There Are Two Types Of "Crowns"

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I already knew that there were two words in the Greek for crown:

G4735 - στέφανος - 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, G1238), literally or figuratively: - crown.

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G1238 - διάδημα - diadēma - dee-ad'-ay-mah

From a compound of G1223 and G1210; a “diadem” (as bound about the head): - crown.

What I found was that the word "stephanos" is associated with the crown that Jesus is currently wearing.  This is not the crown (diadema) of a King, but a woven crown of a Victor or Champion.  Of course, my curiosity got the better of me, so I had to do a little investigative work.

The first mention of a "stephanos" in the New Testament is at Jesus' crucifixion (Matt. 27:29, Mark 15:17 and John 19:2). The crown of thorns is actually a "stephanos" of thorns; a woven crown of thorny branches placed on Jesus' head.

The word "stephanos" is used almost exclusively throughout the New Testament when describing a crown.  It is even used to describe the crowns that the 24 elders are wearing in Heaven:

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 (stephanos) of gold."

Rev 4:10 "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 (stephanos) before the throne, saying..."

I'm sure most of us are used to thinking that the 24 elders around the throne of God are wearing actual crowns (diadema) but in actuality, they are wearing a "stephanos" (woven crowns) of gold.

Scripture about the Antichrist, when he first shows up on the scene, uses the same Greek word:

Rev 6:2 "And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown (stephanos) was given to him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

Who else is wearing a "stephanos?"

Rev 9:7  And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. And on their heads were as it were crowns (stephanos) like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great sign in the heavens, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown (stephanos) of twelve stars on her head...

So what's all the fuss about?  Why am I getting hung up on this "stephanos" thing?  Here's why:

It isn't until Revelation 12:3 that the word "diadema" is used.  First it's to describe the power and authority that Satan has on the earth during the tribulation:

Rev 12:3  And another sign was seen in the heavens. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns (diadema) on his heads! 

Rev 13:1  And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns (diadema), and on its heads was the name of blasphemy.

These crowns (diadema) represent "kingdoms" on earth.

Then it's used once more when John describes Jesus' return to earth:

Rev 19:12  And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns (diadema). And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself.

So we come to the point of this entire thought process.  In all the pictures that we see of Jesus, he's wearing a solid gold crown (diadema).  I know that in MY head I always pictured Him wearing a diadema... a kingly crown, but is that scriptural? Let's refer to scripture:

Rev 14:14-16  And I looked, and behold, a white cloud. And on the cloud sat one like the Son of man, having a golden crown (stephanos) on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand.  ¹⁵And another angel came out of the temple, crying in a great voice to Him sitting on the cloud, Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth was dried.  ¹⁶And He sitting on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Why would this be?  He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Our Father has placed everything under Jesus authority. Why would Jesus be wearing a "stephanos" right now?

The only explanation I have is that Jesus is still seen specifically as the Lamb of God and as our High Priest, and He wears His golden stephanos as a sign of His victory on the cross; His victory over death and the grave.  His victory over Satan. He had specific responsibilities when He was here on earth, just as He has a specific role to play right now as our High Priest in Heaven, but when He returns, He takes on the additional role as King of kinds, and Lord of lords.

It's not until He returns that He is seen as the Lion of Judah, the conquering King, coming in power and authority, to reign over the earth for a thousand years.  When He returns to defeat the enemy at the end of the Tribulation, He no longer wears a single stephanos, but many diadema. He doesn't return only as the Lamb of God or as our High Priest, He returns as our victorious King!!!

In case you were wondering what type of crown we will be wearing in heaven... it will be a victor's crown, a stephanos: 

Rev 2:10  Do not at all fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the Devil will cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tried. And you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown (stephanos) of life.

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Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

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Make An After Rapture Packet!

To those of us who feel the urgency building to increase our efforts in witnessing to our small part of a lost world, we can’t help but think about our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others who will be left behind after the rapture. We know that not everyone we know will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior before the Lord returns for His “bride.” So what do we do for those left behind… for those we know and love?

Just because we will be absent from this world for a while doesn't mean we can’t continue to witness to those who are left behind. Here are a couple of things that I believe we can do to help those who are seeking the truth in a world that is about to experience horror the likes that have never been experienced since the creation of the world.

1.  We have the God-given responsibility to share the gospel while we are still here. We have to allow ourselves to be used by God to prepare that soil or plant that seed or water that seed before we leave. There is nothing more important than that. Along with this, we must warn the lost about the coming rapture and tribulation. We have so much to do and so many people to reach before Lord returns!

