Our
world culture associates crowns with power and position, but the Bible tells us
crowns are for the meek servants of Jesus as a reward for serving. We are told
we will receive crowns that are like victory wreaths. One of the elements of the book of Revelation
is the crown. Elders wear crowns and demonic
beings wear crowns. The elders take off
their crowns and bow before God Almighty.
In
the Old Testament a crown is the top of the head or the brow. Another meaning
is a molding that was to go around the ark as described in Exodus. Aaron was the first one to wear a crown, this
tells us that the high priest was to wear a crown; his sons did not wear
crowns. The first person other than the
High Priest to wear a crown was Saul the first king. The Bible tells us we will
become kings and priests, and we have that example in the Old Testament of
kings and priests wearing crowns. Sometimes
crowns are figurative and sometimes they are physical. But our potential to
earn a physical glorious crown of life or righteousness comes from our actions
here on earth. The crown we earn is a wreath, commonly understood in the
sporting events of the time of the Greek Olympic Games. How we live, how we
lead, how we love Jesus are all factors in gaining a crown.
NT:4735
stephanos (stef'-an-os); from an apparently primary stepho (to twine or
wreathe); a chaplet (as a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a
symbol of honor generally; but more conspicuous and elaborate than the simple
fillet, NT:1238), literally or figuratively: KJV - crown.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:4735
stefanos, stefanou, ho a crown (with
which the head is encircled) a.
properly, as a mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank b. metaphorically,the eternal blessedness
which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: 2 Tim
4:8 that which is an ornament and honor
to one: so of persons, Phil 4:1(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic
Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
While
some people like to stretch the word of God and say there are five crowns that
we can receive, we will see that is not exactly true; one has to distort the
context to come up with that. Any crown
is a crown of glory, but truly there is a crown of life and a crown of
righteousness that we can be crowned with.
I
think Ezra’s vision, as we concluded with last week, is very interesting. While
on Mt.Horeb Ezra was sent to Israel, but they rejected the commands of the
Lord. So Ezra speaks, calling out to the
heathen. Not only was he speaking to Israel, but also to non-Israelites.
2
Esd 2:33-48 I Esdras received a charge of the Lord upon the mount Oreb, that I
should go unto Israel; but when I came unto them, they set me at nought, and
despised the commandment of the Lord.34 And therefore I say unto you, O ye
heathen, that hear and understand, look for your Shepherd, he shall give you
everlasting rest; for he is nigh at hand, that shall come in the end of the
world.35 Be ready to the reward of the kingdom, for the everlasting light shall
shine upon you for evermore.36 Flee the shadow of this world, receive the
joyfulness of your glory: I testify my Saviour openly.
Ezra
is saying that the Shepherd is coming soon and those who follow him will have
rest. He goes on to tell them they will
be led for the heavenly kingdom. He then
points out that there will be a number sealed.
Is this the 144,000?
37
O receive the gift that is given you, and be glad, giving thanks unto him that
hath led you to the heavenly kingdom.38 Arise up and stand, behold the number
of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;39 Which are departed from the
shadow of the world, and have received glorious garments of the Lord.
The
144,000 receive white garments and stand on Mt. Zion with the Lord.
40
Take thy number, O Sion, and shut up those of thine that are clothed in white,
which have fulfilled the law of the Lord.41 The number of thy children, whom
thou longedst for, is fulfilled: beseech the power of the Lord, that thy
people, which have been called from the beginning, may be hallowed.
The
number of His children is fulfilled. We
know there is a number of Gentiles, a number for the sealed, which is 144,000,
and a number of Martyrs. These numbers
all fulfill the numbers of His people.
Ezra goes on.
42
I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a great people, whom I could not number, and
they all praised the Lord with songs. 43 And in the midst of them there was a
young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of
their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; which I marvelled at greatly.
It
seems Ezra’s vision is very closely related to John’s vision.
44
So I asked the angel, and said, Sir, what are these?45 He answered and said
unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the
immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive
palms.
These
people receive physical crowns or wreaths. Paul taught us that the mortal puts
on immortality and the corruptible puts on incorruption. Ezra then sees Jesus, but does not know who
he is.
46
Then said I unto the angel, What young person is it that crowneth them, and
giveth them palms in their hands?47 So he answered and said unto me, It is the
Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly to
commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.48 Then the angel
said unto me, Go thy way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how
great wonders of the Lord thy God, thou hast seen.KJV
Jesus
was born about four hundred years after the time of Ezra. Solomon wrote something similar in the book
of the Wisdom of Solomon.
