POEMS TEACHING ABOUT REVELATION

By Maurice Dyson

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Introduction
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth
the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:7

The Book of Revelation is complex as we know
Yet every illustration is lucid even so
The person who is reading must understand by far
The books that are preceding, so vital as they are

It brings to a conclusion the prophecies declared
And is a just solution for all that God has shared
Portrayed as by a vision upon the Isle Patmos
Related by precision that none may suffer loss

Now as the days draw nearer we ought to be alert
To love our Saviour dearer that we incur no hurt
His coming soon is certain, of that be full assured
And then He’ll draw the curtain for every soul He’s cured

 

The Apocalypse

The Revelation of the Lord
Was made by vision and by word;
His angel passed it on to one appointed.
And blessed will that person be
Who hears this word of prophecy,
And keeps that which he hears with faith undaunted.

Behold, He comes, and every eye
Shall see Him coming in the sky,
And all the earth shall wail as hearts are tested.
The Second Advent will provide
An age of justice far and wide,
And peace will rule on earth with wars arrested.

 

The Patmos Vision

The vision came to John one day
As he was spending time away
Upon a certain island as we greet him.
His gospel-centred argument
Had brought about his banishment
And yet the Lord would very shortly meet him.

It happened on a lordly day
He heard a voice behind him say,
I am indeed the Alpha and Omega.
 Now what you see write in a book;
And when he turned around to look,
He saw a very awe-inspiring Figure.

He saw One like the Son of Man,
And thereabout surrounding Him,
Were churches He was constantly inspecting;
While holding firm within His hand
Were seven stars in His command:
The angels of each church He was correcting.

His feet were like the burning brass,
As if refined in furnaces;
His voice was like the sound of many waters.
His head and hair were white as wool;
His face as when the sun is full;
His word a sharpened sword as it has taught us.

 

The Seven Churches

To Ephesus thus shall you write:
Though you have kept My name aright,
Yet you have left the love you treasured solely.
Repent and do the former deeds,
Whereof the Holy Spirit leads;
Or else I’ll take the witness from you wholly.
`
To Smyrna write this message clear,
Though you shall suffer, have no fear,
You shall be cast in prison for a season.
If you will keep abiding true,
A crown of life I’ll give to you,
Be faithful unto death this very reason.

To Pergamos, now this I see;
I have somewhat concerning thee,
Of those who spread alarm with Balaam’s teaching.
Who by his guile and trickery
Brought sin and immorality,
On Israel by standards he was breaching. 

To Thyatira says the Son:
I am aware what you have done:
Your persevering toil that you have rated.
Yet you allow that Jezebel,
Who claims she has prophetic skill,
To teach a way of life that I have hated.

And now to Sardis shall you say:
You think you are alive today,
But you are really dead in what you cherish.
Remember therefore how you heard
The universal gospel word,
And strengthen what remains lest it should perish.

To Philadelphia make it known:
I am aware what you have sown;
I've set an open door for you to enter.
I'll keep you from the testing hour,
For you have got a little power;
Hold fast the things you have with Christ the centre.

To Laodicea this I say:
Your works are feeble night and day,
And neither hot nor cold as well they might be.
I counsel you to buy of Me
White garments showing purity,
And consecrate your eyes so that they might see.

 

The Throne in Heaven

A door in heaven did appear;
A voice which summoned, Come up here,
I'll show you what must be as time is marching.
I saw a throne set up on high,
And One who sat in majesty;
And there around the throne, a rainbow arching.

And lightning flashed and thunder roared
With voices carried far abroad;
So vivid was the sight, it was so awesome.
Before the throne a sea of glass,
Through which the light could clearly pass;
And there around the throne a living foursome.

These living creatures full of eyes,
Declare their never ending praise,
Not resting night and day in their rejoicing,
Lord God Almighty, One in Three,
Who was and is and e'er shall be;
The Holy One and True, so was their voicing.

I saw and lo, He had a scroll;
But there was not a living soul
To break its seven seals for proclamation.
I wept because no one was found
Of worth to make the scroll unbound;
No, not a single one in all creation.

