Did you know that the popular Christmas carol “Joy to the World” was written about the second coming of Jesus Christ? Though we sing it along with songs about the birth of our Savior, its lyrics describe an event yet future.

In 1719, hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote the words to this famous carol, which portray the glorious event of Jesus Christ reigning over the nations and the restoration of all things at the end of this age. The carol stirs our hearts to long for the final appearing of the King of kings, which the apostle Paul tells us will be rewarded with a crown of righteousness on that day (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Let’s take a deeper look and see how the prophetic lyrics of “Joy to the World” align with Scripture.

“Joy to the World”

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

By just taking in the first stanza, you might think this carol could represent the first or second comings of Jesus the Messiah. However, much to the disappointment of the Jews in the first century AD, Jesus did not come to reign as an earthly king in His first coming. The Jewish people expected Him to save them from their bondage to the Roman Empire, but Jesus had a much larger plan of redemption in store. Jesus Christ became the way to eternal salvation through His atoning death on the cross for the sins of all humanity as the sacrificial Lamb of God (see Isaiah 53:4-6, John 1:29, and John 14:6).

We see a prophetic foreshadow to the second coming in the familiar Christmas passage of Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

All of God’s children and all of creation is eagerly awaiting the second coming and the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7 and Romans 8:19). This stanza describes the songs of joy that will follow when the Savior of the world reigns on earth!

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” Psalm 96:11-13

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found

When Jesus returns to reign, the old things, like sins and sorrows, will pass away and the new will come. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.'” (Revelation 21:1-5, also see 22:3)

As we await His return, we must remember the encouragement of the apostle Paul, who said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love

As we just read in Psalm 96:13, we are promised that “He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” Also, just two chapters later in Psalm 98, we read, “The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” (Psalm 98:1-3)

While Jesus Christ did not set up His reign on earth in His first coming, He most definitely is coming again to judge the nations and rule the world with righteousness, faithfulness, and lovingkindness. Oh, joy to the world, the Lord is coming again! Let us all shout for joy this Christmas season, remembering the reason for the season, but also yearning for the consummation of the age with the return of our King!

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

 

All Scripture taken from New American Standard Bible, 1995 version. Emphasis added by the author.
“Joy to the World” text by Isaac Watts (1719), arrangement by Lowell Mason (1848).