Monthly Archives: August 2016

How the Traditional Doctrine of Hell Undermines Christian Character

I must warn you that some of my readers may find some parts of this article, and some of the concepts described in it, to be very disturbing. I know I do.

Standard Evangelical doctrine holds that everyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ in this life (before they die) will spend eternity in hell, a place of conscious, permanent and ongoing fiery torment from which there is no escape.

My regular readers will know that I do not, indeed can not, in all my best conscience, believe in that doctrine. While I believe that hell exists – we see it all around us in the daily sufferings of ordinary people – I have some very serious theological misgivings with Scriptures supposedly supporting the ‘standard’ doctrine I have summarised above. And, as you will see from the article quoted below, some of the things that you have to believe, and indeed the type of person that you have to become in order to really believe in hell, are really quite out of keeping with true Christian character. I mean this in all respect, and I know that my beliefs on this score may be offensive to some of my friends, but I am seriously worried about what a belief in ‘traditional’ hell actually means. We need to consider honestly and seriously the claims of modern theologians and prophets on this subject, for reasons I will describe in a future article.

And I’m not on my own in believing these things; there are many genuine, believing Christians who are also reconsidering the whole concept. Part of humility, part of remaining teachable, is the ability to reconsider what we think we ‘know’, and being willing to consider new ideas, concepts, scholarliness or research that sheds new light on a subject.

Here is a piece by one such scholarly person, Dr. Randall Rauser, and I include the link to the original article at the bottom of the piece:


Last year I interviewed Robin Parry, author of the book The Evangelical Universalist (which he wrote under the pseudonym “Gregory MacDonald”). During the interview, Robin observed that Christians should want universalism to be true. Indeed, he put the point rather provocatively when he declared,

“You’d have to be a psychopath not to want [universalism] to be true.”

Psychopath?! That’s mighty strong language, isn’t it? But as provocative as that statement might sound, Parry pointed out that Calvinist philosopher Paul Helm agrees on the main point: Christians should want universalism to be true.

If you want to see folk damned, there is something wrong with you

Nor is Helm the only defender of eternal conscious torment to make this point. With the publication of Knowing God in 1973, J.I. Packer quickly established himself as one of the foremost conservative Calvinist theologians and a staunch defender of doctrines like penal substitution and eternal conscious torment. As conservative as he is, even Packer makes the following declaration: “If you want to see folk damned, there is something wrong with you!” (Revelations of the Cross (Hendrickson, 1998), 163).

If, as Packer suggests, you shouldn’t want to see anybody damned, then it logically follows that you should want to see them all saved*. And wanting to see all people saved entails wanting universalism to be true.

This leaves us with an interesting situation in which all agree that proper Christian character requires that we hope universalism is true even as (according to traditionalists like Helm and Packer) we are to believe it isn’t. That’s awkward for the traditionalist … but it gets worse.

How eternal conscious torment undermines Christian character

As my interview with Robin continued to unfold, he then addressed the underlying tension between the doctrine of eternal conscious torment and the moral character formation of the Christian. Robin explained it like this:

“Someone said to me, ‘Oh, I believe that hell is tormenting people forever. I don’t have a problem with that.’ And I think when you first come across this view, if you’re an ordinary human being, you would have a problem with that unless there’s something really wrong with you, something seriously in terms of your moral compass. So then you have a theological system where you have to try and desensitize yourself to this. And there is a real problem of a theological system that actually, rather than cultivating virtue in your attitudes and so on, cultivates attitudes that are actually vicious.”

Now this is a really important point, one that is worth camping out on. As Parry points out here, the doctrine of eternal conscious torment (i.e. the doctrine that the damned will suffer unimaginable retributive punishment in body and mind for eternity in hell) presents a real problem for the Christian who is serious about developing a Christlike attitude. The problem, in short, is that acceptance of the doctrine of eternal conscious torment encourages attitudes which are, as Parry put it, “vicious.”

Vicious? Really? Indeed, I think Parry is right here. On this traditional view, the Christian is committed to the belief that a subset of God’s creatures (“the damned”) will be subject to eternal torments even as the elect experience maximal joy in a heavenly new creation. Here’s where those vicious attitudes enter the picture: Christians now seek to develop the kind of character they will have in eternity. Indeed, that’s precisely what sanctification is all about: becoming like Christ. But on this view, becoming like Christ means becoming the kind of person who can be maximally happy and joyful despite the unimaginable suffering of the damned.

You think that’s bad? It gets even worse. You see, the mainstream view of eternal conscious torment represented by theologians from Tertullian to Thomas Aquinas to Jonathan Edwards to J.I. Packer, is that the suffering of the reprobate is not merely tolerated by the elect. Rather, it actually increases the joy of the elect since it manifests God’s righteous holiness.

