For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;  (25) not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another – (26) He then  would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages.  He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  (27) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,(28) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Death is a reality because man sinned and God ordained that the penalty for sin is death –  but the sting of death has been removed once and for all by Christ’s atoning death on the cross. His death was voluntary while our death is mandatory and He was the sin offering for man.   Jesus said  (John 11:25-26) ” I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”

Man dies but once and judgment follows.  There have been exceptions as with Enoch and Elijah of the Old Testament who did not die; Lazarus and others who were raised from the dead and died twice; and for those living when Christ returns.  However, there is no reincarnation.  We get but one chance to prepare for God’s judgment.  Death is the complete and final end of life on earth but not the complete and final end.  It is more serious than that because of judgment where man will be accountable to God.  The decision or judgment is to be final and not to be repealed.   It is good for us to heed the warning that what is to be done once should be done well.

Death is for all with no reprieve.  It is implied that our soul will continue to live after death when our destiny or judgment will be made known to us.  If men neglect to avail themselves of the benefits of the atonement of Christ for sin, that opportunity will be lost forever at death.  No sacrifice will again be offered for sin.  There will be no opportunity to embrace the Saviour who was rejected on earth.  Our days are indeed numbered but never accidental to God – no one lives a day less or longer than God ordains – we have our appointed time.

We have been saved in the past at the moment we trusted in Christ.  Presently we are being saved as God works his holiness into our daily lives.  And, in the future, when Christ comes we shall be saved completely and finally.  As it says in today’s reading of Hebrews 9:24 Christ entered into heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us as our mediator, and we are being progressively sanctified.  We die once to judgment and Christ shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin and salvation will be fulfilled.  At the second coming Our Lord will have ended the business of sin.  He will have presented Himself as the sin offering once and for all and will have utterly put sin away.  At the Second Coming Our Lord will complete the salvation of His people.