HIS DEATH AND MINE
Edited from a prayer meeting
exhortation by bro Linus Chua, on 24 August, 2001
“And 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;
and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin
unto salvation.”
(Hebrews 9:27–28)
In our modern and materialistic society, most people give very little thought
to death and to life after death. Very few believe that there will be a day of
judgment after they die,—a day when they would have to give an account of their
lives on this earth. Even Christians, in general, do not think too much about
death and judgment until death strikes close by and then we are forced to come
to terms with this sad reality.
All of us have a mental knowledge of what the Scriptures teach concerning death
and judgment, but many of us do not have a heart-felt knowledge of these
truths. Few of us prepare for death. Few of us are like that Old Testament
saint, who said, “… all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my
change come” (Job 14:14). That change, which Job spoke about, was none other
than death itself. Christians really ought to be actively preparing and
patiently waiting for their change to come. The way to prepare ourselves for
that great change is not to ignore it or put it to the back of our minds till
another time,—as if by doing so, we will postpone our death! Instead, the way
to begin preparing for death is to seriously consider and mediate upon what God
has to say concerning death, and more specifically, concerning the death of man
and the death of Christ. To do this, I will like to draw our attention to a
fairly familiar verse in Scriptures, namely Hebrews 9:27, and to the verse that
follows it.
Context
In the 9th chapter of Hebrews, the writer shows us how the old and new
covenants are related and how the new covenant is far superior to the old in
all ways. In the immediate context (vv. 25–26), we find the writer comparing
the annual sacrifice of the high priest on the Day of Atonement with the once
for all sacrifice of Christ. Then in verses 27–28, he further confirms and
strengthens his assertion that Christ’s death was “once for all” by appealing
to the universal fact of death in mankind. So while verses 25–26 show the
contrast between the Levitical high priest, who entered the holy place each
year “with blood of others,” and Christ, who made the unrepeatable offering of
His own blood through which He entered into the heavenly sanctuary once for
all; verses 27–28 show the similarity between all men, who have been appointed
once to die, and Christ, who died but once in order to bear the sins of many.
And as it is appointed unto
men once to die…
Firstly, we observe that God has sovereignly ordained and appointed that
all sinful men should die. Death is not the result of chance. Neither is it the
result of a natural law that God created in the beginning. No, death is the
result of sin. In Genesis 2:17, God told Adam, “… for in the day that thou
eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” And God was true to His word, for in
the day that Adam sinned, his soul died and his body began the process of
dying. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death….” Death is the wages
of sin. All men have to die because all have sinned. Death is one appointment
that everyone, whether willingly or unwillingly, has to keep.
But not only does God ordain that all should die, He also ordains the exact
time of death for each and every person. Just as each of us has a birthday, so also,
if Christ tarries, each of us will have a death day. The life of every
individual is in God’s hands. He appoints the time and the manner in which each
of us will be cut off from the land of the living. Death cannot be resisted.
The only certainty in life is death. Men may do a multitude of things to
prevent or to delay death but all to no avail. Once God sends those icy hands
of death to lay hold upon our shoulders, we will not be able to run or hide
from it.
Death is a certainty in life, yet many of us live as if we will never die. We
go about our daily routine without considering that we are mere mortals
destined to die one day. So James warns us not to have a presumptuous
confidence of the continuance of our lives when he says, “Whereas ye know not
what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say,
If the Lord will, we shall live, and this do, or that” (Jas 4:14–15). James
speaks of things in a positive manner, “If the Lord will, we
shall live…,” while the author of Hebrews speaks in a negative
fashion, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die…,”
yet they are essentially saying the same thing. God alone is the one who
determines how long we live and God determines when we die.
But after this the judgment…
Secondly, we observe that God has appointed that after a person dies, he
must face judgment. Judgment takes over from where death leaves a person. For
the unbeliever, judgment before the Almighty God will be a most frightening
thing. He has no advocate to plead his cause, no mediator to stand betwixt him
and the Great Judge and no friend to entreat for him. And he shall hear those
awful words, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41). But for the believer, there will also be
a judgment to face,—not a judgment of condemnation but a judgment of works.
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ… then every one of
us shall give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:10, 12). “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” (2 Cor 5:10). Scriptures plainly show us that we must all prepare to give
an account of our lives at the judgment.
