The Reality of Judgment! - Hebrews 9

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 Hebrews 9:26-28
Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

 Just like Jesus died once for the sins of all, so we also die once and face judgment.  Since God is just the judgment will either be to pay for the sins we have committed or someone else will stand in our place and pay for them.  Will someone stand in our place so we can be pronounced not guilty, or will we be held accountable for our sin?   After Jesus is called a Savior, so what is he saving us from.  Judgement.  

 These verses teach nothing of "reincarnation". In fact they rule it out.  We die once face judgment.  We don't go through endless iterations of trying to improve ourselves.  We are basically allergic to judgment. But remember it is not man's judgment but God's.  God can just sweep sin under the carpet, but it would go against His nature.  Just as we would want a just judge who judges correctly, we serve a just God.  

 But though God is just, thankfully God is also merciful.  God instituted a sacrificial system in the Old Testament, but it was inferior because sacrifices needed to be offered on a continual basis to provide continual forgiveness of sin.  Thus it was temporary, but at the same time it looked forward to an all sufficient sacrifice.  It looked forward to the Son of God who would give his innocent blood so we might not be condemned but saved by his once and for all sacrifice.  

 The passage ends by telling us that Jesus will come a second time.  This time he will not come to take away our sin but to take us away to be with Him and the Father forever. We are born once, we live once, we die once, and we face judgment once.   Have faith in what Jesus did for us the first time he came and then you can be ready for when He comes again in great and promised glory.  

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