THREE different appearings of the Lord Jesus are spoken of at the end of this chapter. He appeared at the end of the world, the end of the ages, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (v. 26). It was not simply to make a way for the sinner that Christ died, but to do what nothing else ever did or could do; that is, put away sin.
Then Christ is spoken of as appearing somewhere now, Where? In heaven. He is gone back again to the Father; He has gone into heaven after having accomplished eternal redemption. He entered there by His own blood. He is there as a great High Priest for all who believe in Him. He is only a High Priest for such: the unbeliever is far from God. Jesus is now appearing in the presence of God for us. He is our righteousness, life, redemption, so that we appear before God as He is; we are perfect in Christ Jesus.
Then we have another appearing mentioned in the closing words of the chapter, which is yet future, though we know not how very near it may be; but I shall hope to refer to that soon. Meanwhile, I would call attention to the very solemn truth recorded in verses 27, 28. “As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
The as and so here are very strong. Death and judgment are God’s appointments for men, because they are sinners. The divine verdict is not only that “all have sinned,” but that all are “under-sin,” “servants of sin”; so that sin to the natural man is something agreeable to his nature. Death is the result of sin, and so is judgment; and what can God’s condemnation of sin be but eternal? Death is God’s just sentence on men because of sin, “The wages of sin is death.” There was one Man on whom death had no claim, because in Him was no sin. This was the spotless, holy Jesus, the Saviour of sinners.
Men know they must die, and therefore try to make it, by comfortable circumstances, as agreeable as they can; but they cannot bear to think of “judgment.” Nevertheless, it is God’s appointment, and cannot be altered. Men are exposed to death and judgment; for they are under the dominion of sin as well as the guilt of sin; they are, therefore, “servants of sin,” and “the wages of sin is death.”
This is very plain. It is not simply the death of the body; but if a man die in his sins, he will be raised again, and be judged for those sins before the great white throne, and then cast into the Jake of fire, “ the second death “ of everlasting darkness and misery. (Rev. 20:11-1511And 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. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15).)
Those, therefore, who are still in their sins are going on to death and judgment. How can you bear the thought of being judged by the light of God’s infinite holiness and unchanging hatred to sin? In this scripture we have, as it were, two parallel columns. The one headed “men,” and having written under it “death” and “judgment”; the other headed “believers,” and under that is written, “Christ put away their sins, and consequently delivered them from death and judgment.”
How wide the contrast! The one clouded with darkness and misery, the other bright with light and glory. “As” the one “so” the other. As death and judgment were the doom of men because of sin, so. Christ bore the sin, and death and judgment. He bore “the sin of many” (Isa. 4:12). How blessed is the portion of those who have Christ for their Saviour!
Have you received Jesus the Son of God as your Saviour? I do not ask if you have good intentions; for I believe multitudes intend to go to heaven who are still treading the broad road to destruction. Neither do I ask if you have some knowledge of the doctrines of Christ; but I do ask if you have received Him.
You may say, I pray more, give more, deny myself more, and the like; but that is not the question. To know Christ, and take Him as your very own Saviour, because there is no other, knowing you must perish in eternal misery without Him because of your sins, that is the simple question. For it is not knowing doctrines, or giving alms, or saying prayers than can deliver you from death and judgment, but Jesus the Son of God, and Jesus only. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” (John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).) “Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish.” (John 3.:16.) Or, as the blessed Lord said in another place, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation” (or judgment). (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).)
Happy indeed are those who; having simply received Christ as their Saviour, can rest in sweetest confidence and peace, knowing that their sins were purged by the sacrifice of Christ, and that they will not come into judgment. Such are already on the other side of death. “They have passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2121For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (John 5:21).)
The believer, then, is delivered from what every unbeliever is exposed to; namely, death and judgment. How is it that he is delivered from death? For do not we see that Christians die just the same as sinners? They may appear to; but “the wages of sin” is not simply the separation of soul and body, for there is a “sting” and “terror” connected with the sinner’s death that allows no rest or solace. The believer is so completely delivered from these things that he can say, “O death, where is thy sting?” The sting of death being “sin,” it is removed by the precious blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all sin. The “terror,” too, is gone, because he knows that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:88We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8).) The believer’s death, therefore, in the New Testament, is spoken of as falling asleep in Jesus. Hence, too, the Lord. Jesus said, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death,” “he shall never taste of death.” The one who has received Christ for his Saviour is so completely delivered from death that, if alive when Jesus comes, he will at once, in a moment, be changed, and caught up into the air to meet Him. (1 Thess. 4:13-1813But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18).)
Nothing can be more contrary to the teaching of Scripture than to suppose that believers are going to be judged as to whether they shall have eternal life or not. I refer to the wrong use made of the Lord’s teaching in Matt. 25:31-4631When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31‑46). There is no idea of resurrection there, not one dead person raised, but quite the reverse. It is the King coming here, and judging the nations as to how they dealt with His brethren, who are a remnant of Jews who will go forth with “the gospel of the kingdom” after Christians have been “caught up” at the Lord’s coming. It is Christ assembling and judging living people.
Nothing can be more opposed to the precious truth that every believer now has everlasting life, is a child of God, and is passed from death unto life, than the false idea of God’s children going to be judged.
Every believer will, it is true, appear before the judgment seat of Christ; but there will be no question of salvation then. It will be a matter of reward for service; and believers will appear there like Christ, in glorified bodies.
It is most blessed, then to see that God teaches us that death and judgment have been already met for us by Jesus on the cross, and that which is before us is not, as some say, a day of judgment, a great assize, to decide who shall be saved and who not. Scripture nowhere teaches us to expect that, but to expect Christ. “To them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” There will be no question with Christ and believers about sin, and, therefore. not of its consequences; namely, death and judgment. Christ will then put forth His redemption power on the bodies of His people, and thus not only give them full and everlasting deliverance from sorrow and all the consequences of sin, but, in a moment, change their earthly bodies, and fashion them like unto His glorious body, so that, they may have full capacity for ceaseless and untiring enjoyment of Himself.
The believer is accordingly instructed to look back on the cross, and see that Christ there put away his sins and delivered him from death and judgment; to look up to the throne, and see Jesus now appearing in God’s presence for him, his righteousness and great High Priest; and to look for His coming to bring him into eternal enjoyment with Himself.
This may be the reader’s portion by faith in Jesus now.
Where will you spend eternity?
This question comes to you and me,
Tell me, what shall your answer be:
Where will you spend eternity?
Many are choosing Christ today,
Turning from all their sins away;
Heaven shall their blessed portion be:
Where will you spend eternity?
Leaving the straight and narrow way,
Going the downward road to-day,
What shall the final ending be?
Where will you spend eternity?
Turn and believe this very hour;
Trust in the Saviour’s grace and power,
Then shall your joyous answer be:
Saved through a long eternity!