And so, let us not lose sight of these two great truths: That we shall surely
die someday and that there shall be a judgment after that. Let this thought
excite and motivate us to prepare for that day of death and judgment, by living
godly in Christ Jesus and seeking His glory in all things. Joseph Alleine, one
of my favourite Puritans, would say to his wife as he arose each morning, “Now
we have one day more, here is one more for God, now let us live well this day,
work hard for our souls, lay up much treasure in heaven this day, for we have
but a few to live.”
So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many…
Thankfully, the author of Hebrews does not stop at verse 27. If all that may be
said concerning life and death were in verse 27, then we would surely be driven
to despair and hopelessness. What is the use of contemplating death and
preparing for it if there was no hope, no comfort, no assurance of everlasting
life after this life?
I mentioned earlier that verse 27 is a familiar verse to many us. It has often
been quoted by preachers during gospel sermons. That’s good because this is an
important verse, which ought to be repeated over and over again. But sadly
though, the very next verse is often neglected and omitted. Yet these two
verses are really a pair. They go together. In fact, if you think about it, you
will realise that the main focus and thrust of the author’s argument is
actually found in verse 28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many….”
Just as man is appointed once to die, so Christ was appointed once to die to
bear the sins of many. Peter tells us that Christ, the Lamb of God, was
foreordained before the foundation of the world to shed His precious blood and
to bear the iniquities of us all (1 Pet 1:19–20). Christ is described, in
Revelation 13, as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (v. 8). The
death of Christ was no mistake. It was no accident either. It was foreordained
even before Adam fell into sin. And just as God sovereignly appointed all men
to die, so also He sovereignly appointed Christ, the second person of the
Godhead, to die for His people.
In Genesis 22, we read of the trial of Abraham’s faith in the offering up of
Isaac his only son. God told Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest… and offer him there for a burnt offering” (v. 2) Abraham
obeyed and took his son to mount Moriah. But while journeying to the mount,
Isaac said, “My father,… behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb
for a burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “My son, God will provide himself a
lamb for a burnt offering.” And God did indeed provide a sacrifice for Abraham
that day and Abraham named that place Jehovah Jireh,—the Lord will
see to it, the Lord will provide a lamb for an offering. And so when we read in
Hebrews 9:28, we remember how Christ is God’s sovereignly appointed Lamb, who
was once offered to bear our sins.
Christ was only offered up once, and yet His one death is able to save many.
The death of Christ is of infinite value and worth. No sin is too great that He
cannot bear, no sinner too vile that He cannot save. Just as we saw the
certainty of death in verse 27, so we see the certainty of salvation in this
verse for all for whom He offered Himself up. As an aside, I find it difficult
to understand how some of our brethren can say that Christ died merely to make
salvation possible to all men; that His death does not actually secure the
salvation of anyone, and that Christ was offered up universally for all men
without exception. Oh no! Christ died to save His people. His name is Jesus
because He saves His people from their sins (Mt 1:21)! There is a certainty about the
salvation of God’s people just as there is a certainty about death and judgment
for all men. Christ did not die a general death for all men. He died
specifically for His own to purchase and secure their salvation.
You remember how at the end of that eventful Passover week when the Lord Jesus
was finishing His earthly ministry, the Romans had prepared three crosses for
three criminals. Two of the crosses were for men guilty of theft, but the third
cross, the centre cross was reserved for an insurrectionist and murderer named
Barrabas. Barrabas was guilty of treason against Rome and was to die for his
dreadful crime. But Barrabas never made it to the cross. He was guilty and
condemned but was not executed. Someone took his place. There on that centre
cross hung no violent or rebellious man like Barrabas, but the sinless Son of
God. Jesus took his place. And Jesus took the place of each of us who belong to
Him.
And unto them that look for Him…
I began by suggesting that the way to start preparing for death is to consider
and meditate upon the death of mankind in general and especially upon the
certainty of our own death and the judgment that follows. This fact ought to be
seriously considered by us each day. But we must not just look at ourselves and
upon the fact that we will someday die. We must look out of ourselves to Christ
and His death upon the cross, in our behalf. We must fix our eyes upon the One
who was once offered upon God’s altar to bear our sins and iniquities. And that
is what the writer of Hebrews tells us to do too. Verse 28b, “and unto them
that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
In the ancient times, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would, as it
were, disappear within the veil into the Holy of Holies. The people would wait
with great expectation, looking for their high priest to emerge from the
Holiest Place to bless them once again. They knew that if their high priest had
done something wrong or if he had failed to follow God’s precise instructions,
then he would be struck dead by the Most Holy God, in whose presence he served.
