The number of our days on earth is set in stone by God.
According to Bible Scholar Ron Rhodes, there are several passages of Scripture that indicate that God knows exactly how many days we have on earth.
For instance, the Psalmist says, your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16).
“That seems to indicate that each one of us has an allotted amount of time and it’s different for each of us. For some, it’s short and for others, it’s long.”
Ron lays out several other Scripture passages that address this idea further.
“My times are in your hands, deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.” Psalm 31:15
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” Acts 17:26
“That word determined carries the sovereign idea that the Lord sovereignly set in concrete the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
Then in his book, Job makes this observation.
“A person’s days are determined, you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” Job 14:5
“The Hebrew word there for determined literally means set in stone. Man’s days are set in stone. God has sovereignly determined how long we will live and when we will die.”
Ron says that God is even sovereign over the circumstances of our death.
“Think about Peter, he was concerned about how he would die and Jesus told him.”
Dr. Ron Rhodes received his Th.M. and Th.D. degrees in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating with honors. He is currently the president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries, an apologetics organization located in Texas.
Key Scripture: Psalm 91
Bible Answers: Part 1
