Our culture is obsessed with longevity. While it’s natural to desire many healthy years on earth, we must remind ourselves life doesn’t end with physical death. The bigger issue is eternal destiny. There is only one way to assure that we are destined for life in heaven: We must recognize our hopeless, sinful condition, turn to Jesus Christ in faith, and receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of everlasting life. Those who do this get to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord, where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11). Those who reject the offer of salvation suffer the terrible fate of agony in hell and complete separation from the living God.
After death, there is no mercy or grace that can bridge the gap between hell and heaven. The matter must be settled while we are alive on earth (Matt. 25:45-46; Heb. 9:27). We know from Scripture that eternal life is irrevocably linked to the person of Jesus Christ.
As the apostle John wrote, “He who has the Son has the life” (1 John 5:12). Reaching a healthy old age is a laudable goal, but nothing is more meaningful than receiving the Savior and the gift of eternity in His presence.