Thus my belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ as my Savior is real and proven; As is The Kingdom of God; My destination with the Lord for eternity IS as real and proven as is the existence of this keyboard I'm typing away at the moment.
I 100% agree and that's what I was trying to convey. Faith does not need empirical proof to exist. In fact, faith without proof is real faith! Demanding proof leaves one no better than doubting Thomas... :) Proof eliminates the need for faith.
Trying to prove something from before written language is a folly. Trying to decipher exact numbers from a book meant to teach a religious and moral path of life is missing the whole point... If Adam lived to be 900, or only 90 - does that fundamentally change Judaism or Christianity? I would argue no!
And as science advances, it looks like we will be able to, in the next 10-40 years, extend human life to well beyond the fabled 120 year limit. Does that mean that the Bible is wrong about how old men can live? NO! It means that how long we live is at the will of God. If He chooses for us to live long, then we do. Otherwise - we don't. We live at HIS mercy, not ours.
Personally, I think that is the message about length of time people lived. God chooses to let those who love Him and follow His voice to live as long as needed, to accomplish what He wants them to accomplish. Turn away, though, and your life may be long - but will be empty, with no real accomplishment to be recorded. It's as if you lived but a day, not a thousand years...