Richard Hollerman

We think that there must be much confusion in the world regarding when they plan to die. This brings consternation and questions and we wonder about all of this. What about you?

You may be fewer than 100 years of age and assume that you will live another 10, 20, 30, or 40 years. But are you sure? The average age at death in America was not more than 80 years but even here we find some question. According to the CDC, we find:

Women’s life expectancy was 79 years in the U.S. in 2021, while men’s was about 73, according to CDC data. (https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/01/why-american-men-die-younger-than-women-on-average-and-how-to-fix-it.html)  Thus, we discover:

Women’s life expectancy was 79 years in the U.S. in 2021, while men’s was about 73, according to CDC data.   The U.S. has a higher rate of avoidable deaths, which is measured as death before the age of 75, among men than any comparable country.

But does this mean that you, personally, will live 70 or 78 years? No, this would include those who smoke, which shortens the life expectancy about seven years, if one is a one-pack-a-day smoker. And it doesn’t include the fact that some people are overweight. Others have a genetic disposition to problems. And others eat poorly or the wrong foods.

Whatever the background, we remember also that we can’t assume that we will live to age 80 or 90. Some die young, through accidents, through disease and for other causes. No, we just don’t know how long we will live and how long we are destined to be on earth.

In the world, we find that some of the lonest-lived countries would be Switzerland (82 years), Iceland (82 years), Norway (82 years), Japan (82 years) and Sweden (82 years), compared to Chad (51 years), Nigeria (53  years), Somalia (84years), and Zimbabwe (57 years). But this would be an average and there are many exceptions. No, you and I don’t know when our time will end. We don’t know when we will come to the end of our life.

Scripture seems to say that we generally will live 70 or 80 years (see Psalm 90:10, 12), but even this is not guaranteed. Can we say that we will live to age 200, or 500, or 1,000? Do you and I think that we might live to age 10,000 or even 1 million years? We just don’t know whether we will exceed the average or not.

What about the world at large? We find this: “The world average age of death is a few years lower at 68.9 years for men and 73.9 years for women. Within the European Union, these are 77.7 and 83.3 years respectively.” (https://www.google.com/search?q=average+age+of+death+on+earth&sca).

We just read an interesting article entitled, “Can You Lengthen Your Life?” Obviously, we can’t in one respect. A million years from now we will all be disintegrated–physically. But we will live on spiritually. At the coming resurrection, we will be given renewed bodies, but will that be in a week, a year, or a thousand years?  The article that I read referred to the past when the life expectancy was perhaps 54 but now, if we make it to 85, possibly we will live to age 92 or longer.

According to Duigi Ferrucci, a physician, “Exercise is especially important for lengthening active life expectancy, which is life without disease and without physical and mental/thinking ability.

But does this mean that you will live to age 68 or 77 or 83 years (on average)? In America, we find that whites outlive  others by a few years and blacks die a few years (on average) at a younger age. Not at all. As Jesus said, we cannot add or take from our life. We cannot change our future. See Matthew 6:27 and Luke 12:25-26.

We need to realize that although we will all be gone in 100 years, this century will fly by very quickly. We need to prepare now to live beyond this period and find lasting joy and peace and life itself in Christ. Notice especially John 11:25-26 and 3:16, 36 and Psalm 16:11. Only by coming to Christ can we have the assurance of living forever with Him.

No, we may eat the right diet, we may sleep just the right amount, we may drink (water) every day, and we may exercise regularly. But still we will only live for God forever if we live for Him, if we believe in Jesus, and if we follow His directions.  Whether we live to age 100 or even longer, we will only find life in Jesus. Are you ready—now?