He Who Is To Come / O Come O Come Emmanuel

Component Scores

Message

Christ’s visible return, final justice, and victorious reign carry the message from beginning to end. The opening promise that “the old will pass away” and “ev’ry wrong will be made right” places Christian hope in God’s future renewal rather than in vague optimism. The repeated title phrase, “He who is to come,” identifies the expected King as “Christ the Son of man,” the risen conqueror who bears “nail scars in His hands.” That gives the song a strong Gospel-shaped center: the returning Judge is also the crucified and risen Savior. Its main weakness is the line about present “tension growing stronger” being “a sign He’s getting closer.” That may be intended as pastoral urgency, but it risks sounding like current emotional or cultural pressure can confidently measure the end-time timetable. Still, the dominant message is orthodox, hopeful, and worshipful: Jesus has conquered death, is worthy of praise, and will come again.

Biblical Accuracy

Most major claims are directly tied to biblical eschatology and worship. “No more pain and no more sorrow” closely reflects Revelation’s picture of the new creation, while “Ev’ry eye will see Him” and “riding on the clouds” clearly echo Revelation 1:7 and Daniel 7:13. Calling Christ “the Lamb that was slain” and assigning Him “wealth,” “honor,” “wisdom,” and “power” tracks Revelation 5 with unusual specificity. The song also rightly joins Advent longing to second-coming hope through “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” though the Israel language is borrowed from the hymn rather than developed in the surrounding lyric. The principal caution is not a doctrinal denial but an imprecise eschatological inference: “tension growing stronger” as a “sign” of Christ’s nearness could be heard as more definite than Scripture permits. Jesus teaches watchfulness and expectancy, yet also warns against confident date-setting or reading every crisis as a precise countdown. Overall, the lyric is strongly biblical with one line that would benefit from careful framing.

Outsider Clarity

A non-Christian listener would likely understand that this is a Christian song about Jesus returning, judging evil, and receiving worship. The lyric names “Christ,” “the Son of man,” “the Lamb that was slain,” “Savior,” and “Emmanuel,” so the object of worship is not hidden behind generic spiritual language. Phrases like “nail scars in His hands” clarify that the coming King is the crucified Jesus, while “He will come again” states the central claim plainly. Some biblical images may require background knowledge: “He who was, He who is,” “Son of man,” “Lamb,” and “Emmanuel” are rich but not self-explanatory to outsiders. The bridge’s address to “O Israel” could also feel abrupt unless the listener recognizes the Advent hymn and its longing for the Messiah. The main clarity concern is the claim that growing “tension” signals Christ’s closeness; outsiders could read that as apocalyptic speculation. Even so, the song’s basic Christian meaning is quite clear.

God-centeredness

Jesus receives the glory in explicit, sustained, and biblically recognizable ways. The lyric does not mainly celebrate the singer’s emotional state, human resilience, or religious atmosphere; it exalts Christ as the coming King, conqueror of “death and grave,” “the Lamb that was slain,” and the only One “worthy of all glory and all praise.” The chorus joins confession and adoration: “Hallelujah” is not attached to a vague breakthrough but to the visible return of the crucified and exalted Christ. Verse 3 is especially strong because it borrows the doxological categories of Revelation, assigning wealth, honor, strength, wisdom, and power to the Lamb. The singer’s personal hope appears in “my future has an anchor,” but that hope is grounded in “my eyes are on the Savior,” not in self-confidence. The one less precise eschatological line does not materially redirect glory away from God. As a whole, the lyric magnifies Christ’s victory, worthiness, and promised return.

Corporate Worship

This is suitable for ordinary congregational worship, especially in Advent, Eastertide, or services focused on Christ’s return and final hope. Its object of worship is clear, its core claims are biblical, and its repeated “Hallelujah” gives the congregation a direct doxological response. The choral/SATB framing may make it more naturally a choir anthem than a simple congregational song in some churches, but that is an arrangement issue rather than a lyric concern. A worship pastor may want to briefly frame the “tension growing stronger” line so it is heard as watchful longing rather than end-times speculation. That caveat is real but not enough to require a PERHAPS rating, because the song itself repeatedly anchors the hope in Christ’s promised return, crucifixion, victory, and worthiness.

Theological Depth

The song combines accessible, foundational doctrine with some substantial biblical theology. The foundational layer is clear: Jesus conquered death, will come again, will end sorrow, and is worthy of praise. The deeper layer comes through Daniel 7 and Revelation imagery: Son of Man, clouds, universal visibility, the slain Lamb, and throne-room attributes of worthiness. It does not explore judgment, resurrection, Israel, or new creation in extended detail, but it gives worshipers more than a thin emotional refrain.

Closing Comments

A strong eschatological worship lyric, this song centers Christian hope where Scripture centers it: the crucified and risen Christ will return, evil and sorrow will not have the final word, and the Lamb is worthy of all praise. Its best moments are not merely inspirational; they are recognizably drawn from Revelation, Daniel, and the broader biblical hope of renewal. The only notable caution is the “tension growing stronger” line, which should not be treated as a confident reading of current events. With that understood, the lyric is clear, worshipful, and doctrinally sturdy enough for corporate use.

Limitations

• Generated from title and lyrics only.
• Does not evaluate artist theology.
• Not an official Berean Test review.