Wisdom
5:15-16 But the righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the
Lord, and the care of them is with the most High.16 Therefore shall they
receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord's hand: for
with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect
them. KJV
It
seems to be an established idea at the time of these writings that the
righteous will receive a new kingdom and a physical crown from the Lord. The
book The Wisdom of Sirach, aka The Book of Ecclasiasticus is a collection of
proverbial ideas by Joshua ben Sira, who lived about 200 BC. Sirach gives us
some insight to what people of his day understood about crowns. We see some of these ideas reflected in
Paul’s writings.
Ecclus
1:11 The fear of the Lord is honour, and glory, and gladness, and a crown of
rejoicing.KJV
Ecclus
1:18 The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health
to flourish; both which are the gifts of God: and it enlargeth their rejoicing
that love him.KJV
Fearing
the Lord keeps us from making mistakes. It becomes a crown of rejoicing and a
crown of wisdom because we don’t do things we shouldn’t. These are figurative. Next, Sirach tells us
wisdom is a crown of joy.
Ecclus
6:22-31 For wisdom is according to her name, and she is not manifest unto
many.23 Give ear, my son, receive my advice, and refuse not my counsel,24 And
put thy feet into her fetters, and thy neck into her chain.25 Bow down thy
shoulder, and bear her, and be not grieved with her bonds.26 Come unto her with
thy whole heart, and keep her ways with all thy power.27 Search, and seek, and
she shall be made known unto thee: and when thou hast got hold of her, let her
not go.28 For at the last thou shalt find her rest, and that shall be turned to
thy joy.29 Then shall her fetters be a strong defence for thee, and her chains
a robe of glory.30 For there is a golden ornament upon her, and her bands are
purple lace.31 Thou shalt put her on as a robe of honour, and shalt put her
about thee as a crown of joy.KJV
Joy
is an emotion; a crown of joy is a figurative crown, as someone who’s living a
joyful life because they abide by wisdom. Next, the fear of the Lord is a crown
of gladness
Ecclus
15:1-8 He that feareth the Lord will do good, and he that hath the knowledge of
the law shall obtain her.2 And as a mother shall she meet him, and receive him
as a wife married of a virgin.3 With the bread of understanding shall she feed
him, and give him the water of wisdom to drink.4 He shall be stayed upon her,
and shall not be moved; and shall rely upon her, and shall not be confounded.5
She shall exalt him above his neighbours, and in the midst of the congregation
shall she open his mouth.6 He shall find joy and a crown of gladness, and she
shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name.7 But foolish men shall not
attain unto her, and sinners shall not see her.8 For she is far from pride, and
men that are liars cannot remember her.KJV
Sirach’s
wisdom tells us the fear of the Lord is a crown of rejoicing and a crown of
wisdom. Wisdom is a crown of joy and
fearing the Lord is a crown of gladness.
He also tells us that old age is valuable, as experience is a crown to
the elderly.
Ecclus
25:5-6 O how comely is the wisdom of old men, and understanding and counsel to
men of honour.6 Much experience is the crown of old men, and the fear of God is
their glory.KJV
Solomon
also made that point. A hoary head is a
silver head of hair, or gray hair.
Prov
16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of
righteousness. KJV
The
point of both Sirach and Solomon is that older people who fear the Lord and
walk in righteousness are crowned with gray hair. As we previously noted from
the Bible, Jesus and the Father both have hair as white as wool. Therefore, we
should look at white/gray hair as an honor if it is on the head of a righteous
person. These are figurative crowns, we don’t wear a crown of wisdom or fear
but wisdom and fear are like a crown that reminds us to behave in a righteous
manner. Paul explains what we are to do
to earn an incorruptible or immortal crown.
1
Cor 9:23-27 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker
thereof with you.24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.25 And every man that striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a
corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible [immortal #862].26 I therefore so
run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:27 But I
keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when
I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.KJV
NT:862
aphthartos (af'-thar-tos); from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative
of NT:5351; undecaying (in essence or continuance): KJV - not (in-, un-)
corruptible, immortal.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
We
push ourselves, striving to become better, living as if we are ultra
marathoners, conditioning and eating correctly so that we can gain an
incorruptible crown. Let’s see this from
the AMP and the Message.
1
Cor 9:23-27 And I do this for the sake of the good news (the Gospel), in order
that I may become a participator in it and share in its [blessings along with
you]. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one
receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and
make it yours. 25 Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself
temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath
that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness]
that cannot wither. 26 Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite
aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary.
