Death

Strength all but gone, and death’s sharp talons close,
Ready to snatch the Lamb of God away
To its dread lair covetous of its prize
Came to Him gentle realisation
At last that all things now completed were
And to fulfil the psalmist’s long lament,
With fading breath and voice called out: “I thirst”.
From soldiers who had cared not for His state
And who with brutal force did beat and rip
His earthly body, causing Him to bear
Upon His back the crossbeam which would hold
Him lifted up, the final sacrifice,
There came an act of mercy, foreign to
Their handling of the blameless Lamb of God.
From a jar of wine vinegar they soaked
A sponge from it, attaching it onto
A hyssop reed and held it to His lips.
Sharp vinegar to quench the Saviour’s thirst
Yet none but this was there to meet His need
Of respite from the dryness of the mouth
Which had forced blood to be brought up from the
Depths of His being, now the psalmist’s words
Fulfillèd were. Now lifting up His head
As if to stare death in the face, the Lamb
Of God beheld a light shining afar
As if the gloom that still pushed back the sun
From radiating its resplendent rays
Itself was now dispersed and from that light
A vision sweet of Paradise beheld
By Jesus, Lamb of God to whom there came
Rejoicing, worship from the angel host
Surrounding Yahweh seated on His throne.
All angels and all living things bowed down
In homage worthy of salvation wrought
By Yahweh in His sending of His Son
To suffer and atone for human sin.
From golden throne in Paradise so sweet
Came there the sound of Yahweh, He whose voice
Rang out in tones so awesome yet so fair
To point all blessèd souls who with Him live
Unto the Lamb of God who, dying, hung
Upon the cross, the perfect sacrifice
To take away the sin of humankind,
Paying the price once only so that all
Who put their trust in Him shall be conferred
Eternal life, their scarlet stains removed.
Spoke Yahweh to those blessèd souls: “See now
My Son, my only Son, blessèd is He
Who suffers so that all who would believe
In His great expiation of their sins.
This is the spotless Lamb obedient
To my most holy will, whose death shall bring
Salvation to the human race whereby
All sin shall be removed and blotted out
And white shall be the robes of those who put
Their faith and trust in Him. See how the task
To which He bound Himself is almost done,
The victory is His, let Paradise
Resound with praise and honour to my Son,
For perfect is my will to which He has
Himself subjected to. Ring out! Ring out!
Let praises chime throughout all Paradise
To this my Son, most worthy Lamb of God!”
The worship, honour, shouts of victory
In praise of Yahweh, came there to the Lamb,
From those within the gates of Paradise.
Due worship, praise and raptures triumphal,
Blessing and honour, might and majesty.
Resounded they unto the Lamb of God
Who suffered on the cross, now close to death
Yet who drew strength from vision fair: how sweet
To weary eyes now closing fast did seem
Enabling Jesus, Lamb of God to say,
With blessed assurance that He had achieved
The will of Him who sent Him to this earth
To be the expiation for all sin,
With final breath called out: “It is finished.
Father, into your hands do I commend
My spirit.” With that utterance He bowed
His head, and breathed His final, gasping breath.
Now with the barrier of sin removed
And Satan seeking sanctuary in
A tomb to hide his foul defeated self
Yet still deluded by his own ideas
Of being at Yahweh’s right hand on high
He waited for the time to worm his way
Into the Presence, in denial of
His miserable state of self-deceit.
At once within the holy of holies
The veil that kept the presence of Yahweh
From people’s vision now was ripped in two,
Making the path into Yahweh’s Presence
Reality, no more a worship from
Afar, or veneration at arm’s length,
But presence of the Triune God within
All human hearts who welcome Him into
Their lives to stay forever for the time
They have left on the earth and then to reach
The shores of Paradise for evermore.
From earth’s core came there rumbling that did shake
Without mercy the ground and which did force
Rocks to be split in two, as in the day
When Moses with his staff did strike the rock
At Horeb at Yahweh’s express command
To give the Hebrews water there to drink.
Now all who bend the knee to Christ, the Lamb
Of God, will be given living water
Their thirst to be assuaged for evermore,
To drink from Him, the fountain of all life.
A holy terror struck the hearts of those
Who witnessed drama unfolding before
Their eyes to take away the blindness that
Until that time had shielded them from Him,
Jesus, the Lamb of God and Son of God
As exclaimed by Centurion of Rome:
“Surely this man was righteous, surely He
Was the Son of God,”. Stood he there in awe
Of what he had seen and how Jesus had
Died on the cross, a witness closest to
Fulfilment of salvation history.
Now one who believed, he too now would taste
Eternal life forever freed from bonds
Of sin that until now had weighed him down
Despite non-recognition of the same.
After these things, a holy silence was
Kept by all those who witnessed the events
Of Calvary, with stirrings in their hearts
To make way for the King of Kings to come
And knock upon the doorway of their lives.
Theirs was the choice, to accept or reject
The offer of eternal life and peace.
This choice is ours, take up the narrow way
That leads to life, eternal happiness.