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Maranatha
Many strange signs have been appearing to me lately. I’ve mostly just been keeping quiet and watching for them. Or not even - they come to me when I’m just sitting still, not expecting anything.
I rode back from work yesterday on the #44 bus, like any other day. I cracked open a Philip K. Dick novel which Jeremy had loaned me, Time Out of Joint. Like most of his novels, the story revolves around a character for whom reality starts to crumble. There is a pivotal scene where Ragle Gumm is at a park, and approaches a concession stand to buy a beer, and suddenly the stand totally dematerializes before his eyes. All that’s left is a small rectangular strip of paper with the word “CONCESSION STAND” (or similar) printed on it. Ragle has a collection of other such strips of paper which he has found as well. The story follows him unraveling this weird mystery.
In the middle of my reading that, I glance up from my book, and notice something odd. Wedged in between the cushion and the plastic in the seat-back in front of me is a small rectangular strip of paper with a word printed on it. The word is “MARANATHA.”
The word seems vaguely familiar, but I can’t place it. I pull it out of the seat, tearing the corner in the process, and place it in my book. Later on, back at Garrett’s house, I had a chance to look it up and was rather surprised by what I found.
Maran atha is an Aramaic (Syriac) phrase occurring once only in the New Testament. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated, and is found at the end of Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians (I Cor 16:22) as a farewell. It means “the Lord has come”, or “the Lord will come”, or more likely “Come, Lord!” There is a strong similarity here to the final words of the Book of Revelation: “Amen; come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20) which may very likely have also originally been in Aramaic.
The phrase seems to have been used as a greeting between early Christians, and it is probably in this way that it was used by Paul.
If you know anything about Philip K. Dick, you’ll know how later in his life he became obsessed with the idea of overlapping times and realities, and believed himself to be fused with an early Christian. He believed that a band of so-called secret gray-robed Christians were furtively moving about, preparing for the overthrow of the Black Iron Prison, the Roman Empire, and joyously awaiting the Second Coming of Christ.
An organization of Christians, not regular Christians such as those who attended church every Sunday and prayed, but secret early Christians wearing light gray-colored robes, had started an assault on the prison, and with success. The secret, early Christians were filled with joy.
“Fat, in his madness, understood the reason for their joy. This time the early, secret, gray-robed Christians would get the prison, rather than the other way around.
“Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy…” Maranatha, my friends. Maranatha! Make of it what you will.
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February 14th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
That is wild. I’ve been having some weird coincidences/synchronicities this week, too, one involving the Pooka.
February 14th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
I’ve been having lots of coincidence involving the number 11 and 22 lately.
I noticed in your quotes that both have the number 22. (16:22 & 22:20)
Then I just looked at my PC time - 1:22.
I’ve been seeing 11:11 or x:11 or x:22 for a long time, but it’s been fast and furious lately. Yours story however was pretty cool, it being such a significant meaning, coming from Paul (pkd fave) while you’re reading Time out of Joint.
What can u do except keep your eyes open.
February 14th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
For anybody who’s interested, “maranatha” is what they call a hapax legomenon (I think), or a word that appears only once in a given text or in the texts in a given language:
http://www.answers.com/hapax+legomena&r=67
Interesting topic in its own right.
February 14th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
in my experience, the weird part about the aftermath of such incredible synchronicities/”coincidences” is remaining relaxed enough so that i might remain open to them again. like you said, i think there is a lot to be said about “not expecting” them to happen… but after some really bizarre stuff goes down, I find myself subtly and unintentionally expecting (through too much “non-expectation”). sort of like the “don’t think of a pink elephant” thing. in any event, good luck and keep your eyes opened (or not…)
February 14th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
Make off it what you will. Catch it!!no antibodies for vd. Spred the disease
February 15th, 2006 at 1:07 am
Ok, I’m sorry but I’ve just gotta ask. I guess you could call it one of these nagging troll-like tendancies, but I’ve gotta know… Who is Jeremy? The same Jeremy guy from fantastic planet? Like another fellow blogger, I guess one of the smarter higher echelon types? Sorry, I’m being a troll snoop. But he lives in Seattle right, kind of like Pearl Jam, who wrote the song “Jeremy.” Same guy, inspiration maybe?… I hope this isn’t a brokeback mountain type of thing, except in the snug comfortable setting of Seattle… Ahh, I’m going to be jealous! Why can’t I ever hook up with one of those coool smart hip bloggers? Damn…
February 15th, 2006 at 1:22 am
Nice!
February 15th, 2006 at 8:07 am
How would you describe ‘christian’ tim, in the biblical orthadox sense a christian should adhere to a set of parameters to consider themselves christian. How would you qualify the word?
February 15th, 2006 at 8:44 am
Is a person that is washed in the blood of christ but the sheepol can’t taste their own poison and fall victim to ignoranec.(they ignore the world outside of their eye deals)my personal favorits r those who r envious of chist there so easy to trap in their n myth
February 16th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
I was sitting in Indigo (a large Canadian bookstore) two days ago reading “Seven Sins for a Life Worth Living” and all of a sudden had this strange feeling, looked up, and whispered to myself “fairies are real.” I had no idea why I thought or said that as there was nothing in the book about fairies, when less than 30 seconds later a woman walked around the shelves carrying a book entitled “Faeries.” Something’s up, that’s for sure.
February 17th, 2006 at 1:38 am
That’s really cool. I love when that happens. Like a wrench in the system to make your day shift unexpectedly in an interesting, adventurous direction.
I haven’t been on here in ages, but when I saw “Maranatha” today it hit me about a lucid dream I had a few years ago wherein a little girl told me that her name was “Namamitha Madison” and told me to remember it for when I woke up. Oh, I mentioned that before on a post here, but it just reminded me again.
I hope you’re doing well with the new surroundings and all!
February 18th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Just a small tidbit: Apparently, “Maranatha” was part of the warning that Nicholas Flamel found in the book of alchemy by Abraham the Jew. More info at Flamel College Just FYI.
Also, I love your site, Tim. Keep on keepin’ on.