AND INASMUCH AS IT IS APPOINTED FOR MEN
TO DIE ONCE: kai kath hoson apokeitai (3SPMI) tois anthropois hapax apothanein (AAN):
(Genesis
3:19;
2 Samuel 14:14;
Job 14:5;
30:23;
Psalms 89:48;
Ecclesiastes 3:20;
9:5,10;
12:7;
Romans 5:12)
Inasmuch
(2596)
(kata) is probably better translated just as, and this
links nicely with the following passage which begins with so -
Just as man dies once, so Christ as the God Man died
only once as sacrifice.
The inasmuch as…so construction
suggests how incomprehensible it is that Christ would have ever suffered as
the previous verse theorized. What is true for other men was also the case
for Christ—like other men, he was “destined to die once.”
Vincent
explains that...
That there is no place for a
repeated offering of Christ is further shown by reference to the lot
of men in general. The very idea is absurd; for men die once, and
judgment follows. Christ was man, and Christ died. He will not come to
earth to live and die again. Christ died, but judgment did not follow
in His case. On the contrary, He became judge of all.
MacDonald
observes that...
Verses 27 and 28 seem to present
another contrast between the Old Covenant and the New. The law
condemned sinners to die once, but after this the judgment. The law
was given to a people who were already sinners and who could not keep
it perfectly. Therefore it became a means of condemnation to all who
were under it.
Appointed
(606)
(apokeimai
from apó = from, away
+ keímai = to lie, to be laid up, to set away) means to put
something away for safekeeping, to store away in a place for
preservation (secular usage referred to money laid up or hidden).
To die once -
Once for all time to die. Reincarnation is excluded by this verse! For
man this appointment is mandatory, but for our Lord it was voluntary.
Vine writes that...
man’s body becomes subject to death once,
retributively on account of sin, and judgment follows. Had there been no
provision made by God, death and judgment must have been the lot of all.
Christ by His offering has, for those who accept Him, broken in upon this
sequence of events.
(Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
Once (530) (hapax)
means once for all time so that it never needs repeating. This is a
generally true statement for we know that Enoch and Elijah apparently
did not die (Ge 5:24; 2Ki 2:11) and we also know that the generation
that is raptured will not die physically (see
Rapture)
In addition, Lazarus and those who
came to life at Christ’s resurrection eventually died twice (cp Jn
11:43,44; Mt 27:51-53).
As the KJV
Bible Commentary rightly observes...
It is axiomatic that man dies once.
Exceptions do exist: Enoch and Elijah of the Old Testament, the New
Testament saints who will be alive at Christ’s return who will never
die, or Lazarus and others who have been raised from the dead and died
twice. But no exceptions concerning God’s judgment can be cited. There
is no reincarnation; every person gets one chance to prepare for God’s
judgment.
AND AFTER THIS JUDGMENT: meta de touto krisis:
(Heb
6:2;
Job 19:25;
Ecclesiastes 11:9;
12:14;
Matthew 25:31-46;
John 5:26-29;
Acts 17:31;
Romans 2:5;
14:9-12;
1 Corinthians 4:5;
2 Corinthians 5:10;
2 Timothy 4:1;
Jude 1:15;
Revelation 20:11)
After
(3326) on the other hand.
The results of Christ's life
are settled. In Christ's case the result is that He appears a second time
without sin unto salvation, the sin having been destroyed by His death.
Epicurus
said
Thus, that which is the most awful
of evils - death is nothing to us, since when we exist, there is no
death. And when there is death, we do not exist!
That is
deceptively comforting until one reads a verse like Hebrews 9:27!
Epicurus did not understand biblical truth in life, but he does now in
death!
Judgment
(2920)
(krisis from kríno = to judge, primarily signifies to
distinguish, separate or discriminate) speaks of a separating, a
division or a decision. Krisis is a general term encompassing the judgment of all people, believers (2Cor 5:10) and unbelievers (see
notes
Revelation 20:11;
12;
13;
14;
15).
As Morris
writes...
There is a finality about it
[death] that is not to be disputed. But if it is the complete and
final end to life on earth, it is not, as so many in the ancient world
thought, the complete and final end. Death is more serious than that
because it is followed by judgment. Men are accountable, and after
death they will render account to God.
The fact that
there will be a judgment implies that men (in order to be
judged - see notes
Revelation 20:11;
12;
13;
14;
15)
will rise from the dead (see
The Two Resurrections -
"First" and "Second" - on a timeline). This was a shock to the Greeks
many of whom believed that when an individual died, he ceased to
experience conscious existence in any form. Thus some of the Greek
writers philosophized that...
