Today’s hymn comes from Irishman Thomas Kelly (1769-1855). He trained to become a barrister and entered the Bar, but after a spiritual experience became a preacher instead in 1782. His hymns, 765 in all, were composed and published over a period of 51 years. This hymn is based on 1 Thess 5:1-11, which Paul says we should encourage each other with. I hope these words are an encouragement to you!

Nothing know we of the season
When the world shall pass away;
But we know, the saints have reason
To expect a glorious day;
When the Saviour shall return,
And His people cease to mourn.

While a careless world is sleeping,
Then it is the day will come;
Mirth will then be turned to weeping,
Sinners then must meet their doom;
But the people of the Lord
Shall obtain their bright reward.

O what sacred joys await them!
They shall see the Saviour then;
Those who now oppose and hate them
Never can oppose again;
Brethren, let us think of this:
All is ours, if we are His.

Waiting for the Lord’s returning,
Be it ours His word to keep;
Let our lamps be always burning;
Let us watch while others sleep;
We’re no longer of the night;
We are children of the light.

Being of the favoured number
Whom the Saviour calls His own,
’Tis not meet that we should slumber,
Nothing should be left undone:
This should be His people’s aim,
Still to glorify His name!

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In 1750 John Cennick, a friend of John and Charles Wesley, wrote an Advent hymn that began, “Lo! he cometh, countless trumpets blow before his bloody sign!” Cennick’s hymn was published in his Collection (1752). Charles Wesley completely rewrote the text and published his version in Hymns of Intercession for all Mankind (1758) with the title “Thy Kingdom Come” (changed to “The Second Advent” in other editions). Though later hymnals occasionally mixed Cennick’s lines with Wesley’s, the Psalter Hymnal includes most of Wesley’s original text¹. Enjoy!

Lo he comes in clouds descending,
Once for helpless sinner slain!
Thousand, thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
All the Angels cry amen.

Ev’ry eye shall now behold him,
Rob’d in dreadful majesty,
Those who set at nought and sold Him,
Pierc’d and nail’d gim to the tree.
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.

Ev’ry island, sea, and mountain,
Heav’n and earth, shall flee away;
All who hate him, must confounded,
Hear the trump proclaim the day;
Come to judgment, come to judgment, come to judgment,
Come to judgment come away.

Now redemption long expected,
See, in solemn pomp appear!
All his saints by man rejected,
Now shall meet him in the air!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
See the day of God appear.

Answer thine own bride and Spirit,
Hasten Lord, the gen’ral doom,
The new heav’n and earth t’ inherit,
Take thy pining exiles home,
All creation, all creation, all creation,
Travails! groans! and bids thee come.

Yea, amen let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne!
Saviour, take the pow’r and glory;
Claim the kingdom for thine own.
O come quickly, O come quickly, O come quickly,
Hallelujah! come Lord, come.

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¹hymnary.org/text/lo_he_comes_with_clouds_descending_once