Crown Theft

Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

What an alarming statement, that it is possible for men to take away the crowns of the saints. It’s alarming that even back then there were men who had infiltrated the Church, whom satan was using to rob the saints of their crowns.

So, the saints have something they need to hold onto, but certain men want to take that away from them, and if they allow them to do that then they need to realize that these men are really robbing them of their crowns.

Verse 10 explains what that something is they need to hold onto: They have kept the word of Jesus patience. This is what they are to KEEP holding onto tightly. They must not take the words and commands of Jesus lightly. They must hold tightly to the words of the LORD Jesus and do them patiently, and keep His commands, no matter what.

If they keep the word of His patience, then it is a crowning glory to them on the Coronation Day.

To keep the words of Jesus requires patient endurance, and this IS the glory of God (Rom 2:7, Heb 6:15). The glory of the saints, now, is to patiently obey the words of the LORD Jesus, by faith, in an environment which is against that, which is why it requires patience to hold onto His words and not let them slip – To patiently hold fast to what He taught, to obey what He taught, no matter how much opposition.

The men who try to take away our crowns are false teachers. Our crown represents the glory of Jesus. So, false teachers (as instruments of the devil) always work to remove that glory of Jesus, by offering shortcuts to the glory of God – by offering a lower standard for the Christian life, by offering the glory of this world, and the glory of men, as a substitute for the REAL glory of Jesus. They call the fake glory of man the glory of God. They offer a Christianity which is far removed from the Christianity of the first century. They offer a cross-less Christian life.

This is the prosperity gospel, the dominionist gospel, and so forth, that you can have your reward NOW. No need to patiently endure, go and get it now! Go and make a name for yourself now! Go and get as much glory for yourself as you can, now. Everything your flesh and your pride demands, go and get it now, in Jesus name! Go and get it now! It’s all about YOU!

False teachers offer you your crown, now, today. Instant gratification. Instant glory. If you accept their offer, then you have no crown waiting for you on that Great Day, when the REAL crowns are handed out.

As the LORD Jesus said, they already have their reward. When you seek glory from men, and your reward now, then you already have your fake little tinfoil crown, and you forfeit the glorious crown of eternal glory. You’ve allowed slick preachers to steal your eternal crown, and you’ve accepted the fake plastic crown they offer. If we want men to crown us now, then Jesus won’t crown us later.