I know some things about Revelation, and one is that I like Sam Storms, because he knows alot about Revelation.
So does Greg Beale whom he mentions.
I mean, Greg Beale says the new name is, "the intimate eschatological presence of God and Christ with his people”.
Then, Sam Storms says what Paul and Peter have on it:
"Paul said it best when he declared that “
your life is hidden with Christ in God” (
Colossians 3:3b).
"Peter echoed much the same thing in saying that we have
“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” for us (
1 Peter 1:4)."
Here is some of what they say;
from:
20) A New Name Written Down in Glory (Revelation 2:17)
...
"White stones were often used as
tokens of membership or tickets for admission to public festivals.
"If this is the background for the text, the white stone
may be a symbol for the believer’s admission to the messianic feast of Revelation 19.
"It is “white” in order to portray the righteousness of those who are granted entrance.
"As we read in
Revelation 19:8, it was granted to the Bride, i.e., the Church,
“to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
If you have to know what I believe, it is that "the church" refers to "churches", just like the 7 in Revelation, where Jesus is in the Mist of them and He considers them Candlesticks, and has the pastors of them in His right hand. Jesus' churches are the only kind of church Jesus knows anything about. = His Bride.
Little wonder, then, that John goes on to write, “
And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’” (
Revelation 19:9a).
Blessed indeed!
I must confess that I’m even more intrigued by the “
new name” written on the stone “
that no one knows except the one who receives it” (
Rev. 2:17). This is clearly an allusion to the prophecy
in
Isaiah 62:2 (
“The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give”)
and 65:15 (
“but his [God’s] servants he will call by another name”).
"In both cases these concern Israel’s future kingly status and restoration to Yahweh, but are here applied to individuals within the
Church, she who is the true Israel of God.
"Another question is whether this new name given to the overcomer is Christ’s or the individual’s.
Greg Beale believes that the “name” in
Revelation 2:17 is a reference to the “name of my God, the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my [Christ’s] new name” in
Revelation 3:12.
"These are not separate names, notes Beale, but “all refer to
the intimate eschatological presence of God and Christ with his people” (253), as expressed most clearly by
Revelation 22:3-4.
"That’s certainly a possibility, but I’m inclined to think the “new name” in v. 17 is one given uniquely to each individual believer and that it “symbolizes the individual’s entry into a new life, status or personality. . . .
"The thought may then be compared with that of
2 Cor. 5.17” (Hemer, 103-04). In other words, because those who are in Christ are now “new creations” it is only fitting that they should each receive a “new name” suitable to their position in and relationship with Jesus.
"In this regard we must also remember that the “manna” given to us is described as “hidden” (
Rev. 2:17a).
"Some believe this is simply a reference to its having been “hidden” in a jar in the Ark of the Covenant, but I think something more is involved.
"If Jesus is himself the manna, perhaps the point is that all that awaits us in him is “hidden” in the sense that it is reserved and kept safe and guarded against all possibility of loss so that we might revel in its certainty and the assurance that what God has promised, he will indeed provide.
"To sum up, there is an
identity you have in God, reflected in your new name, that transcends whatever shame or regret or disappointment is wrapped up in who you are now.
"There is a very private and personal
place of intimacy with him that brings hope and freedom and joy that none can touch or taint or steal away.
"Paul said it best when he declared that “
your life is hidden with Christ in God” (
Colossians 3:3b).
"Peter echoed much the same thing in saying that we have
“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” for us (
1 Peter 1:4)."