Let’s consider that incredible claim for a moment. But let’s make it personal. In eternity, you could end up in heaven while your beloved parent, child, or spouse, could end up suffering unimaginable torment forever in hell. And you would be maximally happy and joyful even as you witnessed the righteous divine wrath being poured out on this damned wretch: the mother who had raised you, the child you nurtured, the spouse you had loved, now reduced to a writhing burning cinder even as you sing divine praises.

If we’re supposed to become like that now – if that’s what sanctification really looks like – then preparation for eternity requires the cultivation of attitudes that would indeed look on any conventional measure to be vicious, not to mention perfectly horrible, and morally repugnant.

Consider this pale analogy. Imagine the meat eater who is overcome with compassion when witnessing the horrors of the slaughterhouse. But rather than resolve not to eat meat, or at least to adopt a new commitment to the humane slaughter of animals, he instead cauterizes his emotions against the terrible fate of industrial livestock. He will not allow their suffering to adversely impact the pleasure of his meal.

In like manner, on this picture the Christian who is now overcome with compassion or immobilized in anguish for the eternally damned should recognize that these attitudes are at odds with the end goal of becoming Christlike. The sanctified person in glory is the one who can rejoice in the glow of the suffering of the damned.

This brings us to a deep paradox with the traditional view of hell as eternal conscious torment. Even defenders of this view of hell like Paul Helm and J.I. Packer agree that we ought to hope that all are saved. Despite this fact, a commitment to become sanctified like Christ requires that we seek to cauterize our emotions so we may become indifferent to, or even rejoice in, the torment of the damned.

Right doctrine should lead to right character

The problem can be put simply. This doctrine of eternal conscious torment seems to be fundamentally at odds with becoming like Christ. But isn’t that backwards? Shouldn’t right doctrine seamlessly interweave with right character formation? Put another way, if a doctrine requires us to cultivate vicious attitudes, isn’t that reasonable evidence that this doctrine is false?

Eric Seibert believes so and he offers a way forward with a hermeneutical principle to guide theological reflection. (For more on Seibert see my audio podcast interview). Seibert begins by quoting the great Church Father, St. Augustine:

“Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this two-fold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought.”

Seibert then fills out Augustine’s principle:

Whenever we read and interpret the Bible, we should always be asking whether our interpretation increases our love for God and others.” (The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament’s Troubling Legacy (Fortress Press, 2012), 66-67).

The Augustine-Siebert principle offers a reasonable resolution to the problem. Whenever we encounter a doctrine or a reading of a biblical passage, we must ask of it, does that doctrine or reading increase our love for God and neighbor? If one concludes that it does neither, and indeed does the opposite, we have a reason to reject it.

With that, we can turn back to our current dilemma. Defenders of eternal conscious torment are left with a cognitive dissonance at the heart of their conception of sanctification. On the one hand, they recognize the obvious: if you want to see folk damned, there’s something wrong with you. On the other hand, they are obliged to recognize that in eternity you will find joy in seeing folk damned, and yet there won’t be anything wrong with you. Indeed (and incredibly) this will be what it means to be like Christ.

But that’s not what it means to be like Christ. The logic of eternal conscious torment leaves one with the cultivation of vicious attitudes that militate against love of neighbor. This doctrine is fundamentally at odds with Christian sanctification and discipleship, and that devastating consequence provides a reasonable ground to reconsider the biblical and theological credentials of eternal conscious torment, if not to reject the doctrine altogether.”


Quoted from: How the Traditional Doctrine of Hell Undermines Christian Character, on the Unfundamentalist Christians blog on Patheos.com

*In this context, I am assuming that the writer means that to be ‘saved’ means to be ‘saved from hell’ and that he in his turn assumes, for the purpose of the argument, that hell exists as described by evangelical doctrine.

 

All I Desire…

Whom have I in Heaven but You?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you
– Psalm 73:25

A long time ago, I was a worship leader who played in meetings and services week after week, month after month. Until, of course I burned out! Many of my readers will know of my Dark Night of the Soul, when I left behind me all things Church for fifteen years. And on each occasion that I burned out, I came closer and closer to never going back into leading – or even into Church; each time, that Dark Night beckoned. Eventually, it turned out to be exactly what I needed, but on this particular occasion the ‘only’ real thing was that I never wanted to ever hear again any of the Songs of Heaven.

Except for this one. ‘All I Desire’, from the Hosanna! Music album ‘Almighty‘. Despite everything, this one song just played over and over again in my spirit – and I didn’t mind, despite it being a Song of Heaven:

‘Oh Lord, my God, all I desire is You’.

