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E that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Rev 2:17)
There is one thing the elect believer has that the lost do not – a name written down in Eternity! A name is very important. It identifies exactly who we are. Perhaps you are a chosen vessel of God, but may have dragged your name through the mud and mire of this world prior to responding to that Life-Giving call in Christ. Your name may have a sordid reputation in your former life of being lost. What a sorrow to have all those sins, along with your former name, nailed on the post of your mansion in Heaven! It should be a great relief to know that you will not be identified by that name in Heaven. Why not? Because many sins could be identified with that old name – in fact, every one of the elect of God has a name marred with sin, but have a NEW NAME written down in the Book of Life.
You will recall that Jacob was given a new name to distinguish his descendants of believers from all others – ISRAEL! (see Genesis 32:28) The apostle, Simon Barjona, too, was given a new name – PETER – by the Lord Jesus Christ: 17 Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:17-18) Saul, too, underwent a name change from the Jewish, Saul, to the roman, Paul, since he would be the apostle to the Gentiles. These were special cases on name changes in this mortal life; however, every believer will be given a new name beyond the Gates of Splendor.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. A great many readers simply pass over this beautiful promise without considering its depth of meaning and joy to the elect. Why is the White Stone mentioned? One possible meaning is, in the ecclesiastical courts of the Hebrews, there were typically three judges. Each had a white stone and a black stone. At time of verdict, a basket was passed between the three into which they placed either a black (guilty) or white (innocent) stone. If a single white stone was placed in the basket, the verdict would be innocent. Though we are all guilty of a multitude of sins, we are adjudged innocent by the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the sin-debt for us.
Another more compelling argument is: The best theory regarding the meaning of the white stone probably has to do with the ancient Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors of athletic games. The winner of a contest was awarded a white stone with his name inscribed on it. This served as his ticket to a special awards banquet. According to this view, Jesus promises the overcomers entrance to the eternal victory celebration in heaven. The new name most likely refers to the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming believers to the holiness of Christ (see Romans 8:29; Colossians 3:10). (Why is God going to give us a white stone with a new name? | GotQuestions.org)
Why the new name? My name has gathered much ill-repute owing to my manifold sins both before and after conversion; however, with my new name in Heaven, no one can recall those many sins associated with that old name. God has promised to no longer remember our sins, but man does not forget. My New Name will have no sins at all associated therewith.
Are we not amazed at the provision of Christ to erase even the hint of sin from our persons as new ‘Creations in Christ?’
