They tell me that a billion souls
Will be saved at the end.
Whole cities and whole countries,
Time in fellowship will spend
And won't it all be wonderful,
And won't it all be grand!
And Peter, Paul, and James and John
Can't wait to shake your hand!
The very young are pastoring
Great throngs of men, they say.
How perfect! and how wonderful!
How glorious, that day!
Of course we all would love to see
These things all come to pass
Of course we all would love to see
The nations saved, en masse.
But is this what the Scripture says
Will happen in the end?
Perhaps we both should take a look,
And be prepared, my friend.
The harvest, at world's end's described,
"the greatest, fullest crop!"
But Scripture says the harvest is
The end! Finish! Full stop!
The sickle thrust into the earth,
The saints are resurrected.
Millennium is now commenced,
And all of us affected.
The harvest done by angels
Is never done by man.
And Christ will send his angels
To do what no man can.
Now Christ, he died defeated,
Or so thought all the world.
But his great work's completed;
His banner now unfurled.
The moment of his conquering
Did seem his worst defeat.
So should his Bride be different
In this harvest of the Wheat?
Be prepared! is now the cry
To save us from disaster.
And Jesus said, Which servant
Is place above his master?
Harry K Pywell 8 August 1994