Scripture Verse

Before me was a door standing open in Heaven. And the voice I had…heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here. Revelation 4:1

Introduction

portrait
Franklin L. Sheppard
1852–1930

Words: Ri­chard W. Ad­ams, April 17, 2010 (pub­lic do­main).

Music: Ter­ra Be­a­ta tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish tune, ar­ranged by Frank­lin L. Shep­pard, 1915; ap­peared in his Al­le­lu­ia (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: West­min­ster Press, 1916), num­ber 180 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Richard W. Adams
1952–

Origin of the Hymn

This hymn was lit­er­al­ly born in a dream. I was re­cov­er­ing from a bad cold and lar­yn­gi­tis, and af­ter fin­ish­ing a tel­e­phone con­ver­sa­tion with my daugh­ter Sar­ah in Wash­ing­ton, DC, I lay down for a Sa­tur­day af­ter­noon nap.

As I was drift­ing off, the words For no­thing base or false can live with­in these walls came to me. I thought that was un­us­ual, as I had not been con­tem­plat­ing writ­ing lyr­ics.

Taking it as a sign that God might have some­thing for me, I got up, went to my desk, and felt my sleep­i­ness melt away as I wrote down the rest of the words.

Richard Adams

Lyrics

In my deepest dream I hear
A distant trumpet call,
Get up and see, come unto Me:
I sight a golden wall—
Behold, Jerusalem!
With angels round the throne,
And emerald rainbow all aglow,
Above a crystal sea.

I see the ransomed saints,
A multitude untold,
So glorious bright, with crowns of light,
The victor’s palm they hold;
I hear eternal choirs,
Singing praise unto the Lamb,
Salvation power burst into flower,
And overcomes the night.

Proceeding from the throne,
Flows a crystal river pure,
It life bestows where’er it goes,
And every ill will cure;
Along the water’s edge,
Are trees of fadeless bloom,
No more we grieve, for their healing leaves,
God’s love and blessing show.

I walk the golden streets,
Where no tempter can ensnare,
No darkness here, no more guilt or fear,
No shadow anywhere;
For nothing base or false
Can live within these walls:
No secret sin can hide within,
No evil interfere.

Too soon the morning comes,
And the veil obscures my sight,
But now I see what my goal must be,
That heavenly city bright—
The walls whose cornerstone
Is Jesus Christ our Lord,
By faith in Him, the prize we win:
God’s love eternally.