Joy to the World - doctrinal view????

[agedman]

Normally a post about music would take place in another part of the forum.

However, this is about doctrine set forth in one of the most famous and sung songs.

Is "Joy to the World" a song that would embrace the Pre-teristic thinking?

Is the a song sung by the modern church because it sounds so good, and feels so nice, but has no place until the Millennial reign and therefore is an example of either gross misapplication or the assemblies' lack of discernment?

Is this song teaching heretical doctrine and therefore should be publicly banned from Godly assemblies?

Perhaps you have another opinion that is divergent from the questions. If so, state and support your thinking.

Look carefully and see if you can find anyplace that it can be applied to the church in this age.

Here are the words:

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

[Aaron]

It is an eminently Scriptural and doctrinally sound carol. Christ does reign.

 

[12strings]

[

QUOTE=agedman;1775992]
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.

Describing Jesus' birth, no problems here.

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.

Jesus Does reign over the earth now, but it is a reign that for a time allows satan and sin to run its coarse. Jesus anounced his kingdom had come back in the first chapters of the Gospel of Mark. He simply wasn't describing a physical kingdom just yet, even though his disciples thought he was.

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.

-We should pray that sins and sorrows diminish.
-This verse also looks foward to a time when Jesus will completes his reversal of the curse, a task which he started when he came to earth the first time.

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.

-Jesus does rule, as noted above, in an "already, but not yet" way. The nations prove his righteosness and love NOW in the spread of the gospel to every nation, and IN THE FUTURE will be made to completly bow before him.

 

[Aaron]

The nations prove his righteosness and love NOW in the spread of the gospel to every nation, and IN THE FUTURE will be made to completly bow before him.

They also prove His righteousness in the judgments they suffer now for disobedience.

 

[Iconoclast]

The words and lyrics of the old Christmas carol 'Joy to the World' were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Joy to the World is a popular Christmas carol which is based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The father of John Watts was a Non-conformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice.

Joy to the World" is a popular Christmas carol.[1]

The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship. Watts wrote the words of "Joy to the World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age,[2] rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable. Only the second half of Watts' lyrics are still used today.[3]

The music was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel, not least because the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature sing...) appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative Comfort ye from Handel's Messiah, and the first four notes match the beginning of the choruses Lift up your heads and Glory to God from the same oratorio. However, Handel did not compose the entire tune.[4] The name "Antioch" is generally used for the tune.

As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.[1]

Psalm 98

1O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

2The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

3He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

5Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

6With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

7Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

8Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

9Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.


It speaks of the gospel going worldwide in scope....Jesus ruling in the midst of His enemies.Jesus rules over believers and unbelievers right now.

 

[agedman]

Well, this is a good start.

The posters have shown the song is doctrinally sound, BUT they have also shown it doesn't apply fully to the present church age. That it is futuristic in thinking.

Issac Watts used Psalm 98, but I don't know that he held to a literal millennial reign of Christ.

I do know that some of the Psalms are specific to that age, but that some would take them and make them applicable to the present period of Grace.

Am I correct then that the song would be not sung by the Pre-teristic thinker, the amellennialist, and even some covenant holders?

How would they engage in singing a song that was an affront to their doctrine?

 

[Iconoclast]

Well, this is a good start.

The posters have shown the song is doctrinally sound, BUT they have also shown it doesn't apply fully to the present church age. That it is futuristic in thinking.

Issac Watts used Psalm 98, but I don't know that he held to a literal millennial reign of Christ.

I do know that some of the Psalms are specific to that age, but that some would take them and make them applicable to the present period of Grace.

Am I correct then that the song would be not sung by the Pre-teristic thinker, the amellennialist, and even some covenant holders?

How would they engage in singing a song that was an affront to their doctrine?

In postmillenal ,and amillenial teaching...the gospel goes worldwide ...and is victorious.....even in the midst of the heathen...98:2...it is still going forth as we speak......we could still be the early church!

it sounds as if Watts...like many of us was a confused blend of ideas....but saw it winding up as victory in Christ. futurists like what he says....but so do others....what watts thought is secondary to what scripture says.....

psalm on sing psalms exclusively....because of this kind of thing.

 

[Aaron]

The posters have shown the song is doctrinally sound, BUT they have also shown it doesn't apply fully to the present church age. That it is futuristic in thinking.

Not this poster. God is governing the affairs of man now. Some He judges, some He delivers. But God is governing and making the nations prove the glories of His righteousness--not their own.

 

[Jkdbuck76]

"Joy to the world, the Lord has come" is a CLEAR reference to 70 A.D.

:tonofbricks::tonofbricks::tonofbricks:

Just kidding! Amazing the theology that is packed into GOOD Christmas carols.

I mean, I had to listen to my older sister go on and on and on about how great J--yce M--yer was at Mom's house on Christmas Day. I'm certain if somebody said "supralapsarianism" to Joyce or to my sister, they'd curl up into a ball and never come out. The consumerist "christianity" on TV has no room for 2,000 year-old theology.

So this is why I love good Christmas carols that have theological content and also why Frosty the Snowman makes me wanna' rage-vomit.