The Book of Hebrews is the “New Covenant” book that God has given us. It glorifies Jesus as God, equal with the Father (1:3-8), yet as the One who was “made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death” (2:9). He is the only Boy who was born in our 6000+ years who grew up knowing that He must die a “death for every man” (2:9).
What we call “death” the Bible calls a “sleep.” But this death that Jesus must “taste for every man” is not that death; Jesus did not merely go to sleep for us for a weekend; and it would not make sense to say that He merely slept “for every man.”
The death that Jesus died “for every man” has to be the “second death” that is mentioned in Revelation 2:11 and 20:14. It comes at the end of the 1000 years of Revelation 20, after the second resurrection. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power” (Rev. 20:6).
The Book of Hebrews makes clear that Jesus died that death “for every man.” The only possible conclusion is that no one on earth needs to die that second death at last unless he despises and rejects what the Son of God has already done for him.
This is illustrated in the experience of Esau; he had the “birthright,” it was his by inheritance as the elder son of Jacob. But our Book of Hebrews tells us that “for one morsel of meat [Esau] sold his birthright” (12:16). In modern language, Esau gave up his title to the kingdom of God and eternal life for what we ordinarily call a mere “square meal” of venison, when he was hungry.
To be fair, we must say that the younger twin Jacob took a cruel advantage of his older twin brother Esau when the latter was inordinately hungry; Jacob knew the exact spices to use. But the deed done had eternal consequences. “Afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (12:17). He cried tears forever afterwards.
The most expensive “good square meal” the world has ever known about!
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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