We know that Jesus the King of Kings will be coming back as he promised. This song paints a picture of perhaps what it might be like if he came to your city. We don’t know when he is coming or exactly where we will see him, but we do know he will be taking the saved back home with him. As you read the lyrics and/or listen to the song, think about how you would feel and what he has done for you.
This next song for my Blog was written by: Gloria Gaither, Willam J. Gaither, and Charles Millhuff and first released in 1970. A link to the Gaither Vocal Band performing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.
The King Is Coming
The marketplace is empty
No more traffic in the streets
All the builders’ tools are silent
No more time to harvest wheat
Busy housewives cease their labors
In the courtroom no debate
Work on earth is all suspended
As the King comes thro’ the gate
O the King is coming
The King is coming
I just heard the trumpets sounding
And now His face I see
O the King is coming
The King is coming
Praise God, He’s coming for me
Happy faces line the hallways
Those whose lives have been redeemed
Broken homes that He has mended
Those from prison He has freed
Little children and the aged
Hand in hand stand all aglow
Who were crippled, broken, ruined
Clad in garments white as snow
O the King is coming
The King is coming
I just heard the trumpets sounding
And now His face I see
O the King is coming
The King is coming
Praise God, He’s coming for me
I can hear the chariots rumble
I can see the marching throng
The flurry of God’s trumpets
Spells the end of sin and wrong
Regal robes are now unfolding
Heaven’s grandstand’s all in place
Heaven’s choir now assembled
Start to sing “Amazing Grace”
O the King is coming
The King is coming
I just heard the trumpets sounding
And now His face I see
O the King is coming
The King is coming
Praise God, He’s coming for me
We know that the King will be coming back as he promised and this song paints a picture of perhaps what it might be like if he came to your city. We don’t know when he is coming, but we are told every eye will see him. As you read the lyrics and/or listen to the song, think about how you would feel and what he has done for you. This song is not about the theology of the rapture and the second coming, but about the impact Jesus might have if he arrived at an entrance to your city. I get excited as I think about the words in this song and the emotions it brings.
With today’s social media and news media, we can always be aware of everything going on around the world at any time. The word starts to spread that Jesus has been seen and is heading into the city. Of course everyone wants to see him, especially the believers. Non-believers, the majority of whom have probably heard about Jesus, want to see this curiosity, this person proclaiming to be the son of God.
The malls, shopping centers, schools, offices will all be vacated as the word of his coming spreads. As the traffic backs up, people get out of their vehicles to run to a location where they think they can see the King. The moms and dads who are at home are running out with their children, the sounds of all construction ceases, and all other activities cease. The only sounds are the whispers of “he is coming” and “can you see him yet.” Everyone is focused on this one event.
The trumpets start to sound, announcing his arrival, and the noise level in the crowd rises as they strain their necks to see him or perhaps seek higher ground as they try to see him. All of a sudden the first people see the King and the noise level rises among the crowd. Maybe some are just praising him at the top of their lungs, some may be dancing with joy, and some may just be standing in awe. I am sure that the crowd is pressing forward as people just want to be closer to him or to touch him. Each of the believers know that he has come to take them home. There will be many people with their faces plastered to the windows. Every floor with windows overlooking the arrival is packed with onlookers and their happy faces. The people who have accepted Christ have been redeemed and they are probably overwhelmed to see the man who died for them so they could join him in eternal life.
The people who survived broken homes, abuse, abandonment, infidelity are there because they found their way to Christ, perhaps the only love they have ever felt. The song references people who have been freed from prison and this could be the actual release from a physical prison or maybe a release from a prison of sin and despair. I am not sure it means that the person in the real prison was actually released, but it is someone who knows that they have spiritual freedom because of Christ and also have eternal life.
The little children who are probably looking on in awe and maybe not understanding all that is going on, but have heard about the King from their parents. The elderly or aged, are standing there with the children and perhaps reflecting back to the time they came to know Jesus, a good reason for their faces to be glowing. The elderly can sense that their aches, pains, and struggles in life are finally over and that they are nearing a reunion with their loved ones whom they have lost over the years.
The closer the King gets to us, the louder the rumbling of the chariots become. Our hearts are racing and we are filled with emotion as he draws closer. The crowds are getting bigger and the trumpets are getting louder and we can finally see his face. We are ready to be swept away from a sinful world that we battle every day. The angels are in their flowing robes and have formed their choir in the grandstands of heaven. Can you just imagine the sound of them singing Amazing Grace? I can feel the emotion just thinking about that time, that sound, and what is waiting for me.
We have run the race and fought the fight and we, as the redeemed, are finally coming home.
Click to hear the Gaither Vocal Band sing The King is Coming