2.  Once we are gone, we still need a way to share the gospel. I believe we can do that by creating a packet of information for those left behind. You can create a “generic” packet that can be left or given to anyone, but it should have the flexibility to be able to be personalized and updated. What kind of information am I referring to? 

• Tracts: Tracts are very important. There are plenty of really good tracts out there that explain the reason for becoming a born-again believer in Christ.
• Bible: A bible will be an important tool for the new believer in the tribulation. There are plenty of inexpensive paperback bibles out there on the market. You can either purchase a full paperback bible or you can purchase a paperback New Testament. Either way, it seems a no-brainer to leave a copy of the word of God behind. If you're trying to save space, I suggest including only the New Testament instead of a bulkier bible. 
• Personal Message:
• Write a personal letter to the person you're giving the packet to or leaving the packet behind for and include it in the packet. 
• Many of us have a web cam, camcorder or phone that can take videos. We can use that technology to create a brief message explaining in our own words what has just taken place (the rapture) and what is about to occur in the near future (the tribulation). It also gives us a chance to once again share the salvation message in our own words. We can leave the video on those devices, copy it to a thumb drive, burn it on a DVD or burn it on an audio CD. If it's portable, you can put it in the packet.

• DVD: Find a few short Christian videos online (like on YouTube) concerning the rapture, tribulation and salvation, and burn them to a DVD.  You can also include your own personal message on the DVD. I will provide some links below for information that I have included in my own packets. 
• Internet Resources: There are a myriad of Christian web sites out there.  Copy the links of those sites that adequately describe what they need to know about salvation, the rapture and the tribulation.  Make a list of these web sites and print out a copy to include in your packet.
• Additional Materials: Add any additional materials that you feel someone might appreciate or benefit from.
• Find some inventive way of packaging up this information.  No matter how you decide to pack up the information, remember to include a label describing what’s in the packet.  Example: “Emergency Rapture Kit” or “In Case Of A Mass Disappearance, Open Immediately!”

Here are some ideas on how to package up your “Rapture Kit”:

• Large plastic zip-type freezer bag. This will not only keep everything together, but it will protect the contents from dirt and liquids and allow you to update it when needed, especially if you have created and "generic" packet and want to personalize it.
• Plastic wrap. It will help protect the contents keep things tightly bundled together.
• Hard plastic container. The type and amount of information you’re leaving behind will dictate the size of the container. If you're leaving it in your own home, it can be as large as you want it to be, but remember to keep it compact if you're making packets to give away.
• Cardboard box. Again, the size of the box will depend on what you’re including in the packet. A cardboard box alone may not protect your content as well as a plastic container. If it's the size of a shoe box, then you may be able to waterproof the box by sealing it in a plastic bag or by securing it in a food saver type sealer bag (air tight and sealed).
• Large manila mailing envelope. Again, this may not protect your information as well as a plastic container, but it can be left in an office environment or where you keep your important paperwork at home.

However you package up the information, remember that it should be clearly marked so that there is no doubt what the packaging contains.

Here are some ideas on what to do with the packet when it’s completed: 

• Give one to family members and friends who do not have a relationship with Jesus. Now, there are bound to be those who will not even want anything to do with the information you're offering. In that case, ask them if they would accept it as a personal favor to you and just put the information in a safe place so that if the rapture does actually happen, they can retrieve the packet and find out what just happened, what’s coming next and what they can do to be sure they spend eternity with God. If they know you’re not expecting anything else from them, then they're more likely to take the packet and tuck it away.
• Hand them out to neighbors or specific people you've been witnessing to but who haven't yet submitted their life to the Lord.
• Leave some in a conspicuous area in your house, like near your video tapes, CD’s, DVD’s, books, etc… where they will be easily found.
• Leave a packet or two at work. Place them in your desk drawer or in your locker at work to become a witness to your co-workers after you're gone.
• If it's packaged right (create your own booklet as I have), you may be able to donate a few to your local library.
• Share the contents of the packet with your church leadership and ask if they would be willing to contribute materials for your special ministry or if they would like to encourage the congregation to create their own packets.  Also suggest creating similar packets to leave behind in the sanctuary or Pastor’s office so that those flocking to the church after the rapture will find the information.
• Leave a packet in your glove box, center console or trunk in your vehicle.
• Carry one with you. If your information packet is small enough, you can keep a packet in your pocketbook or briefcase, ready to give out if the opportunity arises. If not, anyone going through your pocketbook or briefcase after the rapture will find it (after all, you’re not taking it with you…lol).
• Leave a copy where you keep your important paperwork (last will and testament, home insurance, mortgage papers, birth certificates, etc…)

These are just a few examples on how you can share or store your packets so that anyone left behind will be able to access this important information.

