Scripture Verse

I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Revelation 6:12–14

Introduction

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Richard W. Adams (1952–)

Words: Verse 1, from the ora­to­rio Sam­son, by George F. Han­del, 1741. Vers­es 2–4 by Ri­chard W. Ad­ams, Au­gust 20, 2017. The words came to me as I was mus­ing on the sol­ar eclipse that was to tra­verse North Am­er­ica the next day.

Music: Folk­ing­ham, from Sup­ple­ment to the New Ver­sion, by Na­hum Tate & Ni­cho­las Bra­dy, 1700 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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George F. Handel (1685–1759)

Lyrics

Total eclipse! No sun, no moon!
All dark amidst the blaze of noon!
Oh, glo­ri­ous light! No cheer­ing ray
To glad my eyes with wel­come day!
Why thus de­prived Thy prime de­cree?
Sun, moon, and stars are dark to me!

I search God’s Word, and there I see
The day will come when signs these be;
The moon con­founded, sun ashamed,
The stars with­drawn, the heav’ns in flame;
The oceans roar as na­tions fight,
And clouds and smoke turn day to night.

O Lord, You are our strength and stay,
Protect us in that aw­ful day;
When heav’n de­parts, a worn out scroll,
When is­lands move from pole to pole;
When rocks and moun­tains can­not save
The guil­ty from the yawn­ing grave.

But those who call upon the Lord,
His arm will save, will help af­ford;
He is a re­fuge, cov­ert, tow­er,
Not hell or earth can ov­er­power;
For those washed clean in Je­sus’ blood,
He keeps them safe above the flood.

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