The Crowns #7

I have introduced and defined the topic and tell us that from the time immemorial people have been receiving reward for what they are doing, and one of the reward people received is crown in the first article. In the second article I write about the positive and negative usage of the word crown and some of the uses of crown as found in the bible. In this article I desire to write on some other crowns mentioned in the bible and how they are related to believers.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines suffering as “physical or mental pain or feeling of pain and unhappiness”.

“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.” (Rev 2:10)

The Greek word for suffer is “πάσχω, πάθω, πένθω”, when romanticized it becomes paschō pathō penthō, (phonetic spelling is pas'-kho, path'-o, pen'-tho) which means to experience a painful sensation or impression.

The apostle was telling the people of the church of Smyrna that they should not fear “physical or mental pain or feeling of pain and unhappiness” that they would pass through for the name and their faith in Jesus Christ.

Some of the things they will pass through are stated in the book and it is that some of them would be casted into prison.

If we view it from this day’s perspective I can say that the prison which the writer says they would be casted into could be divided into two; physical or spiritual prison.

- Physical Prison: This is the real prison that people are casted into for doing something wrong. The believers were made to pass through something like this when the devil enters hearts of people, leaders, to punish those who believe in the name of Jesus Christ. Like it did happen to apostle Peter and some other notable apostles when on earth. (Acts 12)

- Spiritual Prison: While talking about spiritual prison, it is a prison that cannot be seen with the physical eyes, people are put in this kind of prison when they are undergoing demonic attacks. This is when people’s way becomes blocked by the devil and they found it hard to make progress in their endeavors in the world.

This kind of prison is being experienced when the demons block the prayers of the saints as it happened to Daniel (Dan 10) and the person would be thinking it was God who is angry with him, this would make the person to flash back his or her minds to the past and he would think the previous sins were not forgiven by God, thus he is repaying him back now. This the demons would be suggesting into the mind of the person that the Lord has not forgiven him, and he would be saying God is a cruel God.

Another example of someone whom the devil puts in spiritual prison was the woman Jesus healed when on earth, the bible says, the woman was afflicted by the spirit of infirmity by the devil for 18 years.

“And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.” (Luk 13:11)

In an attempt for the devil to confuse believers, to make them doubt God through Jesus he can do this, but they are told not to fear those but to endure such hardship and suffering and they shall receive the crown of life if they can endure such.

Those who suffer for the name of Christ are said by this author that they would receive a crown as this.

This is another thing that people who would be qualified for a crown of life be subjected to by people. Tribulation is defined as great trouble. The Greek word for tribulation here is “θλίψις”, when romanticized it becomes thlipsis (phonetic spelling is thlip'-sis) which means afflicted, anguish persecution, trouble.

The people will pass through troubles and affliction for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The duration of the tribulation is stated in this book and it is ten days. Bible commentary on this says, the Greek word for the day is “ἡμέρα”, the romanticized form is hēmera (pronounced as hay-mer'-ah) which is a derivative of ἧμαι (hēmai) which means to sit. The root word is associated with to tame, gentle, day. This word is said to imply that twenty-four hours, which is period, or age, forever, years.

Greek word for ten is “δέκα”, romanticized form is deka (pronounced as dek'-ah) which is 10 in figure.

What this is suggestive of is not very clear, but it shows that the people would pass through troubles and affliction for the name of Christ and their faith in him, to wit the author tells them that they need to endure and after enduring those periods, they would receive the crown of life which has been promised to those who passed through such on the planet.

Their faithfulness is also said to be important while passing through these, for if they fail to be faithful they may be overwhelmed by the challenges they are passing through and would back off the race.

Some would likely be put to death by the people, the enemies of the gospel and it is their faithfulness in following the Lord that would enhance them to allow the suffering, pass through those afflictions knowing that their God is powerful and can save them and even if he does not deliver them from what they are passing through they will never back off him, they keep on clinging to him like the three Hebrews said in the land of Babylon when they were asked to bow to worship the king’s image.

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Dan 3:17-18)

Someone says something that is not worth dying for is not worth protecting. A faith that is not worth dying for should be backed off.

From this we shall see that the crown of life is for those who endure hardships, testing, bravely confront any forms of persecution for the name of Christ and for their faith in Christ and would be ready to do that even until the point of death.

Link for crowns #1 - http://hub.me/amteU

Link for crowns #2 - http://hub.me/anEce