But one who stood said unto me,
Do not lament so bitterly,
The Lion has prevailed with strength unfailing.
I looked, behold, there stood a Lamb,
Appearing as it had been slain,
With seven eyes that scan the world prevailing.

And as the creatures rendered praise
To Him, the Author of our days,
Another group concurred within their hearing.
These twenty-four around the throne
Extolled the Lord for all He'd done,
And worshipped Him who lives with love endearing.

They sang a new song joyfully,
Because the Lord had made them free,
And washed them in His blood with love abounding.
From every tribe and every tongue,
The Lord led out a mighty throng:
The people who would reign with joy resounding.

 

The Seven Seals

The seals were opened one by one,
For they were opened by the Lamb;
A voice said, Come and see; as loud as thunder.
A white horse with its rider there,
Went out and conquered everywhere;
As when a man of war goes out to plunder.

The second seal, He opened then,
A red horse with its rider on,
Who took away the peace, then followed - slaughter.
The third was opened and I saw
A black horse with its rider pour
A devastating dearth on every quarter.

The fourth seal had a woeful tale
I saw a horse appearing pale;
The rider's name was Death with Hell pursuing.
A quarter of the earth’s domain
Was in their power to be slain,
To kill with sword and hunger much accruing.

The fifth seal laid its contents bare,
I saw beneath the altar there,
The people who were slain for their campaigning.
Who cried out loudly to the Lord,
How long will You restrain Your sword,
And so avenge our blood in time remaining?

The sixth brought on a dreadful sight,
The sun became as dark as night;
The stars of heaven fell as they were shaken.
The sky receded as a scroll;
A mighty earthquake took its toll,
And every island fled as they were taken.

The rich and mighty, great and small,
Called on the mountain rocks to fall,
And hide them from the One in glory seated.
For now at last His day of wrath
Has come with vengeance on the earth;
And who can yet withstand the judgment meted?

And after this I looked and lo,
Four angels standing there below
Were holding back the winds as was directed.
They must not blow on land or sea,
On any shrub or any tree,
Till those who would be sealed have been selected.

I looked and saw a mighty throng,
From every tribe and every tongue,
And this is what they sang with strains ascending.
All blessing, glory, honour be
Both now and for eternity,
With thankfulness and praise to God unending.
 
He opened up the seventh seal;
A silence followed on its heels:
A thirty minute wait in places hallowed.
Then seven angels standing there
Blew on their trumpets with a blare;
And as each angel blew a judgment followed.

 

The Seven Trumpets

The first one gave his trumpet call,
Then blood and fire fell overall,
On continents below with no restraining.
The fire destroyed a third of trees
And grass in its entireties;
The first report is gone with six remaining.

The second sounded with a blast;
What seemed a burning mount was cast,
And hurled into the sea which lost its nature.
The sea in part turned into blood;
A third of ships were then destroyed,
And many creatures died at their departure.

The third one blew his trumpet call;
I saw a star named Wormwood fall
Upon a third of springs among the nations.
The water springs were so defiled,
They poisoned both adult and child;
And many people died in their locations.

The fourth one sounded, then the light
Was darkened both by day and night;
I heard a triple woe on earthbound creatures.
O woe to those inhabitants,
For there are yet three punishments;
And those that still remain are yet to reach us.

The fifth one sounded and I saw
A star had fallen, furthermore
He had a key to fit the deepest places.
He opened up the great abyss
And smoke came as from furnaces,
Which darkened off the sun along its traces.

And locusts came out from the smoke;
Their constant torments would evoke
A worldwide misery as anger rages.
For men will seek the way of death,
But they will keep their living breath,
And five months of torment will seem like ages.

The sixth one sounded, this I heard,
Release the angels now prepared:
The foursome who are bound till they are rallied.
A mighty army went to war
And killed a third of all they saw;
A third of all mankind as it was tallied.

The rest who lived did not repent
Of every base and vile intent,
Nor of their evil deeds with all its vices;
They kept on with their sorcery,
And all their immorality,
The lawlessness that judges and indicts us.

 

The Mighty Angel

Another mighty angel came
And cried aloud through earth's domain,
And seven thunders made reverberations.
I started out with wondering,
To write about this thundering;
But I was not to write these revelations.

