I. The order of events which leads to the time and place of rewards:
A. 1Thess. 4:13–18, the Rapture of the Church. To talk of being the Rapture generation is a
distraction to our proper function of living one day at a time. Every believer who dies before the
raptures has the interim body in the interlude of blessing prior to the Rapture. During this period,
there is no distinction between losers and winners. This is as close as we ever get to equality. The
body sleeps, but the soul is in a new interim body face to face with the Lord. People who die and
are in heaven before us have no advantage by being there ahead of us. In verse 16, the voice
command is for the resurrection of those who are alive; the trumpet command is for those who have
died. The clouds here refer to stellar space.
B. The big genuflex. Rom 14:11–12 "every knee shall bow to Me." Phil 2:9–11 "that in the presence
of Christ every knee shall bow; . and every tongue shall acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord."
At this point there are still no distinctions among believers. This is the only time when all of us have
no distinctions and the same resurrection body.
C. The Judgment Seat of Christ in 2Cor 5:10. Only two categories of believers exist at this point:
winners and losers. Which one you are all depends on your use of logistical grace from salvation
until death to fulfill the plan of God.
1. Potential rewards include decorations, knighthood, a uniform of glory, a coat of arms, a place
in the eternal chivalry, and other rewards.
2. Losers have nothing and winners have everything. There never has been nor will there ever
be equality. There is no excuse for being a loser. All losers are losers by choice and by
priorities. Losers are arrogant and self–made.
3. The judgment seat of Christ is where all distinctions begin and continue for eternity. Crowns
are distributed at the judgment seat of Christ.
4. Losers have limited happiness. Winners have privileges the losers do not have. Rom. 5:5
assigns ashamedness to the loser at the judgment seat of Christ, cf 2Tim.. 2:15 Phil. 1:20
1John 2:28.
D. Rev. 22:12 “Behold, I am coming suddenly and My reward is with Me to decorate each believer on
the basis of his accomplishments.” Rev. 22:7 “Behold, I am coming suddenly. Happy is he who
keeps the doctrines of the prophecy of this book."
II. Etymology and Isagogics.
A. The Bible must be interpreted in the time in which it was written. The crowns of the Roman Empire
are the pattern.
1. The Greek word stephanos (στέφανος) [pronounced STEHF-ahn-oss] means crown.
a. The Thayer definitions are: 1) a crown; 1a) a mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank;
1a1) the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in public games;
1b) metaphorically the eternal blessedness which will be given as aprize to the genuine
servants of God and Christ: the crown (wreath) which is the reward of the
righteousness; 1c) that which is an ornament and honour to one. Thayer definitions
only. Strong’s #4735.
b. it is the reward for winning in battle and in athletics. Believers will wear these rewards
in eternity.
2. The Greek word diadêma (διάδημα) [pronounced dee-AD-ay-mah] means a crown for a king,
used for the second highest decoration in the Roman army. Diadêma is not used because
very few believers will rule with Christ during the Millennium. The Lord Jesus Christ is
described as wearing many diadêma.
a. The adjective "royal" means kingly or pertaining to a crown. It is used to describe a
king as a sovereign ruler of people. Basileus (βασιλεύς) [pronounced bahs-ee-loose]
is the Greek word used for royalty.
b. Our Lord wears three crowns. By virtue of His eternal and infinite being as God, He
wears the diadem of the royalty of His deity. By virtue of the virgin birth, He wears a
second crown as the royalty of true humanity. By virtue of His strategic victory of the
first Advent, He wears a third crown as the royalty of His hypostatic union.
(1) His divine royalty is based on the fact that He is eternal and infinite God,
possessing all the attributes of divine essence. As the manifest person of the
Trinity, our Lord wears the crown of divine royalty, John 1:18, 6:46 1Tim. 6:16
1John 4:12.
