Revelation 4:10, commentary and pictures

The elders falling down and laying their glittering crowns before the throne is worship of Him who lives forever and ever, bowing in deepest adoration to honor God and the Redeemer for the perfection of His character. It will be fulfilled when the redeemed enter the city of God, receive crowns of immortal glory from Jesus Himself, take them from their heads and place them at His feet while prostrating themselves before Him. Giving the crown back to Him confesses that all honor and triumph belong to Him because He wrought out salvation, overcame in their behalf and purchased both redemption and the crown with His own blood. As they do so they fill heaven with music and song to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, crying that the slain and risen Conqueror is worthy. To share in that worship calls now for reverence, obedience to all His commandments, daily victory through His blood, and lives of self-denying service to rescue souls.

Worship Before the Throne

The verse shows falling down, bowing, and casting glittering crowns before the throne in worship of Him who lives forever and ever. It is the future home in heaven where the redeemed take their place with angels and elders in thanksgiving for God's goodness, laying down their honors before God on His throne and honoring the enthroned God and the Redeemer. The crowns are gifts He Himself has placed on their heads, and laying them down expresses worship and gratitude, with victory and honor offered back to Him. They join the angels in giving their crowns to the Redeemer and praising the Lamb and the One seated on the throne forever, with golden harps, where Christ leads His people beside the stream flowing from God's throne. Those who take part are the true ministers of God and of Christ who stand for Him from age to age, those who have shared in Christ's work and cooperated with Him, served Him, and suffered for His sake.

Heavenly elders, angels, and the heavenly host veil their faces and bow in deepest adoration before Him. They cast their crowns, even glittering crowns, at Christ's feet as they behold His glory, honoring Him above themselves and celebrating His triumphs in song. Their worship reflects the perfection and splendor of His character and the glory of the Saviour. It honors Jesus as King of glory and exalted ruler on His throne, who was slain and lives again in majesty and glory. That glory stands in contrast with His choice to leave heaven's riches and honor for poverty, suffering, servanthood, and death for humanity. In the golden city lighted by His countenance, after He leads His redeemed children, the purchase of His blood, His church without spot or wrinkle, through its pearly gates and sees the travail of His soul and is satisfied, angels adore Him there, bowing and casting their crowns before Him, then touching their golden harps and filling heaven with rich music in songs to the Lamb.

The setting is the purity and perfection of the heavenly courts above and the inner courts of the celestial temple, where all is purity and perfection and every being has perfect reverence for God and His holiness. The temple of God is opened in heaven and the threshold is flushed with glory for every church that will love God and keep His commandments, with the song and thanksgiving of the heavenly choir round about the throne. By study, meditation, and prayer believers gain spiritual eyesight to discern the inner courts and catch the themes of that heavenly song, and as they apply the golden eyesalve they see the glories beyond. When Zion arises and shines her light is most penetrating and precious songs of praise and thanksgiving replace murmurings, complainings, and lamentations. Faith cuts through the hellish shadow of Satan, and they see their Advocate offering up the incense of His own merits in their behalf, which fills them with a sense of the immensity and diversity of the love of God and quickens insensible hearts with light. Without true worship and true reverence impressed now there is a growing tendency to place the sacred and eternal on a level with common things, and with uncultivated ideas they can never appreciate a pure and holy heaven nor be prepared to join with those worshipers.

The throne vision of Revelation 4:2-11 opened the throne of God and the glories of heaven to sight, with anthems of joy resounding through the heavenly courts. It was given about half a century after Jesus ascended to present His church before God and to prepare mansions for His faithful ones, proving Jesus still loved His people. It reveals God's plan for future ages and stirs longing to stand with the redeemed in the presence of God.

The same crown-casting image is also used for the angels casting their crowns from their heads in sorrow and grief when news of humanity's fall reached heaven.

Time and People Involved

The casting of crowns will take place in the glad day when the gates of the city of God swing back and the nations that have kept the truth enter in. As they enter they are welcomed and blessed by Christ, hear His welcome into the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world and into the joy of their Lord, and see Jesus in His glory and majesty. Jesus Himself places upon each head a crown of glory bearing the saint's own name, golden crowns given as reward, and then every crown is taken off and laid down at His feet in worship. He raises the worshipers, and they touch the golden harps placed in their hands and fill all heaven with rich music and songs to the Lamb, crying Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, again and again giving Him glory while angels unite in the triumph. There with gladness unspeakable they will recognize among the ransomed those they were instrumental in saving.