27 But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by
hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel
and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test,
be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit]. AMP
1
Cor 9:23-27 I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk
about it; I wanted to be in on it! 24 You've all been to the stadium and seen
the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. 25 All good athletes train
hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one
that's gold eternally. 26 I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the
finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! 27 I'm
staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping,
telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. (from THE
MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All
rights reserved.)
This
is a physical crown we attain to. Paul tells us that the brethren are his joy
and crown. If people in the body of
Christ are a joy and crown, it is obviously an expression that people who have
become saved are a blessing to Paul.
Phil
4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so
stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. KJV
There
is a figure of speech called metonymy which is the change of one noun for
another related noun. In other words,
the people are a joy and a victory to Paul.
They are a victory because he has now dedicated his entire life to the
work of the gospel. But to understand
this figure of speech, picture Paul longing for the people of Philippi and
receiving them with open arms, a large smile, and great anticipation, as their
names are written on his head. He can’t wait to encourage everyone to stand
fast in the Lord.
1
Thess 2:18-20 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and
again; but Satan hindered us.19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing
[boasting #2746]? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at
his coming? 20 For ye are our glory and joy. KJV
NT:2746
kauchesis (kow'-khay-sis); from NT:2744; boasting (properly, the act; by
implication, the object), in a good or a bad sense: KJV - boasting, whereof I
may glory, glorying, rejoicing.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Again
the believers are Paul’s crown of rejoicing or boasting. Paul earned the right to brag about the
Thessalonians because they would be in the presence of Jesus at His
coming. These are not physical crowns
but figurative crowns. The believers
were the crown of joy and boasting. These were the early days of the church and
the churches Paul planted were small. These
two verses coincide with 1 Corinthians, the reason we work so hard spreading
the gospel is because the people who become saved are our crowns. No, we don’t wear people on our heads, but
we then have the right to boast about how hard we worked to keep ourselves in
“shape” so we could tell them the good news.
Thinking about the day of Pentecost, the word of God spread throughout
the world and continues because the word of God is living and powerful as
Hebrews tells us. Paul says because he
has fought for the word of God he will have a crown of righteousness.
2
Tim 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.KJV
As
we read from Solomon, the righteous will live forever and the Lord will crown
them. This is a physical crown. It is
important to note that Solomon and Paul are saying the same thing. The knowledge of the righteous being crowned
was an Old Testament idea that is fulfilled in and by the Messiah. James
tells us more.
James
1:12-14 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him.13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot
be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14 But every man is tempted,
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.KJV
There
is not just a crown of righteousness, but also a physical crown of life if we
overcome temptation. As James points out,
people are tempted not by God, but when they are drawn away by lust. Let’s read
this in the Message.
James
1:12-15 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it
out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward
is life and more life. 13 Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil
say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and
puts evil in no one's way. 14 The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and
only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own
lust. 15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood,
and becomes a real killer. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Peter
mentions something important, instead of being leaders who lord over others, we
are to lead by example, and then our crown will not fade away.
1
Peter 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a
witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but
of a ready mind;3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.KJV
As
in Peter’s time, we have people who lord over us in the church. Some groups become cults as one leader tells
everyone else how to live and sometimes how to die. It is interesting that there are people who
follow cruel and harsh leaders. It says
a lot about the character of the followers because they don’t rise up and
leave. God’s perfect plan is for His
leaders to lead by biblical example.
I’ve heard some leaders go so far as to advocate mistresses and polygamy
because they themselves wanted to either partake in that lifestyle and/or
absolve themselves of their past sins.
These again are false teachers and not those who lead by biblical
example. Leaders are not to lead for
money’s sake either. We may not have
many good leaders who adhere to Peter’s words, but there are some out
there. Again, when Jesus comes, and we
are gathered, and love His appearing, we will receive a physical glorious crown.
Let’s see what Jesus told us in his seven epistles to the churches.
Rev
2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall
cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have
tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown
of life.KJV
Again
a crown of life is given to those who are faithful even if they are martyred.
Rev
3:10-12 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them
that dwell upon the earth.11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou
hast, that no man take thy crown.12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in
the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him
the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new
name.KJV
If
we keep His word, confessing Him as Lord, we will be kept from the tribulation.
However if we do not stay faithful we could lose our crown. Yet if we do stay faithful, we will attain to
the New Heaven and New Earth.
