As we have been granted the priceless gift of life in this New Year, we must keep the hope of heaven fresh in our hearts. Jesus said to the church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:10b, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This verse is among some of the most familiar passages in the Book of Revelation. In the Truth for Today Commentary by David L. Roper, a few of his comments on the last part of this passage are as follows: “In context, the phrase until death means ‘even if it means your death.’ Jesus did not promise to deliver these Christians from trouble; rather, He would bring them safely through their trouble. In Jesus’ promise, the crown consists of life—eternal life” (124).
The Lord’s strong encouragement to the church at Philadelphia certainly applies to those of us who want to make heaven our eternal home. Jesus said in Revelation 3:11, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” Brother Roper makes this noteworthy comment: “The Christians in Philadelphia may have possessed little—but regarding the important things, they had much: …They were to take a firm grip on what God had given them and never, never, never let go” (180). To let our crown be taken through any circumstance, condition, event, incident or situation is so past comprehension!
It is noted that of the seven churches that Jesus addressed in Revelation chapters 1-3, the congregations at Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only two that received no condemnation, no warning and no impending harm. They are also the only two churches that Jesus spoke of the crown being their reward for a life of perseverance and obedience.
Our beloved brother Paul spoke of that crown in two of his letters. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, he said, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [win] it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”
In his second letter to Timothy nearing the end of his life, Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 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” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul had unshakable assurance and conviction in receiving this ultimate reward.
Earlier in that same letter, Paul wrote to Timothy, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:4-5).
Do we want to receive the crown above all other possible crowns? Then, we too, must run with endurance the race that has been set before us (Hebrews 12:1). James 1:12 urges us to keep the hope of heaven fresh in our hearts. “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.”
One of the many songs that speak of this crown of life is in the final verse of My Jesus, I Love Thee. “In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow; if ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.” Our love for the Lord is demonstrated in our actions. Receiving the crown of life will be His supreme approval of the actions in our lives.
