Kingdom Ready Blog

Here’s an interesting little poem from Horatius Bonar that I dug out of a 30 year-old theology notebook. The subject matter is the same as the title – “The Day of the Lord“.  Enjoy!

 

The Day of the Lord

by

Horatius Bonar

 

The Day of the Lord it cometh,

It comes like a thief in the night;

It comes when the world is dreaming,

Of safety, and peace and light;

It cometh  – the day of sackcloth,

Of Darkness, and storm and fire;

The day of the great avenging,

The day of His burning fire.

 

Not slowly, slowly light twilight,

Nor like the cool, creeping tide;

Or bark, from its distant offing,

Moving on – o’er the waters wide;

But instant – like sudden lightening,

In the depths of a tranquil sky;

From west to east – in a moment,

The havoc descends from on high.

 

The Day of the Lord it cometh,

When the virgins are all asleep;

And the drunken world is lying,

In a slumber yet more deep;

Like the sudden lurch of the vessel,

By night on the sunken rock;

All earth in a moment reeleth,

And goeth down with a shock.

 

The voice of the awful trumpet,

Arresteth the march of time;

With terror and woe and jugement,

It soundeth thru every clime;

It speaketh loud to the living,

It speaks to the slumbering dead;

Earth heareth the final summons,

And boweth the trembling head.

 

In a flash the sword of havoc,

Foretelleth the day of blood;

Revealing the Judge’s progress,

The downward march of God;

The fire which no mortal kindles,

Quick seizes the quaking earth;

And labors the groaning creation,

In the pangs of its second birth.

 

The day of evil endeth,

The righteous reign comes in;

Like a cloud of sorrow vanish,

The ages of human sin;

The light of the morning gleameth,

A dawn without cloud or gloom;

In chains lies the ruler of darkness,

And the Prince of Light is come.