If
there was a need for multiple offerings from Jesus in the earthly
tabernacle, according to the writer of Hebrews, He should “often
have suffered since the foundation of the world”,
however, Jesus only needed to offer Himself “once”
in the heavenly temple to “put away”
the “sins” of man.
In chapter nine and verse twenty-seven of Hebrews the writer
shares how it is
“appointed unto men once to die” where we read:
And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
The
verse begins, “And as it is appointed unto men once to
die,...”. The writer began
with the words, “And as it is appointed”
which means “there is laid away, reserved and awaiting” “unto
men” or “to human beings
whether male or female” “once”
or “one time” “to die”
which means “the natural or violent death of man who perishes by
means of something”. There is an “appointment” with death for
every living human being.
The
verse continues, “...but after this the judgment:”. The
writer added the word, “but” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “” “after
this” which means “beyond
and behind when a person dies”“the judgment”
or “accusation, condemnation or damnation”. Death is not the
final engagement of people because when a person dies, “judgment”
before God shall come.
When
we meditate upon these words in Hebrews, we may feel the “daunting”
chime of “death's door” pending upon us. The facts are that ten
out of ten people die, and everyone who lives has their “appointment”
with death. However, the most “intimidating” part of this verse
may be that “judgment” before God follows it. Everyone
shall die, and everyone shall stand before God and give an account of
everything they did in their bodies. Without Jesus Christ, who
sacrificed Himself in our place in the heavenly temple, we are
doomed, but when we receive Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord,
His “offering”
before the Heavenly Father is all we need to be cleansed of every sin
and wrong.
Next
time the writer shares how “Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment