When He Shall Come

When He Shall Come was composed by Almeda J. Pearce.  1 Thessalonians 4:17 says this: “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (ESV).

Almeda Pearce’s husband Rowan was a Bible teacher who often spoke on prophetic subjects. But it was a personal experience that particularly drew Mrs. Pearce to the theme of this song. She suffered from haemophilia, a condition in which the blood has an insufficient clotting factor, resulting in excessive and dangerous bleeding problems.
 
There was some hope that transfusions of her husband’s blood would help, but his was the wrong type. In her discouragement Almeda felt the nearness of death, but the Lord gave her a sense of His presence, and peace returned. It was her renewed vision of the glories of the eternal kingdom, in contrast to “this veil of night” in which we live, that inspired her hymn. Finally, a blood donor was found that could help her, and she lived to the age of seventy-three.

I am reminded of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. All ten appeared on the surface to have done the right things to be in the right place at the right time to meet the bridegroom. Five of those virgins did not bring enough oil to last until the bridegroom came, so they missed the wedding.

When Christ returns at the end of the age, or when he comes for us individually like he did for my aunt and four friends, there will be many who lived life trying to be safe and believing that they had done everything needed to be ushered into heaven. Tragically they will be caught unaware that of all of the things needed to be safe, they missed the only truly important thing—oil for their lamps. This is the Holy Spirit, given to all who believe in Christ, so their lamps will never go out.

Time is short for all people, whether Christ returns this year or in a thousand years. For many, their struggle to stay safe and be ready for the end will be futile because they never received oil for their lamps.

Will you join with your fellow members and friends in church to pray that God would add many more to his family of those whose lamps are filled and ready? Will you give so that many more will hear and receive the Good News that Jesus Christ has already come once to give them all that is required of them to be ready to meet him with joy “when he shall come” again? 

To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

When He shall come resplendent in His Glory,
To take His own from out this vale of night,
O may I know the joy at His appearing,
Only at morn to walk with Him in white.

When He shall call from earth's remotest corners
All who have stood triumphant in His might,
O to be worthy then to stand beside them
And in that morn to walk with Him in white.

When I shall stand within the court of Heaven
Where white robed pilgrims pass before my sight,
Earth's martyred saints and bloodwashed overcomers
These then are they who walk with Him in white.