That entrance follows the raising of the dead and the change of the living from mortality to immortality and their catching up to meet the Lord. The saved are then welcomed in, sit with Christ on His throne as He sits on His Father's throne, and pour forth praise and glory to honor the Redeemer. It takes place after the wicked are destroyed and consumed, the earth is purified and the curse is gone, and the great controversy is ended. Then the saints inherit the beautiful new earth as their eternal inheritance and possess the kingdom forever, dwelling in the promised home where Eden is restored.

It follows hearing from Christ's own lips, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, with His benediction inviting them to inherit the kingdom and enter the joy of the Lord into sweet heaven of rest. The overcomers who fought life's battles and gained victory day by day will be among that number, striving with all God-given power to form character after the divine similitude and gain the crown of everlasting life. Moved by seeing His matchless charms and loving Him, they give back to Jesus what He bought with His own blood, sharing in a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory with songs of rejoicing through endless ages. In that life they shall see God's face and touch the golden harps to fill all heaven with sweetest music.

Those who cast their crowns include Adam and his redeemed family restored through the atonement, bowing before Him in restored Eden to honor the Lamb who was slain and lives again. They are overcomers who pressed through opposition, who will receive an immortal inheritance in the heavenly city with blessed company free from pain, disease and harmful indulgence, and who will greet the friends whose timely words helped them when the scale turned in their need. They are those who cooperated with Christ, shared in His work, served Him and counted it a privilege to suffer for His sake, and they join the angels in giving their crowns to the Redeemer and praising Him that sitteth on the throne forever. They are the true ministers of God and of Christ who stand for Him from age to age, taking their place with angels and elders in thanksgiving for His goodness and laying down their honors before God on His throne to honor Him who lives forever and ever. They are the triumphant company come up through great tribulation with robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb, the faithful who remain forever in Jesus' presence, see the King in His beauty around His throne, and with the heavenly host bow in adoration because He won their crowns by His own blood.

Meaning of Casting Crowns

Each crown is placed by Jesus Himself upon the head of each saint, bearing the saint's own name, as a crown of glory and immortal glory and immortal life given as reward for obedience to His law. Laying it down before Him acknowledges that all honor and glory and triumph and reward belong to Him. The crowns and victory palms are the honor received, yet they are given back in songs of praise to the Redeemer.

The crown belongs to Him and is returned to Him because He gave the victory, wrought out the plan of salvation, and purchased redemption and the crown itself. He purchased it with His own blood, overcame in behalf of the redeemed, won it for them, and died for each one. What is laid at His feet is therefore what He bought, given by those who gained victory day by day after fighting life's battles.

Casting crowns is worship expressing gratitude to the eternal One on the throne and to the Redeemer for dying for each person. It is the complete dedication of body and soul and spirit to His service in return for His entire sacrifice of body and soul and spirit to gain eternal life, with the full understanding then that every privilege and benefit and blessing enjoyed in this world came through His sacrifice. In that dedication the redeemed acknowledge Him Lord of all and crown Him Lord of all, shouting Glory to God in the highest.

He welcomes them into His presence and gives them their crowns as the One appointed Judge because He lived a pure human life. Having stood the test of the fiercest temptations, tempted in all points as they are yet without sin, He overcame in their behalf so that they might overcome. He is thus their Pattern by whom everyone may overcome and have entrance with right to the tree of life into the kingdom prepared for them.

The act fulfills His laying aside His kingly honors to come to this world to suffer and die, for He looks upon the purchase of His blood, sees the travail of His soul, and is satisfied. He leads His redeemed children, the purchase of His blood, His church without spot or wrinkle, and acknowledges the faithful as His own, as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Himself. Angels join that adoration, bowing and casting their glittering crowns before Him while all heaven rings with songs of praise.

