CHRISTIAN LIFE >> Watchfulness
SDAH 604
He will come, let us watch and be ready;
He will come, hallelujah! hallelujah!
He will come in the clouds of His Father’s
bright glory but we know not the hour.
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
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Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
Both words and music were written by Franklin Edson Belden (1858-1945; see Biographies), and appear in Hymns and Tunes, 1886. The heading is a scripture quotation selected from Matthew 24.
The tune, unnamed, is marked allegretto in both Hymns and Tunes, 1886, and Christ in Song, 1900, and means “briskly.” This instruction is most apt, for the words recognize the imminence of the Lord’s coming.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
We know not the hour of the Master’s appearing;
Yet signs all foretell that the moment is nearing
When He shall return ’tis the promise most cheering
But we know not the hour.
Refrain
He will come, let us watch and be ready;
He will come, hallelujah! hallelujah!
He will come in the clouds of His Father’s
bright glory but we know not the hour.
2
There’s light for the wise who are seeking salvation;
There’s truth in the book of the Lord’s revelation;
Each prophecy points to the great comsummation
But we know not the hour.
3
We’ll watch and we’ll pray, with our lamps trimmed and burning;
We’ll work and we’ll wait till the Master’s returning;
We’ll sing and rejoice, every omen discerning
But we know not the hour.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Matt 24:36 (c) Mark 13:33; Matt 25:7 (r) Matt 24:44, 30
Author
Franklin E. Belden (1858-1945)
Year Published
1886
Metrical Number
12.12.12.6.Ref.
Composer
F.E. Belden
Year Composed
1886
