Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Hebrews 9:27-28 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 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.
HE COMES TO BRING SALVATION
In the Old Testament we are told about Joseph, who was cast into a cistern by his brothers because of their jealousy. We aren't told how many hours he waited down in that hole before he was hauled out, but it must have felt like an eternity to him. Sadly, when they finally hauled him up, it was to sell him to a passing caravan as a slave.
In Egypt, Joseph found himself wrongfully imprisoned. Again, we aren't told how long he lingered in that jail before he was freed, but we can be sure it must have felt like forever. Even for those who wait on the Lord's goodness, waiting can be long.
In the New Testament we're told that the apostle Paul was brought to Rome under guard, and assigned a house of his own in which to await trial. Perhaps filling his time with speaking of the great Savior he had come to know and love made his time of waiting seem shorter than it was.
The second time Paul was imprisoned was not so sweet. No longer was he in his own rented house. This time he lingered in a Roman jail cell. This time he felt the outcome of his imprisonment would not be freedom, but death by sword. His hope in Christ was not shaken, that much is clear from his letters, but the waiting was still waiting.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes, "What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!" (Ecclesiastes 1:13). Part of this burden is the waiting we endure. But the waiting is surely worth it. We are waiting, not for Christmas morning, not for the latest paycheck, not for our next vacation--we are waiting for the final sealing of our eternal salvation.