Everyone who receives a crown will cast it at the feet of the Redeemer while beholding the King in His beauty and the loveliness of the Saviour. God has bought every person with a price and desires to put upon each head a crown which is everlasting life in His kingdom where they shall go no more out forever. That crown is a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Praise and Heavenly Fellowship

As they cast their crowns the redeemed prostrate themselves before the throne, take the golden harps placed in their hands, and fill all heaven with rich music, melody and songs to the Lamb and to Him that sitteth on the throne. They cry Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain and lives again, the triumphant Conqueror who was slain for transgression, and their praise for redeeming love resounds through the heavenly courts. This takes place in the glad day when the gates of the city of God swing back on glittering hinges and the nations that have kept the truth enter in to hear Christ welcome them into the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world and into the joy of their Lord. Jesus Himself first puts a crown of glory on their heads and pronounces His blessing upon them as they enter, invites them to inherit the kingdom, and then they lay down the crowns He gave them at His feet in worship because He overcame in their behalf and secured their salvation. The righteous thus receive their reward and live in fellowship with Jehovah, joining heaven's praise, and souls rescued from the bondage of Satan through missionary work and prayer, if saved, will be met in the kingdom of glory as those washed in His blood and saved with everlasting salvation.

The praise then taken up continues without break what was learned on earth, for voices educated on earth to praise Him join the heavenly choir. Praising God here in conversation, music and songs and acknowledging His goodness and mercy is His due and fits people to join that worship, and the education begun here to live with God through the eternal ages is perfected there as only entering a higher grade, sung with an immortal tongue. The redeemed know just where to begin the immortal song as the angel leads the heavenly choir, with the angelic choir in two columns and the whole redeemed host joining in perfect harmony without an inharmonious note. The casting of crowns is worship that magnifies His name, rejoices in His love, praises His mightiness, and lets the voice echo and re-echo through the courts of heaven with the song of Moses and the Lamb. The crown belongs to Him because He gave the victory, wrought out the plan of salvation, and purchased redemption, and He gives a crown of glory as the reward for obedience to His law to those who keep His law and can be trusted with it. Those who thus worship after the resurrection and entrance into the City of God and after the warfare is accomplished include souls won by prayer and personal labor, dying believers who hung their helpless souls upon Jesus, and poor drunkards who fixed their eyes on Christ to gain victory.

Their joy includes recognizing among the ransomed those they were instrumental in saving, with gladness unspeakable filling their hearts. They greet the holy family of the redeemed and greet and embrace the friends whose timely words helped them when the scale turned in their need, giving Christ the credit and hearing, Your words saved me. At the final day those who have helped bring others to salvation will see the people reached through their work among the redeemed, and those saved people will lay their crowns at Jesus' feet to praise Him forever. Overcomers will receive an immortal inheritance in the heavenly city with blessed company, freedom from pain, disease and harmful indulgences, and crowns placed on their heads. Saving even one soul brings that soul to Christ and into this worship and victory, so the work of winning souls is urgent in order to win heaven and shun hell.

At the final day around the great white throne the laying down of crowns will reveal what faithful labor gained. Those who gave heed to the words of Christ and laid up treasures in heaven will gather round the great white throne when the earth shall perish and lay their crowns at Jesus' feet and praise Him through the ceaseless ages of eternity. Faithful workers for Christ will then behold souls saved through their agency, and others saved through those souls in turn, a large company brought into the haven of rest as the result of faithful labors and sharing the glory of the Redeemer, with great joy to the worker and preciousness to all who were faithful in saving souls.

The crowns point also to mothers' faithful instruction and prayers blessed by God's grace at the Judgment before the assembled universe. Crowned victors acknowledge that their honor belongs before God, display their crowns before the assembled universe, receive crowns of immortal glory and honor God, and recognize the godly influence of their mothers, whose instruction and prayers, through God's grace, helped lead them to eternal salvation, while acknowledging that their salvation came through God's grace. The saints at one point take off their crowns and lay them aside while continuing to praise God during their work with the earth in the new earth, and the crowns are not worn during that work.

Preparation in Present Life

True reverence must be impressed now, for in the heavenly courts above all is purity and perfection and every being has perfect reverence for God and His holiness. Without that reverence there is a growing tendency to place the sacred and eternal on a level with common things, and with uncultivated ideas none can ever appreciate a pure and holy heaven nor be prepared to join with those worshipers. The temple of God is opened in heaven and its threshold is flushed with glory for every church that will love God and keep His commandments, and by study, meditation, and prayer believers gain spiritual eyesight to discern the inner courts of the celestial temple and catch the themes of the song and thanksgiving of the heavenly choir round about the throne. As believers apply the golden eyesalve they see the glories beyond, faith cuts through the hellish shadow of Satan, and they see their Advocate offering up the incense of His own merits in their behalf, which fills them with a sense of the immensity and diversity of the love of God and quickens insensible hearts with light. When Zion arises and shines her light is most penetrating and precious songs of praise and thanksgiving replace murmurings, complainings, and lamentations.

