Is This Phrase in the Bible?

By David Ettinger

Another Phrase Worth Examining
A few years ago, I wrote a couple of blogs examining whether or not certain popular phrases attributed to the Bible are actually in the Bible. Those phrases are “holier than thou” and “should God withdraw His hand for a moment, the universe would perish.” I have linked to them below.

In this blog, I want to consider another popular phrase and determine whether or not it is in the Bible. The phrase is, “prepare to meet your Maker.”

Its Meaning
“Meeting” God concerns judgment; that upon death, both believers in the Lord Jesus and those who died without acknowledging Jesus as their Lord and Savior will go before God, the Maker, for judgment.

For believers, judgment will be for reviewing one’s works while in this life. We find this in Romans 14:10-12: “For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. For it is written: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘to Me every knee will bow, and every tongue will give praise to God.’ So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Unbelievers, however, will face God at what is known as “The Great White Throne Judgment.” This judgment will be for condemning the unsaved to eternity in the lake of fire. You can read about in Revelation 20:11-15.

God as Maker
Next is the concept of God as “Maker.” Is this biblical? It indeed is. The Bible references God as “maker” 16 times, 15 in the Old Testament. A few examples:

“Can mankind be righteous before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?” (Job 4:17).

“On that day man will look to his Maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7).

“For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of armies; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

So, yes, the Maker is God, and after death every human being will “meet” Him.

Is the Phrase Biblical?
So, let’s answer the question: Is the phrase “prepare to meet your Maker” in the Bible? The answer is, “Pretty much, but not entirely.”

What?

As exactly worded, this phrase is not in the Bible. However, it’s closely worded this way, and the meaning is the same. We find this phrase in the Old Testament book of Amos. Amos is mostly a book of condemnation of Israel’s sinful Northern Kingdom. Of its 9 chapters, none is more pointed than Chapter 4, where the prophet castigates the people.

Amos spends the first 11 verses detailing Israel’s sins and explaining how God has punished her with the intention of bringing her to repentance. However, verse 11 tells us: “‘I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a log snatched from a fire; yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the Lord.”

It is then in verse 12 that God declares: “Therefore so I will do to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel.” The idea is that Israel will “meet” God in judgment, in this case, the coming Assyrian invasion and the exile of the people to that land.

So there it is. The Bible never precisely says “prepare to meet your Maker,” but it does say, “prepare to meet your God.” The context is the same, which means the idea of the phrase “prepare to meet your Maker” is the same. So yes, the phrase, “prepare to meet your Maker” is in the Bible … pretty much.

Read “Is the Phrase ‘Holier Than Thou’ Biblical?”

Read “Another ‘Is it in the Bible?’ Saying”

Tagged: Bible study, Examining the Scriptures, Is It in the Bible?, Popular Phrase, The Book of Amos, The Old Testament, The Word of God

Posted in: Ancient Israel, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christianity, God's Divine Plans, God's Judgment, Life After Death, Old Testament, Practical, Repentance, The Afterlife, The Book of Revelation