(2) The Jewish royalty of Christ or the royalty of His human nature in hypostatic
union. The virgin birth introduces the humanity of Christ to the world. At the
point of the virgin birth, Jesus Christ became Jewish royalty as the direct
descendent of King David. David had four sons by Bathsheba, but only
Solomon's and Nathan's lines came down to Joseph and Mary. Solomon's line
is given in Matthew and is the line of Joseph. Nathan's line is given in Luke and
is the line of the virgin Mary. As Jewish royalty, our Lord fulfills the Davidic
covenant. Mary became pregnant because God the Holy Spirit provided the
necessary chromosomes for her pregnancy.
(3) Our Lord's battlefield royalty is based upon His strategic victory during the first
Advent, when He defeated Satan during His thirty-three years of executing the
prototype spiritual life for the Church Age.
c. The titles of our Lord's royalty are:
(1) Son of God for His divine royalty, Rom 1:4;
(2) Son of David is the title of His Jewish royalty, Rom 1:3;
(3) and the title of His battlefield royalty is King of kings and Lord of lords, the Bright
Morning Star, Rev 19:16.
d. There are three royal families of Christ:
(1) the royal family of His divine royalty includes God the Father and God the Holy
Spirit;
(2) the royal family of His Jewish royalty includes all the ancestors of the royal line
of David;
(3) and the royal family of His battlefield royalty is the royal family of God-all Church
Age believers.
e. Royalty is also applied to the name of Jesus Christ. Each part of His name refers to
one of His royal crowns.
(1) Lord refers to His deity.
(2) Jesus means savior and refers to His battlefield royalty.
(3) Christ means Messiah and refers to His Jewish royalty.
f. The royalty of Christ is related to the Second Advent. Each category of our Lord's
royalty performs a different function at the Second Advent.
(1) The divine royalty of Christ changes creation for the Millennium, judges
ecumenical religion and removes it, destroys the armies of the world, removes
all unbelievers under the baptism of fire, and establishes perfect environment for
the Millennium.
(2) The Jewish royalty regathers Israel, terminates the fifth cycle of discipline,
establishes Israel as the last client nation to God in history, fulfills the
unconditional covenants to Israel, and causes Israel to become a great source
of blessing during the Millennium.
(3) Battlefield royalty makes Christ the strategic victor of the angelic conflict and
replaces Satan as the ruler of the world, imprisons Satan for one thousand years,
removes all demons from the world, and rules the earth for one thousand years.
g. The unknown royal title of Christ, Rev 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His
head are many diadems; and He has a royal title written on Him which no one
understood except Himself.
3. The Latin corona was the highest decoration in the army, and is the exact equivalent of the
Greek stephanos (στέφανος) [pronounced STEHF-ahn-oss].
B. The Romans had many different crowns as decorations in the military; they also gave crowns to the
winners of athletic contests.
1. The corona obsidionalis or grammania—a wreath of golden strands—was the highest
decoration. This was given for breaking a blockade or raising a siege.
2. The corona civica was a crown made of golden oak leaves. This was awarded to a soldier
who saved the life of another citizen in battle and held the ground where this deed occurred
for the rest of the day.
3. The corona navalis was the highest decoration in the navy for destroying an enemy fleet or
the first marine to board an enemy ship.
4. The corona muralis was awarded to the first soldier who scaled the wall of a besieged city.
5. The corona vallaris was awarded to the first soldier to reach the enemy lines in battle.
6. The corona aurea was a golden crown for gallantry in battle or any heroic act in battle.
7. The corona triumphalis was awarded to a victorious commander.
C. Each crown included monetary reward, freedom from taxes, children educated at public expense,
a statue of the person erected in the public square, and a home wherever you wanted it built. The
crown is used by analogy for the greatest honors God can give to believers.
D. There were also decorations worn around the neck, decorations on a baldric worn over the chest,
and various spears as rewards.