And, you know, that was exactly what the Spirit was speaking to my heart at that time. I needed to put aside all the works, all the leading, all the action, all the ‘being indispensible’, and just concentrate on my heart’s Desire – all I really needed was Him. So, in His usual complete genius, He gave me the one song that could save my sanity, by putting my focus back on the One to Whom I owe everything. 

As usual, it had taken a big crash for me to learn my lesson – if indeed I did. But anyway, here is the song. If you’re blown away by life’s pressures, or especially by ministry pressures, remember your first Love; remember that He is all you really desire, and that all the resulting works and deeds flow from Him and back to Him. Let it be effortless. let it flow from your life in the Spirit, and not from any compulsion.

Hold your ‘ministry’ lightly;
but hold on to Him tightly

(I can’t believe I just wrote that, and I apologise. Too trite for my normal style, and I don’t like ‘Christian catch-phrases’ – but I feel perhaps it’s there for for someone!) 😉

So here it is: ‘All I Desire’, written and led by Rich Gomez.

Sing it. Mean it.

O Lord, my God
All I desire is You
O Lord, my God
All I desire is You

More precious than silver
More costly than gold
No riches on the earth
compare with You

And what can this world offer
when all I desire is You

– Rich Gomez, 1992

It’s Actually So Simple….

The Gospel is actually so simple.

It’s this: God loves you. Period.

Anything and everything that you think prevented you from approaching God has been dealt with by Jesus on the Cross.

You are now free to live your life free of any worry that God doesn’t like you, that God will never forgive you, that God cannot love you the way you are, that you’re all on your own, that maybe after you die you’ll go to that terrible place you’ve heard of that’s called ‘hell’.

No more of that. Jesus loves you and He wants to walk alongside you, and bring the presence of the Kingdom into your life in all its power, peace, love and joy!

That’s the Gospel.

It’s not about obeying Rules; it’s not about obeying the Law.

It’s not about Law at all, in fact. It’s about faith. Faith in Jesus Christ.

You see, the Law, for example in the Ten Commandments, was only ever given in order to show us our sinfulness, that is, our tendency towards doing things that will harm us, and/or harm others (Romans 3:20).

But Jesus took all that sinfulness into Himself on the Cross and destroyed it. (Rom 6:6)

Humanity’s natural tendency is to try to please God by obeying Rules; we call this ‘legalism’. Jesus said in Mark 7:6-7 (quoting Isaiah 29:13),

These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”

This dependence on our own works – the ‘human rules’ that Jesus mentions – is completely futile, as we will see below. But in Jesus, a new way to please God has been given: the way of Grace. Here’s what Paul says in Romans 3:21-22:

“Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the Law. For the Law merely brings awareness of sin. But now, apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been revealed… And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe”

Did you see that? No-one will be justified by the Law (in other words, the Law makes no-one righteous), but now, apart from Law, our righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe! (See also Gal 2:16). That is all that is required! And it’s all God’s free gift, through His Grace, that is, His favour and His approval, that even though we may not deserve it, He gives us it anyway!

Righteousness comes, by faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. And it comes from God, not from us!

Jesus came to set us free from the Law of sin and death. Jesus did not come to change the Law, but to fulfil it. Every Law we were supposed to keep, that we have broken, He has fulfilled on our behalf, and this is what makes us free. There is no longer any need for us to believe that we have to ‘do’ certain things in order to please God, because it’s all been done!

When Jesus came, He chided the Pharisees for making up loads of layers of laws for people to keep (Mt 23:4). It’s the same today. Legalists just like modern-day Pharisees love to add layer upon layer of Rules and Laws – Moses’s law, Jesus’s law, Paul’s law, Peter’s law. They say that Jesus only came to give us more Rules, oh look at the Sermon on the Mount, look at the Beatitudes! Then after Jesus comes Paul, apparently saying things like ‘Do not get drunk on wine’, Don’t this, Don’t that. Legalists love this sort of thing. So that even though Jesus has already made it completely unnecessary to obey religious Rules once and for all, still even then they persist in trying to add on these layers of Rules in order to try to please God through their own works, which, as we have seen, is futile. These Rules are drawn from an incorrect application of Scriptures portraying events even later than those in the Gospels, and of course the Legalists look for more Rules to follow, find passages they think are Rules, and add those new Rules to the list they already follow, and that’s no way to live! (And of course the Rules are there only as part of a complete misunderstanding of Grace….)