When earth once drinks the blood of a man, there is death once and for all
and there is no resurrection. - Aeschylus
It cannot be the dead to light shall come. - Euripides
For the one loss is this that never mortal maketh good again the life of
man-though wealth may be re-won. - Euripides
Homer makes
Achilles say when he reaches the shades
Rather would I live upon the soil as the hireling of another, with a
landless man whose livelihood was small, than bear sway among all the dead
who are no more.
Barnes writes
that...
And as it is appointed unto men once to
die. Or, "since it is appointed unto men to die once only." The object of
this is to illustrate the fact that Christ died but once for sin, and that
is done by showing that the most important events pertaining to man occur
but once. Thus it is with death. That does not, and cannot occur many times.
It is the great law of our being, that men die but once, and hence the same
thing was to be expected to occur in regard to him who made the atonement.
It could not be supposed that this great law pertaining to man would be
departed from in the case of him who died to make the atonement, and that he
would repeatedly undergo the pains of death. The same thing was true in
regard to the judgment. Man is to be judged once, and but once. The decision
is to be final, and is not to be repeated. In like manner, there was a
fitness that the great redeemer should die but once, and that his death
should, without being repeated, determine the destiny of man. There was a
remarkable oneness in the great events which most affected men; and neither
death, the judgment, nor the atonement could be repeated. In regard to the
declaration here, that "it is appointed unto men once to die," we may
observe,
(1,) that death is the result of appointment, Genesis 3:19, It is not the
effect of chance, or hap-hazard. It is not a "debt of nature." It is not the
condition to which man was subject by the laws of his creation. It is not to
be accounted for by the mere principles of physiology. God could as well
have made the heart to play for ever as for fifty years. Death is no more
the regular result of physical laws than the guillotine and the gallows are.
It is, in all cases, the result of intelligent appointment, and for an
adequate cause.
(2.) That cause, or the reason of that appointment, is sin. Romans 6:23.
This is the adequate cause; this explains the whole of it. Holy beings do
not die. There is not the slightest proof that an angel in heaven has died,
or that any perfectly holy being has ever died, except the Lord Jesus. In
every death, then, we have a demonstration that the race is guilty; in each
case of mortality we have an affecting memento that we are individually
transgressors.
(3.) Death occurs but once in this world. It cannot be repeated, if we
should desire to have it repeated. Whatever truths or facts, then, pertain
to death; whatever lessons it is calculated to convey, pertain to it as an
event which is not to occur again. That which is to occur but once in an
eternity of existence acquires, from that very fact, if there were no other
circumstances, an immense importance. What is to be done but once, we should
wish to be done well. We should make all proper preparation for it; we
should regard it with singular interest. If preparation is to be made for
it, we should make all which we expect ever to make. A man who is to cross
the ocean but once-to go away from his home never to return-should make the
right kind of preparation. He cannot come back to take that which he has
forgotten; to arrange that which he has neglected; to give counsel which he
has failed to do; to ask forgiveness for offences for which he has neglected
to seek pardon. And so of death. A man who dies, dies but once. He cannot
come back again to make preparation, if he has neglected it; to repair the
evils which he has caused by a wicked life; or to implore pardon for sins
for which he had failed to ask forgiveness. Whatever is to be done with
reference to death, is to be done once for all before he dies.
(4.) Death occurs to all. "It is appointed unto men"-to the race. It is not
an appointment for one, but for all. No one is appointed by name to die; and
not an individual is designated as one who shall escape. No exception is
made in favour of youth, beauty, or blood; no rank or station is exempt; no
merit, no virtue, no patriotism, no talent, can purchase freedom from it. In
every other sentence which goes out against men, there may be some hope of
reprieve. Here there is none. We cannot meet an individual who is not under
sentence of death. It is not only the poor wretch in the dungeon, doomed to
the gallows, who is to die—it is the rich man in his palace; the gay trifler
in the assembly room; the friend that we embrace and love; and she whom we
meet in the crowded saloon of fashion, with all the graces of accomplishment
and adorning. Each one of these is just as much under sentence of death as
the poor wretch in the cell, and the execution on any one of them may occur
before his. It is, too, for substantially the same cause, and is as really
deserved. It is for sin that all are doomed to death; and the fact that we
must die should be a constant remembrance of our guilt.