III. Doctrine Plus Momentum Equals Inheritance.
A. Mass (metabolized doctrine in the stream of consciousness) plus motion (advance in the spiritual
life) equals your crowns, rewards, decorations, and inheritance.
B. In Acts 20:32 Paul gave his farewell address to the elders of Ephesus at Miletus and said, "And now
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and to give you
the inheritance among all of those who are sanctified." This is saying that experiential sanctification
is the place where the spiritual life is lived, and the inheritance is fulfilled by Bible doctrine plus
momentum in the spiritual life.
C. Paul described the inheritance to the Galatians in Gal 5:21 as "the kingdom of God." This is not
a reference to your salvation, but to your eternal rewards.
D. When you have the crown of righteousness and/or the crown of life, you have your inheritance. You
have inherited the kingdom of God.
E. In PLEROMA status you are a winner believer and have acquired both the crown of righteousness
and the crown of life. As a winner believer you have the capacity related to the crown of
righteousness.
F. The crown of righteousness and the crown of life actually go together. If you have one, you will
have the other.
G. As a result of the fulfillment of the unique spiritual life of the Church Age two crowns are available
to every believer-the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:8) and the crown of life (Jam 1:12).
H. The crown of capacity righteousness is produced by the filling of the Spirit plus maximum
metabolized doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness.
I. This capacity for virtue-righteousness sustained the human nature of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
The sequence for His staying power is His righteousness, His spiritual life, His doctrine, and His
1. Jesus Christ on the Cross was the virtue factor in His love for all of us. Jesus Christ accepted
the sentence of judgment of all sins because He had the capacity righteousness of
dikaiosune. Because He had this capacity righteousness, He also had the love to accept the
sentence and judgment of every sin because of personal love for God the Father and
impersonal love for all mankind. Righteousness plus love gave Him the staying power to
remain on the Cross. No sin was able to challenge His capacity righteousness or virtue-love.
2. There are some interesting words in the middle of 1 Tim 6:11, "But you, oh man of God, flee
[rebound] these things [greed and fear in the previous context], and keep on pursuing
capacity righteousness (dikaiosune), the spiritual life (eusebeia), doctrine (pistis), virtue-love
(agape), perseverance (hupomone) and thoughtfulness for others (praupathia)." To attain
the crown of righteousness inevitably leads to attaining the crown of life.
3. Capacity righteousness resulted in the love that sustained our Lord on the Cross.
4. Capacity righteousness is the capacity for true love in the soul. Our spiritual life must have
a love based on a righteousness that has capacity from the word of God.
5. True love is always the result of true righteousness in the soul. All capacity for true love is
soul capacity righteousness, not legalism. Legalism is the enemy of love. No one has love
if he is legalistic.
6. 1Tim. 6:12-16 Fight the good fight of doctrine; take an interest in eternal life to which you
were called and you made a good witness in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you
in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified a good
confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time, He
who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone
possesses immortality [the humanity of our Lord in resurrection body] and dwells in
unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him honor and eternal
sovereignty! Amen.
J. The second crown (the crown of life) results from the virtue, capacity righteousness in the soul, as
illustrated in 1Tim. 6:11. Between righteousness and love you have two things: the spiritual life and
K. The second crown emphasizes virtue-love in the soul, which derives its capacity from
L. No believer attains the second crown without the first. The two decorations go together. You
cannot have one without the other, which means that capacity righteousness must precede
virtue-love in the soul.
IV. A crown implies a coronation and sometimes authority. Earlier I used the illustration of having some
crown that I picked up and I wander around the house wearing it. That is not the situation here. A crown
is not simply a very cool hat that you can use to impress someone who knocks at your door. A crown has
to come with coronation, which means that the crown is bestowed upon us in a ceremony. Secondly, a
crown signifies authority. Those with crowns have authority over something. It is clear that we, as
rewarded believers, will be rulers in heaven. 2Tim. 2:12a ...if we endure, we will also reign with Him;...
