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The congregation sang and their pastor joined
in; Their singing could be heard just down the street a ways.
Many a soul had surrendered in the church o’re the years; Amen’s
and hallelujahs, Tears of joy and shouts of praise.
The church sat facing ‘main street’ and passers-by would stop,
To listen on the sidewalk ‘neath a shade tree, some ‘til noon:
IT was in the month of August when a singer of a rock band Came
walking past the church – and he sang to a different tune.
For to everyone he met, he boasted of his great and perfect
voice, But he sang for the devil… Said of his voice - it was the
best.
So as the congregation sang that day to tunes of saintly choice,
The singer stopped to listen, ‘neath the shade tree, sat to
rest.’
“Are You Washed in the Blood” and “The Sweetest Name I Know”
Came floating thru the windows, then he heard “The Old Rugged
Cross.”
He was thinking, ‘how pitiful! They can’t carry a tune.’ He was
smiling his smile of hate, for his soul and heart we’re lost.
Then rising to his feet, he walked thru the open church door;
He’d show the congregation how his famous voice could shame;
How it could teach them all a thing or two, his perfect gift,
and more; How he hated hearing, singing from God’s children in
His name.
He walked down the aisle, choosing to stop at the very first
pew, Then he began to sing – singing louder than he ever had
before!
The congregation silent now as they listened to the wicked man;
The stranger who had eyes cold and empty; They let him sing.
He watched them as he sang, and when he finished, boasted loud:
“You people think you’re singing but you don’t know anything!”
“I’ve made a million dollars singing songs, but look at you; All
you’ve got to show for your singing are voices never heard.”
“I hate the churches and you people when I hear your rusty
tunes; You preacher men with Bibles, wasting time on your God’s
Word!”
The Christians watched in silence; Pastor walked to where he
stood, To ask the stranger just one question, and put him to the
test;
“Would you sing a saintly song, one that I will choose? You
haven’t much to lose; A chance to prove that you’re the best.”
The man thought for a moment, then flashed the preacher a wicked
smile; “I’ll sing your saintly song; For it won’t matter anyway;
I’m the best in voice you’ll ever hear, but just to humor you,
I’ll sing your song of saintly praise, and I shall win today.”
He stood facing the congregation – feeling sure of himself; The
preacher handed him a song book and nodded at the church piano
player.
The wicked man cleared his throat and began to sing, and sing
loudly; The congregation bowed their heads, each one in deep
prayer.
The man began to sing………
“He could have called ten thousand angels, To destroy the world,
and set him free; He could have called ten thousand angels, But
he died alone for you and me.”
The man kept singing; He sang every single verse; he sang the
chorus; No one in the congregation moved. No one stirred; Every
head still bowed.
The pastor watched the man singing… He saw a single tear,
Trickle down his face, then another; And another; But the wicked
man kept right on singing; His voice shaky; but loud…
The congregation began raising their heads now. They too saw the
man was in tears, they were all praying;
“ Oh Lord, soften this man’s heart, bring him to his knees; Let
your Holy Spirit get a hold of his heart, before it’s too late.”
As Christians, by faith, they know that God heard their prayers…
There was no doubt; But each have a choice, though God can
soften the hardest of hearts; Hear the faintest of pleas…
The wicked man was no longer singing; He was standing, facing
the pastor. He wore a look on his face which said; I’m the
loneliest singer of them all.
He spoke; “Pastor, I’m lost… I’m the worst of sinners… I need
help now; I need help real bad.”
That pastor decided right then, there was no need tonight to
stop for a formal alter call. He and that lost man would get
right to it… Kneel at the alter, side by side, then every member
of that church walked that aisle to pray, hand in hand; Every
head was bowed……. Every knee was bent……. This was a wicked,
wicked soul, but God can work miracles… Touch the heart of the
wickedest man.
Some time later, the man stood up in the front of the church,
pastor by his side; He looked out facing the congregation. A
miracle had taken place. He smiled…… But this time, it was a
peaceful smile. A smile full of peace, as if a heavy, heavy,
burden had been lifted from his heart and shoulders. He asked if
he could speak….. Just a few words…… Tears still on his face.
“I was the worst of sinners. I never sang for the Lord all these
years. I traveled around as I thought, without a care in the
world, but I was lost.” “Lost and on my way to hell.” “But
tonight, the Lord got a hold of me. Touched my heart and let me
know, that without Jesus Christ living inside my heart, one day
I’d pay the cost.”
“I invited Christ into my heart today, and He made my heart
brand new; I am a new creature in Christ now, as the pastor has
shown me in the Bible that this is what God’s Holy Word says
about a lost soul that is born again…… Saved by the blood of
Christ….. Oh Thank you dear Lord for dying on that cross, so
that sinners like me could be saved by accepting God’s free gift
of Salvation.. Because of the blood that Jesus Christ shed when
nailed on that cross…. Not on our own accord.” Well, that day
there was a whole lot of rejoicing going on in that little
church, and I’m sure, in Heaven from the angels….
Faith is to believe in what is unseen…. Faith is trusting in
Christ to be our personal Saviour. That born again man was
baptized - emerged in water – as God commands us to do after we
are saved…
He now travels from church to church, all over the world, as an
evangelist preacher. He preaches at revivals and he sings about
what Jesus Christ did for him. He gives his testimony. He tells
his own personal story about how Christ changed his life. His
favorite solo song now that he sings when he travels is;
“HE COULD HAVE CALLED TEN THOUSANDS ANGELS, TO
DESTROY THE WORLD, AND SET HIM FREE...
