Crowns For Believers, Literally?
Q. My question concerns crowns and the meaning of the term. I know the Bible mentions a crown of rejoicing, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life, etc., but are these literal crowns to be eventually awarded the believer, or are they metaphors for something else? The old hymn says “Crown Him with many crowns” so maybe Christ is the only one worthy to be crowned? Thank you and God bless your ministry.
A. The New testament lists 5 crowns that will be awarded to qualifying believers at the Bema Seat Judgment just after the rapture. There’s no reason to think of them as being symbolic. You can read all about them in my study entitled “How To Win Your Crowns” by clicking here.
The hymn you quoted refers to Rev. 19:12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. The Greek word for crowns in this passage is diadema and designates royalty. It symbolizes that as King of the whole Earth (Zech. 14:9) the Lord is entitled to many crowns. The Greek word used for the crowns we receive is stephanos and refers to a victory award, like the gold medal given to Olympic athletes.
Tags: Christian Life, Rapture
Related Posts:
- Explaining Our Crowns
- What Is The Crown Of Life?
- Crown Him with Many Crowns
- Eternal Consequences For Believers?
- How To Win Your Crowns
Acquiring Mountain Moving Faith
Q. My question is on faith. I know that we are all given a measure of faith, but how does one acquire or develop the kind that moves mountains. I have a friend that is terminally ill and dying. She has great faith in the Lord. In a recent conversation that we had she said “can you imagine meeting Jesus how wonderful it will be”. There was such excitement in her spirit. She has asked God to take her at a time when her family can move forward with their lives and not grieve for too long. I have such respect and admiration for her faith and the relationship she has with Him.
She has said that her faith is a simple one. She trusts her life to God. In many of our conversations over the years she has shared her faith and the faithfulness of the Lord in her life.
How do you reach that kind of faith? Is it something we have to work at or are we given only a certain amount. I am not looking to move mountains, but would like the kind that is unshakable and unwavering. I trust The Lord in my life and believe in OSAS and I know that the Lord’s hand is over my life, but there are times that I question my faith in certain areas. Is that a normal thing in our walk with the Lord?
A. I think there are two ways to get the kind of faith you describe. First, extra-ordinary faith is listed among the Spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12:9. This is not the faith to believe that we all receive (Ephes. 2:8-9) but a faith that surpasses our understanding. Your friend might have received this gift of supernatural faith. Everyone can pray for it (1 Cor. 12:31) but we should remember that the Holy Spirit distributes His gifts as He sees fit for the common good. (1 Cor. 12:7)
The other way is to give your life totally to God, not making a single decision on your own but submitting everything to Him, accepting only that which He provides, and doing only that which He directs. By living that way you’ll learn that trusting totally upon Him will give you a much better life than you could ever achieve on your own. And you’ll also develop such a strong faith that nothing will be able to shake you.
This is the transformation Paul was speaking of in Romans 12:2. By following his advice you’ll find that you’ll always have faith sufficient for whatever situation you encounter. Your friend might not have been able to predict that she’d have the faith required for her current situation. But having habitually exercised her faith, she has always found it to be more than adequate for the task at hand.
Tags: Faith, Once Saved Always Saved, Spiritual Gifts
Related Posts:
- Mountain Moving Faith
- Pointless Faith?
- The Seven Spirits Of God
- How Can I Increase My Faith?
- Does God Give Us Just The Good Things We Ask For?
A Transfer Of Wealth?
Q. What is the transfer of wealth to God’s people? I have a friend who actually believes that she will receive monies to pay off all of her debts and have enough to send to certain evangelists that she gives to. She, of course, got the scriptures to back this up from those evangelists. I know that God provides all our needs but she thinks that this money will be taken from the sinners and given to God’s people. I looked up the scriptures that she gave me and see what she’s referring to but wonder what it really means . As usual I look to you for answers and thank God you are there.
A. I’ve been hearing this teaching for 25 years now but have never seen evidence of it happening. I think this is a good example of how the Scriptures can be twisted to produce false teaching. In the first place, God doesn’t need to take money from sinners in order to bless His people, and in the second place why would he go to all the trouble of shifting a bunch of money to His children when He’s going to take all of us out of here soon? It doesn’t make sense.
Tags: Christian Life
