Will You Be There?

Will you be there “when the trumpet of the Lord” sounds and time is “no more, and the morning breaks eternal bright and fair?”  Will you be there?

“When the saved of earth are gathered over on the other shore, and the roll is called up yonder” . . . Will you be there?  

Will you be there “on that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ” arise, “and the glory of” Jesus’ resurrection they will share?  Will you be there ?“ When His chosen ones are gathered to their home beyond the skies, and the roll is called up yonder,” . . . Will you be there? 

Will you be there laboring for Jesus “from the dawn till setting sun,” talking “of all His wondrous love and care?”  Will you be there? “When all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, and the roll is called up yonder,”. . . Will you be there? 

These are the words, slightly altered, of the 1893 great hymn of the faith, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, by James Milton Black.*  

Beloved, Jesus Christ is coming back for His church, and the Bible teaches His return is imminent; it could happen at any moment!  This great hymn writer understood and believed this so much that he felt compelled to challenge everyone with these incredible rhymes and rhythms.  Beloved, “Will you be there?” 

Do not miss this opportunity to make sure your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life by turning from your sin and turning to Jesus in faith.  The word “opportunity” comes from two Latin words, ob, and porta, meaning the precise moment, the perfect moment.  Beloved, this is the precise moment; this is the perfect moment for you!  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31, ESV), and when that day comes, when the roll is called up yonder, YOU will be there!  Praise the Lord! 

This is Laine Wilder for Carry the Light Ministries, bringing you Insights From an Elder.

*Author: James M. Black (1856-1938) Born in South Hill, NY. Black was an American hymn composer, choir leader, and Sunday school teacher. He worked, lived, and died in Williamsport, PA. He was an active member of the Pine Tree Methodist Episcopal Church there. He married Lucy Love Levan and started his music career with John Howard of New York and Daniel B. Towner of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He edited a dozen gospel songbooks and wrote nearly 1500 songs. He also served on the commission for the 1905 Methodist Hymnal.

by Laine Wilder

author of “Insights From an Elder” for

Carry the Light Ministries