And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. ~Heb 9:27-28
How many people die? Statistics say 100%. There are two names in the Bible of men who were “taken” to heaven without experiencing the death process: Enoch and Elijah. So, of all the billions of people who have ever walked the earth, we can still say 100% of people die.
Even Jesus died. He didn’t stay dead, but He still experienced death.
Hebrews 9:27 clearly says that after death comes judgment. It’s that moment of uncertainty that everyone fears. I’ve heard, and I’m sure you have too, that someday we’ll stand before God and have to give an account for everything we’ve done. That’s a scary thing and makes it sound like God’s the ultimate disciplinarian.
What if that’s not what’s waiting for us?
Yes, the Bible says we’ll have to stand before God and give an account for how we lived (Romans 14), but the Bible also says we have a mediator in Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus stands in the gap for us, so when God sees us, He sees His Son. Today’s verse from Hebrews says that when Christ appears again, it won’t be to deal with sin (as was His purpose on the cross) but to bring us salvation – we’re already saved, permanently, but the wording here refers to the moment we’ll be with Him forever.
Are you eagerly waiting for Him? There are so many things in our world that we eagerly wait for, things that are generally temporary: traffic to clear, weather to change, dinner to be ready. Are you as eager for Christ as you are for those things? God will give you that eager desire for Him if you ask Him.