On this Sunday the Scriptures bring us to consider the things of The Last Day. Other names given to this day are: Judgement Day, The End of the World, The Second Coming of Christ. The Lutheran Hymnal contains a number of hymns listed in the section “The End Times” (LSB 507-516). One is “Herald, Sound the Note of Judgment”. Another is “The Clouds of Judgment Gather.” Ominous sounding!

 

"Herald, Sound the Note of Judgement"

1 Herald, sound the note of judgment,
Warning us of right and wrong,
Turning us from sin and sadness
Till once more we sing the song.

Refrain
Sound the trumpet!
Tell the message:
Christ, the Savior king, is come!

2 Herald, sound the note of gladness;
Tell the news that Christ is here;
Make a pathway through the desert
For the one who brings God near. Refrain

3 Herald, sound the note of pardon—
Those repenting are forgiv’n;
God receives His wayward children,
And to them new life is giv’n. Refrain

4 Herald, sound the note of triumph;
Christ has come to share our life,
Bringing God’s own love and power,
Granting vict’ry in our strife. Refrain

Text (sts. 1, ref, 2–4): © 1977 Moir A. J. Waters Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, number 100010566. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.

"The Clouds of Judgment Gather"

1 The clouds of judgment gather,
The time is growing late;
Be sober and be watchful,
Our judge is at the gate:
The judge who comes in mercy,
The judge who comes in might
To put an end to evil and diadem the right.

2 Arise, O true disciples;
Let wrong give way to right,
And penitential shadow
To Jesus’ blessed light:
The light that has no evening,
That knows no moon or sun,
The light so new and golden, the light that is but one.

3 The home of fadeless splendor,
Of blooms that bear no thorn,
Where they shall dwell as children
Who here as exiles mourn;
The peace of all the faithful,
The calm of all the blest,
Inviolate, unfading, Divinest, sweetest, best.

4 Oh, happy, holy portion,
Relief for all distressed,
True vision of true beauty,
Refreshment for the blest!
Strive now to win that glory,
Toil now to gain that light;
Send hope ahead to grasp it till hope be lost in sight.

Text (sts. 1–4): © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, number 100010566.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.

The Old Testament reading from the last book of the Bible, Malachi 4:1-6 refers to the Last Day as a burning fire and a hot furnace! Not too comforting!  Contrast this to the last words of the Scripture, Revelation 22, where Jesus says in comforting fashion, “Behold, I am coming soon”(vs 7) and again, “Yes, I am coming soon,” to which the Church responds longingly, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus.” (vs 20)  We are among those who look to the Last Day, The End of the World, as that time when the Lord God brings down the curtain on a history of a Fallen World and gives us the New Heavens and the New Earth in which righteousness dwells – forever (2 Peter 3:13).

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

4“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

5“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Malachi 4: 1-6

13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:13

1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

6And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Revelation 22

The Scripture says that before the Last Day comes, Elijah must come! Jesus speaks of this too, and tells us that John the Baptism, His forerunner, fulfills the promise of a coming Elijah! In other words, when John steps onto the stage of history, then the trek toward the Last Day begins. We are on that trek. But have no fear, for the Lord Jesus has given us safety from the fire and the destruction. He has taken the punishment upon Himself and we are safe and in His arms. Let the Day come!

-Rev. Thomas R. Zehnder