Oh, Glorious Day! (2 Thess. 1:6-8)

For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
(2 Thessalonians 1:6-8, NASB)

One of my favorite groups is Casting Crowns, and a new favorite is their rendition of “Glorious Day.” I remember singing the original hymn growing up, and the words haven’t lost their impact.

In the original version, five stanzas take us from Jesus’ coming to earth as a baby to His ascent up Calvary to His burial to His resurrection to His second coming. The chorus sums it up:

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He's coming—O glorious day!

My favorite stanza is the final one:

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
(Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/987#ixzz1bjVRJE29)

I really can’t wait!

There’s a difference between the Casting Crown version and the original in this final stanza. Casting Crown’s version says, “Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing …” (At least the lyrics I found on line have it written that way.) I kind of like the original. One day, Jesus is going to bring all those who followed Him together. My beloved ones will be there. My friends and family who chose to follow Him. Yes, what a glorious day it will be!

But with all the anticipation of that glorious day, that day when we will receive relief from our afflictions, we need to remember how critical it is to share God’s truth with our friends and family who haven’t chosen Him yet. Because on that same day, Jesus will “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

Those of us who know Him need to do all we can do to make that a glorious day for everyone!