Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
It is clear there is no fountain of youth. It is also clear that no one is guaranteed a long and healthy life on earth. It is also clear that we as people can choose to honour God in our choices or we can reject God and cause harm to our bodies.
Over my lifetime there are things that I have learned about things that are harmful and things that need to be avoided. Some of those things, I did not know and was involved in. Some of those things I did know and still chose to do them anyway. I cannot say that since I was saved, I have always respected God’s design for my body. I know I have sinned against God and I have asked forgiveness for that. However, there are consequences to the choices we make. God is able to heal, but He does not guarantee healing, nor is He obligated to heal anyone.
It is important for us to be reminded of the fact that death is a reality. Death has been a reality since the fall of man. We should not live carelessly and abuse our bodies. It is important to prepare for death. Parents have a big responsibility of preparing their children for death. That does not mean they need to sit their young child down and tell them they could die today. God does not tell us to try to instil fear into people’s lives.
Our governments and health officials have utilized fear to motivate the majority of people to bow to their ungodly dictates. As we have seen over the past week, more and more are tired of living that way and are starting to respond against that agenda.
We have mentioned before that God has given the devil permission to do a test run for the time of the anti-christ. The anti-christ will be far more ruthless than our P.M. He will come in as a deceiver, claiming to be a peace loving man. He will make peace with Israel and will have a Temple built for them. As he seeks to establish himself as this great leader, he will face challenges sent to him by God. He will not have answers to those challenges. He will be a hardened, wicked man and will fight against God at every turn. At the mid point of his 7 year rule, he will show who he truly is. He will defile the Temple and will try to destroy the Jews. He will also seek to destroy anyone that gets saved during his short reign. He will bring in a law that all must receive his mark and those who do not will not be able to buy or sell. He will have his goons all over the place who will report those who do not take the mark and he will hunt them down to kill them. He will succeed in killing many. The important fact is to know the Lord during this time now and thus avoid that evil time.
Death is a reality we must all face. The key is to know how to live and thus be prepared to face death when it comes.
God tells us that when we die, there is a judgment. No one will escape this judgment. It is important to note that this judgment is not about determining if a person is good enough to enter heaven or not. This judgment is God’s response to the choice that the person has made while they were alive on this earth.
God has been pointing out that Jesus Christ is better, in the book of Hebrews. God has also warned of the many Jews who rejected His authority and Holiness and they missed out on His promised blessings. Many died in the wilderness and they did not end up at rest. They ended up in the place of torment.
Many Gentiles have also rejected God’s mercy and truth and many have chosen the broad way that leads to destruction.
In II Corinthians 5 God directed Paul to address the judgment of the righteous after death.
II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
The “we” in this passage speaks of those who are truly saved. Every true born again Christian will be judged as to their faithfulness to God after salvation. It is not a matter of whether they can lose their salvation. It is a matter of what will be their reward or their loss of reward.
Revelation 20:11 tells us of a different judgment that will affect all those who have rejected God’s way of salvation.
Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
God reminds us of these judgments to help us to choose wisely. In the book of Hebrews, God speaks of judgment throughout the book. In our text, He reminds us that Jesus Christ was judged by Him and He passed the test. He was without sin and He could pay for our sins with His precious blood. As we see in verse 28, those who look for Him will not be ashamed. He is coming back. He is alive now and interceding for the saints.
When Jesus Christ comes back, it will not be to present Himself as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. He has already done that. He will be coming back victorious and He will take all the New Testament saints out of the world at the Rapture and He will come at the end of the Tribulation to establish the Millennial kingdom.
This world does not offer much hope. We want to live and do certain things. We who are parents want to see how our children will grow and develop. We may have plans for certain things. None of these things are guaranteed. However, if we settle the matter of our eternal destiny, we can face the uncertainties in this life and we can walk with confidence because we have our hope in that which is sure. There is great comfort and peace in trusting in God’s way of salvation. There is no comfort or peace in trusting in some humanistic plan.
Pastor Bartel
