The Battle of Calvary

Great Apol­lyon

grim and aw­ful

Steeped in gore and stained in blood—

Death

with all his fear­some forc­es

Has be­sieged the Son of God.

Satan

clothed with ev­il ar­mor

Darkly gleam­ing

proud and cold—

Merciless

he joins the bat­tle

Armed and clad with pow’r un­told.

Bowed be­neath de­mon­ic on­slaughts

Jesus fights His awe­some du­el!

Pain de­vours its ho­ly Vic­tim

Searing

sa­vage

rag­ing

cru­el!

Eager waits the Mouth of She­ol

Huge

in­sa­ti­able

and strong!

Maw agape

the Grave yearns af­ter

Holy Flesh—but not for long.

Writhing un­der Law’s most fear­some

Curse

ru­ined

lost

pol­lut­ed

wrecked;

Languishing in Sa­tan’s pri­son

Lie the souls of God’s elect.

At the Cross—de­sire of Hell!—

Christ gives up that fi­nal breath:

Now

at last

the choic­est Cap­tive

Tastes the mor­tal sting of death!

Darkness falls; the seeth­ing smoke of Hell

Cloaks the bat­tle­field from view.

Down the head of God has fall­en:

Law and Wrath re­ceive their due!

Satan smiles in seem­ing tri­umph

Reaching out

his prize to take.

Three brief days all Hell re­joic­es—

Then the stone be­gins to shake!

Now the night of wrong is end­ed;

Now the grave has lost its prize!

Now the Ris’n One breaks the back of Sin:

There! Be­hold! See how death dies!

Resurrection light now scat­ters

Satan’s ar­mies from the field.

Christ has drawn the fear­ful sting of death:

Sheol and Ab­ad­don yield!

At His glance the migh­ty pri­son

Built by Law and Sin falls down!

Countless in their thou­sand thou­sands

All His ran­somed praise His crown!

Heav’n and Hell’s as­ton­ished spir­its

In their joy and rage all stare

At the Vic­tor of the cross who

Won His great­est bat­tle there.