For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 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. (Hebrews 9:24-28)
We're in the season where the days may seem faster, but we can't wait for the "big" days! I don't know about you, but I love Thanksgiving, and I love all the trappings of the Christmas season (not losing sight of the real reason, of course!). Christmas is a celebration of Christ's first visit to the earth. As the writer of this book states, He accomplished all for our sake. As our High Priest, Jesus intercedes for us, doing all the ancient high priests did, but with His own blood done once and for all. And His message can be summed up with "He has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of Himself." That first visit took care of our sin. But that first visit doesn't count in the lives of those who have not yet taken advantage of it. Christ came out of love for us, and what do we show Him if we do nothing about His first visit?
Notice how this passage ends: "Christ...will appear a second time, not to deal with sin (that was the first visit's purpose), but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.
We await our Lord and Savior because we have surrendered to Him and He has taken away our sin.
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus. Visit us, but especially those who are surrendering to You for the first time. Bless and protect them. Grant to us all the fullness of life. We pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
