Crowns Thrones Eternal Authority

Mark 10:40 “but to sit on My right hand and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”

We have seen in this section thus far that the reward that the saints can earn on that day is the reward of authority to reign over the nations. Although the reward of being able to reign will be the same for every saint, the level of authority given will differ for each saint. So why is that? The reason there will be differing levels of authority given to the Lord’s saints on that day is because this reward is based on the works done by the saints in this life. The context of the above quoted passage of scripture is that James and John had asked the Lord Jesus that He would grant them to sit on His right hand and His left in His kingdom. Our Lord’s response to the request of His two apostles was that those particular positions of authority could only be given to those for whom the Father had prepared them. Clearly to be seated at the right and left hand of the Lord Jesus in His kingdom denotes holding positions of great authority, and so only those whom God has deemed worthy will be rewarded with that level of authority. And so we see that, based on the works done by the saints in this life, God decides which levels of authority each of His saints will be deemed worthy to receive on that day.

Matthew 19:28 “So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord told His disciples that, as the apostles of the Lamb, they would have a specific level of authority in the kingdom of God, for He told them that they will sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Clearly not all saints will have that same level of authority given to them on that day. It is important to note from this passage that the Lord’s apostles will be given positions of authority in the church, for the twelve tribes of Israel referred to in this passage is speaking about the church. And so from this passage we can clearly see the principle of a hierarchy of positions of authority that will exist in the church in the age to come. Nevertheless the point remains that the rewards that can be earned by the saints relate to thrones of authority that will be given on that day.

Psalms 122:3-7 “Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, (4) Where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, To the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.  (5)  For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.  (6)  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.  (7) Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit reveals to us that there will be numerous thrones that will be set in the city of Jerusalem. And so it is from those thrones that the Lord’s saints will reign over the kingdom of God in the age to come. Thrones are always linked to crowns, for the one who sits on the throne is crowned with the authority allocated to that throne. And so we see that part of the rewards earned by the saints will be the various crowns that will be given by the Lord Jesus on that day.

2 Timothy 4:8 “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

The scriptures reveal a number of different crowns that will be given to the Lord’s saints in that day. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul tells us about the crown of righteousness that is available to the Lord’s saints. Paul tells us that the saints that have loved our Lord’s appearing will qualify to receive this particular crown on that day. I want you to notice that by the time that Paul reached the end of his life that he was assured that this particular crown had been laid up in store for him on that day. And so it is the will of the Lord that all of His saints should approach the end of their days on the earth with the selfsame assurance of receiving this crown from Him on their day of judgement.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle James tells us about another crown that will be given to the saints on that day. The crown that He mentions is the crown of life, and the apostle James tells us that the saint’s who endure temptation in this life and who loves the Lord will qualify to receive this crown on that day.

Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord Jesus mentions the same crown that James spoke about, i.e. the crown of life. The context of this passage is that the Lord Jesus was speaking to the church at Smyrna, and He was encouraging them in their tribulations to focus on the heavenly rewards that He had laid up in store from them. In this passage our Lord confirmed the same thing that James taught, i.e. that the saints who endure testing and tribulation in this life, even to the point of death, will be the ones who qualify to receive this particular crown on that day.

1 Peter 5:1-4 “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:  (2)  Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;  (3)  nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;  (4)  and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle Peter tells us about the crown of glory that will be available to the Lord’s elders and shepherds on that day. The apostle Peter tells us that the elders that serve willingly and lead as examples to the Lord’s flock will qualify to receive that particular crown on their day of judgement. And so from these passages of scripture that we have looked at, the point is very clear that all of these various crowns (and I am sure that there are many more not mentioned in scripture) will be given as rewards on that day to those who have earned them. Crowns are very important in the kingdom of God, for they denote the positions and levels of authority of those who wear them. The bible describes our Lord Jesus as one who has many crowns (Revelation 19:12), and the scripture also teaches us that the twenty-four elders that sit on thrones around the throne of God all wear crowns of gold (Revelation 4:4). And so clearly only the Lord’s saints that receive crowns from Him on that day will be eligible to reign in the age to come.

Michael E.B. Maher

Eternal Judgement

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