(ESV; capitalized) See also Luke 22:29–30 Rom. 8:17 Rev. 3:21.
V. The Crown of Spiritual Capacity Righteousness.
A. In 2Tim. 4:7-8 and 2Peter 3:13 this crown is used to describe the capacity for the greater blessings
in resurrection body that the winner believer receives. God has given special capacity to winner
believers to enjoy special blessings forever and ever.
B. The crown of righteousness represents the perfect righteousness that follows grace, but is free from
any legalism of any kind. You do not get involved in legalistic activities of any kind. As a parent you
should impose right standards on your children, because you are trying to teach standards. But you
do not do this to other people.
C. This crown is available to all believers who become winners. This is given to mature believers with
emphasis on the attainment of spiritual maturity. This crown emphasizes capacity for enjoyment
of eternal rewards and decorations of the invisible hero, the spiritual winner.
D. The believer who wears the invisible uniform of honor will receive the crown of righteousness.
Ephesians chapter 6 describes the uniform of honor. The function of impersonal love is the
manifestation of the invisible uniform of honor. The crown of righteousness is given for your virtue,
honor, integrity, passing momentum tests, and fulfillment of the royal family honor code.
E. 2Tim. 4:7-8 "I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the doctrine. In the
future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will
award to me on that day, and not to me only, but to all [winners] who love His appearing."
1. Every believer has the opportunity for this reward. This is our eternal inheritance. It is the
greatest possible thing given to the ordinary believer in eternity, but many believers do not
seem to be interested in this reward.
2. "To love His appearing" has a very special meaning.
3. Paul's life was compatible with the righteousness of God. As a mature believer, the
perpetuation of spiritual maturity means to continue the daily intake of the Word of God. The
mass of Bible doctrine in the soul plus the momentum of the spiritual life equals the crown of
F. This reward has a relationship to the justice of God related to his love and His grace. What the
righteousness of God commends the justice of God blesses as an expression of the love of God
in the conveyance of the inheritance of the winner believer as a manifestation of the grace of God.
This righteousness is far greater than any morality.
G. Capacity righteousness is the only way you build true love in the soul. Capacity righteousness plus
soul love in two categories equals being an invisible hero. Capacity righteousness must come
before love for God comes. Only then will capacity for love come in marriage.
VI. The Crown of Life.
A. This decoration is awarded to invisible heroes for maximum production of divine good through the
execution of the protocol plan of God. This includes all the impacts a Jeshurun believer can
have-personal, historical, international, angelic, and heritage impact.
B. Therefore, the crown of life is related to the invisible hero's production from his spiritual gift, his
ambassadorship, and his royal priesthood. The crown of life is awarded for consistent filling of the
Holy Spirit, consistent perception of doctrine, and consistent use of the problem solving devices.
C. Rev 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Note that the devil is about to cast some of you
in prison that you may be tested, and you will have special persecution ten times. Keep on being
faithful even until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
D. James 1:12 Happy is that person who perseveres under testing, for once he has passed the test,
he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.
E. The crown of life is awarded because of consistent use of the spiritual skills and advance to
maturity, John 15.
VII. The Crown of Glory.
A. This crown is awarded to pastors who faithfully study and communicate Bible doctrine to their
congregation. The size of the congregation never has anything to do with the evaluation of the
pastor. There are four categories of pastors in the Church Age.
1. The cosmic pastor who lives in cosmic one and cosmic two and is distracted by social action,
crusader arrogance, and is totally disoriented to reality. He is very arrogant, self–righteous,
and ignorant of Bible doctrine.
2. The baby pastor emphasizes his own personality while de-emphasizing the Word of God. All
he does is evangelize and give little moral lectures.
3. The adolescent pastor teaches some truth but is distracted by various forms of high profile.
He is selling his own personality (rather than teaching doctrine) by visiting the sick, calling on
the congregation, and conducting programs. He can be a pseudo–intellectual, a crusader,
a bleeding heart, self–righteous, a pleasing personality, or arrogant. He appeals to those with
negative volition toward Bible doctrine. He doesn't have the time to study.
