Don: 1 Corinthians 15 told us we shall all be changed: From mortal to immortal, from perishable to imperishable, and from corruptible to incorruptible. But Revelation 2:17 adds one more change:
‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
The completion of this final transformation marks the point at which the person is fully restored to oneness with god. Throughout the whole process of the reversal of the Fall and the restoration of the New Earth, the only thing that does not change is the name of god. But our names will change.
In ancient times, names had such great meaning in some cultures that children were not named until enough time had passed to reveal the set of one’s personality, character, and identity. This was particularly true among many native American cultures, where it could take between a year and two years, but the result was a name that could be quite revealing about the person.
In the West we tend to choose names based more on relatively trivial factors such as their sound or popularity, or on whether the name is an acronym for something, or on family sentiment/tradition (naming after the father or grandfather, or a favorite uncle), or after someone we admire, and so on. But whatever the motive behind a name, changing it is one of the most significant things that can happen to an individual. The names and lives of adopted children change drastically when they are adopted. In war-torn Syria, people are changing their names to avoid being associated with a religious group that could be a death warrant.
In some cultures, wives change their family names upon marriage. Originally, this was intended to signify the husband’s “ownership” of the wife. Today, that tradition is increasingly ignored.
Some names wax and wane cyclically. One website maintains a list of obsolescent names, including Alfa, Barbra, Claudine, Nadine, Sondra, Thesbe, Selma among the girls, and Elmos, Inge, Llewellyn, Waldo, and my own name—Donald—among the boys.
In scripture, more than 40 names are changed by god as a result of a change of goal, mission, personality, or faith. Abram became Abraham; Sarai became Sarah; Jacob became Israel, Daniel became Beltheshazzar, and his companions became Shadrach, Meshack and Abedneggo. Saul became (the apostle) Paul. Simon or Simeon (meaning a flat nose) became Peter (the rock).
A name is an identifier. It may help identify one’s origin, one’s religion, family, and even one’s occupation (my name, Weaver, means my ancestors were weavers by trade). This is the reason why, in the trouble spots of the Middle East, having a name identified with the Shia or the Sunni sects of Islam can be a life-threatening liability.
But back to the changing of name as the last of three acts (the other two being the gift of “hidden manna” and the gift of a white stone) culminating in the final reversal of the Fall prophesied in Revelation 2:17. The first thing to note is that whatever is happening here is doing so at the insistence of god. It is not, as is sometimes interpreted, a reward. I say this because manna was the food given to the Israelites on their exodus journey in the desert. The road from Egypt to Canaan—from bondage to the Promised Land—is a metaphor for the road back to the New Earth following the Fall. It is a distinctive metaphor for ubiquitous grace. Exodus 16:16-21:
This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.
At the end of the day, the manna you need—the grace you need—is the manna/grace you get. If you hoard it, manna/grace becomes toxic—except for one place: The Ark of the Covenant, which contains the tablet on which are inscribed the Ten Commandments, The Rod of Aaron that had budded, and a container of manna that remained eternally fresh and unspoilt. I believe that the “hidden” manna referred to in Revelation is the manna “hidden” in the Ark.
This is a powerful promise to those of us who are in need of god’s grace. The promise, however, is only “to him who overcomes.” The word “overcomes” carries a sense of striving hard to do something that then becomes meritorious. It sounds as though it may be referring to the process of working toward a reconciliation with god. But Revelation 12:11 puts a quite different spin on it:
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
So the key to overcoming is not a set of progressive steps toward reconciliation with god; it is, simply, “the blood of the Lamb”—the graceful sacrifice of god on our behalf.
There are many theories about the white stone. One is based on an ancient judicial practice of giving a white stone in court to a person judged to be not guilty and a black stone to a person found guilty. Another is based on the use of a white stone as a sort-of gold medal for the winner of a sporting event. These are rich concepts but they are based on self-centered notions of innocence and performance, whereas the truth lies in the graciousness of god as indicated by the manna.
