"Fear God, Love God, Serve God": "Maranatha!"

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you

these things in the churches. I am the root and the

offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And

the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that

heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.

And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

(Rev. 22:16-17)

We have become the generation who will see the fulfillment of all things ... There are a whole lot of people looking up, and crying out with urgency the word of the hour, "Maranatha!"

Webster's Dictionary states the meaning of "Maranatha {Aramaic}, is 'Our Lord cometh;' an expression used by St. Paul at the conclusion of his first Epistle to the Corinthians. This word has been used in anathematizing persons for great crimes; as much as to say, 'May the Lord come quickly to take vengeance of thy crimes." Easton's Bible Dictionary states it uniquely in this way, "(I Corinthians 16:22) consists of two Aramean words, Maranathah, meaning, 'our Lord comes,' or 'is coming.' If the latter of the two interpretations is adopted, the meaning of the phrase is, 'Our Lord is coming, and he will judge those who have set him at nought." The bottom line is: Come quickly, Lord Jesus; You're the Judge!

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him

be Anathema Maranatha."

(I Corinthians 16:22)

"Anathema" means: 'an object of loathing.' I didn't say that; the Bible and the Dictionary said that! The picture above is the Lord entering Hell; no one escapes the Lord Jesus Christ. "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." (Psalm 139:8) All WILL deal with The Creator one day! "Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." There IS a heaven, and there IS Hell! All of us will end up in one of those places, and it is wise to "make up our dying bed," as the saying goes. Besides that, it's a tragedy to not have the presence of the Lord, the strength of the Lord, the whispers of the Lord, and the LOVE of the Lord, here and now in earth.

Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep!

See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root

of David has triumphed. He is able to open

the scroll and its seven seals."

(Revelation 5:5)

What are the seven seals about? They're all about the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, who is also a Lion, namely Jesus Christ our Lord, and His "reciprocal agreement" with mankind. "As for those who are outside, God is their judge. So put away the evil man from among you." (I Corinthians 5:13) You say, "Outside of what?" Outside of the family of God, outside of the precepts and the Holy Commandments of God, outside of the love and saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ... everyone "outside" will be judged. But, those inside? Well, they're shouting "Maranatha, Lord Jesus!"

"In his name the nations will put their hope."

(Matthew 12:21)

What is the hope of the world? If all we can foresee is nuclear war, economic collapse and utter destruction, we would be of all men most miserable. But, we have the greatest hope of all, it consists of one word ... "Maranatha!" It's the cry from creation to its Creator, the cry of the Bride of Christ for her beloved Groom, the hope of eternal peace and Glory, the reaching hand to the hand that formed us, the vision of the Word prophesied, the expectation of a home beyond, and the belief in the ONE who sits upon the throne.

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the

earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in

them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor, and glory, and power, be

unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto

the Lamb for ever and ever."

(Revelation 5:13)

In other words, it comes down to this for planet earth and all that is therein; we will all bow our knees to the King of Kings, and "everything that hath breath" shall praise the Lord. The heavens and the earth declare His majesty, the "dust" of the earth falls to the ground from which it came, and cries Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! We'll praise Him now, or we'll praise Him then, but we'll all praise Him! And, why wouldn't we? To know the Lord Jesus Christ is to love Him; He IS: the light in our darkness, our song in the night, gentle winds in the desert, whispers of sweet nothings in our ears, the fragrance of ecstasy, our blessing awakened, the brilliance of splendor, the feathers caressing, and our Joy of the morning! He will never leave you, nor forsake you; He's your love, your dove, your everlasting Lord and King, the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ!

"Everyone who has this hope in him purifies

himself, just as he is pure."

(I John 3:3)

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for something of value; He comes as a thief in the night, to take a treasure. There is not a lot of "Holy" to see in our world. The influence of films, media, television, books, and the status quo of "anything goes," are consuming this space called Earth. It is not easy to be "Holy" in this atmosphere; that's why we must be filled with the Spirit of God, (Acts 2; Acts 8, Acts 10, and Acts 19) and we will have the strength to overcome; we will have a clear conscience when we call out to Him for help, and He will hear and answer, for "He is nigh unto them of a broken heart and a contrite spirit."

Before long, every Nation will be acquainted with that one word, which is so appropriate for this hour. The world will have a united voice, united eyes gazing into the heavens, hands raised as One toward the Holy City, and that word will split the heavens in unison, "Maranatha!"