HE COULD HAVE CALLED TEN THOUSAND ANGELS
BUT HE DIED ALONE, FOR YOU AND ME.”
Story Poem written by;
Tammy Boatman Young
And now the Rest of the Story concerning this story poem. When I
ask Tammy if I could use her story she graciously said yes and
wrote me the following letter:
Jim,
Here are the words to the song 'Ten Thousand Angels' in case
you'd like to have the words to the song. I was reading about
the story of the man who wrote this gospel song 'Ten Thousand
Angels' and now I know why he had his friend write to me a few
years ago and ask me about my story poem regarding the Singer
who came to the church one day, in my poem. The man wrote to me
to ask if that was a "True Story" that I had written and he said
he was good friends with the man who wrote the song. Said he was
just curious and would like to know. I wrote him back and told
him the truth, that it's a story that I made up and one that the
Lord had laid upon my heart to write one day.
I had never before known who had written that song, or
anything about the man who wrote that song 'Ten Thousand
Angels'. (that is, not until this morning) So anyway, when I
wrote him back I told him that it was a story I made up and that
the song was always one of my favorite Gospel songs. I never
heard from the man again. I believe when he wrote to me he named
the man, his friend, who had written the song. Well, this
morning as I was looking for the name of 'who' wrote the song, I
found two websites that have the story about the man who wrote
it. The man who wrote the song is named Ray Overholt. And here
is his story. After reading his story this morning, I guess I
understand now why he had his friend write to me and ask me
about my story poem on my website. I had no idea about the
writer of the song or anything about him when I wrote it. Here's
Ray Overholt's story about how, when and why he wrote the song
back in 1958. Your sister in Christ, Tammy Boatman Young
Rarely has a hymn-writer been led to Christ by his own song, but
such was the case with Ray Overholt. In 1958, at the height of
his show-business career, Ray Overholt wrote his now-famous
song, Ten Thousand Angels.
Here is his story as he related it—
One day I thought to myself: I’ve written
secular songs, I’d like to write a song about Christ. I opened
the Bible. I knew a little about it from my mom. I began to read
how Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane told Peter to put away his
sword. Jesus told Peter that he could ask his Father and he
would send twelve legions of angels. I didn’t know at the time
that would have been more than 72,000 angels. (cf: Matthew
26:53) I thought a good title for a song would be He Could Have
Called Ten Thousand Angels. The more I read about Jesus, the
more I admired him for what he had done. I was playing in a
nightclub in Battle Creek, Michigan, when the Lord impressed me
to write the song. I wrote the first verse and put it in my
guitar case. I then told the club that I was quitting. I
finished the song and sent it to a publishing house, which
reluctantly agreed to publish it. Sometime later I found myself
singing at a small church. I sang He Could Have Called Ten
Thousand Angels. Following my singing, a preacher spoke a
message that gripped my heart. I knew I needed Christ. So I
knelt there and accepted, as my Savior, the One whom I had been
singing and writing about. Ray Overholt became a traveling
singer and preacher. —Lindsay Terry
Ten Thousand Angels
Song written by: Ray Overholt in 1958
They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden when He prayed;
They led Him through the streets in shame,
They spat upon the Saviour so pure and free from sin;
They said "Crucify Him, He's to blame"
He could have called ten thousand angels,
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.
Upon His precious head they placed a crown of thorns;
They laughed and said, "Behold the King"
They struck Him and they cursed Him and mocked His Holy Name,
All alone He suffered everything.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.
When they nailed Him to the Cross, His mother stood nearby.
He said, "Woman, behold thy son!"
He cried, "I thirst for water, but they gave Him none to drink.
Then the sinful work of man was done.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.
To the howling mob He yielded; He did not for mercy cry.
The cross of shame He took alone.
And when He cried, "It's finished!", He gave Himself to die,
Salvation's wondrous plan was done.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
to destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.
In Conclusion:
Yea Jesus could have called ten thousand angels
or even more had he wanted too. But Jesus realized that if He
were to display His great Power at that time, all of mankind
would be lost and without a Saviour… And it was out of love He
allowed Himself to be taken and beaten, It was out of love He
allowed Himself to be nailed to that Old Rugged Cross. It was
out of love He cried out it is finished and gave up his life. It
was out of love that Jesus, on the third day arose from the
grave and ascended into Heaven… It was out of love that Jesus
came back to earth for 40 some odd days and seen by His
disciples and over 500 witnesses. It is out of love that Jesus
is at this time preparing a home for His children. And it will
be out of love when Jesus comes back to receive all of His
children to be with Him in Heaven… BUT THEN;
Jesus, ‘The King of Kings’ will come in wrath and great power to
sit in judgment over a sinful world. He will not have to call
His angels nor His saints for He will bring them with Him.
Revelations 19: 11,
16
[11] And I saw heaven opened,
and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make
war.
[12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many
crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself.
[13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his
name is called The Word of God.
[14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
[15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp
sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall
rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of
the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
[16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
I praise God that Jesus, ‘could have called’ ten thousand angels
but didn’t. But I praise God even more that I will be among
those angels riding a white horse, clothed in fine linen, clean
and white when The Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords returns… And
now that you know the rest of the story;
Are you ready for His return? If you can’t answer yes to that
question then I implore you to examine yourself. If you’re not a
child of God, lost and still in your sin; won’t you accept the
free gift of salvation today? He could have called ten thousand
angels but he didn’t out of love for you; but now the choice is
yours to make; Yes or NO? Your salvation is only a prayer away…
Well Glory!
