A White Stone with a New Name

 Jesus’ message to the seven churches in the beginning of the book of Revelation contains tremendous insights into what we will experience in Heaven! You can read all of the promises for yourself in Revelation 2-3.

It is important to note: seven is the number of perfection and completion in the Bible. Examples are the seven days of Creation, the seven Old Testament feasts, it took Solomon seven years to build the Temple, seven pillars of wisdom in Proverbs, etc. He chose seven churches in Asia Minor, however, these were not the only churches in the world at that time. His choosing of seven implies that He is addressing His whole Church through the seven. To each church He gives them a word of encouragement, promises for overcomers, that apply to all of the Bride of Christ.

Who are the overcomers?  ESV 1 John 5:1-5 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Verse 13- “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” Verse 18-21 “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but He who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” The last sentence there is key. An idol is anything that we worship that is not the One True God. Every human being was created to worship God. But when they refuse to worship God, they will worship something else. Look no further than sports fanatics or die-hard celebrity fans. The world around us is the evidence for this. Money is a common idol, as is the endless pursuit of “following your heart” and the “in love” feeling.

What are the things that must be overcome? Idols, for sure, as the above verse states. Also, while it is extremely beneficial to get excited about Heaven and be encouraged by the promises, we must not neglect the work that is still to be done here. Pay careful attention to the rebukes and solutions in my blog post “The Seven Churches”, and in prayer ask where you fall and what you can improve.

Think about this verse. 2 Corinthians 2:9-13– “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

When we think about Heaven, we think with our human minds inside our fallen state. I’ve heard many liken Heaven to a vacation that never ends, and I have been guilty of that myself. We think in the physical, trying to ascertain states of matter, what the itinerary will look like, or what gifts we will receive. But that view is severely flawed. Upon closer examination of the promises for overcomers, the Lord helped me understand that Heaven will be a fulfillment of our original creation, and that we need to think in the spiritual.

Please read: Psalms 37:4, Proverbs 10:24, Proverbs 13:12. God created us with strong desires that will ultimately and completely be fulfilled and satisfied when we are with Him in Heaven! Read the Genesis verses first to see how we were created with these desires, and then the others to understand further.

1) The desire for immortality. Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:3, Genesis 3:22-24, Revelation 22:1-2 Every human has dreaded death at one point or another. But we, having been adopted by Almighty God, have the unparalleled and priceless promise of eternal life!

God chose the tree of life to be the vehicle of which a mortal obtains immortality.

The promises that speak to this desire are: access to the tree of life, not being hurt by the second death (spiritual death in Hell), and our name never blotted out of the Book of Life.

Also read Romans 7:24, 1 Corinthians 15:53-56, and 2 Corinthians 5:1-4. The dread (sting) of death is sin. We all dread death because our sinful nature dreads judgement. But after salvation, then we are redeemed, and then we have a blessed hope, and groan and ache to put on immortality!

2) The desire to achieve and have our work recognized and rewarded. Genesis 2:15, Genesis 2:1-20 It is fascinating that God gave Adam jobs to do even before He gifted Adam with Eve!

The promises that fulfill this desire are: authority over the nations, crown of life, and Jesus confessing our name before God and the angels.

Read Matthew 25:21, Revelation 20:1-6, and 1 Corinthians 6:3. “Authority over nations” and “I will set you over much” refer to the Millennial Reign (when Christ sets up His Kingdom on Earth). Those who go up in the Rapture are called translation saints. At the end of the tribulation, those who are saved during the tribulation and a remnant of Israel will be called tribulation saints. After the tribulation, Christ will return to this Earth to set up His Kingdom, and the translation saints will be given “jobs” and authority over the tribulation saints, and possibly, the angels (1 Cor 6:3).

Of course, the crowns and recognition speak for themselves!

3)  The desire to have unlimited access to God. Genesis 2:22, Genesis 3:8 God brought Eve to Adam (much like a proud Father giving His daughter away) and God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. They had easy access to the God of the Universe on a very personal level.

The promises that fulfill this are: hidden manna (Jesus- John 6:33), the morning star (Jesus- Revelation 22:16), will dine with Christ, will sit with Christ on His throne.

1 Peter 2:24-25- It will be so different for us than it was for Adam and Eve. We will have direct access to our Savior, the One who DIED for us! Hosea 2:19-20 shows the depth and beauty of the relationship.

4) The desire to be clean. Genesis 2:25, Genesis 3:7 The shame and guilt is something we can sympathize with all too well. Anyone, even unbelievers, will admit, everyone makes mistakes. But, wow, it goes so deep. The problem is the sinful nature of our hearts. Psalms 51, the whole chapter, and especially verse 10, expresses this perfectly.

The promises that will fulfill this are: we will be given a white stone with a new name on it and we will be clothed in white garments.

The white garments represent purity, as does a bride’s white wedding dress.

The white stone (signifying a clean slate or pardon) is by far my favorite. This is because there are a multitude of verses that indicate that God Himself named us when He created us inside our mother’s womb, and that when He will call us that name, we will recognize it! I LOVE this! Read Isaiah 49:1, Jeremiah 1:5, and John 10:3-4.

5) The desire to belong to someone. Genesis 2:18 We were not created to be alone. We were created to need someone who could relate to us, to desire someone to share our live with.

But, anyone who has ever taken part in an earthly relationship of any kind can testify, it is always a disappointment to this imbedded desire! No relationship here is quite what we long for deep inside.

The promise that fulfills this is: we will be inscribed with the names of God and Christ. Almost like a tag, or ID badge, it will be completely obvious to Whom we belong and it will be an essential part of our very being.

Romans 8:23. We groan to be adopted, to truly belong!

6) The desire for a permanent home. Genesis 2:3. Songs are written about home. We will become a slave to a mortgage to obtain one. And, our childhood house always holds a special place in our hearts. Most people (especially as children) are born hating change, and this is fully realized with a first big move!

The promise that fulfills this is: we will be inscribed with the name of the New Jerusalem and we will be made a pillar in the house of God.

We will be so permanent and essential to our new home, it will be as if we were a pillar in the house!

Read Hebrews 11:16 and Jeremiah 31:33.

AMEN! COME, LORD JESUS! REVELATION 22:20