I’d like to ask them what they think they can add to Jesus’s already completed work?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All we have to do is to accept what Jesus has done for us. ‘Surely’, some may say, ‘there’s more to it than that? Surely there is something we have to do?’ No. Nothing at all. What you do is simply to have faith in Christ; simply to believe in Him. What this looks like is that you let Jesus live in you, to let Him live His Life out through yours, to let Him lead you by His Spirit. This is real freedom. This is the Freedom in the Spirit!

So I will say to you along with St. Paul, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day” (Col 2:16) [Emphasis mine] – or by what clothes you wear, what games you play, what sort of music you listen to, what books you read, whether or not you go to the cinema (that’s the movies for our American friends!), what sexuality you have (which is none of their business anyway), whom you marry – anything! Your walk with Jesus has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else; it’s none of their business! (Jn 21:22)

Let me tell you something. Today’s Pharisees will do all this and more, but they will claim that they are not Pharisees because they do ‘lift a finger to help’ –  and they’ll claim that they are trying to help you towards ‘holiness’. But Jesus has already given us everything that we need for life and godliness. Everything! (2Pet1:3) No, what they are actually doing is to judge you, clothe it in pseudo-‘love’, and tell you they’re only noseying into your life because it’s ‘for your own good’; so that they can keep you away from ‘sin’. But Jesus already does that by His Spirit – so, to reiterate, do not let anyone judge you by [anything]. You are free in Christ to be whom He made you to be, free from others’ opinions, free from others’ influence.

This is your freedom. Live in it!

Let me leave you with one final Scripture: Micah 6:8. Jesus has set us free to live like this:

He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

– Micah 6:8

The Prophetic Piano Solo

I’ve written before on the subject of singing in ‘tongues’; singing in another, unknown, language as the Spirit gives the words. It’s beautiful, moving, and very, very special.

Today I want to give you a really special worship track from the tape ‘Oil of Gladness’; you can find the whole tape on my ‘Vintage Worship Tapes‘ website.

When I used to lead worship in my old church in Leeds, sometimes I would be inspired just to play spontaneously, even sometimes to sing the words prophetically (like the chap in this example). This could happen either out of the blue, or after the end of a song, but it’s always gorgeous. In some ways, prophetic piano playing is like singing in ‘tongues’ as it’s spontaneous, not pre-planned; when it’s done ‘live’ it’s always fresh, always new, and it’s not usually playing any recognised tune – although sometimes I might be playing prophetically and realise that I am actually leading into another song, in which case I will roll with it and lead into that song.

So anyway, in the track I am sharing today, they’ve just finished singing  a song (I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live) and the pianist, David Matthew, carries on spontaneously into a lovely prophetic piano piece, later backed with his band, and the congregation join in gradually as they realise what’s happening. As I say about this track on on my webpage  on Vintage Worship Tapes,

“…yes it may only be a four-or-five-chord vamp but there are almost words in that music; I have loved that piece for nigh on thirty years and still it speaks new things to me; it really is prophetic piano playing.”

This was the first prophetic piano solo I’d ever heard, and I found that it inspired me to similar things in my own worship leading.

Have a listen and see what you think. Let the Spirit soak you with the worship in this timeless piece:


The worship was recorded at Church House in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 1978. The piano that David was playing was a Steinway grand, which is why I have used a picture of a Steinway in the header image for this post.

It Is Well With My Soul

It is such a comfort to me to know that, no matter what happens, It Is Well With My Soul. No matter what happens, my life is ‘…hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3). This means that my life in Christ is now so bound up within the Godhead that it is safe forever. That’s some statement! And it’s true for everyone who simply puts their trust in Jesus, whether they realise the reality of that truth or not. If you’re one of those people, then be encouraged and take in that simple but marvellous truth: It Is Well with Your Soul! Yes, with your soul! Let it soak into your entire being, and never let go of it – because it’s true and it’s real!

If you’re not one of those people? You too can have the assurance and say with me, “It is Well with my Soul”, if you simply decide to trust in Jesus. Have a think about that.

And so, I wanted to share with you today one of my favourite Christian hymns, ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, by Horatio G Spafford.

About 25 years ago, Hosanna! Music published a cassette tape called ‘Eternal God’, with worship led by Don Moen, on which ‘It is Well With My Soul’ was featured. It was the first time I ever heard it and I loved it straight away. So, here is the song from that tape:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

(Refrain:) It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Refrain)

And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)

spaffordHoratio Spafford’s moving story, of a life full of tragedy and yet also full of service to Father, can be found here and here. You might read that story and think, whether you are already a believer or not, ‘How can someone go through all that and still believe in a loving God?’ And you would have my agreement – except that, because of the Grace of God, I believe that all believers are given the grace to carry on in faith under such circumstances.

