My question concerns crowns and the meaning of the term. I know the Bible mentions a crown of rejoicing, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life, etc., but are these literal crowns to be eventually awarded the believer, or are they metaphors for something else? The old hymn says “Crown Him with many crowns” so maybe Christ is the only one worthy to be crowned? Thank you and God bless your ministry.
The New testament lists 5 crowns that will be awarded to qualifying believers at the Bema Seat Judgment just after the rapture. There’s no reason to think of them as being symbolic. You can read all about them in my study entitled “How To Win Your Crowns” by clicking here.
The hymn you quoted refers to Rev. 19:12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. The Greek word for crowns in this passage is diadema and designates royalty. It symbolizes that as King of the whole Earth (Zech. 14:9) the Lord is entitled to many crowns. The Greek word used for the crowns we receive is stephanos and refers to a victory award, like the gold medal given to Olympic athletes.