Maranatha! Our Lord Is Coming!: What Is My Response?

By David Brackemyre

The promise of Christ's return should have a controlling effect on the life of every Christian. A close New Testament study reveals the Messianic promise to be the foundation and focus of the first century church. Like them, we should always be prepared to give an answer for "the hope we have". It is a subject of every book except Philemon and 3 John. "Maranatha! Our Lord Is Coming" moves from Matthew to Revelation, citing a multitude of verses (more than we realize), adding insight and commentary, and calling us to a life reflecting our sole dependence on God's faithfulness. The inspiration for this book is the faithful witness and perseverance of the persecuted church. They may undergo significant suffering, yet they know one day Christ will return with his rewards. We should exhibit that same faithfulness and perseverance, based on the same promise. After reading "Maranatha! Our Lord Is Coming", a believer will: - have an increased awareness and knowledge of Christ's promised return, - understand more than before the foundation of our faith and the hope on which it is built, - be convicted to express his or her faith based on this blessed truth. "Maranatha! Our Lord Is Coming" has a study guide for each chapter. The study will require introspection. It will ask us to examine our own life and come to a conclusion regarding the applicability of truth. Once we internalize the singular hope that is found only in God's faithfulness to one day send his son, we will rise above the trappings of this world and live according to the hope of the world to come. May God richly bless you in your pursuit of this marvelous promise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642587951

Book preview

Introduction

It was dark outside when the first gunshot rang out. Amina awoke confused by the sounds she heard outside. When the shots continued one after the other, six-months-pregnant Amina realized that her village was under attack by Fulani Muslim men who were there to kill the Christians. As she tried to find cover, Amina was shot in the leg. A friend tried to help her hide, but the men followed behind and attacked Amina with machetes.

These words begin the story of Amina Yakubu, a Christian sister in Nigeria. After the attack, she was transported from city to city, from hospital to hospital to receive proper treatment. At one time she was strapped to a motorcycle since all other means of transport had been destroyed. Amina suffered a miscarriage and spent four months in a hospital. She was immobilized for a year, without the ability to walk. Every earthly possession was destroyed during the jihad.

Amina was forced to live with her mother. One day it was necessary to buy firewood. The man who brought firewood into the house was among those who had attacked Amina with a machete. After he left, Amina told her mother, Mummy, you see that man? Truthfully, he is among those who came and attacked me at home.

The testimony of her spiritual response at this point is quite compelling and instructional: My thoughts toward God . . . I am pleading with God to give me a courageous heart. That He will give me patience in all pestilence so that I will not betray His name and I will hold Him with two hands. Let me not think that He is what brought this to me. I should hold on to Him no matter the suffering or persecution. I should hold on to Him with two hands because He is the rewarder. He will come back and reward all you have done in the world. This is my thinking, and I hold on to Him. Every day I ask Him that in all of this suffering that I am passing through that He will give me courage that nothing will tempt me to turn back from Him.¹

Our dear sister endures in a culture we cannot appreciate, and she has suffered in a way we could never imagine. Her testimony describes for us the working together of the two most meaningful aspects of our faith: forgiveness and exclusive hope in the return of Christ. In one short story we have portrayed before us the acting out of faith in Jesus that should be standard and normal for all who claim his name.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11–12).

In 1998, my wife, Cheryl, and I attended a Steve Green concert. Steve had recently recorded two songs, Safely Home and The Faithful. Both songs dealt with the subject of the persecuted church. During the concert, he sang The Faithful and at the same time showed a reenactment video. As we left the concert, a person gave us a copy of The Voice of the Martyrs monthly newsletter.

In the next day or two I read the newsletter, and my heart was captured by stories of faithful witnesses in the face of suffering. I subscribed to the newsletter, continued to read the stories and to pray for my brothers and sisters, and in a short time developed a volunteer relationship with The Voice of the Martyrs as a local speaker. My continued involvement with VOM led to a period of employment in Oklahoma with the ministry for both my wife and me.

During the entire time, my Christian experience was persistently enhanced by continual contact with the persecuted church through the newsletter, speakers, videos, and personal involvement. More than before, I saw the sovereignty of God, his magnificent grace, the incomparable price paid for our salvation, the necessity of faithful witness and holy living for kingdom people, and, lastly, the promise of the return of Christ. I did not read or hear a verse that I did not recognize, and I did not study or discuss an unfamiliar topic or subject. Yet faithful witness in the face of spiritual confrontation consistently dramatized to me much more than before the elements of successful and productive kingdom living. All of this led to my effort to reduce my thoughts and observations to this book, founded on the exclusive hope of Christ’s return.

Everyone is familiar with the subject of the Lord’s return. However, many see no realistic and applicable connection between that event and the everyday conduct of their lives. It is the sole foundation on which every thought and action is built, since it is everyone’s exclusive hope.