Revelation 3:12 shows that on the stone appears to be a new name:
‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
In addition to the new name is a new address: New Jerusalem—the name of “the city of My God”. To me, it means that those who accept the graciousness of god receive a new name and new address—a new identity card, a new passport—as a gift from god.
Why do we need a new name? What is the purpose? Where is the value in it?
Charles: Between the Fall from the Garden and the coming of Jesus, humans are the antithesis of god—earthbound, timebound, corrupt, sensuous, and greedy flesh; separated from god. They are the embodiment of sin, and they are impotent and in a sense victims with respect to nature. God is spirit, immutable, timeless, changeless—the antithesis of flesh. The unchanging name of god is revealed in scripture, whereas the names of Man are chosen by Man until changed by the grace of god.
The Ark of the Covenant could be represented metaphorically by the physical body and blood of Jesus, through which the hidden manna is revealed and made available. Our new name is a gift, a revelation; it is not something we choose. It is revealed through Christ and his teachings, which help make us ready to receive it. Jesus’ name was not chosen by Mary and Joseph—it was given by god.
Jay: It is significant that Jesus was named not by humans but by god. It suggests a kind of possession—not in a master/slave sense but in a sense of unique belonging; the same sense suggested by the statement that the new name to be written on the white stone at the restoration is known only to god and the individual spirit.
It is also interesting that the new naming takes place after “overcoming”: It may be related that the “overcoming” is the vanquishing of one’s own will and ego and its replacement with god’s will. This too imparts a sense of possession, of belonging.
David: It sounds as though we are talking about the true, final, death of the flesh; and with it, the death of our sense of self. There remains only spirit. So the word “reborn” is perhaps a bit misleading. We tend to think of our selves—our flesh-and-body selves—as the entity to be reborn, but it is not that. It is our self-less spirit, which died at the Fall, that is to be reborn. Our physical death is not just figuratively but literally a coup de grace administered by god. This seems to me intensely significant.
Charles: Just as in (re)naming us god establishes our new identity and his “possession” of us in that new identity, so too the capture of our mortal identity in our human names also suggests our “possession” by mortal name-givers.
The significance of the white stone may be related to the state of unstained, unsullied cleanliness—perfection—we will be in upon resurrection. A diamond’s luster can exist only in the presence of light.
Don: Indeed. In the New Earth there is no night, only the perpetual light of god. [P.S.: C.f. the requiem mass: Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine — David.] Remember, too, that one of the names Jesus claimed was “Light of the world”.
Kiran: In Hebrew, the name Jesus means: “The Lord is your salvation.” We are often told we need to work for our salvation and I try to do so. Yet the “overcoming” by “the blood of the Lamb” suggests we don’t need to try. It is confusing.
Don: Yes, Jesus’ name is definitely associated with salvation. Matthew 1:21 tells us that the angel told Joseph: “”She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Ada: With renaming comes renewal. Peter and all the other people renamed in scripture were renewed and lived a better life.
Don: Yes, renaming in scripture always accompanied a new and better mission, as for example the Saul who persecuted Christians became the Paul who spread the word of Christ.
Chris: To the parent of an adopted child there is no difference between that child and an own child, and all the faults and flaws in the adopted child are “overcome” by the love of the parent the moment the child is adopted and given its new family name. I believe that something similar will happen when god takes us back as his children. He will not assess our shortcomings clinically, coldly; rather, he will see past our blemishes and with supreme and unconditional love—through grace—he will expunge our sins and imperfections and give us a fresh start in an eternal life filled with happiness and joy, as the parents of adopted children try to do for them.
Alice: God gives us 24/7 care—intensely personal and special love, which each of us experiences uniquely. That we and god alone will share the knowledge of our individual names is an indication of the strength of that individual bond of love between each of us and god. What we need to overcome is our selves.
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