4. The mature pastor through personal study and teaching advances to maturity and is leading
his congregation there. He has received the crown of life and the crown of righteousness as
well, Heb 6:10. He emphasizes doctrine and is a prepared person academically, knowing
where he stands theologically. He focuses on the message, not his personality.
B. The motivation for the pastor is occupation with the Lord. 1Peter 5:2-4 Shepherd the flock of God
with you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily on the basis of the will of God;
and not for sordid gain, but with a ready mentality; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your
charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears [Rapture],
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
C. Phil 4:1 personalizes this concept. Therefore, my brethren, loved ones [congregation who is
respected for their faithfulness], deeply desired ones, my happiness and my crown, keep on being
stabilized [winners of the crown of righteousness].
D. 1Thess. 2:19–20 For who is our hope or happiness or crown of boasting [glory]? Is it not you in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and our happiness.
At the judgment seat of Christ, those who have attained spiritual maturity are the crown of glory for
the pastor.
E. The pastor's boasting or crown of glory is received because certain members of his congregation
do two things by listening to the teaching of the Word.
1. They take the giant step to spiritual self-esteem.
2. They take the victory step to spiritual maturity.
F. So the happiness of the pastor comes from the positive response of those faithful to the teaching
of the Word of God. The pastor's happiness is different from that of anyone else.
G. Protocol believers are the basis for the pastor receiving the crown of glory.
VIII. The Warning Regarding Crowns.
A. Rev. 3:11 "I will be coming suddenly; attain [hold on to, become the master of] what you have, so
that no one may take away your crowns."
B. The durative present active imperative of the verb krateô (κρατέω) [pronounced krat-EH-oh] tells
you what you should be doing if the Rapture occurs. The word means: to seize, to grasp, to get
possession of, to become the master of something, to attain something. You should be learning
and becoming master of your spiritual life. You should be attaining your spiritual life through
consistently learning and applying Bible doctrine in preparation for the Rapture. You are to carry
on in the execution of the spiritual life as your only preparation for the Rapture.
C. You do not pray for the Rapture, but prepare for the Rapture by the execution of the spiritual life.
This is also how you keep other people from distracting you from attaining your escrow blessings
for eternity. Losers participate in the resurrection of the Church but lose their escrow blessings for
1. People cannot bless you; only God can. People cannot make you happy; only God can.
2. Crowns are decorations that accompany the various escrow blessings in the eternal state.
D. Compare 2John 8. You already have these crowns deposited in escrow for you in eternity past by
God the Father. These crowns are not distributed unless you execute the protocol plan of God.
There are people who can distract you from Bible doctrine, and so keep you from receiving these
IX. The Ultimate Decoration-the Order of the Morning Star.
A. This is the highest decoration awarded to any Church Age believer in Jeshurun status. Rev. 2:26
"Furthermore, the winner, even he who keeps My assignments [fulfillment of the protocol plan of
God] until the end [of his life], to him I will give authority over the nations." Rev 2:28 "Furthermore
I will give to him the order of the Morning Star."
B. This award is part of a new and eternal order of chivalry, and will be born by invisible heroes for
their ultimate in advance in the spiritual life. It is for maintenance of spiritual maturity in what may
be classified as ultra-supergrace status. Receiving this reward is the highest manifestation of
glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church Age.
C. With this decoration all winners will wear a special uniform of glory mentioned in Rev 3:4.
D. This mature believer will be a king over a Gentile nation during the Millennium. The "Bright Morning
Star" as part of our Lord's third royal title is mentioned specifically in Rev 22:16 and 2Peter 1:19.
