“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” (Hebrews 9:28).
As we complete our look at Hebrews chapter nine, we will conclude by identifying an important aspect of our relationship with Christ from the verse quoted above: “…he will come bringing salvation to all those who are eagerly and patiently waiting for him” (TLB). This attribute appears repeatedly within the New Testament Scriptures. For instance…
“…we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
“People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 CEB).
“But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20 NET).
“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
“My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains to make their valuable crops grow. 8 Be patient like those farmers and don’t give up. The Lord will soon be here!” (James 5:7-8 CEV).
While the context of Hebrews 9:28 encompasses Jesus second advent, there is another sense in which Christ will appear at the conclusion of our earthly lives, whenever that takes place. A person who looks forward to that appearance is someone who can say along with the Apostle Paul, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23 NIV).
As one commentator explains, “Christ has already passed through the judgment of the day of the Lord for believers, so they need not fear His return.” (1) This passage thus encourages us to look confidently and expectantly for Christ’s return whenever it may occur. As we’re told in the New Testament epistle of 1 John…
“And now, little children, remain in relationship to Jesus, so that when he appears we can have confidence and not be ashamed in front of him when he comes” (1 John 2:28 CEB).
(1) Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 2138). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.