1445. The Rider On The White Horse And The Armies With Him

A Sermon Delivered On Sunday Evening, By C. H. Spurgeon, At The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. *10/27/2012

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he who sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, except he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, so that with it he should strike the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. [Re 19:11-16]

For other sermons on this text:
   [See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 281, “Saviour’s Many Crowns, The” 273]
   [See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 1452, “Rider on the White Horse and the Armies With Him, The” 1445]
   Exposition on Mt 26:57-68 Re 6:12-17 19:11-16 20:11-21:1 [See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 2473, “Awful Contrast, An” 2474 @@ "Exposition"]
   Exposition on Re 18:20-19:18 [See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 2428, “Marriage Supper of the Lamb, The” 2429 @@ "Exposition"]
   Exposition on Re 19:11-16 [See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 3430, “Chiding and Cheering” 3432 @@ "Exposition"]

1. The beloved John was, above all other men, familiar with the humble Saviour. He had leaned his head upon his bosom, and knew better than any other of the apostles the painful beatings of his Lord’s sorrowful heart. Never from his mind could be effaced the likeness of Christ, the visage more marred than that of any man. He had seen the dear sufferer on that dreadful night, when he was covered with gory sweat in Gethsemane; he had seen him after he had been buffeted and scourged in Herod’s palace and Pilate’s hall; he had even stood at the foot of the cross and seen his divine Master in the extreme agonies of death; and therefore the tender, affectionate heart of John would never permit his Master’s suffering image to fade from his memory. Truly, if he had spoken to us in vision — in symbolic terms — concerning what he had seen of his Lord and Master here below, he would have described him as a footman going out to the fight alone, with no armies following him, for all his disciples forsook him and fled; himself wearing no glittering armour, but with his garments dipped in blood and with his face smeared with shame. He would have told you how the solitary champion fought alone amid the dust and smother of the battle, and how he fell, and bit the dust, so that his foe set his foot upon him, and for a moment rejoiced over him. He would have told you how he leaped again from the grave, and trod down his adversaries, and led captives captive. Such would have been, only in far nobler terms, John’s description of his first sight of his wrestling warrior Lord.

2. But now in the passage before us a door was opened in heaven, and that disciple whom Jesus loved saw what he had never seen — what he had never imagined. He saw the same warrior Lord, but in quite another way. If John had continued to look with the eye of sense at Christ and his followers even to this day, and had viewed the battle as it is to be seen in history upon earth, he would have said that he saw the same despised and rejected One at the head of a band equally despised and rejected, leading them to prison and to death. He would have told you how to this very day the banner of the gospel is borne aloft amid smoke and dust, and Christ crucified is proclaimed amid contention and ridicule. He would have drawn in black colours the scene of the battle, the great battle which is raging among the sons of men at this very hour. But now a door was opened in heaven, and John saw the scene as God sees it. He looked upon it from heaven’s point of view, and saw the conflict between good and evil, between Christ and Satan, between truth and error; saw it in heaven’s own clear view, and he then wrote the vision so that we also might see it. Oh, if we are partakers in this conflict, if we are following the Lamb wherever he goes, if we are pledged to the truth and to the right, if we are sworn to the precious blood of atonement, and to the grand doctrines of the gospel, it will do us good and stir our blood to stand on one of the serene hilltops of heaven, above the mists of earth, and look upon the battle which still rages upon the earth, and will rage on until Armageddon shall conclude the war. If we can behold the scene, God strengthening our eyes, it may strengthen our hands for the conflict and our hearts for the fray.

3. When the door was opened in heaven, the first thing that the seer of Patmos noticed was our Captain: let us look at him, first. Afterwards he saw his followers; and then he noticed the mode of warfare, and caught a glimpse of the great defeat of the foe.

4. I. First, then, JOHN SAW OUR CAPTAIN, the King of kings.

5. Let us notice his glorious state. He says, “I saw, and behold a white horse; and he who sat upon him.” While Jesus was here, as we have already said, he was a foot soldier; he had to plunge knee-deep through mire and dirt, and walk as wearily as any of the rest of the warrior company; but now that he has ascended, though he still continues to fight, it is in another way. Of course, the terms are symbolic, and no one will take them literally; but our Lord is here described as sitting upon a gallant steed, charging his foes upon a snow-white horse. This means that Christ is honoured now. He is no weary, dusty, fainting footman now, I warrant you. There was a time when Solomon said that he saw servants upon horses and princes walking in the dust: and so it was with Christ: Pilate and Herod rode the high horse, and Jesus must walk in pain and dishonour. But now, like a greater Mordecai, he rides on the King’s horse, for this is the man whom the King delights to honour. In royal state our Jesus goes out to war, not as a common soldier, but as a glorious prince, royally mounted.