E. This title was given to our Lord at His ascension and session, and is related to both the strategic
and tactical victory of the angelic conflict. Rev. 22:16, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to declare
these things to you for the churches; I am the root [Jesus Christ as eternal God], and the
descendent of David [Jesus Christ in Hypostatic Union], the bright morning star [His title for the first
and Second
F. In Num. 24:17, this title is related to our Lord's strategic victory. "I see Him, but not now, I behold
Him, but not near. Behold, a star [Christ as the morning star] shall come forth from Jacob [First
Advent], and a scepter shall rise from Israel [Second Advent]."
G. Matt 2:2 is a reference to the morning star related to the First Advent.
H. Bible doctrine is related to Christ as the Morning Star in 2Peter 1:19, keep on having a more reliable
prophetic doctrine, with reference to which doctrine you perform honorably by habitually
concentrating in your right lobes on a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns, until the
Morning Star comes [Second Advent].
I. The Order of the Morning Star is named after our Lord's royal title and is given to believers for their
historical impact in the Church Age. It authorizes the recipient to reign with Christ in the Millennium
and hold the highest privileges for all eternity. Such a believer can eat from the tree of life in the
paradise of God, located in the New Jerusalem.
J. There are certain privileges that accompany the order of the morning star.
1. The uniform of honor, being invisible and worn in the soul, is exchanged at the judgment seat
of Christ for the uniform of glory. It was first modeled by Jesus Christ on the Mount of
Transfiguration. Matt. 17:2 and His clothes became white as light. The uniform of glory is
a monument to right decisions. The uniform of glory is given as a translucent light which
covers the resurrection body. Rev. 3:4–5 "in fact they will walk with Me in whites." The
uniform of glory distinguishes the winner believer from the loser believer.
2. The Order of the Morning Star includes presentation in the court of heaven during the
Tribulation. Only those on the honors list are presented to God the Father. The honors list
is made up of those believers who make Bible doctrine their highest priority daily. Rev. 3:5,
"Thus the winner shall be clothed in white garments and I will never blot out his title [the
winner is knighted at the judgment seat of Christ] out of the book of life. In fact, I will
acknowledge his title in the presence of My Father and before His angels [a formal
3. A new knighthood and eternal order of chivalry belongs to the believer winning this award,
Rev. 2:17 cf. Col. 3:4,6. A new order of chivalry includes a new title after your name in the
Lamb's Book of Life. The new knighthood is given to the winner. Rev. 2:17 "To the winner,
I will give him blessing [escrow blessings] from the hidden manna [Bible doctrine in the soul];
also I will give him a white pebble [the resurrection body, God's final vote of justification-they
voted with colored pebbles in the ancient world] and on that white pebble has been inscribed
a new title [your royal patent in the eternal heraldry] which no one knows [you are an
anonymous hero during the Church Age] except the one who receives it."
4. The winner will rule with Christ during the Millennium. There are six different approaches with
regard to ruling with Christ.
a. The a fortiori approach is found in Rom 5:17 For if by the transgression of one, spiritual
death ruled by that one, much more, they who receive in life this surplus from grace
[escrow blessing] and the gift of righteousness, much more, they shall rule through that
One, Jesus Christ.
b. The sarcastic approach is found in 1Cor. 4:8 You are already filled [with private sins];
you have already become rich [but not from escrow blessing]; you have become kings
without us. How I wish you really had become kings, so that we might also rule with
Him.
c. The eternal security approach is taught in 2Tim. 2:12 If we endure [perpetuation of the
execution of the spiritual life], we shall also rule.
d. The parable approach is found in Luke 19:12ff, especially verses 17 and 19. To "take
charge over ten cities" means rulership.
e. The direct approach is taught in Rev. 3:21 "The winner, I will give to him the reward of
sitting with Me on my throne, as I have won and sat down with My Father on His
throne." Rev. 20:4, "And they ruled with Christ for a thousand years."
f. The Morning Star approach is found in Rev. 2:26–28.