(5.) As death is to occur to us but once, there is a cheering interest in
the reflection that when it is passed it is passed for ever. The dying pang,
the chill, the cold sweat, are not to be repeated. Death is not to approach
us often-he is to be allowed to come to us but once. When we have once
passed through the dark valley, we shall have the assurance that we shall
never tread its gloomy way again. Once, then, let us be willing to die-since
we can die but once; and let us rejoice in the assurance which the gospel
furnishes, that they who die in the Lord leave the world to go where death
in any form is unknown.
But after this the judgment. The apostle
does not say how long after death this will be, nor is it possible for us to
know, Acts 1:7; Matthew 24:36. We may suppose, however, that there will be
two periods in which there will be an act of judgment passed on those who
die.
(1.) Immediately after death, when they pass into the eternal world, when
their destiny will be made known to them. This seems to be necessarily
implied in the supposition that they will continue to live, and to be happy
or miserable after death. This act of judgment may not be formal and public,
but will be such as to show them what must be the issues of the final day;
and as the result of that interview with God, they will be made happy or
miserable until the final doom shall be pronounced.
(2.) The more public and formal act of judgment, when the whole world will
be assembled at the bar of Christ, Matthew 25. The decision of that day will
not change or reverse the former; but the trial will be of such a nature as
to bring out all the deeds done on earth, and the sentence which will be
pronounced will be in view of the universe, and will fix the everlasting
doom. Then the body will have been raised; the affairs of the world will be
wound up; the elect will all be gathered in, and the state of retribution
will commence, to continue for ever. The main thought of the apostle here
may be, that after death will commence a state of retribution which can
never change. Hence there was a propriety that Christ should die but once.
In that future world he would not die to make atonement, for there all will
be fixed and final. If men, therefore, neglect to avail themselves of the
benefits of the atonement here, the opportunity will be lost for ever. In
that changeless state, which constitutes the eternal judgment, no sacrifice
will be again offered for sin; there will be no opportunity to embrace that
Saviour who was rejected here on earth. — Barnes' Notes on the New Testament
><> ><> ><>
We
Will All Face Death
- Sarah
Winchester’s husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and
selling rifles. After he died of influenza in 1918, she moved to San
Jose, California. Because of her grief and her long time interest in
spiritism, Sarah sought out a medium to contact her dead husband. The
medium told her, “As long as you keep building your home, you will
never face death.” Sarah believed the spiritist, so she bought an
unfinished 17-room mansion and started to expand it. The project
continued until she died at the age of 85. It cost 5 million dollars
at a time when workmen earned 50 cents a day. The mansion had 150
rooms, 13 bathrooms, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, and 10,000 windows.
And Mrs. Winchester left enough materials so that they could have
continued building for another 80 years. Today that house stands as
more than a tourist attraction. It is a silent witness to the dread of
death that holds millions of people in bondage (see note
Hebrews 2:15).
><> ><> ><>
From Sunset To Sunrise
- Kariel was riding home from a children's program at church with her
neighbor friends. Admiring the sunset, she said to Gini, the driver, "That
sunset is so beautiful it looks like heaven!" So Gini asked her, "Do you
know how to get to heaven?" Kariel, who was only 5, answered confidently,
"You have to have Jesus as your Savior—and I do!" Then she began to ask her
friends in the van if they knew Jesus too.
That same evening, Kariel's 13-year-old sister Chantel was at another
church, where someone asked her if she knew Jesus as her Savior. She told
the person she did.
Early the next morning, fire swept through Kariel and Chantel's home, and
tragically, they both died. They were in heaven with Jesus at sunrise.
No one has the promise of tomorrow. The crucial question is: Have we
admitted our need for God's forgiveness of our sin and trusted Jesus as our
Savior? (see note
Romans 3:23; John 1:12). Our sin separates us from God and requires
judgment, but Jesus gave His life in our place (Hebrews 9:27-28).
Make sure you have the same confidence that Chantel and Kariel had. Then,
when your time comes to die, you'll be in heaven with Jesus at the next
sunrise. —Anne Cetas
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
When I shall come to
the end of my way,
When I shall rest at the close of life's day,
When "Welcome home" I shall hear Jesus say,
O that will be sunrise for me! —Poole
© Renewal 1952, The Rodeheaver Co.
Sunset in one land is sunrise in another.
><>><>><>
Dead Is Dead - Do you ever think
about your inevitable death? Or are you like the influential theater tycoon
Bernard Jacobs, who said, “Of all the things in the world I think least
about, it’s what happens after you die. Dead is dead.”
Is that what happens when we exhale our last breath and our brain cells stop
functioning? When our life has come to an end, are we totally extinguished
like a flame of a candle plunged into water? That’s a common belief. But it
isn’t what the Bible teaches. Hebrews 9:27 declares that it is appointed for
us “to die once, but after this the judgment.”
