This is the last promise and the final prayer in the Bible. It’s also the last of the “red letters” in the New Testament, bringing to an end the actual spoken words of Christ in Scripture. Jesus is the one “who testifies about these things” and who promises, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” The word testifies is used in the sense of declaring or proclaiming; and the phrase “these things” means the entire book of Revelation.

 

The word quickly could mean either “suddenly” or “soon”—or both. Three times in this chapter Jesus tells us He is coming quickly—in verses 7, 12, and 20. Look, I am coming quickly! Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic words of this book. . . . Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me. . . . Yes, I am coming quickly.

The immediate response of John in verse 20 was: “Amen!” This is a term of agreement, meaning “so be it!” Then John offered the Bible’s concluding prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus!” This is the same as the Aramaic term Maranatha. It’s a prayer for us to repeat frequently, however, Christians seldom pray specifically for the Lord to return. Maybe it is time to start including Maranatha in our prayer vocabulary. Shouldn’t we be asking for the Lord to “come” for a number of reasons—- consider the following:

 

Our social unrest – Come Lord quickly and put an end to our violence and hatred, come and end the injustice, bring your righteous judgment and your everlasting peace. Please Lord Come.

 

The Suffering of our loved one – Come Lord quickly end the hardship and suffering and let our loved one inherit, the blessing of their promised everlasting body, the crown of glory that awaits them. Let them come home. Please Lord come quickly!

 

For the Lost Child – Come Lord quickly in Spirit and truth, but come even sooner into the heart of my lost one that He/She too might look for you and speed your return. O Come quickly speed salvation to my lost one!

 

The physical suffering of the world – Come Lord heal and bring an end to the devastation and suffering, end all wars, poverty, hunger, and disease. All creation longs for your renewal, bring soon a new heaven and earth. Please Lord come quickly!

 

There are so many reasons we as His people should be praying Maranatha! Make sure as you pray that you do not miss the opportunity set your focus on the blessings of His return. Let us think of how we’ll feel when our Lord appears in the clouds at any moment and puts an end to all life’s ills. Maranatha! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 

In His Service,

Eric Barnes