Revelation 2:17 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.
Those who overcome the pulls of culture towards sin and remains true to Christ will receive two rewards. One is the “hidden manna.” This is a difficult concept to understand. Manna was the special food that God gave the people of Israel when they left Egypt and wandered in the desert for 40 years. This food sustained them when they could not farm or gather food. The food stopped when they crossed the Jordan river and could raise their own food off the land. The image in my mind is that God gives us what we need to sustain ourselves as we go through the desert of this world. This world can be a dry place for spiritual growth and nurturing. We may feel like exiles or isolated from other believers. The temptations and pull of the culture may be severe. But in the midst of this, God will give us what we need to survive and even thrive.
The second gift for those who overcome is a white stone with a new name on it. White symbolizes purity in Revelation. This is a new type of epitaph, not like the one put over our grave when we die. It is does not describe our old life in this world but our new life in eternity. I wonder what my name will be. God sees something in me that I cannot see in myself. What would I be like if I were the first human being, without sin or death? What is God recreating in me now that will be complete some day?
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