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Maranatha
Got
Questions Ministries
Maranatha is an Aramaic word that means “the Lord is coming” or “come, O Lord.”
The Romans required everyone to declare that Caesar was god.
The early Christians knew that there is only one God and one
Lord — Jesus Christ — and in all good conscience they could not call Caesar
“Lord,” so the Romans looked upon them as traitors, persecuted them, and put
them to death.
Living under those adverse conditions, the believers’ morale
was lifted by the hope of the coming of the Lord.
“Maranatha!” became the
common greeting of the oppressed believers, replacing the Jewish greeting shalom (“peace”).
The followers of Jesus knew there would be no peace because
Jesus had told them so (Matthew 10:34; Luke 12:51).
But they also knew the Lord would be returning to set up His
kingdom, and from that truth they drew great comfort.
They were constantly reminding and being reminded that the
Lord is coming (Luke 21:28; Revelation 22:12).
Jesus taught several parables on this same theme of watching
and waiting and being prepared for His return (Matthew 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-40).
Today, believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ live our
lives in the light of the knowledge that He can come at any time.
We are to be ready when the call comes. Every day we should
expect Him to come, and every day we should long for Him to come.
Maranatha reminds us to keep our eyes on the eternal things of
the Spirit. To dwell on material things is to be in constant mental turmoil.
Looking down, we see the earth; looking around, we see
earthly things. But looking up, we see the hope of the soon coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
To those who are worried today, Maranatha!
To those who are filled with anxiety over the problems they
are facing, Maranatha!
Our Lord is coming!
Got
Questions Ministries seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing
biblical, applicable, and timely answers to spiritually related questions
through an internet presence.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
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