6. By a horse is denoted, not only honour, but power. To the Jews the employment of the horse in warfare was unusual, so that when it was used by their adversaries they imputed to it great force. Jesus Christ has a mighty power today, a power which no one can measure. He was crucified in weakness, but where is the weakness now? He gave his hands to the nail, and his feet to be fastened to the wood, but he no longer does so. Now he has mounted on the horse of his extremely great power, and he rules in heaven and in earth, and no one can restrain his hand, or put him to dishonour, or dispute his will. Oh you who love him, feast your eyes upon him today. It is not for me to speak; to do so would be only to hold a candle to the sun; but gaze upon him for yourselves, and let your eyes be satiated with the image, as you see him, once despised and rejected, now taking to himself his great power.

7. Here too swiftness is symbolised. Christ must walk when he was here, and go from city to city, scarcely getting through them all until his time was accomplished; but now his word runs very swiftly. He only has to will it and the voice of his gospel is heard to the utmost ends of the earth; their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. The gospel is preached everywhere, if it is only for a testimony against them, and today the words of the prophet Zechariah are fulfilled before your eyes, “The Lord of hosts has visited his flock, the house of Judah, and has made them as his goodly horse in the battle, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them.”

8. The colour of the horse is meant to denote victory. The Roman conqueror, when he enjoyed a triumph, on returning from a campaign, rode up the Via Sacra on a white horse, and the Romans crowded to the house-tops to gaze upon the hero as he exhibited his spoils. Now Jesus Christ is admired by angels and elect spirits, who throng the windows of heaven to gaze upon him who is glorified by his Father. There is a pale horse, and his name that sits on him is Death, and there is a horse red with blood, and yet another black with judgment; but his is a white horse, significant of comfort and of joy for all who know and love him. He comes to fight, but the fight is for peace; he comes to strike, but it is to strike his people’s enemies; he comes as a conqueror, but it is as a delivering conqueror who scatters flowers and roses where he rides, breaking only the oppressor, but blessing the citizens whom he emancipates.

9. Again, I say, I scarcely like to speak upon this theme; it seems too great for me, but I would ask the saints of God who have wept at Gethsemane to now lift up their eyes and smile as they see that same Redeemer who once lay grovelling beneath the olive trees now riding on the white horse. Your Lord at this moment is no more despised, but all the glory that heaven itself can devise is lavished upon him.

10. John looked into the open vault of heaven, and he had time, not only to see the horse, but to notice the character of him who sat upon it. He says that he who sat upon him was called Faithful and True. By this you may know your Lord. He has been a faithful and true friend to you. Oh soldiers of the cross, when has he ever deceived you? When has he failed you, or forgotten you? Faithful? Ah, that he is, faithful to every word that he has spoken. And true? Do you not recognise him, for is he not the truth — the very truth of God? Has he not kept every promise that he has made to you, and have you not found his teachings to be everlastingly settled upon divine veracity? And he has been faithful and true to the great Father. The work he undertook to do he has accomplished. He has completely fulfilled the covenant engagements under which he obligated himself of old. He stood as the surety for his people, and he has been faithful and true to that smarting suretyship. He came to be the deliverer of his elect, and he has accomplished the deliverance. He has not turned either to the right hand or to the left, but he has been faithful and true to every pledge which he gave to his Father for the deliverance of his chosen. Indeed, and even his enemies, though they give him many a black word, cannot say that he is not faithful and true. He has not played false, even to the basest demon in hell, nor has he deceived, in any respect, the basest man who lives. Nor will he, for when the day comes to keep his word of terror, he will make the penalty tally to every syllable of the threatening, and mete out vengeance with a line and judgment with a plummet, and even his adversaries, though they shall for ever rue the fact, shall confess that his name is Faithful and True. They called him many bad names when he was here, they said he had a demon and was mad; but now it is acknowledged that his name is Faithful and True. We acknowledge it with intense delight, and are glad to think that he leads the troops of heaven to the battle.

