The Second Mission and the Hope of Jesus' Return

Hebrews 9:28

     In chapter 9 of the book of Hebrews, the author of the letter states a command that will leave us in hope by saying, "So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

The Breakdown

     It was really hard to choose which verse I wanted to study today, but this one just gave me a lesson right away. So we'll break it down to get right to the learning part! "So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many..." So in the beginning the author is referring to Christ as the subject of this verse. He then states that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. Back in the Old Testament, there were multiple sacrifices of animals on a daily basis just to cleanse one person at a time. The author here is telling us that Jesus wasn't just another type of offering that needed to be offered more than once. Since He was the Messiah, His single sacrifice cleansed the sins of all who have sinned. Everyone. "...will appear a second time..." This is our hope in the verse. The author is not telling us if Jesus appears a second time, or hopefully He appears a second time, but the author says He will appear a second time. That should be absolutely comfortable for us to hear. "...not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." Next the author goes as far to say exactly what Jesus' mission is going to be in His second coming. The first time Jesus was sent on earth, His goal and mission was to die the death all deserved, and in the process save the souls of all who have sinned. That's not the case this time; this time, Jesus already gave us the task, so now, He's coming back to save those who have been living on this Earth in His name. He will rescue them from the sin and secularity that they've been living in for so long, and bring them to perfect peace. It requires eager waiting, but Hebrews says that He is going to come back for us. All of us.

The Application

     So like I told you, when I very first read this verse, a lesson immediately stuck out to me, so now I'm going to share it with you: patience is the key here, we are told that Jesus is going to come back, so there's no need to question it, the main challenge is going to be waiting for the right time when He does come back for us. We don't need to be skeptical or question whether Jesus really will come for us a second time, it's said all over the Bible that He will, so we can throw that doubt away. What we really need to focus on is trusting that He is currently here with us in Spirit and that when the time is absolutely perfect, He is going to return to save us. Eager patience and endurance is what is going to prepare us to be joyful and full of the Spirit when Christ does return. Hold on steadfastly to this verse, cling to it, it'll be our hope that Jesus returns.