To
understand our potential for receiving a crown of righteousness, or a crown of
life/immortality, we are to live in righteousness, resisting temptations. People are our “crowns”, when they confess
Jesus as Lord, we rejoice over them. As leaders we are to lead by example, not by
lording over people, as the Nicolaitans did.
As
we have studied, in John’s vision we saw the twenty four elders in heaven with
the beasts. We know these are not humans
as they were already in heaven asking John questions about what he was
seeing. These twenty four elders have
crowns.
Rev
4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I
saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on
their heads crowns of gold.KJV
Rev
4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne,
and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the
throne, saying,11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and
power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created.KJV
These
elders throw down their crowns/wreaths in front of the throne, a sign of honor
to God Almighty. People have always
assumed we will do the same; that is not clear from the word of God; no where
is that stated. What we do see however is that there is a difference between
this Strong’s’ number 4735, and number 1238, which only shows up in Revelation.
NT:1238
diadema (dee-ad'-ay-mah); from a compound of NT:1223 and NT:1210; a
"diadem" (as bound about the head):KJV - crown. Compare NT:4735
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded
Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and
International Bible Translators, Inc.)
While
the word stephanos is a crown of honor,
a badge of royalty or a prize; a diadem is not considered a prize or for
royalty. It is used three times in the
Bible, all in Revelation. Two times it is used of demonic beings, and once it
is used of Jesus. Let’s explore.
Rev
12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red
dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns [1238]upon his heads
KJV
This
is the “back story” that John gives us of Lucifer. While in verse 1 the woman
is crowned with a wreath, stephanos, in verse 3 the dragon is crowned with a
diadem, two different types of crowns.
Rev
13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns [1238],
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.KJV
Again,
as in 12:3, a demonic being comes out of the sea wearing diadems. Before we
look at the last reference of diadem, we see in chapter 14 Jesus getting ready
to reap the world. He is wearing a stephanos.
Rev
14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like
unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown [stephanos 4735], and in
his hand a sharp sickle.KJV
Rev
19:11-13 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and
make war.12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns
[diadem 1238]; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The
Word of God.KJV
We
gain our understanding of this difference between the two crowns in Victor Alexander’s
translation of Revelation 19:12 “….and on his head, a tiara of crowns, who has
the titles that are written”. (Or as
Alexander notes, “He holds [is famous for] many titles [written names], but has
one name.”) This understanding between stephanos and diadem is material, a
wreath compared to a tiara, a gold headband compared to a gold tiara.
While
we earn gold headbands, Jesus when he comes back on a horse with his bride will
be wearing a kingly crown. It is also
symbolic as lesser beings and subjects are wearing wreaths, but the beings in
higher power wear tiaras. Every day we are closer to Jesus being our King of
kings and Lord of lords. While we attain
to a wreath of honor, Jesus has a wreath of honor, but will have a tiara of
Headship when he comes back with his bride.
If
we look at this small adornment we can understand a lot about our future
position and Jesus’ future position.
Right now, Jesus wears a stephanos, a gold wreath, but when he comes
back to earth to defeat the beast, he will be wearing a tiara, that symbolizes
many titles. The dragon has tiaras and
the beast that comes out of the sea has tiaras, but Jesus comes to defeat them
and take away their crowns. One of the bigger problems Lucifer had was a power
trip. While we know he was lifted up
with pride, he was prideful because he wanted power. As we have studied, Lucifer had sanctuaries;
he had a position of leadership and was corrupting his subjects, merchandising
them. He wanted to attain to sitting on
his throne in the sides of the north, the place where he could judge the sons
of God in the mount of the congregation.
Power hungry, he became prideful as to how capable he was, rather than
humble.
From
Ezra, Solomon, Sirach, Paul, Peter, James, and Jesus we see the overall picture
of crowns of righteousness and life attained for faithful living. Ezra, Paul,
James, and Jesus tell us we will receive a crown of life. Solomon and Paul tell
us we will receive a crown of righteousness. Physical crowns of life and/or righteousness
are for the meek and humble servant of the gospel, those who put their bodies
into subjection to the Spirit receive these crowns. Those who lead by example, unlike Lucifer,
who do not lord over others, or do it for gain, receive this stephanos, wreath. Those who will love the appearing of Jesus in
the clouds will also receive stephanos of righteousness. Those who go through
hard times and are obedient to death will be rewarded with a stephanos of life. We know these can be stolen, so there is no
guarantee of receiving a crown of life or righteousness unless we are faithful
to the end of our lives. While Jesus wears a stephanos, a wreath, now, when he
comes to defeat satan he will be wearing a diadem, as a King of kings and a
Lord of lords.