The important thing to remember is that however you package up the information and however you give them out or store them, you are taking steps to continue witnessing to the lost and unsaved world even after you’re gone.

For a more in-depth article describing of what I have in my own After Rapture Packet, click here.

Suggested Videos For Your Own DVD

Experiencing Tribulation

What To Do If You're Left Behind

Did Many People Disappear?

My Last Day

Set Your Eyes

All I Have Is Christ

The Gospel Song

If you like this article, or any of the other information on this web site, please consider following me. You'll be one of the first to be notified when I create new content! You'll find the section at the top of the right hand column on this page. It says, "Follow Tribulation Harvest by Email." After entering your email address, you may be prompted to sign in to your Google account. Thank you!!!

Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

TribulationHarvest.net

Is God Triune?

I was watching a video on YouTube about whether God was in fact a triune God. The speaker, who was a professor of Hebrew studies at a seminary college, was trying to convince listeners that Jesus was not God, but only a mediator between God and man. He said it was impossible for God to be triune because it states in the OT that God is one and claims that even Jesus agreed with that.  He was actually trying to use Jesus’ words to support this idea. Let’s take a look at the scripture this gentleman referred to and see if we can figure this out for ourselves.

Mark 12:28-29 “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” 

Let’s look at that word “one” in the Greek language and see if it really means only one.

Original Word: εἷς, μία, ἕν

Part of Speech: Adjective

Transliteration: heis

Phonetic Spelling: (hice)

Short Definition: one

Definition: one.

Word Origin

a primary number

Definition: one

NASB Word Usage
agreement (1), alike* (1), alone (3), common (1), detail (1), first (9), individual (2), individually* (1), lone (1), man (1), nothing* (1), one (282), one another (1), one man (2), one thing (5), one* (2), person (1), single (1), smallest (1), someone (2), thirty-nine* (1), unity (1).

Well, from the limited study that we just did, it seems as if God really is only one after all. There was one scribe and there is one God; same word "heis" is used to describe each example in this portion of scripture. I guess we can put our bibles down and be confident in knowing that the truth has been revealed.  One means one and only one.

But wait, just out of curiosity, let’s see if there is another example where else this word “heis” is used to describe the word “one.”

Here's one. Let’s see what it says. I’m confident that it will back up my earlier conclusions. Speaking of marriage, Jesus said: Mark 10:8 – “And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.” 

Okay, hit the brakes!  The word is used here to describe two people as being “one.” The same word “heis” is being used in this scripture as well. So two people, being married, become spiritually “heis.” Although they are two separate individuals, they are still considered “heis” in the eyes of God. This puts a whole new spin on what this word really means.

Now if we had stopped at our first example of the word “heis” we would have an incorrect understanding of who God is. Too many people do too little studying and then spread false doctrine throughout the church which affects the lives of other Christians, especially the lives of young Christians.

Does this short bible study show that God CAN be a triune God? Absolutely, because we’ve learned that “heis” can be used two ways; to describe an individual, or to describe a group of people  Now, your decision is whether you believe that God is “one” by spiritual definition or if He is “one” by human definition. Where does your faith lead you?

Let's not forget the other scriptures where Jesus said that He is God: 

John 8:56-59a  “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59Then took they up stones to cast at him:” 

Matthew 1:22  “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, ‘God with us.’” 

In the Old Testament God called Himself the "first and the last"

Isaiah 44:6  "This is what the Lord says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." 

What does Jesus call Himself in the New Testament?

Revelation1:17-18  ..."Fear not; I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”

Revelation 22:12-13  "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 1:8  “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'"

Of course, there's the Holy Spirit as well.

Isaiah 63:10: "Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them." 

Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". 

Psalm 139:7-8: [David cries to God:] "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

Acts 5:3-4: "Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.'"

1 Corinthians 2:10b-11: "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."

If you like this article, or any of the other information on this web site, please consider following me. You'll be one of the first to be notified when I create new content! You'll find the section at the top of the right hand column on this page. It says, "Follow Tribulation Harvest by Email." After entering your email address, you may be prompted to sign in to your Google account. Thank you!!!

Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

TribulationHarvest.net