The Crown of Glory

Peter says to church elders, “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Pet 5:4).

A reader left the following comment on the post Interpreting First Peter by John Formsma: 

Hi Mike! I would like to know how you interpret the crown of glory that Peter speaks of (1 Pet. 5:4), which I assume should refer to the same crown of righteousness of 2 Tim. 4:8. Do you see it as a unique reward for 1st century believers, or as a general reward for all Christians as they enter eternal glory?

The question probably arises because my prophetic model—inmillennialism—emphasizes that the Scriptures link Jesus’ coming and appearance to the temple’s fall in AD 70. It affirms a future (to us) bodily coming but says most New Testament passages relate to the Lord returning to judge apostate Israel in His generation.¹ 

This perspective affects our understanding of passages like 1 Peter 5:1–4. Most Christians link the Lord’s appearing in glory to the end of history or the end of the present (messianic or church) age. Therefore, they assume the Lord will give the crown of glory then. Their understanding of prophecies like this one emphasizes events in our future.

Inmillennialism comes from a straightforward study of two passages: the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21:5–38) and Paul’s resurrection chapter (1 Cor 15). Events like the abomination of desolation (Matt 24:15), the “great tribulation” (Matt 24:21), Christ’s parousia (Matt 24:27), the coming of the Son of Man (Matt 24:30), the (symbolic) collapse of the cosmos (Matt 24:29), and the sign of the Son of Man in heaven (Matt 24:30) occurred in Jesus’ generation (Matt 24:34). 

Through these events, God was performing a profound reformation in how He related to His people (Heb 9:10). The evangelization of the nations (Matt 24:31), the bodily resurrection (1 Cor 15:25–26), the final judgment (Matt 25:31–46), etc. would be consequences of that reformation. 

This orientation means that our first impulse for interpreting 1 Peter 5:1–4 should not be to speculate about an end-of-history glory (or “crown of glory”). Instead, we should ask whether the Old Testament prophets used similar terms to describe post-reformation (messianic-age) realities. 

They do. 

Glory in the Old Testament

The prophets spoke about the glory of the future (to them) messianic age in ways that shape our understanding of 1 Peter 5:1–4.

First, they spoke in general ways about God’s future judgment of Israel and the glory that would follow. Here are a few examples.

Judgment: “The Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion” (Isa 3:17).… Glory: “In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious” (Isa 4:2).… “Then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering” (Isa 4:2, 5).

Judgment: “Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they shall be against Judah” (Isa 9:20–21).… Glory: “In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isa 11:10).

Judgment: “A day of trouble and treading down and perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the Valley of Vision” (Isa 22:5).… “The damage to the city of David [would be] great” (Isa 22:9).… Glory: “I will call My servant.… The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne” (Isa 22:20, 22–23)

Judgment: “Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed.” Glory: “For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously” (Isa 24:23).

The prophets often described the glory of the messianic age in other ways. God would give His glory to Israel: “I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; and My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, and My glory for Israel” (Isa 46:13 NASB).

God would create a people for His glory: “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory” (Isa 43:7). And, “You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified” (Isa 49:3).

The dawning of the messianic age would be the daybreak of glory:

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isa 60:1–3)

Crowns of Glory in the Old Testament

Those glory-prophecies that mention crowns are particularly interesting for our study of 1 Peter 5:1–4. Consider how Isaiah compares apostate Israel’s “crown of pride” with the messianic-age “crown of glory”:

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower.… Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one … who will bring them down to the earth with His hand. The crown of pride … will be trampled underfoot.… In that day the LORD of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. (Isa 28:1–6)

God would be a crown of glory for His people, but the reverse would also be true:

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. (Isa 62:1–3)

The messianic age would be a time of mutual glory crowns between God and His people.

The Timing of Glory

Peter knew he was living during the glory-dawn. He said the glory of which the prophets spoke would spring from Christ’s death. “The Spirit of Christ … testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Pet 1:11). The glory would come immediately, not at the end of history.

Peter also said, “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet 4:7), not because he thought God was about to destroy the physical creation. He meant God was about to end the Mosaic age and establish the messianic-age glory. The judgment of the temple was in his near future (cf. 1 Pet 4:17; 2 Pet 2:3). The “last times” of the Mosaic age were upon him (1 Pet 1:20). 

J. Ramsey Michels makes a helpful observation. The wording of 1 Peter 5:1 “recalls the earlier reference in 1 Peter 1:5 to a ‘salvation about to be revealed at the last day.’”² Some Bible translations reinforce his point. Peter says, 

Therefore, as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of the Messiah and also a participant in the glory about to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you. (1 Pet 5:1 HCSB)

The “glory” and “crown of glory” of 1 Peter 5:1–4 related to what was about to happen in Peter’s day.

Conclusion

Peter’s “crown of glory” and Paul’s “crown of righteousness” (2 Tim 4:8) are equivalent (cf. Isa 62:1–3). Both refer to participation in the messianic age and its ultimate effects. The Lord is the crown of glory for His people, and they are His because He has made them righteous.

The elders to whom Peter wrote were partakers of the messianic-age glory about to be revealed. The Chief Shepherd would appear in their near future to judge Israel. They would then receive the messianic-age crown of glory the prophets had foretold.

1. Please consider becoming familiar with the inmillennial view of prophecy. You can read a summary version here or tackle the full book-length version here.
2. J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 49, eds. David Allen Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word, 1988), 282 (emphasis added).