I can testify to this in my own life; even as I write this, my wife and soul-mate Fiona has been fighting a particularly nasty cancer for the last two and a half years. Her survival through to this point in time is nothing short of miraculous. She refers to herself as a ‘walking miracle’, and with good reason too. And God has been close to us the whole time. Despite the circumstances, we still believe. This is real stuff, in real life – a real God drawing near to the brokenhearted, just as He promised He would do (Ps 34:18) And of course, it is well with her soul, too; whatever our lot, we can say that.

Along with Horatio Spafford, then, we can testify with full joy and assurance:

It is well with my soul!

Begin today to declare this awesome truth to yourself and for yourself. Let it make a difference! Wow!


For completeness’ sake, here are the full lyrics for It Is Well, including my favourite verse, the third (My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought…)

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

(Refrain:) It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Refrain)

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(Refrain)

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
(Refrain)

And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)


At the end of the main track on this page, Don and his band play another song, ‘I Will Come To You’. Here is that beautiful song in its entirety, from the Hosanna! Music CD, ‘Eternal God, 1991:

I will come to You, You have the words of life
I will come to You, You are the door
I will come to You, You are the Light of Life
I will come to You, For You are Lord

You have laid down Your life t
o forgive my sin
And You’ve made a way for me to be born again
By Your stripes I am healed,
In Your presence I’m filled
I hear You calling and now I come

How to Trust the Church After You’ve Been Hurt by It

I spent fifteen years staying out of Church life, partly because of all the hurt I’d received there. And when I returned, although I felt like I’d come home at last, still my Church isn’t perfect. But it’s home, imperfections or not.

Ever been hurt by Church people? Never want to go back? Heard about people who’ve been badly hurt by Church things?

Then read this excellent article by John Pavlovitz. It will give you fresh perspective.


Church Steps

 

   

 


Click the image below to go to the original article:

john pavlovitz stuff that needs to be said

All Honour

There are some worship songs that simply stick in your heart, no matter how many years have passed since you first heard it. All Honour is one of those songs; it never fails to send tingles down my spine. I first heard it when my friend Chris came back from  Australia, having experienced a real move of God out there (as I described in this article). All Honour was for me the song that reminded me most of that time in my life. God was working in power (as He still is!) and there’s nothing wrong with remembering with fondness such times, so long as you keep focused on the present time as well! Another such song was ‘Stand in Awe‘, which I have also put in my blog.

Here is the version of All Honour that Chris brought back with him; it’s the one I consider to be the definitive version, by Christian City Church, Sydney, Australia. The song has been very competently covered by Ron Kenoly and Hosanna Music on their album ‘Lift Him Up‘, but to me, this one, led by Christine Pringle of CCC Sydney, is definitive and best.

Listen and enjoy. Find Him as you listen!

All honour, all glory, all power to You
All honour, all glory, all power to You

Holy Father, we worship You
Precious Jesus our Saviour
Holy Spirit, we wait on You
Holy Spirit, we wait on You
Holy Spirit, we wait on You
For fire

 – Chris Falson

Love Them….

love_them

This is simple stuff but ignored by so many.

However, “…this list is easy. I think we can all imagine loving all of these. But it’s another thing to say the word “love” when you are talking about society’s “monsters”. We’re talking about terrorists, murderers, rapists, kidnappers, pedophiles, extortionists, drug kingpins. All of them. Can you simply answer “love them” in the answer to who they are? Can you accept them, sins and all? I tell you what, Jesus could, and does. Unconditionally. When he said “love your enemies” he was definitely including them too. If we are all connected, none of us is “OK” until every last bit humanity, including our lowest and most disgusting members have been redeemed. They are all part of us, like it or not. And they are cherished by God in the most undeserved and profound way. Like it or not.”

So true. A link to this last paragraph, posted on Facebook by by one Tim Wilcox, is included below.

Ancient of Days

Here’s a brilliant worship track from Ron Kenoly’s 1992 Hosanna Music album ‘Lift Him Up’, the video of which I have previously featured on my blog.

Once again, let me encourage you to listen to this track, and particularly enjoy the anointed instrumentals from Justo Almario (flute) and Alex Acuña (percussion), culminating in Abraham Laboriel’s stunning bass solo at about 4:15 minutes.

Enjoy and be blessed!


Blessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of DaysEvery tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory
Every knee shall bow at your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of DaysBlessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of DaysEvery tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory
Every knee shall bow at your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and Your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of Days
O Ancient of DaysYour kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none can compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days

Every tongue in heaven and earth shall declare Your glory
Every knee shall bow at Your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and Your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of Days

Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none can compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days