Bible Study Moment

President Carter’s home church is named Maranatha Baptist Church. In Shawnee, there is Maranatha Christian Academy. If you’ve ever wondered where this word comes from, the answer is 1 Corinthians 16:22. That is if you look in older translations, like the King James Version. More modern translations, like the NIV, say “Come Lord”. And now you know what it means.

Churches like ours tend to not talk about the second coming of Christ; perhaps because evangelical churches’ belief that the second coming will occur after conditions on earth are so bad that God will have to intervene has become so dominant. From what I’ve read, this understanding being so prevalent even in those churches occurred less than 200 years ago. From reading the Bible’s emphasis on justice, and the visions of God’s kingdom on earth I believe that the second coming will occur after we have properly made ready the world to receive its king (Christ) where values like justice and peace are supreme.

The link is to the song, “Maranatha” by Love Song from the album “The Everlastin’ Living Jesus Music Concert”. This is possibly the first record of Jesus Music – later renamed Contemporary Christian Music (CCM).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=md76Ga0lwQQ

Mark Phillips