Maranatha -- Our Lord, Come!: A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church [Paperback]

Renald Showers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1995

MARANATHA: OUR LORD, COME! A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the ChurchThis book is an in-depth study of matters related to the Rapture of the church. It addresses such issues as the birth-pang concept in the Bible and ancient Judaism, the biblical concept of the Day of the Lord, the relationship of the Day of the Lord to the Time of Jacobs Trouble and the Great Tribulation, the identification of the sealed scroll of Revelation 5, the significance of the seals, the imminent coming of Christ, the analogy of John 14:2-3, the relationship of the Rapture to the coming of Christ with His holy angels, the relationship of church saints to the wrath of God, the significance of 2 Thessalonians 2, the implications of both the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9 and the references to Israel and the church in the Book of the Revelation, the meaning of the last trump, and why the timing of the Rapture has practical implications for daily living and ministry.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

RENALD E. SHOWERS is a 1956 Bible Major graduate of Philadelphia College of Bible. He received his B.A. in History from Wheaton College, a Th.M. in Church History from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Th.D. in Theology from Grace Theological Seminary. He has served in the pastorate, as a member of the faculties of Lancaster Bible College, Moody Bible Institute, and Philadelphia College of Bible, and as a visiting lecturer at Word of Life Bible Institute, Calvary Bible College, and Baptist Bible Theological Seminary. Currently, he serves on the Church Ministries Division staff of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., and teaches at the Institute of Jewish Studies, sponsored by The Friends of Israel.

Dr. Showers is a member of Delta Epsilon Chi and the Wheaton College Scholastic Honor Society. He has been awarded the General Motors Citizenship Award, a National Scholarship, and the Charles Nash Church History Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915540223
• ISBN-13: 978-0915540228
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Formidable Argument For The Pretribulational Rapture, August 6, 2005

By 

John W. Eastman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maranatha -- Our Lord, Come!: A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church (Paperback)

"MARANATHA" is indeed a definitive study on the rapture. Like an exceptional corporate attorney, Renald Showers scrutinizes pointed details of scripture that address our Lord's coming for His bride. He addresses passages and details that others have overlooked, turning over every stone along the path. Not only does he present the views of the early church fathers, but he also focuses attention on pertinent rabbinical writings.

Regardless of your personal viewpoint, you must respect his attention to detail, his scholarship, and his forthright honesty in stating his position (from the beginning he makes it clear that he holds to a pretribulational rapture). Likewise, in presenting his case, he never makes a disparaging remark about those who do not agree with him. He simply focuses on the matter at hand.

This volume cannot be brushed aside. It is the strongest statement to champion the pretribulational viewpoint.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pre-Wrather, April 18, 2003

By 

Stephanie Michelle Whittaker (Philadelphia PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maranatha -- Our Lord, Come!: A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church (Paperback)

I am a Pre-Wrather, and yet I have to recommend this book as one of the best works concerning the Doctrine of the Rapture.

As a Graduate of the Institute of Jewish Studies (IJS), a school of the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI), I personally sat under the teaching of Renald (Renie) Showers, and, therefore, I can personally testify to the author's vast knowledge concerning the Holy Scriptures and to his personal credentials for undertaking the writing of this book.

This book evolved out the Pre-Wrath schism that occured when Marvin (Marv) Rosenthal resigned from his position as the Executive Director of the Friends of Israel. I am also an acquaintance of Marv Rosenthal, and, as such, I am familiar with the details of this schism on a privileged level.

Perhaps the most excellent portion of this work is how Renie Showers relates the details of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture to the details of the Jewish Marriage ceremony. While I still remain unconvinced of his position, I have to admit that this book presents a formidable obstacle, and for that I must commend the author.

This book comes highly recommended. "Renie Showers is the man!"

Shalom - Soror Samhain

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biblical Imminency!, May 30, 2008

By 

Whosoever Will "Biblicist" (Somewhere in Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maranatha -- Our Lord, Come!: A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church (Paperback)

Along side his other definitive work comparing dispensationalism and covenant theology There Really Is a Difference!: A Comparison of Covenant and Dispensational Theology, Dr. Showers has rendered us a great service with "Maranatha--Our Lord, Come!". His biblical and scholarly work will continue to set the standard in defending the premillennial, pre-tribulational rapture of the Church for a long time to come.

As stated in the Foreword, "With over one-third of the Bible devoted to the subject of prophecy, the essence of which is the Lord's return, we can ill afford to be uninformed or confused about a hope so basic to our lives...Indispensable to any comprehensive work on the Lord's coming is and examination of the question of Imminency--the "any moment" return of Christ."

Although "Maranatha" is a deeply rich and encompassing study of the Rapture of the Church, I only have time and space enough to mention the following quotes from Dr. Showers. These should be enough to show how important this matter is and what is at stake in our churches. It also serves as a reminder of the expectant living every believer needs each day to fulfill our Lord's Great Commission to every tribe, nation, tongue, and people.

In his chapter on Imminency, Dr. Showers states:
"The concept of the imminent coming of Christ is a significant inference for the Pretribulation Rapture of the church. To understand this concept, we must examine the meaning of the term "imminent."

The English word "imminent" comes from the Latin verb "immineo, imminere," which means to "overhang" or "project". In light of this, the English word "imminent" means "hanging over one's head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence." Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent. The necessity of something else taking place first destroys the concept of Imminency."

Dr. Showers point here is very important. For example, this failing is seen clearly in the premillennial covenant (post-trib) position coming out of schools related to the EFCA that believes the Antichrist MUST be revealed first, and the Church MUST go through the Great Tribulation, BEFORE Christ can return. Since certain things MUST happen before the rapture can occur, this position does not allow for the, any moment, imminent return of Christ that is so often repeated in Scripture. Nowhere do we find that "imminent" equals "sometime soon"...and I have not been able to find anywhere in Scripture where the believer is to find his future hope an expectant living in looking for the Antichrist.

The Practical Effect of Imminency
Dr. Showers goes on to state, "The imminent coming of Christ should have an incredible practical effect on the lives of individual Christians and the church as a whole. The fact that the glorified, holy Son of God could step through the door of heaven at any moment is intended by God to be the most pressing, incessant motivation for holy living and aggressive ministry (including missions, evangelism, and Bible teaching) and the greatest cure for lethargy and apathy. It should make a difference in every Christian's values, actions, priorities, and goals...In addition, in 1 John 3:2-3 the apostle emphasized the impact that the truth of Christ's coming should have on Christians living now: "We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."

Finally, with the biblical doctrine of Imminency under siege in some denominations like the EFCA, Dr. Shower's excellent discussion in Chapter 7 is vitally important to us today. Along with that we are seeing inroads being made against the consistent use of a single normative hermeneutic by "new" systems with misleading labels such as "Progressive" and "Historic" forms of premillennialism. If you scratch below the surface you will see that both of these are little more than Covenant Theology dressed up in sheep's clothing. These views also have a weaken view on the inspiration of Scripture and use a "complementary" hermeneutic. Pastors, church leaders, and pastoral search committees can no longer afford to be complacent or uninformed and assume that being "premillennial" or even "dispensational" means normative dispensational.

The Bible in Revelation 22 closes by saying, "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...He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."