5. Your name is recorded in the permanent historical record section of the heavenly Temple
because of your invisible impact on history during the Church Age, Rev. 3:12a.
a. The impact of the winner is anonymous as far as the records of history are concerned,
but not as far as God is concerned.
b. The mature believer's historical record will be recorded forever in the heavenly temple.
Each pillar will have the record of his life as a winner.
c. Rev. 3:12 "The winner, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God." The temple
of God is the eternal record center in the future. "Furthermore, he will never again [go
outside] vanish from history. Also, I will emblazon on him the title of My God, and the
name of the city of My God, [this will be his pass to enter the eternal city, the New
Jerusalem, a satellite city suspended above the earth in the atmosphere or in space]
the new Jerusalem, which shall descend from heaven from My God; also My new title
[King of kings, Lord of lords, Bright Morning Star]."
d. As an example, the temple at Ephesus had the great deeds of people inscribed on the
pillars. So this temple of God will be the historical textbook of the true heroes of
history. The mature believer as a part of the pivot is the true impact on history.
e. In Gal. 2:9 the mature believer is currently called a pillar of the church.
6. You are the recipient of a coat of arms of glory, Rev. 3:12b.
7. The winner has membership in the Paradise Club forever. Membership includes three special
privileges: the privilege related to the tree of life, the privilege related to the gazebo in the
garden, and the privilege related to access to the paradise of God itself. You are a member
of a special club with special parties to which only you are invited. Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5,
12, 21 ".To the winner, I will give to him the privilege of eating from the tree of life which is in
the paradise of God." "Blessed are they [winners] who have washed their robes [rebound],
that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city [the
New Jerusalem]." The tree of life is the ultimate in eternal reward and blessing.
X. Military and Athletic Analogies to Rewards.
A. 2Tim. 2:4-5 No soldier on active duty entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life [a person on
active duty does not live a normal life], so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
Furthermore, if anyone competes in the athletic games, he does not receive a winner's crown
unless he trains according to the rules.
B. Every athlete went through identical training no matter what his event. This is analogous to every
believer having the identical divine dynasphere as the place in which we train and compete. We
must fulfill the training rules of the protocol plan of God. Only the protocol Christian is living the
Christian way of life, and therefore is qualified to compete in the angelic conflict.
C. The agonistai were people who just worked out to stay in shape, which is just sheer agony. This
is analogous to the believer in the cosmic system and to arrogance in the cosmic system which is
just sheer agony.
D. The athletai were the ones who trained under the rules of the national gymnasium for ten months.
You were not allowed to leave the large walled area of the gymnasium for ten months, and you had
to exercise under the authority of the gumnasiarch, the ruler of the gym (analogous to the pastor).
The rules were very strict.
1. You could not leave for any reason.
2. You were on a strict diet which everyone ate (other foods being analogous to distractions of
the cosmic system).
3. Everyone participated in group exercise naked outdoors, regardless of the weather
(analogous to everyone getting the same doctrinal teaching).
4. Daily trumpet calls had to be met each day at various times; if you missed one you were
5. Everyone had equal privilege and opportunity to compete.
E. 1Cor. 9:24–27 illustrates how we compete to reach a reward which is imperishable. Each winner
in the national games received many rewards and privileges.
1. He received a crown of ivy leaves, which represented the rewards he would receive when he
returned home. This is analogous to us receiving eternal escrow blessings when we go home
to heaven.
2. He had a special entrance cut into the wall of his hometown city which he passed through
when he returned home. Then a plaque was put up after the wall was sealed up again.
3. He rode in the best chariot through the city in a parade.
4. He received a lifetime pass to all future games.
5. He received a great amount of money.
6. An ode was written to him by a poet.
7. A statue of him was put up in the public square.
8. His children were fed and educated at public expense.
9. He was exempt from all income taxes for life.
F. 1Cor. 9:24 Run in such a way that you may win. Verse 27 but I discipline my body and keep it in
training, lest possibly, having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified."
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