And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
The hymn "Joy to the World" is heard almost exclusively during the "Christmas season." It is universally included in the advent hymn section of our hymnals. However, this is based more on a misunderstanding of the lyrics of the song than reality. A close examination of the words of the song reveal that it was actually written in anticipation of the second coming of Christ.
To be sure, the first coming of Christ was an occasion of great joy. The shepherds glorified and praised God for the things they saw and heard during their visit to the manger. A couple of years later when the wise men visited the young Saviour, the Bible says that they rejoiced with exceeding great joy when the star led them to His location. We too should find joy in the fact that Jesus came the first time, because He came to die for us.
Still, the second coming will be a time of even greater rejoicing. Considering what the first advent meant to us, it seems strange to say that the second advent will be ever better, but there are several differences that make it so.
A couple of those differences are discussed in the song "Joy to the World." One of them is found in the third verse. It is the fact that the curse on creation will be lifted, and once again, the earth will be as God intended it to be and created it when He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The second is the way that He will come. As the first verse above says, the second time around, He'll come as King.
While it's true that He has always been the King of the universe, He was not received as such the first time. He didn't come in a palace the first time -- He was laid in a manger. In fact, although people talk about His birth taking place in a stable, the truth is, we don't read in the Bible that there was a stable. When He came the first time, He wasn't wrapped in a regal robe. Rather, Mary wrapped Him in grave clothes. The first time, He came in meekness to be a sacrifice. The second time, He'll come in power to sit on the throne of David.
After Jesus comes back the second time, there are several things that will change forever. Revelation 21:3-4 tells us about them. "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
The day that Jesus came the first time was a great day, and truly one that brought joy, but when He comes the second time, that joy will be magnified -- at least it will be if you know Him. For those who don't, His second coming will bring doom and the second death in the lake of fire. Is your name in the Lamb's book of life? When you think about the second coming, does it make you sing "Joy to the World?"
Revelation 11:15
Joy to the world, the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
The hymn "Joy to the World" is heard almost exclusively during the "Christmas season." It is universally included in the advent hymn section of our hymnals. However, this is based more on a misunderstanding of the lyrics of the song than reality. A close examination of the words of the song reveal that it was actually written in anticipation of the second coming of Christ.
To be sure, the first coming of Christ was an occasion of great joy. The shepherds glorified and praised God for the things they saw and heard during their visit to the manger. A couple of years later when the wise men visited the young Saviour, the Bible says that they rejoiced with exceeding great joy when the star led them to His location. We too should find joy in the fact that Jesus came the first time, because He came to die for us.
Still, the second coming will be a time of even greater rejoicing. Considering what the first advent meant to us, it seems strange to say that the second advent will be ever better, but there are several differences that make it so.
A couple of those differences are discussed in the song "Joy to the World." One of them is found in the third verse. It is the fact that the curse on creation will be lifted, and once again, the earth will be as God intended it to be and created it when He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The second is the way that He will come. As the first verse above says, the second time around, He'll come as King.
While it's true that He has always been the King of the universe, He was not received as such the first time. He didn't come in a palace the first time -- He was laid in a manger. In fact, although people talk about His birth taking place in a stable, the truth is, we don't read in the Bible that there was a stable. When He came the first time, He wasn't wrapped in a regal robe. Rather, Mary wrapped Him in grave clothes. The first time, He came in meekness to be a sacrifice. The second time, He'll come in power to sit on the throne of David.
After Jesus comes back the second time, there are several things that will change forever. Revelation 21:3-4 tells us about them. "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
The day that Jesus came the first time was a great day, and truly one that brought joy, but when He comes the second time, that joy will be magnified -- at least it will be if you know Him. For those who don't, His second coming will bring doom and the second death in the lake of fire. Is your name in the Lamb's book of life? When you think about the second coming, does it make you sing "Joy to the World?"
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