The white stone, with a new name
As we have seen, some individual "pictures of redemption" are
themes that run through the whole of the Bible. Others, however, may be
mentioned only once or a very few times. Nevertheless, they are still beautiful
and useful in filling out our understanding of the "great salvation" (Heb
2:3).
*****
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I WILL
ALSO GIVE HIM A WHITE STONE with a new name written on it, known only to him who
receives it" (Rev 2:17).
In the first century, it was the custom that votes -- of all
kinds -- be cast with different colored stones, representing different choices,
dropped into a box or other receptacle.
Especially in a judicial context, a trial might be concluded
by judges, or jurors, dropping either a white or a black pebble into a box. The
white stone would stand for innocence and acquittal, while the black stone would
stand for guilt and condemnation.
{Possible footnote, or sidebar: It has been suggested that
this white stone is also an allusion to the Urim and Thummim of the Mosaic
tabernacle. These were small objects (precious stones of some kind?) hidden in
the pouch formed by the breastplate of the High Priest. The procedure when
asking counsel of the LORD was to come before the High Priest and, through him,
to ask God a question that might be answered Yes or No. After prayer, and
possibly sacrifice, the High Priest then drew the divine lot and gave God's
decision: one of the stones being a white stone, signifying "Yes" (or even
inscribed with the word "Yes"), and the other stone being a dark stone,
signifying "No" (or inscribed with the word "No").]
A similar custom has long been used, in more modern times, by
private clubs or secret societies when voting to determine whether to admit a
new member -- the white stone or ball representing acceptance, and the black one
rejection. In certain situations, even one negative vote will be enough to
exclude the applicant. From this has arisen the saying that one has been
"black-balled", or secretly rejected.
The Greek for "stone" here is "psephos", a little pebble. The
same word occurs only one other time in the New Testament, where Paul speaks of
the time when he worked to condemn and execute believers in Christ:
"On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the
saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote ['psephos', or
pebble] against them" (Acts 26:10).
There seems, then, to be two Bible references to this custom
of voting in a judicial setting: one reference to a "white stone" and one to a
"black"!
This picture of redemption is a solemn and austere one; it
emphasizes the absolute and final nature of the judgment rendered. There is an
"all-or-nothing" quality about this. The judgment seat is real, and it is no
laughing matter:
"Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole
duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden
thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecc 12:13,14).
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who
are in their graves will hear his voice and come out -- those who have done good
will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned" (John
5:28,29).
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad" (2Co 5:10).
At the same time, it is true that, if we are to be judged
solely on our merits, we shall all stand condemned, unequivocally and without
remedy:
"If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could
stand?" (Psa 130:3).
"Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is
righteous before you" (Psa 143:2).
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Rom
3:20).
And so a judgment seat, where we all will be judged on the
basis of our works, and receive a corresponding reward or punishment, can only
be part of the full picture.
The context of the final quotation above suggests the "added
ingredient", the piece that fills out the picture and offers hope where
otherwise there would be none:
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been
made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from
God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no
difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus"
(Rom 3:21-24).
Like an arrow aimed at the target, which -- even with the best
effort of the archer -- falls dismally short, so is man's best effort on his own
to achieve the glory of God's character. Nevertheless, man may be justified
"freely" -- as an absolute gift -- by the grace of God manifested in His Son.
God finds no reason, no basis, in the sinner for declaring him righteous. He
must find the cause in Himself. And so He does:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John
3:16).
The reason may now be seen for the phrase that follows and
modifies "the white stone" in Rev 2:17:
"I will also give him a white stone WITH A NEW NAME WRITTEN ON
IT!"
The "new name" must be the name of Christ -- the only name
given to men whereby we may be saved (Acts 4:12)!
This figure of speech is common in the book of Revelation.
Elsewhere we see the vision of the 144,000 redeemed ones standing on Mount Zion,
alongside the Lamb. And on their foreheads are inscribed the NAMES of the Lamb
and his Father.
The original Passover lamb was slain in Egypt, and its blood
used to mark the lintels and doorposts of the houses of the believing
Israelites. Succeeding generations of Israel would readily recognize such a mark
(resembling a doorway) as approximating the Hebrew letter "He", which almost by
itself spells the name of God: Yod He, or YAH. It is no great stretch of the
imagination, therefore, to see that every faithful house in Egypt had the name
of the Father marked over its doorway, written in the blood of the Lamb! And the
name of the Father, "Yah", is -- of course -- the name of the Lamb too:
"YAH-shua", or Jesus!
Now, in the Book of Revelation, there are marked out, not
houses, but individual men and women, each sealed, not upon the door, but in the
forehead (the "door" of the mind) with the "mark" of the Lamb. These are the
individuals who have opened their minds to the message of God, who have directed
their thoughts into the ways of His Laws. These are they who have been touched
by the blood of Christ, who have been baptized into his name and the name of his
Father. These are they who, wherever they are -- even in the grave itself --
will be protected in the Last Days from the "Angel of Death" and will be
delivered from the "Egypt" of slavery and sin and death.
And again in the same book, Jesus promises us: "I am coming
soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who
overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he
leave it. I will write on him the NAME of my God and the NAME of the city of my
God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I
will also write on him MY NEW NAME" (Rev 3:11,12).
The pebble of Rev 2:17 is not a simple "up-or-down",
"yes-or-no" vote on the basis of our works! It is a white pebble inscribed with
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is because his "name" and character
and righteousness have been given to each one of us -- and ONLY because of that!
-- that we can stand, forgiven and cleansed and innocent and approved, in the
day of judgment.
