1 Corinthians 16:22: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.”
Revelation 22:20: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
The word “maranatha” is a Syriac expression that means: “our Lord comes.” It was used as a greeting in the early church. When believers gathered or parted, they didn’t say “hello” or “goodbye” but “Maranatha!” If we had the same upward look today, it would revolutionize the church. Oh that God’s people had a deepening awareness of the imminent return of the Savior!
While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, “It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!” They replied, “We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, ‘The boss may come today.’”
The hymn writer Horatius Bonar exhorted us “to be ready for the last moment by being ready at every moment…so attending to every duty that, let Him come when He may, He finds the house in perfect order, awaiting His return.” The trump may sound anytime. How important for us as Christians to be packed and ready to go!
The Bible has many passages about the return of Christ:
He is going to return first of all secretly for His church. (1 Corinthian 15:51-53, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, John 14:3, Titus 2:13)
Then after seven years of what the Bible calls “the great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22, Revelation 7:14)
Then He is going to return to set up His kingdom on this earth.
Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 20 and 21 describe this kingdom the Lord will set up on the earth at that time.
Jesus is going to return. This is repeated over and over in the word of God. His word is going to be fulfilled. How should we live in these days?
At the height of WWII, Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Hitler. Yet he continued to urge fellow believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of Christians, believing that Hitler was the Antichrist, asked Bonhoeffer, “Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing.” Bonhoeffer replied, “If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I’ll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it’s finished.”
This is going to be a time of great joy for those who know Christ. A time of complete fulfillment of everything you could possibly dream of and those you couldn’t possibly imagine.
As you leave home today, don’t say goodbye—say “Maranatha!”
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