The Return!

The Return!

Hebrews 9:28 AMP

[28] so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly an

d confidently waiting for Him.

We celebrate the greatest gift given, which is the life of God Himself. He gave His life as the perfect sacrifice for sin, and now, the power of sin has been permanently broken. It is a good idea to keep in mind why God did what He did. In His wisdom, nothing else was good enough to pay for sin, and no one else was good enough to stand in for us, except Him. He has done His own bit, and the response is now mine to make.  This is where the verse above is a warning, a word of encouragement and advice or counsel, all rolled into one. The gift given is a once-in-a-lifetime offer, and it will NOT be repeated. There is no other sacrifice for sin, because the perfect offering has already been made. 

That gift will be in place until the set time, and then judgment will be passed on everyone  based on what they did with that gift. I do not have forever on this side of eternity; even the earthly phase has an expiry date, as well as everything connected to the earthly phase. As long as the contents are from the earth, be sure it will not last forever. That is why mortal body must give way to the immortal. Dust must return to dust, and the spirit back to the One who owns it. This return has been talked about for a long time, and mortal man may think that it may not happen. Please be sure that God is trustworthy and dependable. He does not lie; in fact, as His Word is forever settled in heaven, be sure that the earth cannot deny or delay the manifestation of His promise. 

This is where the word of caution comes in. Jesus has come to the earth once; humbly and simply, like a lamb to the slaughter. He is coming back again, not as a lamb without a choice, but as a lion who will give to each man his due. Sin will not be atoned for at that time, but will be the basis for punishment. When He returns, all that will count is that I am eagerly and confidently waiting for Him. That is the end of the sacrifices and denials I have subjected myself to. I could have taken the easy way out of things, but that is not the path to immortality and life that God has called me to. He is bringing salvation; have I accepted His offer? Remember, this life is a phase. I must get it right, so that I can end up right. God's time of favour is here.