And so there was always a sigh of relief, for their own sakes as well as for
his, when he reappeared. Now if the people of old were so eager to see their
high priest, who was but a type of Christ, reappear from the earthly Holy of
Holies, how much more should we today look eagerly for our Great High Priest to
reappear from the Heavenly Holy of Holies?
When the high priest walked out of the sanctuary, the people knew that his
sacrifice on their behalf had been accepted. So also Christ’s reappearing will
be the final confirmation that He did everything right and that God has
accepted His sacrifice and is well pleased with Him. And God accepts us too
because we are His blood-bought people.
When Christ appears the second time, He would bestow upon His people eternal
salvation. He will appear without sin, that is, apart from or without reference
to sin. The first time He came, He came as the sin bearer of His people and all
our iniquities were laid upon Him. But when He comes again, He will appear as
the Lord of lords and King of kings, Conqueror of sin and Satan, Saviour of His
people. At His return, the efficacy of His once for all offering will be
clearly and openly manifested.
On our part, we must wait for Him, “though it tarry, wait for it; because it
will surely come, it will not tarry” (Hab 2:3). We must have an ardent longing
for His return. We must cry daily, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” That’s the
surest way to prepare for death and for eternity—living in constant and earnest
expectation for His return.
Conclusion
I will end with Apostle Paul’s encouragement and instruction in Philippians
3:20–21,—“For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” Amen.
[Ed. Note: Bro
Linus has expressed a desire to serve the Lord in the Gospel ministry in the
near future. Let us pray with him that the Lord may prepare him and that he may
have many opportunities to stir up what gifts that he has received from the
Lord for the advancement of the Kingdom of Grace.
—J.J. Lim]
—17 March 2002
;)
We Should Not Fear Death,
But Lift Up Our Heads
Excerpt from John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life, (Baker Book, 1992 [1952]), 77–80
1. It is terrible that many who boast themselves to be Christians, instead of
longing for death, are so filled with fear of it that they tremble whenever the
word is mentioned, as if it were the greatest calamity that could befall them.
It should not surprise us, indeed, if our natural feeling should be alarmed at
hearing of our separation from this life.
But it is intolerable that there should not be sufficient light and devotion in
a Christian’s breast to suppress all that fear with an overwhelming
consolation.
For, if we consider that this unstable, depraved, perishable, frail, withering,
and corrupt tabernacle of our body is dissolved, in order that it may hereafter
be restored to a durable, perfect, incorruptible, and heavenly glory,—will not
our faith then induce us to wish ardently for what nature dreads?
If we remember that by death we are called back from exile to home, to our
heavenly fatherland, shall we then not be filled with comfort?
2. But it will be said, there is nothing in this world that does not want to be
permanent.
It must be admitted, but for that very reason we should look forward to a
future immortality, where we may obtain such a realm of stability as is not
found on this earth.
For Paul clearly teaches believers to go with anxious longing toward death, not
to be stripped of our body, but to be clothed with a new garment.
Shall brute animals, and even lifeless creatures, down to blocks and stones,
aware of their present vanity, be looking forward to the resurrection at the
last day, that they may be delivered from vanity, together with the children of
God; and shall we, gifted with the light of natural reason, and with the far
superior enlightenment of the Spirit of God; shall we, when we consider our future
existence, not lift our minds above the corruption of this world?
3. But, it is not necessary or suitable for my present purpose to argue against
such utter perverseness as fear of death.…
I would persuade such timid hearts to read Cyprian’s treatise on Mortality,
unless they should deserve to be referred to philosophers, that they may blush
when they discover how even pagans despise death.
But this we may positively state that nobody has made any progress in the school of Christ, unless he cheerfully looks
forward towards the day of his death, and towards the day of the final
resurrection.
4. For Paul stamps this mark on all believers, and Scripture often calls our
attention to it, when it wants to provide us with a motive for true joy.
“Look up,” says the Lord, “and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws
nigh.”
Is it reasonable to expect that the things which He planned to arouse us to
ecstasy and wide-awakeness should cause us nothing but sorrow and
consternation?
If this is the case, why do we still glory in Him as our Master?
Let us, therefore, return to a sounder judgment, and notwithstanding the
opposition of the blind and stupid desires of our flesh, let us not hesitate to
long passionately for the coming of our Lord, as the most stirring of all
events.
And let us not only long for it, but even groan and sigh for the day of
judgment.
For He shall come to us as a Saviour, to deliver us from this bottomless
maelstrom of all evils and miseries, and He shall guide us into the blessed inheritance
of His life and glory. 2 Corinthians 5:4; Titus 2:12; Luke 21:28.