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"THE ARMIES OF THE RANSOMED SAINTS THRONG UP THE STEEPS OF LIGHT..."
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"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 2:7
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"...Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints." Jude 14
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It seems that the great cosmic plan of all creation is to have free will beings who have repented, been forgiven by the sacrifice of the Son, through faith---who then walk with a new heart and are destined, by His promises, to reign with Him throughout all eternity, through no merit of their own, and only by His love and grace. (We think of John Newton's "amazing grace, how sweet the sound...")
The author of this hymn, Henry Alford, posits that creation was the eternal plan in God's mind: "O joy for which creation.and all its tribes were made..." (I am reminded of a choral piece we sang in college wherein God is speaking: "I'm lonely, I think I'll build me a world.")
Alford mentions in the third line of the first stanza of his text what all mortals look forward to: "Tis finished, all is finished, their fight with death and sin..." This victory is expressed in the very first line of the hymn: "Ten thousand times ten thousand in sparkling raiment bright, The armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steeps of light..."
O what a day and a thrilling sight; we would pray that no human being would be left behind. What a beautiful piece of insight from the writer---his view of heaven!
Then in the third stanza, the joyous meeting again of loved ones and friends: "O then what raptured greetings onCanaan 's happy shore!"
Regretfully, I do not remember having it in any church hymnal. Thus I believe I've never led it for a congregation. In searching for a choral rendition, one is not available on You Tube. I am attaching an organ rendition for the readers. It does appear, I believe, in a MoTab collection titled "Rock of Ages," available from Amazon.
A marvelous thrill for a director would be to have a thousand voice choir of trained singers, a pipe organ, and to direct this choir in singing: "Ten thousand times ten thousand..."
Henry Alford, the hymn writer, was born inLondon Trinity College , with honors, was an English minister who held many important church positions, including tenures at Quebec Chapel, Wymeswold, Ampton, and Canterbury
During his lifetime he wrote many religious articles, poems, and at least sixty-one hymn texts. His main contribution in literature was his Greek New Testament, on which he spent twenty years. Julian, the great hymnologist, thought many of his hymns were "cold and conventional." Most of us will remember his much-sung Thanksgiving hymn, "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come."
In the composer of the tune "ALFORD," John Bacchus Dykes, one would feel we have a gift from God. He wrote three hundred hymn tunes. In the Baptist Hymnal of 1957, there are ten. Congregations in many churches sing on Sunday mornings, " Holy, Holy, Holy." The tune "Nicaea
John Dykes became an assistant church organist at age twelve atSt. John's Durham
The entire text of the hymn is quoted here; read and be blessed.
"Ten thousand times ten thousand in sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steeps of light;
'Tis finished, all is finished, their fight with death and sin;
Fling open wide the golden gates, and let the victors in.
What rush of alleluias fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation and all it's tribes were made;
O joy, for all its former woes a thousandfold repaid!
O then what raptured greetings onCanaan 's happy shore;
What knitting severed friendships up, where partings are no more!
Then yes with joy shall sparkle, that brimmed with tears of late;
Orphan no longer fatherless, nor widows desolate.
Bring near Thy great salvation, Thou Lamb for sinners slain;
Fill up the roll of Thine elect, then take Thy power and reign;
Appear, Desire of nations, Thine exiles long for home;
Show in the heaven Thy promised sign; Thou Prince and Savior, come."
The author of this hymn, Henry Alford, posits that creation was the eternal plan in God's mind: "O joy for which creation.and all its tribes were made..." (I am reminded of a choral piece we sang in college wherein God is speaking: "I'm lonely, I think I'll build me a world.")
Alford mentions in the third line of the first stanza of his text what all mortals look forward to: "Tis finished, all is finished, their fight with death and sin..." This victory is expressed in the very first line of the hymn: "Ten thousand times ten thousand in sparkling raiment bright, The armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steeps of light..."
O what a day and a thrilling sight; we would pray that no human being would be left behind. What a beautiful piece of insight from the writer---his view of heaven!
Then in the third stanza, the joyous meeting again of loved ones and friends: "O then what raptured greetings on
Regretfully, I do not remember having it in any church hymnal. Thus I believe I've never led it for a congregation. In searching for a choral rendition, one is not available on You Tube. I am attaching an organ rendition for the readers. It does appear, I believe, in a MoTab collection titled "Rock of Ages," available from Amazon.
A marvelous thrill for a director would be to have a thousand voice choir of trained singers, a pipe organ, and to direct this choir in singing: "Ten thousand times ten thousand..."
Henry Alford, the hymn writer, was born in
During his lifetime he wrote many religious articles, poems, and at least sixty-one hymn texts. His main contribution in literature was his Greek New Testament, on which he spent twenty years. Julian, the great hymnologist, thought many of his hymns were "cold and conventional." Most of us will remember his much-sung Thanksgiving hymn, "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come."
In the composer of the tune "ALFORD," John Bacchus Dykes, one would feel we have a gift from God. He wrote three hundred hymn tunes. In the Baptist Hymnal of 1957, there are ten. Congregations in many churches sing on Sunday mornings, " Holy, Holy, Holy." The tune "
John Dykes became an assistant church organist at age twelve at
The entire text of the hymn is quoted here; read and be blessed.
"Ten thousand times ten thousand in sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steeps of light;
'Tis finished, all is finished, their fight with death and sin;
Fling open wide the golden gates, and let the victors in.
What rush of alleluias fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation and all it's tribes were made;
O joy, for all its former woes a thousandfold repaid!
O then what raptured greetings on
What knitting severed friendships up, where partings are no more!
Then yes with joy shall sparkle, that brimmed with tears of late;
Orphan no longer fatherless, nor widows desolate.
Bring near Thy great salvation, Thou Lamb for sinners slain;
Fill up the roll of Thine elect, then take Thy power and reign;
Appear, Desire of nations, Thine exiles long for home;
Show in the heaven Thy promised sign; Thou Prince and Savior, come."
BY MIL
5/25/13
Sent from my iPad
5/25/13
Sent from my iPad
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