IMMORTALITY: WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

     I came upon the word "immortality" several times in the last few weeks. I hadn’t thought very much about the word before. What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word immortality?

    My mind immediately goes to science fiction or horror movies. Following are two that come to mind:

1. “Dracula” is a tale of a human-vampire who has a consuming desire for eternal life that drives him to feed on the blood of living people. He wants to love people and not kill them, but he knows that to do so he would have to give up his quest for immortality.
2. My wife occasionally talks about the second movie, “Soylent Green”, a 1973 Charlton Heston futuristic movie that she and her late husband watched one time. I haven’t been able to bring myself around to watch it. The premise of the movie is that amidst world famine a seemingly innocent global food company has come up with a way for people to survive, to extend life, if you will. The food company’s name is Soylent Green, which makes life-sustaining green wafers. It's like a miracle food. But the green wafers they manufacture to extend life are found out by Heston’s character—to be made of—don’t be too appalled--dead human bodies.

     Research has been going on for several hundred years to figure out ways to extend life—to achieve immortality. Theo Zenou of the Washington Post wrote an article on May 1, 2022, entitled “The Long and Gruesome History of People Trying To Live Forever”. It’s about the fact that people over the centuries have spent millions and even billions of dollars trying to reverse the aging process.

     Zenou wrote that even today researchers are trying to find a way for people to live forever. He wrote that the total cost of the research is thought to be around 610 billion dollars. Big tech billionaires like Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal have each funded and developed separate research companies to try to achieve—immortality.

     The definition of immortality from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy is the following: “The indefinite continuation of a person’s existence, even after death.” What then is the only way that immortality comes about? Let’s look at what the Bible says about it:

1. Paul wrote in Romans 2:6-7 the following: “He will repay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality.”
2. In 1 Corinthians 15:53, he wrote this: “For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality.”
3. Lastly, in 2 Timothy 1:10 Paul wrote: “This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

     So, to make a long story short, movies about immortality might be interesting, scary, and fun to watch. Researchers might find ways to yield some short-term benefits to extend life just a little bit.

     BUT—true immortality comes from only one place!