die

After buying her kids a pet hamster, after they PROMISED they would take care of it, the mother, as usual, ended up with the responsibility.

One evening, exasperated, she asked her children, "How many times do you think that hamster would have died if I hadn't looked after it?"

     After a moment, her youngest son replied quizzically, "Once?"

Well, that didn't help make the mother's point but, technically, their answer was correct -- not only for hamsters, but for us as well.  The Hebrew writer said, "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..." (Heb. 9:27).

The fact that we are appointed to die once is both sobering and promising.  On the one hand, it means that there is no way that we can escape death ("it is appointed for man to die"), but on the other hand it is something that we will have to experience only once.  While there are a few notable exceptions in the Bible, everyone who has ever lived on the face of this earth has died, but only once.

But the real point of this passage in Hebrews has nothing to do with us.  It has everything to do with Jesus Christ.  The Hebrew writer says that Jesus is just like us.  He, too, only had to die once.  The significance of that is that once was enough.  Unlike the sacrifices of the Jews which had to be offered over and over, one sacrifice was sufficient to take away all of our sins -- forever!  With that knowledge comes this beautiful promise:

     "...so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Heb. 9:28, NCV)

Praise be to Jesus Christ for the effectiveness of his death and for the promise of his return!