Jeremiah 51-52 Hebrews 9

“Just as everyone must die once and then be judged, so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 NCV)

One of the beliefs many religious systems have is that of a final judgment. Such a judgment would look at your past life and you would either gain entrance to paradise if you passed or get eternally smacked down if you didn’t. Let’s face it, the entrance requirements to paradise in any religion are ridiculously high. When people died and faced judgment, their results weren’t going to be good. The Christian understanding of the last judgment is similar, but, for the Christian, our sins were taken away by the death of Jesus on the cross and we can appear at our final judgment as blameless in Him. When He comes again, He will bring salvation to those who are still alive and waiting for Him.

Christ was our sacrifice – a one time sacrifice to pay for all our sins. When He died on the cross, my sins weren’t even thought of, let alone committed. Jesus died for them. When I sin today, God isn’t surprised. God’s never shaken His head and said, “Well, that sin surprised me. I’m not sure what to do.” All of our sins were forgiven at the cross. Even more importantly Jesus’s death brought man and God back together again. We are back in a relationship with God that our sin had destroyed. Jesus’s death and resurrection destroyed the power of sin, death and allows us to be in fellowship with God. We don’t fear the last judgment, because we’re already on God’s side. Then, when Jesus comes again, those who are still on this earth will be rescued from the evil events and people of that age and receive physical salvation. This is our sure and certain hope. In a world that’s full of uncertainty, this hope provides a joyous life here on earth and the promise of an amazing eternal life in heaven with God and all His people.

Lord, thank You for the promise we have of eternal life with You in Heaven. Thank You for Your forgiveness which makes that possible. Lord everything comes down to Your love and grace for us.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.