11. John still looked, and as he gazed with opened eye he noticed the mode of action and of warfare which the champion employed, for he says, “In righteousness he judges and makes war.” Jesus is the only king who always wars in this way. There have been brilliant exceptions to the general rule, but war is usually as deceitful as it is bloody, and the words of diplomats are a mass of lies. It seems impossible that men should deliberate about peace and war without immediately forgetting the meaning of words and the bonds of honesty: War still seems to be a piece of business in which truth would be out of place; it is a matter so accursed that falsehood is most at home there, and righteousness quits the plain. But as for our King, it is in righteousness that he judges and makes war. Christ’s kingdom needs no deception: the plainest speech and the clearest truth — these are the weapons of our warfare. The Jesuit craft which does not speak what it means, the priestcraft which undermines the faith of men in God to teach them faith in their fellow men, the falsehood which does not teach a doctrine at the first but gradually insinuates it into feeble minds, the craft which creeps into houses and leads astray silly women, who are in bondage to their lusts — this has nothing to do with the kingdom of Christ. “In righteousness he judges and makes war.” He tells his champions to come out with nothing but his word, and speak that word faithfully, as they receive it, whether men will hear or whether they will forbear. He tells his people, wherever they are, to live righteously, soberly, and in all integrity, and he himself shakes off, as a man shakes off a viper from his hand, anything that is unrighteous, everything that is contrary to truth and holiness. This is our champion, and I warrant you are very glad that he sits on the white horse, and has the upper hand. Since he fights in this way, the more of such warfare the better for mankind.

12. John, still gazing into the open door, saw a little — not much — of the person of his blessed Master. And, of course, he looked, first, into those eyes, those dear eyes which had so often been filled with tears, and that at the end were even red with weeping. John gazed into them, or wished to do so, but he had to cover his own eyes, for they were dazzled. He says, “His eyes were as a flame of fire.” Think of your Master on the white horse with such eyes as these tonight. Why are they like flames of fire? Why, first, to discern the secrets of all hearts. There are no secrets here that Christ does not see. There is no lewd thought, there is no unbelieving scepticism that Christ does not read. There is no hypocrisy, no formalism, no deceit that he does not scan as easily as a man reads a page in a book. His eyes are like a flame of fire to read us through and through, and know us to our innermost soul. Oh, think of this, and if you have any deceit tremble before him in whose spirit there is no guile. Those eyes like a flame of fire belong to our Champion that he may understand all the plots and crafts of all our foes. We are sometimes alarmed; we say that the machinations of Rome are very deep, and that the plots of infidelity dive very low. But what does it matter? His eyes are like a flame of fire: he knows what they are doing. He will confound their schemes, he will expose their knavish tricks, and still lead on his host conquering and to conquer. Let us never fear while he is on the white horse with such eyes as his.

13. It was natural that John should carry his glance from the eyes to the brow; and as he looked at our champion on the white horse he saw that on his head were many crowns. The last crown he had seen there was a crown of thorns; but that was gone, and in the place of the one crown of the briars of the earth he saw many crowns of the jewels of heaven. There rests the crown of creation, for this Word made heaven and earth: the crown of providence, for this man now rules the nations with a rod of iron: the crown of grace, for it is from his royal hand that blessings are bestowed: the crown of the church, for may it be known to all men that there is no head of the church except Christ, and woe to those who steal the title. He is head over all things to his church, and king in the midst of her. Yes, on his head are many crowns, placed there by individual souls that he has saved. Each one of us has tried to crown him in our poor way, and we will do so as long as we live. All power is given to him in heaven and in earth, and therefore well may multitudes of diadems adorn that august brow which once was belted with thorns. Glory be to you, oh Son of God! Our hearts adore you tonight as we contemplate you on your white horse.

14. Still looking at him, John saw one thing more, namely, his vesture. He says that his vesture was dipped in blood. Oh, but this is the grandest thought about our Master wherever he may be, that he is always a red man wearing the bloody garment. As the atoning sacrifice he is at his best. We love him as we see the white lily of his perfect nature, but the rose of Sharon is the flower for us, for its sweet perfume breathes life to our fainting souls. Yes, he bled, and this is the greatest thing we can say of him. His life was glorious, but his death transcends it. A living Christ, a reigning Christ — we are charmed as we think of this; but oh, the bleeding Christ, the bleeding Christ for me! Just as the blood is the life, so his blood is life to us — the life of the gospel, the life of our hopes: and one delights to think of him that, though he rides the white horse, he has never stripped off the bloody shirt in which he won our redemption. He looks like a Lamb who has been slain, and still wears his priesthood. Whenever he goes out to conquer it is with this harness on, this vesture dipped in blood. Oh, preach him, you his servants, preach him in his blood-red vesture. You shall never see souls saved if you portray him in any other kind of coat. You take his own garment from him, and put on that of another, and you pretend that you are making him more illustrious as you put on him a scarlet robe; but his own blood is his beauty and his triumph. Let him come before us in that, and our hearts shall crown him with loudest acclaim.