If we have received Jesus as Savior from our sins, we need not fear facing
Him. We will enter into blessed fellowship with God for all eternity, for we
will be “absent from the body and . . . present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).
Jesus taught His disciples, “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” (John 11:25-26).
Jesus’ message in the Word of God gives hope when we face our own death or
the death of someone we love. He promises that we will enter our heavenly
home and be with Him forever. We can count on His word. —Vernon C Grounds (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
“I go to prepare a place for you . . .
That where I am there you may be,”
Our death is not the end of life—
Beyond, with Christ, eternity! —Hess
Jesus’ resurrection spelled the death of Death.
><> ><> ><>
Looking For Loopholes - Comedian W. C. Fields (1880-1946) could make
audiences roar with laughter, yet he himself was chronically unhappy.
Religion apparently played no part in his life. But it's been said that as
he faced the possibility of dying, he started to devote time to reading the
Bible. When he was asked about his new interest in Scripture, Fields, always
the comedian, replied, "I'm looking for loopholes, my friend. Looking for
loopholes."
Fields may not have known Hebrews 9:27, "It is appointed for men to die
once, but after this the judgment," yet he realized that he might soon be
standing before God. And he may have been wondering what he would say if
asked by the Lord why he should not be judged for his sins.
We will all stand before God someday, so it's imperative that we prepare to
meet Him. But how? The only preparation we need to make is to accept the
Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin. He died to take the punishment we
deserve (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). When we admit that we are
sinners (Romans 3:23) and ask Him to forgive and save us (Acts 16:31; Romans
10:13), we are brought into a right relationship with God (2 Corinthians
5:18-19).
Are you prepared? There are no loopholes. —Vernon Grounds —Vernon C Grounds
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
How can you go another day?
Respond to Christ, do not delay;
Just trust in Him, His Word believe—
Eternal life you will receive. —Branon
Don't plan to repent at the 11th hour—you may die at 10:30.
><> ><> ><>
Life's Final Deadline - Prepare to
meet your God. —Amos 4:12 - We're all confronted with deadlines. Bills must
be paid, licenses renewed, tax returns filed— the list goes on and on.
One deadline, though, is of supreme importance. It's one we all will face.
The Bible says, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the
judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
Except for believers who are living when Jesus returns (1 Thessalonians
4:16-17), everyone will die. And all people from the beginning of history
will stand before God in judgment. How foolish to neglect the preparation
necessary for this inevitable accounting!
In Luke 12, Jesus told a parable of a rich man who planned to build bigger
barns to store all his earthly goods so he could live out his days in
pleasure and ease. But God unexpectedly announced, "Fool! This night your
soul will be required of you" (Luke 12:20). His ultimate deadline had
arrived.
Are you ready to meet God? If you've never received Christ as your personal
Savior, do so without delay. Believe that He shed His blood on the cross to
forgive your sins, and that He conquered death by rising from the grave. Ask
Him to save you. Then you can face life's final deadline with confidence.
—Richard De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
If you believe that Jesus lives, you
don't need to fear death.
><> ><> ><>
EXPECTED -- SOONER OR LATER - "The
living know that they will die." - Ecclesiastes 9:5
I heard a popular senator who was swept out of office after only one
term. His defeat came as a complete surprise to opponents and supporters
alike. In his concession speech, the losing candidate wryly commented that
recent events reminded him of an epitaph he once saw on an old
tombstone. It said:
I EXPECTED THIS -- BUT NOT SO SOON.
Death is certain for all! The Bible says,
"It is appointed for me to die once" (Heb. 9:27). For some of us that day is
closer than we think. The sensible person faces up to the fact of death and
makes provision for this final episode of his earthly life.
There's only one way to prepare for eternity -- trusting Christ as Savior.
Those who come to God through Him will enter heaven when they have drawn
their last breath. But for unbelievers, that fateful moment will seal their
never-ending doom.
Are you ready for the inevitable? Jesus said, "He who hears My word and
believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into
judgment, but has passed from death into life" (Jn. 5:24). If you've never
done so,
place your faith in Christ, acknowledging that He died for your sins and
rose victorious from the grave. Then, whether the expected comes sooner or
later, you'll be ready! -- Richard W. De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Sooner or later, yes, sooner for some,
Darkness will all then be past;
Sooner or later our savior will come --
With Him will your lot be cast? -- Koch
Live each day as if it were your last
- it could be!
