Some Animals Live Longer Than Humans
Some rare animals live longer than humans because of their ability to reproduce new cells to replace the old ones. An example of that is immortal jellyfish. This water creature ages in reverse, changing from an adult medusa back into a polyp. During this transformation, certain genes are converted to particular skin or nerve cells, causing them to morph back into stem cells. This special process, known as transdifferentiation, reinstates the animal’s capability to make new cell types as it restarts its life cycle, again and again.
While scientist can’t explain why this takes place in nature, for the believer, this example in the life of the jellyfish is an excellent reminder of the perfect life that God had originally created before sin and how sin ruined it. The believer is also reminded that when man disobeyed God’s command (Genesis 2:17), sin brought death into the world and man passed from the status of conditional immortality to that of unconditional mortality.
Thus, the life of the immortal jellyfish has a message of hope to the believer that if he remains faithful to God, he will have eternal life. David wrote, “How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small” (Psalm 104:24,25). Nature is our second book that reveals spiritual truths about God and His dealings with man. Job wrote, “ask the animal, and they will teach you” (Job 12:7).
The good news is that at the second coming of Christ, the believer who accepted God’s offer of salvation through Christ (John 3:16; Romans 2:7; 2 Corinthians 5:4) will be given an immortal body (1 Corinthians 15:52:53). What a day that will be!
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