After my wife and I retired, we moved back to Indiana. Once settled, I began to read through the New Testament, marking each place where I found mention of the return of Christ. By that time, I had assumed the New Testament was fairly saturated with references. I found them in all books but Philemon and 3 John.

This manuscript not only highlights the verses in which Christ’s return is discussed, but it also connects the discussion with our holiness, our words and our actions, the way we treat others in the body of Christ and those who do not know him, and our anticipation of all it means to be a participant in eternal life.

There is a study guide at the end. In Matthew, Hebrews, and Revelation, you will see a centered inch-long line ( ------------------ ) identifying the end and beginning of a section, corresponding to a section in the study guide. Matthew has six (A to F), Hebrews has three (A to C), and Revelation also three. The book can be read straight through, or each section can be read and then consideration given to the discussion questions for that section. All the other books have one set of discussion questions, and Galatians and Ephesians can be studied together because of length.

As you read through the verses and commentary, it is my prayer that, bit by bit, the truth expressed in the verses will find a permanent residing place in your soul, and you will be changed. We should all see the fulfillment of God’s final promise as the singular sustenance for every aspect of our Christian expression. Clearly, that was the case for believers in the first century, and it can also be ours. May God bless you as his Spirit accompanies you through this study.

David Brackemyre

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¹ Material provided by The Voice of the Martyrs, PO Box 443; Bartlesville, OK 74003; 1-918-337-8015; www.persecution.com; [e-mail]

Matthew

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew spoke more of the return of Christ than any other New Testament writer. The book divides into three sections: the Sermon on the Mount, God’s Judgment, and Our Response. The verses are generally listed in order and flow naturally from one topic to the other. Passages from Luke are inserted in a few places when Luke’s emphasis was not included in Matthew. All of the verses studied have their foundation and resolution in the day of Christ’s return.

In Christ’s first sermon, believers are described as being poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted. God’s blessings are described as the kingdom of heaven, comfort, an inheritance, being filled, shown mercy, seeing God, and called sons of God. Each part of the Sermon on the Mount has its final resolution in the return of Christ. The entirety of being a child of God focuses on the fulfillment of God’s final promise. We are challenged by Christ’s teaching to center our existence on that same fulfillment.

Christ taught significantly about the judgment associated with his return. It will most certainly occur and be a time at which all will be revealed. We are to hold God in absolute awe and reverence. Our lives should acknowledge him in every regard. The result will be eternal deliverance.

One day Christ will appear, and we should invest our lives entirely in its certainty. We should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. We are not to judge, as it is God’s exclusive purview to avenge. Rather, we are to live a life of humility, subjected to his will. We should recognize the worth of every soul, and for our own part be in a state of watching and readiness. Our steadfast desire is to be a part of his eternal kingdom, represented by the wedding feast of the Lamb and his bride.

Our God is full of goodness and deals with all men fairly. Therefore, we are to be faithful to him, knowing one day we will have an inheritance. We are to be people of mercy, compassion, and purity, knowing that one day we will see God. It is our desire to be sons of God. Even in persecution we are to rejoice and be glad, and our main end is pleasing God.

The teaching of each verse cited, from the Sermon on the Mount to God’s Judgment to Our Response, is grounded in the guarantee of Christ’s return. The theme is repeated over and over. However, as the verses are read and the comments considered, one should become more aware of the all-consuming significance of God’s promise. The Messiah’s return has always been a significant theme of Scripture. An awareness of its prevalence should influence every life that claims Christ as Lord. It is not just something to know; rather, it is to be the supreme motivation that directs us entirely.

My Redeemer, the Sovereign Lord

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19: 25-27).

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist (Isaiah 11:3-5).

The wolf will lie with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11: 6-9).

See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young (Isaiah 40:10-11).

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).

Since the beginning, the promise of the return of Christ clearly has been a foundation of faith. It will be a time of judgment for those who have rejected God, and a time of justice and reward for those who have chosen to believe in him and live a life reflecting that belief. Many additional verses in both the Old and New Testaments validate that those who chose to be God’s children will have lived their lives in anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s last promise, even if that decision at times led to a life of suffering.

In today’s world we can have our attention drawn away from this marvelous promise, because this life can offer satisfaction and pleasure, with the tendency to place our hope and satisfaction in the rewards of this life. It would therefore be of benefit to take time to study and reflect on what Scripture teaches us about the return of Christ.

The Sermon on the Mount was our Lord’s first introduction of his kingdom. To start, it would be good to examine the opening portion of Christ’s teaching so that we may have an opportunity to adapt his perspective.

Although we have an awareness of the subject of the return of Christ, it may not be a part of daily consideration regarding a life of faith. We need to understand and envision it; we need to give it serious thought; we need to consider what part it actively plays in our daily conduct.

The Blessedness of the Kingdom

To be blessed of God is the desired and intended spiritual state of all beings created in his image. We have experienced his forgiveness, been given the gift of his Spirit, have been offered the grand privilege of serving in his kingdom, and we now live by the promise of his return. All who are blessed of God experience his fullness and joy, his satisfaction and security, even if life’s circumstances are not altogether pleasant.

