with the captivity which had been carried away with King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Coniah) of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia in 597 B.C. (Esther 2:5–7). If he was only an infant when he was carried from Judah to Babylon, and since Esther became queen in the seventh year of King Ahasuerus' reign (which was from 486 to 465 B.C.), Mordecai would have been at least 117 years old at the time Esther became queen (Esther 2:16–17).

Then, six years later, in the thirteenth year of King Ahasuerus' reign, on Nisan 13^th (which would be approximately April 2^nd, 474 B.C. on our modern-day Gregorian calendar), Haman sent letters into all the king's provinces to tell the people of the kingdom to kill all the Jews on Adar 13^th (which would be approximately March 5^th, 473 B.C. on our modern-day Gregorian calendar) (Esther 3:7,12–13).

The Bible then records that the tables were turned, and on Adar 13^th, the Jews ended up killing their enemies instead (Esther 9:1–5). The Bible then says that Mordecai lived for some time after this date (Esther 10). Therefore, Mordecai lived to be more than 124 years old.

Job

Job had ten children (seven sons and three daughters) who were grown. Job 1:18–19 says,

“Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead….”

Job's children are referred to as “young men,” meaning, “young adults.” Job's eldest son had his own house. Job's other nine children may have had their own houses also.

After Job went through a number of very serious trials, including having his ten children killed by Satan, he was delivered, and lived another 140 years seeing his sons and his sons' sons, even four generations (Job 42:16). This means that his age was 140 plus whatever age he was when all of his trials ended.

We don't know exactly when Job lived. But he could have lived after the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This could fit because Job only lived 140 years after all his trials were over (Job 42:16). God, in essence, gave Job a “new” or “second” life (including ten more children) because of all that he had been through. And since after the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob men's lives were now limited to 140 years, his “new” or “second” life, so to speak, was then limited to 140 years.

Anna, the Prophetess

Anna, the prophetess (Luke 2:36–37), was of a great age—and was still alive at the time the Bible mentions her! We don't know how much longer she lived before she died, but the Bible says that she had been married for 7 years, and had been a widow for 84 years. Considering that she was an adult, at least 20 years of age (see When Does a Person Become an Adult?) when she got married, she was at least 111 years old at the time that Joseph and Mary brought Jesus into the temple (20+7+84=111). (Some people, and some Bible translations, say that she was “an 84-year-old widow,” as opposed to “a widow for 84 years,” but this is incorrect.)