An angel standing on the sea
Raised up his hand and swore to me;
The secret things of God will soon be finished.
Events which are a mystery
Would soon be done with certainty,
For all that God declared has not diminished.

The second woe is truly past,
A third is coming sure and fast;
The seventh angel blew with its announcement.
The kingdoms of this world are one,
For they are given to the Son;
His rule will be complete; a sure pronouncement.

 

The Woman Israel

A sign in heaven came in view,
A woman clothed with brightest hue,
Invested with the sun as her adorning.
Twelve stars, a garland on her head,
As in the dream which Joseph had;
The sign of Israel as at her dawning.

She laboured as a birth drew near;
Another portent did appear,
A fiery awesome beast as he is pictured.
He stood before the woman there,
And waited for the Child she bare,
With all demonic cunning, yet restricted.

Her Child was borne to heaven's throne,
For God the Father had foreknown
The plot against His Son: its perpetration.
The woman fled and found a place
Which God made ready by His grace,
And there she was sustained in her location.

In heaven there was war declared,
With no resolve or passion spared;
The devil and his host were cast asunder.
For Michael's army won the fight;
The dragon's horde was put to flight,
And cast to earth below where they would plunder.

Rejoice O heavens, you who dwell
Within its mighty citadel,
But woe to those on earth in every dwelling.
The devil has come down to you,
And he is very wrathful too;
His days are numbered few; a factor telling.

 

The Beast out of the Sea

I saw a beast come from the sea,
With seven heads distinctively;
And on his heads a name which men will glory.
One head was wounded mortally,
And then it healed remarkably;
The world was filled with awe about this story.

The world gave homage to the beast;
The rich and poor and very least;
With awesome wonderment; he had no equal.
He wielded great authority
On those foregoing liberty,
And uttered blasphemy; an awful sequel.

He warred with saints and overcame,
For it was granted him the same;
But they will dwell secure in highest regions.
And all the earth will give acclaim,
Because they do not have their name
Recorded in the scroll of ransomed legions.

Another beast came from the earth
Performing signs of telling worth;
Deceiving everyone with lies invasive.
And these received a special mark
Because their minds were in the dark;
Deluded by the wonders so pervasive.

 

The Lamb and 144, 000

I looked, behold, there stood a Lamb,
And standing there along with Him,
Twelve thousand from each tribe as He had bought them.
They sang a song before the throne;
A new song known to them alone,
Which no one else could learn or have it taught them.

These are the virgins, undefiled,
And with their mouth have not beguiled;
The first fruits unto God and His Elected.
I saw another angel fly
Who uttered with resounding cry,
The hour of God has come as He directed.

He had a lasting word to preach
To all the souls within his reach;
In town and countryside to every mortal.
Give glory, praise and majesty
To Him who made the land and sea;
For now His judgment hour has reached the portal.

Another angel followed on,
Alas for that proud Babylon!
The city that was great has been indicted.
She made all nations drink her wine
And thus has placed herself in line
To drink the wrath of God as He has cited.

Successive angels did appear;
They had a message filled with fear
For those rejecting grace and all its treasure.
The harvest crop is set to reap;
The grapes are ripe and cannot keep,
So thrust the sickle in with fullest measure.

And then a sign quite marvellous;
I saw what seemed a sea of glass,
And standing on the sea, a group of singers.
These are the ones who overcame
The beast and number of his name;
Their harpist melody rang from their fingers.

They sang the song that Moses sang,
And of the Lamb as thus it rang,
Extolling Him as King of all the nations.
Lord God Almighty, Just and True,
Let all the nations worship You;
Your ways are right in all their situations.

 

The Seven Vials

Then seven angels had command;
And bowls of wrath were there at hand
To pour on earth in holy retribution.
The first one poured, and lo, I saw
A painful and a loathsome sore
Struck all who had the mark with no solution.

The second angel poured his bowl
Upon the sea which took its toll;
The sea turned into blood with death extending.
The third poured out his bowl of wrath
On every fountain spring thereof,
And men of blood drank blood with judgment pending.

The fourth was poured upon the sun
And heat intensified thereon,
And men were scorched with heat amid resentment.
The fifth was poured upon the throne
Where all the beastly deeds are done,
And many gnawed their tongue yet unrepentant.

