Hebrews 9
Hebrews 9:1:
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
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Hebrews 9:27:
“People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” |
American statesman Daniel Webster was asked, “What is the most sobering thought that ever entered your mind?” He quickly responded, “My personal accountability to God.” Webster realized he would one day stand before God and give an accounting for his life and actions. (And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 NKJV)
"It is appointed unto man ONCE to die." Cemetaries give silent testimony to this fact. Its an indisputable law of nature. Jesus broke the law of nature by bringing Lazarus back. That is the nature of "miracles." They break laws of natural law. Jesus is not bound by natural law. Events can look naturally dark, but never unhopeful because God rules by unbounded authority and not by natural law. |
Some have promoted the idea of a second chance after death. But the Bible does not indicate that people get an opportunity to repent or to put faith in Jesus after they die. Hebrews 9:27 says, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
Jesus said that people will be judged based on what they did during their lives. In Matthew 16:27, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”
Some point to John 5:25 as evidence that those who have died will have the gospel preached to them: “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
But this interpretation takes the verse out of its context. The entire passage is John 5:25-29, which makes clear that the context is the final judgment. The passage reads as follows:
“Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out– those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.’”
Verses 27-30 make it clear that the context is final judgment. Everyone, including those in the graves will “hear his voice” and then be raised from the dead either to a resurrection of eternal life with God or to a resurrection of condemnation where they are separated from God. -Andrew McClurg; Grand Canyon University
Jesus said that people will be judged based on what they did during their lives. In Matthew 16:27, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”
Some point to John 5:25 as evidence that those who have died will have the gospel preached to them: “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
But this interpretation takes the verse out of its context. The entire passage is John 5:25-29, which makes clear that the context is the final judgment. The passage reads as follows:
“Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out– those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.’”
Verses 27-30 make it clear that the context is final judgment. Everyone, including those in the graves will “hear his voice” and then be raised from the dead either to a resurrection of eternal life with God or to a resurrection of condemnation where they are separated from God. -Andrew McClurg; Grand Canyon University
Since we have determined by God’s Word that God knows when we will die, another question now can be answered – Is our death appointed? I suppose you could break this down even further and ask if God has any control over when we die? The Bible teaches us that we all are appointed to die: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Likewise, Jesus even said to Peter that if He willed that John would live until He returned, what is it to Peter (John 21:20-23)? Some have used this verse to support the notion that God allowed John to live until He saw the second coming of the Lord in his Revelation vision from Christ. Verse 23 says specifically that this is not what Jesus meant. However, it does illustrate the point that Jesus had the power to determine how long we shall live. (See also Exodus 20:12; Proverbs 3:1-2; Ecclesiastes 8:1-8; Ephesians 6:1-3).
Is there an appointed way we will die?
In addition to us being appointed to die, God also has appointed that many of us will die in specific ways for specific reasons as He did with the Apostles, “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). God appointed that Judas would die a certain way and his lineage would be cut off (Psalms 69:21-28; Psalms 109). (See also Numbers 14:35; Numbers 26:64-65; Psalms 136:10-13; Romans 9:17-22). -Michael Williams; What Christians Want to Know
Is there an appointed way we will die?
In addition to us being appointed to die, God also has appointed that many of us will die in specific ways for specific reasons as He did with the Apostles, “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). God appointed that Judas would die a certain way and his lineage would be cut off (Psalms 69:21-28; Psalms 109). (See also Numbers 14:35; Numbers 26:64-65; Psalms 136:10-13; Romans 9:17-22). -Michael Williams; What Christians Want to Know
"Our attitude to all men would be Christian if we regarded them as though they were dying, and determined our relation to them in the light of death, both of their death and of our own. A person who is dying calls forth a special kind of feeling. Our attitude to him is at once softened and lifted on to a high plane. We then can feel compassion for people whom we did not love. But every man is dying, I too am dying and must never forget about death."
-Nikolai Berdyaev; The Destiny of Man
-Nikolai Berdyaev; The Destiny of Man
We also know that there is no second chance to be saved after physical death because our author says that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (v. 27). He doesn’t say that after death comes yet another opportunity to be saved.
Whereas it is true that physical death is not the end of our existence, it is most assuredly the end of all opportunity to be reconciled to God. Contrary to those who argue for naturalism or that the only reality is physical or material in nature, when we die we do not simply go out of consciousness and decompose in the ground. --Sam Storms
Whereas it is true that physical death is not the end of our existence, it is most assuredly the end of all opportunity to be reconciled to God. Contrary to those who argue for naturalism or that the only reality is physical or material in nature, when we die we do not simply go out of consciousness and decompose in the ground. --Sam Storms