Poverty and the Kingdom

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

Jesus begins his sermon with the poor in spirit. His reference to spiritual poverty describes an extreme situation. It describes a beggar or a pauper, who crouches or cringes in an effort to hide; it describes a state of fear. Not only does poverty govern or rule the beggar’s life, but the beggar is completely powerless to resolve the condition.

Yet Christ says that these persons are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The contrast in this statement is extreme, since the beggars have no means or ability to recover from the situation.

How can one who suffers from abject spiritual poverty have the promise of the kingdom? We can assume the beggar now realizes his or her spiritual dilemma and has made a decision to resolve it in some way. This entire sermon focuses on the grace of God, since it describes his response to our meager gestures of sorrow and repentance.

We all existed in an absolute state of spiritual poverty before we came to Christ. At the very beginning of our spiritual journey, we depend exclusively on the grace of God, and that dependency continues through the return of Christ and the creation of his kingdom, the new Jerusalem.

God’s kingdom denotes his sovereignty, his power, and his dominion. It defines the universal sphere of God’s rule and, for our part, the dominion we have willingly acknowledged and the rule that we will voluntarily obey.

We should have the highest awareness and regard for the kingdom of heaven. In actuality, when we confess and repent and are born again, we fully acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all things and that his kingdom is of greatest importance to us.

Mourning and Comfort

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

An acknowledgment of our spiritual poverty, which is absolute and over which we have no ability to resolve, our recognition of the sovereignty of God and our desire to be a part of his kingdom leads to mourning. Our mourning, our sorrow, our grief are also extreme and significant. They reflect the recognition of our condition and our desire for a heavenly reconciliation. This can be compared to a grieving process following the death of a loved one. God graciously responds to our mourning with the promise of his comfort.

The subject of comfort in Scripture means to come alongside of another individual who has a significant need and to supply what is necessary to meet that need. Our God, in his grace, came alongside each one of us and met the most drastic need of our lives, a resolution of our separation from him, through the forgiveness of sin and the gift of his Holy Spirit.

In one verse, Luke 2:25, this word is used to describe the return of Christ. Simeon, described as a righteous and devout man, was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The ultimate comfort that God has ordained before the beginning of time was that one day his Son would return. As in all situations, God’s grace satisfies all of our spiritual needs in this life and overwhelmingly meets them all in the next life.

When we first came to Christ, it was in sorrow and mourning. God responded to us with his comfort, not only choosing us as his child in this life but also promising us his consolation for the next.

Meekness and Inheritance

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

Our recognition of spiritual poverty, and our deepest desire for reconciliation with God, reflected by our mourning, leads to surrender and rebirth, and we become meek. A common understanding of meekness involves the subject of power. Before we came to Christ, we controlled our own lives and directed the power in our lives to our own personal interests. Now, having been born again, we surrender the control of our lives and the power within that life to the control of God’s Holy Spirit. Our surrender is first reflected in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and then with humanity, first in the body of Christ and then to a lost world.

As in all things, Christ is our foremost and exclusive example. He defined himself as meek in an invitation to repent. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle [meek] and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28–29).

The prophet Zechariah described the Messiah in the same way. Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle [meek] and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey’ (Zechariah 9:9). The words of Christ and prophecy concerning his character and nature significantly challenge us to surrender our will to the will of the Father in every regard.

Our understanding of meekness, which could be confused with the concept of weakness, can deter us from being productive in the kingdom. All of us have strength and power in our lives and, when controlled by the Holy Spirit, can be useful instruments for his glory. We must willingly surrender to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit and allow him to direct the power in our own lives.

But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain (Isaiah 57:13b).

I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live (Isaiah 65:9).

Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land (Psalms 25:12–13).

Everyone has a common understanding of inheritance, passing on to another’s care material and nonmaterial goods from an estate on an individual’s death. For the children of God, however, what will be received is eternal in nature, incomprehensible, and invaluable.

It has always been God’s intention to pass an inheritance to his children, as reflected by Isaiah, the psalmist, and others.

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:1).

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:12).

In the New Testament, our inheritance is defined as salvation and the fulfillment of God’s promises.

A dramatic contrast exists in Matthew 5:5, as with those previous. We repent and confess and are born again, and we surrender the control of our life and its power to the Holy Spirit, and as a result, we will inherit control of the earth at Christ’s appearing. The additional and phenomenal display of grace and eternal inheritance should have an effect on the way we live our lives for Christ.

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Hunger and Thirst and Filling

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

Righteousness is a meaningful characteristic of our Heavenly Father. The definition and application of righteousness is consuming. Most essentially, it means that God is absolutely right in everything. For you and me, his righteousness has been demonstrated overwhelmingly in the sacrifice of his Son.

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth