Hidden Manna And A White Stone
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” (Revelation 2:17)
God promises hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name to those that are overcomers of this world and the devil, sharing in eternal victory with God with Jesus Christ at His right hand. To “cash in” on these promises one must crack open his Bible and start gleaning the many truths and promises contained in scripture. This holy treasure hunting cannot be done by shallow reading, barely scratching the surface, in depth and persistent study is necessary and commanded by God.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Pondering and musing over His Word, in correlation with a saving relationship with Him, is essential in finding this hidden cache of manna. God has buried His manna, golden treasures or nuggets of truth, for those who are willing to dig deeply to discover them. These treasures unlock a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ for those willing to grab the shovel and dig.
In biblical times manna was the divine food of the Israelites, specially provided by God for their preservation as they trudged towards the Promised Land. Hidden manna was later placed in a pot and preserved in the Ark of the Covenant along with the Ten Commandments. This ark disappeared from man’s possession and the ends of the earth, but later is mentioned in Revelation as being present in Heaven. In heaven, I persist in believing, all who are present with Him there will be given the deeper spiritual truth of this precious and divinely hidden manna whose understanding is reserved for His eternal Kingdom.
“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” (Revelation 11:19)
The white stone in biblical times was equated to having been declared NOT GUILTY. For example, in the Jewish Sanhedrin kangaroo court system a white stone was given by jurors when declaring NOT GUILTY to the one who was on trial. In contrast the black stone was given by these ancient jurors to declare one GUILTY as charged. Hence the term blackballed, you might hear one claim today when confirmed unanimously guilty. Because Jesus’s died on the cross at Calvary, we have been given, at no cost to us, the white ball, or declared NOT GUILTY, in God’s perfect court system.
A white stone is given to each of His sheep, as a gift of eternal life, for whosoever will believe and place his faith in Christ. This white stone contains a new name for each soul who has found the gift of salvation in Christ. Like Saul became known as Paul on the road to Damascus, each saved individual becomes known in The Good Shepherd’s flock as a new person in Christ. This new name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, for those who have faith, and this new name will be called forth one day to spend an eternity with Him.
For those individuals who have been “blackballed” or given the black stone by men on earth will reap eternal rewards in heaven according to God’s fair and just scale of eternal judgment. Even in the times when it seems wicked prevails on Earth and that one has been with prejudice accused, God’s justice will one day reward those who suffered unjustly for His glory while sojourning on Earth. The opposite side of this equation is that those who persist in wicked deeds will one day reap their rewards accordingly.
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)
“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”
( Psalms 69:28)
The contrasting consequence of not being written in the Lamb’s Book of Life is to be given the black ball, or condemned to a life in Hell. Either a person is headed for eternal life with Christ or heading towards the deep hot pit of Hell.
“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:15)
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them."
Exodus 32:33-34
For Further Contemplation:
Have you been given the white stone of eternal promises and your name placed in the Book of Life? Or are you heading down the path towards Hell?
Have you been unjustly or unfairly accused by man, God will adjust the balances of judgment in eternity to those that overcome the world.
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