UNDERSTANDING HEBREWS 9:26, part I
by Tom Logan
return to index

UNDERSTANDING HEBREWS 9:26 AND THE ENDS OF THE AGES, PART I

Heb 9:26-28
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.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
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.(KJV)
 

Heb 9:26-28
26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this {comes}judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without {reference to} sin, to those who
eagerly await Him. (NAS)
 

This speaks of a period of time introduced by the first advent of Christ.  The period is marked off by the first and second advents of Christ.
 


 

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.

The second advent of Christ occurs at the end of the age introduced by his first advent. This time period or age is termed the end of the ages.  Christ at his second advent will bring this age to an end.

Matt 13:39-49
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
40 "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering {fish} of every kind;
48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good {fish} into containers, but the bad they threw away.
49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, (NAS)

He will also bring this present earth we live in to an end.

2 Pet 3:4-13
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (KJV)

This will be the end of the ages of this earth. Hebrews 9:26 speaks of this.  It is obvious from the 2Peter;  Matthew 13 and Heb 9 passages the second advent of Christ spells the end of the ages.   They are ages of this earth.   It is interesting to note that the universalist's argument that the end of the ages spells the end of eternal (eonian as preferred by the universalist) punishment fails for rather than ending it begins at this time.

Matt 25:31-34
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (KJV)

Matt 25:41-46
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,  prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not:  sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these,  ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (KJV)

Peter shows likewise:

2 Pet 3:4-7
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (KJV)

Christ's return brings perdition to the ungodly.

Beyond the ages of this earth are the ages of the new earth:

Rev 22:5
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for the ages of the ages

or as you are probably more familiar with:

Rev 22:5
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (KJV)

The ages of the new earth will never end for they will contain the never ending kingdom of God:

Dan 2:44
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (KJV)

Luke 1:33
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)

Quite clearly this eonian kingdom has no end.  The promise of eonian life is life in the never ending ages of the kingdom of God. It is eternal.

     end of part I.