15. One other thing John saw, and that was his name. But here he seems to contradict himself. He says that he had a name which no man knows; yet he says that his name was the Word of God. Oh, but it is all true; for in such a one as our Master there must be paradoxes. No man knows his name. None of you know all his nature. His love surpasses your knowledge; his goodness, his majesty, his humiliation, his glory, all these transcend your understanding. You cannot know him. Oh, the depths! If you plunge deepest into the mystery of the incarnate God you can never reach its bottom. “No man knows the Son except the Father.” And yet you do know his name, for you know that he is “the Word of God.” And what does that mean? Why, when a man would show himself, he speaks. “Speak,” said the philosopher “so that I may see you.” A man’s speech is the embodiment of his thought. You know his thought when you hear his word, if he is a truth-speaking man. Now, Christ is God’s word. That is his heart, spoken out to you. His innermost thoughts of love are printed in great capital letters, and set before you in the living, loving, bleeding, dying person of the incarnate Son of God. Thus he is called the Word of God, and in that capacity it becomes us to delight ourselves exceedingly in him, and to exalt because he is now riding triumphantly upon his white horse.

16. II. Thus I have asked you to gaze at what John saw. Time chides me, however, and I can only ask you next, if you have seen the brightest One of all upon the white horse, just to look at HIS FOLLOWERS. “The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses.”

17. See, then, that Christ has a great following — not one army, but “armies,” whole hosts of them — numbers that cannot be counted. My Lord is not the leader of a small band, but he has a great host. There are some who think that all Christ’s followers go to their little Bethel, and so they all sit down on the top of their own Mount Zion, and sweetly bless the Lord who excludes the rest of mankind. But I tell you your little Bethel would not make a stable for the horses of his lieutenants. He has great armies following him, for he has redeemed a countless number out of every people and nation and tongue with his most precious blood.

18. And these who follow him, you notice, are all mounted. They followed him on white horses. They are mounted on the same kind of horses as himself, for they fare as he fares: when he walks, they must walk; when he bears a cross, they must carry crosses, too; but if he ever gets a crown, he cries, “They shall be crowned, too.” If he ever gets on horseback, he will have his saints on horseback with him, for it is not like him that he should ride and they should walk. Remember Alexander, and how he kept up the spirit of his soldiers. Whenever the troops were thirsty, Alexander would not drink; and when they marched on foot, Alexander walked with them. So it is with our Master — he has been marching here in the rough ways with us, and he will let us ride in the glory ways with him when the time shall come.

19. The armies of Christ followed him on white horses. Look a little steadily at these white horses, for I want you to observe the armour of their riders. Cromwell’s men wore at their side long iron scabbards, in which they carried swords, which they often wiped across the manes of their horses, when they were red with blood. That is a dreadful story to read, brave as those Ironsides were. But if you look at these troops there is not a sword among them. Not a scabbard dangles; not a piece of metal reflects the sunlight. Neither helmet nor breastplate is there, nor does there seem to be a pistol at the holster. They are not armed with lance or pike, and yet they are riding out to war. Do you want to know the armour of that war? I will tell you. They are clothed in white linen, white and clean. Strange battle array is this! And yet this is how they conquer, and how you must conquer, too. This is both armour and weapon. Holiness is our sword and our shield. This is pike and gun. If we only live as Christ lives and follow him, we shall conquer, for no sword can come at him who lives for God, — since, should it kill his body, it cannot touch his soul: he still lives and conquers. Think of this, and never ask for any other harness except this in the day of battle.

20. Yet I have said they were all on horses, which shows you that the saints of God have a strength that they sometimes forget. You do not know that you ride on a horse, oh child of God; but there is a supreme invisible power which helps you in contending for Christ and for his truth. You are mightier than you know about, and you are riding more swiftly to the battle and more rapidly over the heads of your foes than you ever dream. When a door shall be opened in heaven for you, and you get to the battle’s end, you will say, “Bless the Lord, I, too, rode on a white horse. I, too, conquered when I thought I was defeated. I, too, by simple obedience to his will, and keeping the faith, and walking in his truth, have been more than conqueror through him who loved me.”

