'For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them to meet the lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.' 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Maranatha, מרנאתא is an Aramaic word which means Our Lord, Come. It is occurs in the Bible only once in the closing chapters of the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Cor 16:22. It is understood to be an early prayer for the early return, otherwise known as the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Many people use this word as a mantra in their meditation in the tradition of John Main. John Douglas Main, OSB (1926 - 1982) was a Benedictine monk and Roman Catholic Priest who taught a way of meditation which used a simple prayer-phase or mantra repetitively. He taught, "Not only is this one of the most ancient Christian prayers, in the language Jesus spoke, but it also has a harmonic quality that helps to bring the mind to silence." (Ref 1). This practice lives on in the ecumenical network of Christian meditation groups known as the World Community for Christian Meditation led by another Benedictine monk, Father Laurence Freeman, OSB.
The prayer-phrase, Maranatha, expresses the longing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The closing verses of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, reveals this expectation,
'He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.' Revelation 22:20
Today, the second coming of Jesus Christ, is not often taught in the churches but in the early days of Christianity, the church expected an imminent return; a relief to the severe persecutions they faced from the Jews and the Romans. Since then at times of depravity, hardships, crisis and persecutions, Christian circles have often prayed this prayer, Maranatha!
One of the best sermons on the topic was given by Billy Graham. This was a no-holds-barred sermon on the second coming of Christ given in 1990 in Albany, New York. This is a sermon worth listening to, it's thorough and given with the passion and honesty that was Billy Graham's.
When we pray 'Come Lord Jesus' and when we meditate 'Maranatha' we should, just as Billy Graham warned, be ready at all times for His coming again. The Bible says
'But the day of the Lord will come like a thief...what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.' 2 Peter 3:10a, 11b and 12.
Jesus spoke of His second coming warning us to be on our guard, that is, to be ready. Many will be oblivious towards God and living in debauchery as in the days of Noah. We are told to be different.
'But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son but only the Father. As in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.' Matthew 24:36-39
Jesus' warning that many will not be ready in Matthew 24:40-41 was put into a song written by Larry Norman, 'I Wish We'd All Been Ready'
Life was filled with guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone
I wish we'd all been ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and one's left standing still
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
How could you have been so blind
The father spoke the demons dined
The Son has come and you've been left behind
You've been left behind
We are told to keep watch,
'Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.' Matthew 24:42
Saint Paul interpreted this readiness as keeping the faith, practicing love and keeping hope in God. Instead of debauchery St Paul urged us all to be sober,
'Let us be sober, putting on faith and love as breastplate, and the hope of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our lord Jesus Christ.' I Thessalonians 5:8-9
Do not be left behind! Be sure of your salvation!
Lionel
Ref 1: John Main, Biography, theschoolofmeditation.org.
