An old hymn not often sung today is one of the best and brightest descriptions of the glorious marriage of the Lamb. The author was Sidney Burdette Denson. Unlike many songwriters who wrote numerous hymns, this is the only known hymn that Mrs. Denson wrote. The song, “The Marriage in the Skies,” was published in the shape-note hymnal The Sacred Harp, which her husband helped to publish. The text was sung to a tune by the same name: THE MARRIAGE IN THE SKIES. Mrs. Denson herself composed the tune to accompany her text.

Mrs. Denson was a respected schoolteacher. She and her husband were both very active in promoting the shape-note tradition of acapella singing preserved in The Sacred Harp. She wrote many of the alto lines in the book. She also suggested that Scripture texts be added under the tune name of each song in the hymnal.

This hymn on marriage calls us to consider the beauty and glory of the day when the bells of Heaven will ring for the great marriage feast of the Lamb. 

The Marriage in the Skies

1. The Wedding Venue

O ring the bells of heaven high
The marriage feast has come,
The glorious jubilee is nigh,
The saints are going home;
The mighty pennants of the skies
Are waving in the air,
And o’er the gates of Zion rise
The battlements so fair.
The battlements so fair, so fair,
The battlements so fair.
And o’er the gates of Zion rise
The battlements so fair.

2. The Arrival of the Guests

The King is mustering His guests;
I see His glorious band;
I see the shining habitants
Of far-off Beulah land;
They come, they come on wings of light,
I hear the bugle blast,
I know the reign of sin’s dark night
Forevermore is past.
Forevermore is past,
Forevermore is past.
I know the reign of sin’s dark night
Forevermore is past.

3. The Bride Arrayed in White

From cloud to cloud, from dome to dome,
The myriad army cries,
The marriage of the Lamb has come,
The marriage in the skies;
Come, bring the linen white and clean,
The wedding guests prepare,
The garments gleam like silvery sheen,
The bridal robe so fair.
The bridal robe so fair,
The bridal robe so fair.
The garments gleam like silvery sheen,
The bridal robe so fair.

4. The Appearance of the Bridegroom

The Bridegroom, too, methinks I see
While myriad voices ring,
Chiefest among ten thousand He
Immanuel, my King,
Thrice blessed are they who hear the call,
A mighty angel cries,
Haste to the supper of the Lamb,
The marriage in the skies.
The marriage in the skies,
The marriage in the skies,
Haste to the supper of the Lamb,
The marriage in the skies.

Married couples would do well to remember that this day will surely come. Until then, we are to reflect the beauty, glory, and radiance of this heavenly marriage here on earth as we testify to the love of Christ for His Bride.