Believers on earth come near to the worshipers above gathered around the throne of God in worship and praise when they assemble together as active workers and join in meetings for prayer and praise. Those who absent themselves from religious services and neglect them fail to come near to that heavenly worship and therefore reflect the light and glory of God only feebly. Being there calls for holding oneself sacred, placing mind and plans on God's side, welcoming Jesus Christ, having the love of God in the heart, and keeping the mind pure, clean, and holy that God may impress it. It is the future life believers are to educate and train their souls for, when they will cast their glittering crowns at Jesus' feet and touch the golden harp and sing songs to the Lamb of God. By looking to Jesus and trusting in Him, those who give themselves wholly to Christ will have their countenances reflect His image, purified, sanctified and ennobled by His grace, and as His jewels they will reflect not their own glory but the glory of the Sun of Righteousness, shining because they are shone upon, and will cast their crowns at their Redeemer's feet, ascribing to Him glory, honor, majesty and power.

Keeping all God's commandments prepares believers to take part in that casting of glittering crowns at God's feet in worship after coming to God with contrition for forgiveness and entering the city of God. The crown of everlasting life is gained by striving with all the power God gives, made possible because Christ gave His life so they could form characters after the divine similitude and enter through the gates into the holy city. The crown is then cast at the feet of the Redeemer in worship, while touching the golden harp to fill all heaven with rich music, and this reward includes hearing the benediction inviting good and faithful servants into the joy of the Lord and seeing God's face in eternal life. Those who cast their crowns are overcomers at last laying their crowns at the feet of Jesus in the city of God after pressing through all opposition, giving all the glory to God. They are those who have a daily, living experience in the benefits of obedience to God, live by faith, partake of the divine nature, escape the corruptions that are in the world through lust, and are overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

Doing all that is possible for God now leads to that final worship, given to Jesus because He owns them by creation and by redemption and gave His life for them. Holding fast under affliction with praise, joy, trust, confidence and consolation, content to live or to sleep in Jesus, knowing all things shall work together for good to them that love God, ends in laying the crown before Him in perfect trust. That living connection with God and Jesus Christ, known by those who know that Christ has died for them, is shown to the world now by casting their lives at the feet of Jesus and by doing their work to rescue souls in danger of losing eternal life that runs parallel with the life of Jehovah. Their heavenly worship follows lives of self-denial, sacrifice, and service to others, after receiving crowns in the heavenly kingdom to cast them at Christ's feet and bow in adoration, giving Him the honor and glory, and joining in songs to the Lamb. Fitting the soul now by learning habits of reform and self-denial and self-sacrifice prepares a person to take that position beside Jesus Christ in the future life that measures with the life of God, when Christ will place on their heads the crown of immortal life and place in their hands a harp of gold, and then they will cast their glittering crowns at His feet in worship and strike their harps to sing Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was dead but lives again, a triumphant Conqueror.

They will present themselves with the children given them who were educated and trained to do church work and to speak affectionately and kindly and tenderly to one another. God desires believers not merely to save their own souls but to bring others to Him, for when the redeemed are gathered home those brought to God by faithful workers will be among those who cast their glittering crowns at the feet of the Redeemer and fill all heaven with rich music. They will declare the worthiness of the Lamb that was slain and sits upon the throne, and then will turn to those whose influence through Christ led them to accept truth of heavenly origin and brought them into right relation to God. Saving even one soul brings that soul to Christ and into this worship and victory, when redeemed people come into the city of God with crowns upon their heads, recognize those who labored to win them to Christ, lay their crowns at the feet of Jesus in worship, then touch golden harps and fill all heaven with rich music and songs to the Lamb, so the work of winning souls is urgent in order to win heaven and shun hell. Seeing those crowned ones in eternity clothed in white raiment casting their glittering crowns at the feet of Jesus and praising God and the Lamb forever and ever with immortal tongues, proclaiming the worthiness of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, repays every earthly sacrifice made to save them, for those crowned ones are souls purchased by the blood of Christ.

The redeemed bow in adoration at the feet of Jesus and cast their glittering crowns at His feet because He won the crowns for them by His own blood, with the heavenly angels and the redeemed host who came up through great tribulation and washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, on the earth made new, where loved ones together cry Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and lives again. It is the honor Christ gives the faithful when He acknowledges them as His and as heirs of God and joint heirs with Himself, and it is set before the undecided as the reason to choose heaven with self-denial and the cross over earthly pleasures.