a Hymn of Praise for 29 April 2025 Anno Domini,
the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.” (Daniel 7:9)
This ancient hymn connects the former Hebrew worship to our own modern liturgy. Like the Reformation Church, the ancient worship of the Jewish synagogue was based on a reading of Holy Scripture, communal prayers, and singing. It is unfortunate that the Jewish worshippers could not connect the God whom they worshipped to the Triune God of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The symbolic meaning is obvious to all who know the fulness of the Gospel which actually predates the New Testament in promise. The lyrics are attributed to Daniel ben Judah and translated by Thomas Oliver (1725-1799), a co-worker with John Wesley. The tune is, LEONI, by Meyer Leon in 1770. I have written of this hymn before, but not the same stanzas for there are twelve altogether. This hymn is still sung in morning services among many of the Jewish faith in their synagogues.
Click link to Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeoXkqCg1qY
ANCIENT OF EVERLASTING DAYS
1 The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.
2 The great I AM has sworn;
I on this oath depend.
I shall, on eagle wings upborne,
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God’s face;
I shall God’s power adore,
and sing the wonders of God’s grace
forevermore.
3 The heavenly land I see,
with peace and plenty blest;
a land of sacred liberty,
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow
with mercy crowned.
4 The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and “Holy, holy, holy!” cry
“Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!”
1 The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above; Ancient of Everlasting Days, and God of Love; Jehovah, great I AM! by earth and heaven confessed; I bow and bless the sacred name forever blest. Was Abraham saved? Can a man be saved apart from the atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ? No, he cannot; however, Abraham was saved for the faith he held in the promise of the coming Redeemer. All who believed that promise in ancient Israel were included in the covenant of grace, but most did not so believe. Christ now sits enthroned in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Little did the Judaic worshippers know that the great I Am who spoke to Moses from the Burning Bush was the pre-Incarnate Jesus Christ. The whole world today, whether they profess belief or not, acknowledge Him by their calendar year as well as by their vehemence at the very mention of His Holy Name.
2 The great I AM has sworn; I on this oath depend. I shall, on eagle wings upborne, to heaven ascend. I shall behold God’s face; I shall God’s power adore, and sing the wonders of God’s grace forevermore. Our Lord had sworn before the worlds were made to stand up as the sacrificial Lamb of God for our atonement. The Lord bore Israel across the Red Sea and through the Wilderness for forty years on wings as of the eagle, and her bears the Church in the same way (Rev 12:14) As blind, old Fanny Crosby has often written in her 9,000 hymns, we shall see our Lord face-to-face. For Fanny, that would be the first sight she will have seen since infancy. She certainly wrote and sung of the wonders and glories of God’s grace.
3 The heavenly land I see, with peace and plenty blest; a land of sacred liberty, and endless rest. There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound, and trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned. If your spiritual vision is keen by faith, you too may glimpse the Heavenly Land that lies just beyond Jordan Banks. Of course, it provides an abundance of all things beautiful and is governed by a peace that cannot be broken by the profession of arms. Because we have surrendered the old self-will and desires of the flesh, and received the Mind that was in Christ, we shall continue to have full fruits of the full Law of Liberty and peace. Yes, and there stands the Tree of Life, in the Paradise of God, that was removed from Eden at Adam’s Fall (Revelations 22:2).
4 The God who reigns on high the great archangels sing, and “Holy, holy, holy!” cry “Almighty King! Who was, and is, the same, and evermore shall be: Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM, we worship thee!” The Heavenly dignitaries and the Angel Hosts will sing of the Glory, Majesty, and Grace of our God as we are welcomed through the Gates of splendor. The great I AM is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He changeth not. God exists outside the space/time continuum for those are the Creation of God. He is the same I Am of eternity Past, the present time, and the future eternity. Though we see now through a glass darkly, we shall then see face-to-face. Amen!
