Everybody knows that we are going to die. It often doesn’t bother a person until death gets near. That makes it seem real. Once death gets real, some resort to extreme means in hope of sustaining their physical life. This is nothing new.
Myths like the “Fountain of Youth” were the vain quests of early explorers. The preservation of life through magical means or within some captive confines are found in various movies and literature. More seriously, some people have had their bodies cryogenically frozen in hopes of being thawed, fixed, and re-animated.
Jesus and the prophet Elijah raised people from the dead. While the stories of Lazarus and others were not continued. It can be assumed that they died again later.
Scientific research is being dedicated to identifying factors that limit physical life to the observed 120 years. This includes genetic manipulation among other things.
The expectation and hope of physical eternal life is a well established thing. Is it possible? Within our current genetic structure the answer would seem to be “No”.
The Bible speaks of a resurrected body and eternal physical life. This is different from other world religions which hang their hope on leaving the body and gaining a form of spiritual, conscious, eternal life. The Bible doesn’t discount that life removed from our current bodies is a part of the plan. In fact, the Bible hints at there being a “heavenly” version of our bodies.https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/afterdeathsite.com/862
Though we may greatly desire for eternal physical life to be true, it is common to dismiss physical eternal life as wishful thinking. The people of Corinth clearly did this and Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14. Our physical bodies are currently fraught with flaws, we are altered by sin, and programmed to die. It would not be desirable to continue even to our current limit of 120 years with this body, in my opinion. But this doesn’t mean that God can’t create something different, enduring, good and uniquely ours. Consider our own capabilities of genetic manipulation and cloning, this should not be too great of a leap of faith. Maybe we can’t do it, but the original designer certainly can.
The raw materials for such a resurrection, may or may not, be the remains of our physical bodies. Paul uses the analogy of a seed. Our remains are the seed, but it is not clear what exactly about our remains are seed-like. The Bible does not seem to demand that our dead bodies be disposed of in a particular way. God is able to raise anyone. I expect it is some element of our design that is the seminal beginning of our resurrected bodies, and that is probably not in the DNA we are using now.
For that reason, I do not expect to raised where I was planted. I will be raised on the New Earth right where God wants me. Cemetery location and who I am buried with is more for the benefit of those who continue to live after us.
Plodding on, at great expense, with the damaged version of our bodies that we have now is not the way to go. There is no “Fountain of Youth” or science that can beat death. There is the power of our original designer and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. That is a hope that has already been demonstrated with the resurrection of Jesus, and it is offered to those who will trust in Him.
afterdeathsite 