In a sermon, late in September, I used a sermon illustration regarding a white rock referenced in John’s Apocalypse (aka Revelation). I was asked about the reference and so I thought I’d post the response here for others to recall also.
The passage I referred in to Revelation is Rev 2:17. It reads:
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
In the sermon we had been reviewing the amazing claim we make as Christians that God would care for each of us individually and that Jesus claimed to be our “shepherd” or our Pastor. That he said he would call to us by our name. In the Revelation passage, John (the author) tells us that Jesus will give us a white stone with a new name on it. I found this remarkable.
If I understand the context correctly, the white stone could be a reference to the white stone that were awarded to athletes in ancient Roman times as a entrance ticket to a special awards banquet. There are other possible explanations for it’s symbolism, but this is a strong contender. For a short discussion of various options there is a short discussion at the end of this blog entry: http://www.worksofmacdonald.com/consuming-fire-daily-devotional/2016/2/8/the-new-name but my vote is the athlete’s reward as it fits the context of the verse.
Here is the link to the entire sermon on our website:
Here is the clip of the few minutes where I discuss the white rock:
Pastor Chris Hooper 