21. And is this not a grand sight, this man — this bonny man, as Rutherford calls him — on his white horse, and all these bright ones following after him in all their glorious array.

22. III. And now we must close, for the bell has tolled just now to show that the hour is up, but we cannot end until we have spoken of THE WARFARE.

23. What is this warfare? There cannot be war without a sword, yet if you look all along the ranks of the white-robed armies there is not a sword among them all. Who carries the sword? There is one who bears it for them all. It is he, the King, who comes to marshal us. He bears a sword. But where? It is in his mouth! Strange place! A sword in his mouth. Yet this is the only sword my Lord and Master wields. Mohammed subdued men with the scimitar, but Christ subdues men with the gospel. We only have to proclaim the glad tidings of the love of God, for this is the sword of Christ with which he strikes the nations. Be his mouths, my brethren; be his mouths, my sisters. Tell to your children in your Sunday School classes, tell to the poor in the corners of the streets, tell by your little printed pamphlets if you cannot by your voices, all the story of how he loved us and gave himself for us, for this is the sword of our warfare, it goes out from the mouth of Christ. Let us be content to fight with this and nothing else.

24. But for those who will not yield to it our Leader has a hand as well as a tongue, and he says that he will rule the nations with a rod of iron; and if you will read through history you will find that all nations that reject the gospel have to suffer for it. I select one example. The gospel came to Spain years ago, and multitudes of the nobility were converted; but they had their auto-da-fes, [a] and burnt the saints, and the accursed Inquisition stamped out the gospel in Spain; and to this day the nation cannot rise. It will, I trust, by God’s forgiving mercy; but for centuries she who ruled the nations and covered the deep with her armadas has been sitting grovelling in her poverty and sloth, for Christ has ruled her with a rod of iron, and so he will rule all nations that reject the testimony of his mouth. If the sword of his mouth is not heeded, then comes the last of this dread warfare — and may God grant that we may never know it — when his foot shall do it, for he treads the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Ah, what a crush must that be which will come upon the clusters of Gomorrah from the foot which once was nailed to the tree. Who stamped that sinner’s soul and crushed it down? Was he an angry angel with a sword of fire? It was the Christ of God, the man of love; despised and rejected. Fiercer than a lion on his prey is love when once provoked. When love turns to jealousy its fires are like coals of juniper, which have a violent flame. Beware, you despisers, lest you continue to despise. Submit to the sword of his mouth, lest you are struck by his hand. Be wise when once his hand begins to strike you lest you have to feel his foot, for it is all over then.

25. May you and I have a white horse each with which to follow Christ. But we never shall, unless we are his followers here. We must put on the snow-white garments now. Here they are ready for you. The righteousness of Christ will be given to any man who accepts him and believes on him; and when once your snow-white garments are on, he will give you the horse of his sacred strength, and you, even you, following in the track of your gallant leader, shall ride on shouting “Victory, victory, victory, through the blood of the Lamb.” May the Lord bless you, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.

[Portion Of Scripture Read Before Sermon — Re 18:21-19:21]
[See Spurgeon_Hymnal “Spirit of the Psalms — Psalm 45” 45]
[See Spurgeon_Hymnal “Jesus Christ, Resurrection and Ascension — The Conqueror Reigns” 324]
[See Spurgeon_Hymnal “Jesus Christ, Second Advent — Reign Of Christ” 351]

[a] Auto-da-fes: A judicial “act” or sentence of the Inquisition. OED.

Spirit of the Psalms
Psalm 45 (Version 1)
1 Oh thou that art the mighty One,
   Thy sword gird on thy thigh;
   Ev’n with thy glory excellent,
   And with thy majesty.
2 For meekness, truth and righteousness,
   In state ride prosp’rously;
   And thy right hand shall thee instruct
   In things that fearful be.
3 Thine arrows sharply pierce the heart
   Of foemen of the King;
   And under thy dominion’s rule
   The people down do bring.
4 For ever and for ever is,
   Oh God, thy throne of might;
   The sceptre of thy kingdom is
   A sceptre that is right.
5 Thou lovest right, and hates ill;
   For God, thy God, is he,
   Above thy fellows hath sith oil
   Of joy anointed thee.
6 Of aloes, myrrh, and cassia,
   A smell thy garments had,
   Out of the ivory palaces
   Whereby they made thee glad.
                  Scotch Version, 1641, a.

