What's The Next Verse?

It is always a good thing to memorize as much scripture as you can. It can come in handy for many uses. It can provide comfort for ourselves or others, it can help when witnessing, it can be used as assurance of our faith. It can also help us understand doctrine. However, understanding correct doctrine can only come by keeping the verses in context. We have all the modern advantages of search engines and bible programs that provides unlimited study materials and versions and languages including dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew, and still when we quote things out of context, then we will misread what the Scripture is trying to say in any language!  

"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this, the judgment." If you know this verse, and perhaps have quoted it, to others, and maybe even know where it is found in the bible, but you do not know what the next verse says.... then perhaps you have been a victim of using this scripture out of context like so many others I know, especially if you think it is talking about judgment after your mortal body dies!

If this is the first time reading my blog, then perhaps you should catch up with the previous two posts to get even the context of the subject of this post. Assuming you are now caught up, the verse is taken from Hebrews 9:27. But lets read 9:28 " So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

While we are at it, lets read a couple verses prior to gain more understanding of the context.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Back to verse 28 In this case is the qualifier for verse 27 and is also part of the conclusion of the argument put forth by the writer of Hebrews. If we just take these two verses in context with the message of the cross, then we can clearly see that it is saying  Christ died in our place and took our judgment. Verse 27 is not talking about our future physical death,  but paired with "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life" and read with verse 28 which is not talking about a judgment that is yet to happen, it is explaining about a judgment that has already happened! This verse is all inclusive for ALL mankind in that Jesus brought about the death of the first man Adam on the cross, in order to raise up the New Creation Man. 

Now, some will get hung up by the word "many" in the verse 28 where it says: "...once offered to bear the sins of many.." but this is when Hermaneutics needs to kick in and to put this verse into context with the message of Scripture. In the first place, the word many does not indicate any particular number, and it does not indicate exclusion either. We often use the word many as in most but not all. There is no indication of that usage here, and in fact there is clear evidence it does mean all peoples. The whole world will be saved, because Jesus is the savior of the world! Jesus went down into death to conquer death, so that death no longer has any dominion over you. Jesus did not do an incomplete job and only die for some. "As in Adam ALL die SO ALSO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL be made alive! Pretty inclusive.

Don't get hung up on the rest of verse 28 either, "and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." There is no exclusion on how many shall look for Him, since EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that He is Lord! And the verse saying he shall appear the second time.... does NOT make reference to some so called "second coming." I can attest to many times Jesus has appeared to me by His Spirit since I have been saved, not to leave out the first time He appeared to me unto salvation when I first believed! 

I hope now you can see how important it is to get to know your bible: read it, study it, get comfort from it, build your faith and knowledge and wisdom. Learn about God, and Jesus who is the express image of the Father. Memorize verses, so that it becomes a part of you, and as you do so, be sure to remember to read and find out: What's The Next Verse?