The sixth dried up a water flow;
A river o'er which men would go,
Preparing for a fight at Armageddon.
The kings who come from eastern lands
Will rally up their hostile bands,
And gather for the fray as they are bidden.

The seventh angel poured his bowl,
Which brought about a mighty toll,
And many cities fell with devastations.
And every island fled away;
A mighty earthquake gave that day
A fate without compare in generations.

An angel came and spoke with me
And carried me away to see
A woman on a beast that she was riding.
He showed me that religious whore
Who shed the blood of saints galore,
With virulence and hate in her residing,

Alas that city Babylon!
In one hour is your judgment come;
For all your lofty claims have gone with burnings.
For no one buys your merchandise
Or precious stones at any price;
Your satin or your scent with all its earnings.

A mighty angel took a stone;
For thus shall Babylon be thrown
And hurled into the sea with great upheaval.
No longer will your harpists sound,
And neither will a lamp be found
In your locality amid the evil.

 

The Harlot Judged

O alleluia and amen!
And let us shout it once again!
The judgment of the harlot is completed.
The Lord avenged His servants' blood;
His judgments are both right and good;
And justice is restored and fairly treated.

O let us lift our hearts and voice;
And let the saints of God rejoice;
The wedding day is here so long awaited.
His wife is decked in bright array;
The righteous acts of yesterday
Cannot be overlooked or underrated.

O happy are those wedding guests,
For now are many prayer requests
Fulfilled before their eyes with much elation.
The marriage supper of the Lamb,
Has duly been prepared for them,
And each is welcomed to this grand occasion.

And then the heavens opened wide;
A white horse with a Man astride;
The Faithful One and True in warlike manner.
And many crowns were on His head;
His armies followed as He led;
His robe is dipped in blood about His banner.

THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS;
The highest name that God accords
Is written on His thigh, the True Commander.
He rules the nations with a rod;
The righteous rulership of God
Will manifest its power with nothing grander.

An angel standing in the sun
Cried out to every feathered one,
Come gather for the feed that is awaited.
That you may eat the flesh of kings,
The captains and the underlings;
Come, gorge and have your fill till you are sated.

The kings of earth were gathered there
With armies all prepared for war,
Against the Holy One, the Lord’s Anointed.
Who overcame them with His sword,
And slew them with His holy word;
The birds ate up the flesh as was appointed.

An angel came with key and chain,
For now must peace on earth remain
Throughout a thousand years for its duration.
He seized the devil right away,
And locked him up where he would stay,
Till that apportioned time in its summation.

And when the thousand years are spent,
He'll once again cause great dissent
Among the human race with all his dealing.
Deceiving nations as before,
But now at last his final war
Will terminate right then with no appealing.

 

Unbelievers Judged

I saw a throne set up in space,
To judge the hapless populace;
The universe dissolved as time was ended.
For unbelievers, every sort,
Are now to have their day in court,
With all submission as their knees are bended.

The books were opened one by one;
The records kept of all they'd done,
As well, the book of life and those it listed.
For He who sits upon the throne
Perceives the heart of everyone:
The light they have believed or else resisted.

 

New Heavens and New Earth

I saw new heavens and new earth;
A new creation had its birth,
A universe where righteousness is dwelling.
I saw the New Jerusalem,
Adorned as with a diadem;
A city where the springs of life are welling.

For God will dwell among His own,
And draw His people round His throne,
A home for both the meek and tender-hearted.
And He shall wipe away all tears;
The pain of all the former years,
And cares of yesterday have long departed.

An angel came and talked with me
And carried me away to see
A scene that drew my deepest admiration.
The city with exquisite tones,
Constructed with such precious stones,
As chrysolite and beryl for foundation.

And there shall never be a night,
For God the Lord will give them Light,
And they shall see His face in all His splendour.
And never shall there enter in
The ones who keep committing sin,
Who never did their sinful hearts surrender.

The Spirit and the bride say, Come.
The tired or the wearisome;
The wise man or the fool in any quarter.
Let him who is athirst partake
Of living water that will slake
The deepest need of any son or daughter.

 

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