Psalm 45 (Version 2) <7.6.>
1 With hearts in love abounding,
   Prepare we now to sing
   A lofty theme, resounding
   Thy praise, Almighty King;
   Whose love, rich gifts bestowing,
   Redeem’d the human race;
   Whose lips, with zeal o’erflowing,
   Breathe words of truth and grace.
2 In majesty transcendent,
   Gird on thy conquering sword;
   In righteousness resplendent,
   Ride on, Incarnate Word.
   Ride on, oh King Messiah!
   To glory and renown;
   Pierced by thy darts of fire,
   Be every foe o’erthrown.
3 So reign, oh God, in heaven,
   Eternally the same,
   And endless praise be given
   To thy almighty name.
   Clothed in thy dazzling brightness,
   Thy church on earth behold;
   In robe of purest whiteness,
   In raiment wrought in gold.
4 And let each Gentile nation
   Come gladly in thy train,
   To share her great salvation,
   And join her grateful strain:
   Then ne’er shall note of sadness
   Awake the trembling string;
   One song of joy and gladness
   The ransom’d world shall sing.
                     Harriett Auber, 1829.

Psalm 45 (Version 3) <8.7.4.>
1 Warm with love, my heart’s inditing
   Cherish’d thoughts on sacred things;
   With my tongue like ready writing,
   I’ll extol the King of kings;
         Of whose glory
   Ev’ry saint and angel sings.
2 Thou of all the sons art fairest,
   Yea, thy lips are fill’d with grace;
   All thy fulness, Lord, thou sharest
   ‘Mongst thy chosen, ransomed race;
      And in glory
   They shall see thee face to face.
3 Oh most mighty, oh most blessed,
   Gird thy sword upon thy thigh;
   Be thy Majesty confessed,
   Bring thy blood-bought trophies nigh;
      Let thy glory
   All thy stubborn foes defy.
4 Truth and righteousness, and meekness,
   Are the weapons of thy hand;
   All thy foes shall know their weakness,
   None can Jesus’ power withstand;
      ‘Tis thy glory,
   Rebels bow at thy command.
                     Joseph Irons, 1847, a.

Psalm 45 (Version 4)
1 Hail, mighty Jesus! how divine
   Is thy victorious sword!
   The stoutest rebel must resign
   At thy commanding word.
2 Deep are the wounds thy arrows give,
   They pierce the hardest heart;
   Thy smiles of grace the slain revive,
   And joy succeeds to smart.
3 Still gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
   Ride with majestic sway,
   Go forth, sweet Prince, triumphantly,
   And make thy foes obey.
4 And when thy victories are complete,
   When all the chosen race
   Shall round the throne of glory meet,
   To sing thy conquering grace,
5 Oh may my humble soul be found
   Among that favour’d band!
   And I with them thy praise will sound
   Throughout Immanuel’s land.
               Benjamin Wallin, 1750.
               Augustus M. Toplady, 1776.

Jesus Christ, Resurrection and Ascension
324 — The Conqueror Reigns
1 Triumphant, Christ ascends on high
   The glorious work complete;
   Sin, death, and hell, low vanquish’d lie,
   Beneath his awful feet.
2 There, with eternal glory crown’d,
   The Lord, the Conqueror reigns;
   His praise the heavenly choirs resound,
   In their immortal strains.
3 Amid the splendours of his throne,
   Unchanging love appears;
   The names he purchased for his own
   Still on his heart he bears.
4 Oh, the rich depths of love divine!
   Of bliss, a boundless store:
   Dear Saviour, let me call thee mine,
   I cannot wish for more.
5 On thee alone my hope relies,
   Beneath thy cross I fall,
   My Lord, my life, my sacrifice,
   My Saviour, and my all.
                           Anne Steele, 1760.

Jesus Christ, Second Advent
351 — Reign Of Christ <8.7.4.>
1 Bright with all his crowns of glory,
   See the royal Victor’s brow;
   Once for sinners marr’d and gory,
   See the Lamb exalted now:
         While before him
   All his ransom’d brethren bow.
2 Blessed morning! long expected,
   Lo! they fill the peopled air,
   Mourners once by man rejected,
   They with him, exalted there,
         Sing his praises,
   And his throne of glory share.
3 Judah! lo thy royal Lion
   Reigns on earth, a conquering King:
   Come, ye ransom’d tribes of Zion,
   Love’s abundant offerings bring;
         There behold him,
   And his ceaseless praises sing.
4 King of kings! Let earth adore him,
   High on his exalted throne;
   Fall, ye nations, fall before him,
   And his righteous sceptre own:
         All the glory
   Be to him, and him alone!
                     Edward Denny, 1837.