When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder - Hymn Story

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder was written by James Milton Black. It draws its inspiration from the “Book of Life” in the Bible and the absence of a child in Black’s Sunday school class when attendance was taken.

Black visited this absent child only to discover that she was suffering from pneumonia. After calling the doctor to attend her, Black went home with a downcast face. This was before the advent of antibiotics and Black knew that the chances of her recovering were slim. With this in mind, Black searched for a song that talked about a heavenly call but found none. It was then that he felt impressed to write one himself, When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder.

A few days later Black sang this song at the funeral of this girl and shared with the people the circumstances that led him to compose this song.

It was first published in the hymn book, Songs of The Soul, and is one of the most popular Christian hymns ever written. It has been translated into many languages and is sung in countries all over the world.

The message of the song is that we should all aim to be on the right side when God calls the roll of those to enter heaven. Based on 1 Thessalonians 4: 16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Blessings,
Dorene

Source: christianmusicandhymns.com/2019/09/when-roll-is-called-up-yonder-hymn-story.html