The verse says:
quote:
Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
God did not say this would begin immediately, indeed there was a clear transition period. According to the genealogies, as has been noted, people began dramatically living shorter and shorter lives. Some Creationists have suggested a water canopy provided the environment for sturdier bodies and better environmental conditions, and it seems the human body drastically changed after the flood to make this possible, going through who knows what dramatic changes to become less sturdy and more susceptible to death.
Whatever the reason, this does not appear at all a contradiction. The longest I've ever heard of someone living was 121 years so this is a very accurate statement. For another interestingly accurate statement long before Gallup, the Bible even said the average lifespan would be 70 years.
quote:
Psalms 90:10 The 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.
Edited by Jzyehoshua, : No reason given.