WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER 

"Then I saw a large white throne. I saw the one who was sitting on the throne. Earth and sky ran away from him and disappeared. And I saw those who had died, great and small, standing before the throne. Some books were opened. And another book was opened—the book of life. The people were judged by what they had done, which is written in the books.  And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire" Revelation 20:11-12, 15 ERV

In 1893, James M. Black, a Meth­od­ist Sun­day school teach­er and the President of a Youth Fellowship met a girl of fourteen, whom he invited to join the Fellowship and to attend Sunday School. She attended for a time, but one evening, when the fellowship’s roll of members was called, and each member responded but there was no response from this girl. She did not show up, and Mr Black was dis­ap­point­ed at her fail­ure to ap­pear and he made a com­ment to the ef­fect, “Well, I trust when the roll is called up yon­der, she’ll be there.”

Remarking on her absence,  Mr. J. M. Black, further spoke of the sadness of anyone being absent when the names were called of those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and then added the prayer, “O God, when my own name is called up yonder, may I be there to respond!”. After this prayer, he searched the hymn book, for a suitable hymn to sing but could not find any. On reaching home that evening, the wordings of this powerful hymn below came to his mind:

WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER

"When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain:
           When the roll is called up yonder,
           When the roll is called up yonder,
           When the roll is called up yonder,
           When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there."

Beloved, the book of life will soon be opened and the roll called up yonder. But the question is-  Where will you be on that day? The truth is that if you are not genuinely saved/ born again and sanctified you can't be there. My prayer is that on that glorious morning, when the Register of Eternity is opened and our names are called up yonder, you and I shall be there to answer and be ushered into our glorious mansions in the City of Gold.

Good day  and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro Okanlawon Taiwo