Are we ‘EAGERLY’ waiting for CHRIST to RETURN?
December
15 Bible Reading: Hebrews Chapters 7-9
Are we ‘EAGERLY’ waiting for CHRIST to RETURN?
"And as it is appointed for men to die
once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins
of many. To those who eagerly wait
for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."
(Heb 9:27-28)
The writer
of Hebrews presents a contrast between the Old and the New Covenant in the
above passage. Under the Old Covenant, the law condemned sinners to die and
face the judgment. However under the New Covenant Christ, as God’s ‘perfect
sacrifice’, was offered once to bear all the sins of humankind. He finished
that work at the cross, but will come to take us to His home in heaven. This
will be the culmination of our salvation; we will receive glorified bodies and
be forever beyond the reach of sin.
The
expression, those who ‘eagerly’ wait
for Him, is a description of all true
believers who belong to Christ (1 Cor. 15:23) - who are “the dead in Christ” and “we
who are alive and remain” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). Hebrews 9:24–28 mentions
three appearances of Jesus Christ: a past
appearance for our salvation (v.
26), a present appearance for our sanctification (v. 24), and a future appearance for our glorification (v. 28). This may be described further as
follows:
- Jesus has appeared (v. 26). This refers to the first
time when He came to earth to save us from the penalty of sin (the past tense of salvation).
- Jesus now appears (v. 24). This refers to His present
ministry to save us from the power of
sin (the present tense of salvation).
- Jesus will appear (v. 28). This speaks of His imminent
return when He will save us from the presence
of sin (the future tense of salvation).
Jesus Christ
appeared on earth once to accomplish His atoning work (v. 26). Then He entered “into heaven,” opening the way for our access
to God (v. 24). One day He will reappear to consummate our salvation.
Are we
eagerly waiting and looking forward for our Lord Jesus Christ to return? Are we
maintaining a steady relationship with God on a day-to-day basis? Are we
seeking God’s interest and His kingdom first before anything in our lives? If not, let us make a new commitment to
God’s kingdom values, and give Him the top priority in our daily living!
