Tuesday

Related Verses
Isa. 28:5
5 In that day Jehovah of hosts Will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory to the remnant of His people,

Isa. 43:7
7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created, formed, and even made for My glory.

Psa. 27:4
4 One thing I have asked from Jehovah; That do I seek: To dwell in the house of Jehovah All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in His temple.

Rom. 6:19, 22
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness unto lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness unto sanctification.
22 But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end, eternal life.

Eph. 3:21
21 To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.

Isa. 60:1, 7, 9, 13, 19
1 Arise! Shine! For your light has come, And the glory of Jehovah has risen upon you.
7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you; The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; They will go up acceptably upon My altar, And I will beautify the house of My beauty.
9 Surely the coastlands will look eagerly for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your children from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, Unto the name of Jehovah your God And unto the Holy One of Israel; for He has beautified you.
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you, The fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree together, To beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will make the place for My feet glorious.
19 You will no longer have the sun for your light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But Jehovah will be an eternal light to you, And your God your beauty.

Isa. 62:3
3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, And a royal turban in the palm of your God.

Related Reading
In Isaiah 28:5 Christ is revealed as a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty. We need to consider the difference between a crown and a diadem. We may think that these are the same, but these items are not in apposition in verse 5. There is a conjunction between them—a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty. This is Isaiah’s marvelous writing. A crown is like a hat or turban, whereas the diadem is the most beautiful, glorious part of the crown. It is the headband. Generally speaking, a crown signifies glory, but its beauty is in its diadem, which may be full of jewels and precious stones. The diadem is the beauty of the glorious crown. 

Christ will be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of Israel, God’s chosen people, in the age of restoration after all the dealings of God. He will be His chosen people’s glorification. Glory and beauty are two distinct things. Something may be very glorious but not that beautiful. Christ will be both glory and beauty to His elect people. (Life-study of Isaiah, pp. 300-301) 

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We need to remember that the age of grace is a miniature and a foretaste of the coming age of restoration. Today we enjoy a foretaste of Christ as our crown and diadem. Regretfully, many do not feel glorious to tell people that they are Christians. Some Christians may talk about other persons or things in a glorious way, but when they come to the subject of Christ, they may feel shameful. This is not right. When we talk about Christ and when we tell people that we are Christians, we should consider that Christ is our crown and diadem, our glory and beauty. 

I experienced Christ in this way about fifty years ago when Japan invaded China and I was imprisoned by the Japanese army. On the one hand, they shamed me, judged me, and tortured me. On the other hand, they respected and regarded me because I behaved as a Christian. Paul said in the book of Philippians, while he was imprisoned in Rome, that he had the earnest expectation and hope not to be put to shame but to magnify Christ (1:20). Paul magnified Christ to such an extent that even some in Caesar’s household became believers in Christ (4:22). In Paul’s experience, he had Christ as a crown with a diadem. We should feel glorious that we are Christians. When we are defeated, we feel ashamed, but when we repent and receive the dispensing Christ in a fresh way, we feel glorious. (Life-study of Isaiah, p. 301) 

The spots and wrinkles do not affect the function of the church. However, they very much detract from the beauty of the church. What a man looks for in a bride is not first ability; it is beauty. The church as Christ’s bride must also be beautiful…We may function properly and have an excellent daily living according to the spirit of the mind but still not be beautiful in the eyes of the Lord because of our spots and wrinkles. After saying so much about the church in Ephesians chapters 1 through 4, Paul goes on in chapter 5 to speak about the church as the bride. In this chapter he says nothing concerning the creation of the church, the growth of the church, or the daily living of the church. Instead, he speaks of the beauty of the church. When Christ presents the church to Himself, the church will not be a strong man; she will be a beautiful bride. Christ is the universal man. As this universal man, He needs the church to be His bride to match Him. In order to be the bride of Christ, the church must become beautiful and have all the spots and wrinkles removed. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 776-777) 

Further Reading: Life-study of Isaiah, msg. 43; CWWL, 1994–1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” ch. 8