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| God took Enoch 1728 Illustration by Gerard Hoet |
The New Answers tells us that before the Great Flood, lifespans were far greater than afterwards. The ten patriarchs were each centuries old. Their ages were as follows: Adam (930), Seth (912), Enosh (905), Cainan (910), Mahalalel (895), Jared (962), Enoch (365), Methuselah (969), Lamech (777), and Noah (950).
If you're wondering why Enoch "only"lived to be 365, rest assured that his fate was even better than that of his fellow patriarchs. Wikipedia explains that Enoch never actually died, he was instead "translated" by God (into another dimension, we presume). Some even believe that Enoch is alive to this day (which would make him far older than Methuselah).
For the rest of us, aging is most likely programmed into our very cells. The New Answers comes up with a number of theories as to why lifespans are so much shorter these days. Assuming the Bible is correct, perhaps either genetic mutations or genetic bottlenecks have facilitated this devolution.
For example, "any mutation that decreases the efficiency of our maintenance, repair and defensive systems will likely lead to more rapid aging and decreased lifespan." Genetic bottlenecks "occur when significant proportions of the population die or proportions become isolated" (such as after a Great Flood). These bottlenecks significantly limit the gene pool, which in turn could lead to mutations.
Resources
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab2/adam-and-noah-live
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_(ancestor_of_Noah)
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