‘TWAS night in Egypt, when a cry
That rent the air was heard;
The king arose, his servants too,
And all the land was stirred (Ex. 12).
For weeping parents bowed their heads,
And cried, “Alas! my child!”
The first-born all around lay dead.
And hearts with grief were wild.
House after house had felt the blow,
But stay! not every home,
For Israel’s children dwelt in peace,
That night of awful doom.
Obedience to Jehovah’s word
Could stop destruction’s hand.
The lamb they slew, its blood they shed
By the divine command.
The hours rolled on, each life was safe,
For Death had passed the door;
He could not lift the latch of those
Where blood was sprinkled o’er.
Another cry will soon go forth
(It may be heard today),
When Christ descends into the air
The dead in Christ shall all arise,
Joined by a living throng;
While joy shall fill the hearts of saints
Who watched and waited long.
He comes at last, their absent Lord,
They’ll see Him face to face;
With bodies changed, from sin set free,
They’re gone! but see that busy crowd
Left in the scene below;
Alas! for them, their souls are doomed
To everlasting woe.
They heard of Jesus, God’s own Lamb,
Who shed His precious blood
To screen the sinner, who unscreened
Some mocked, some scorned, some turned away,
For all ‘twas now too late;
The Lord no sprinkled blood could see,
Oh! reader, ere another morn
Has dawned, the Lord may come;
Will you be ready for the shout
A. R. V. A.