Maranatha - מרנא תא - Our Lord Comes

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun at the trumpet's call
So, lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee
Out of Zions hill, salvation comes

In the days of the early church Christians were dragged into courts and charge with treason because they refused to utter the words  Καίσαρας είναι Κύριος (Caesar is Lord). Instead they steadfastly stood by their declaration that Ο Ιησούς είναι ο Κύριος (Jesus is Lord).  Thus began a history written in blood. 

Last week 21 Egyptian men joined that band of believers who have forfeited their lives because they refused to deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ. These 21 men clad in orange were slain by Islamic terrorists not for their political views but because they were "men of the cross."  Their crime was accepting the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the foundation upon which their faith and their lives were built.

Their deaths constitute a message to all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ. That message is that the body of Christ must as in the first century A.D. become one.  We must set aside the many differences that have separated us and become once again united around the simple declaration, Ο Ιησούς είναι ο Κύριος.  This is the one declaration that authenticates our faith.  " Wherefore I make known unto you, that no man speaking in the Spirit of God says, Jesus is anathema; and no man can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit. (I Cor 12:3).  

I remember someone saying once that in our time the challenge is not to die for Christ but to live for him. I would not argue that one of our challenges is to live for Christ in this present generation. However, Jesus still expects us to not only live for him but to literally die for him. Last week, 21 of our brothers in Christ did just that . . . denied the opportunity to live for Christ they chose instead of denying His Lordship to die with the wordsيسوع هو الرب    (Jesus is Lord) on their lips.

The age of martyrs is not past. Each of these twelve men are heroes of the faith and martyrs for the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that each of these men are now with the Lord to whom they were faithful unto death. The retribution of the Lord is upon those who slay His people. I, with Paul declare, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha."  Indeed may the Lord curse those who slay the righteous and may His strong right hand rest heavy upon their necks.

The nightly news did not report all the details concerning these men. The reporters neglected to tell us that these twenty-one believers were all in their early to  mid twenties. The same age as many of our own sons and daughters. Can you imagine your own children or grand children making these kinds of choices and facing these kinds of challenges.  These men were young in years and strong in their faith.

They were in Libya in search of work to help feed their families living under the poverty line in Egypt when they were seized by these Islamic radicals. In the weeks leading up t their deaths they were tortured in an attempt to get them to deny their faith in Jesus. They were told again and again that if they would deny Jesus then they would be allowed to live. All 21 refused to deny the Lordship of Christ and all 21 died on the beach singing unto the Lord.

These men were not victims . . .  they were martyrs!  " Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me: Write: Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord."

From where I view things these men are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37) whose ultimate sacrifice is a powerful testimony to their faith in Jesus and a strong encouragement to those of us who admire their steadfast commitment to the Lord.

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The news media is not going to declare it and the White House is not going to  point it out but the Gospel's message of salvation rises out of the suffering and persecution of these 21 men.  As the Middle East or the Holy Land as we once called it was the birthplace of Christianity it is my prayer that the torch of revival that once burned bright for Christ in the first century can once again be lit by the sparks created by ISIS.

We’ve seen God use persecution to bring people to Him before, and we pray it happens again. In the meantime what can we do now?

First we can pray for the families of these 21 Christian men. Pray for their hearts to be comforted and their needs to be met. Because ISIS threw the bodies of the 21 young believers into the sea their families are enduring an added dimension to their grief. Christians in the Middle East have placed much importance on the proper burial of their dead. ISIS knowing this deliberately added to the grief these families must endure.

Keep in mind that while the White House and other U.S. leaders have spoken out against these atrocities, they have also been reluctant to publicly recognize that this violence has been religiously motivated. Pray that the our leaders will be open to the danger ISIS represents for Christians around the world. Pray that they would have wisdom to know how to properly respond.

It seems to me that Revelation 6:10 might form the core of any prayer we might offer on behalf of these dear saints.

“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10)