The Hidden Manna And The White Stone

In my area of suburban Houston there is a Christian counseling service that calls itself Whitestone Associates. It is led by a psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Looney.

In the letter to the church in Pergamum the Spirit refers to the white stone in this way:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.' - Rev 2:17 ESV 

Manna, as most of us know, was the mysterious food that appeared each morning on the ground as the Children of Israel made their way to the promised land (Exod 16:32-34). The word may be translated into English as "what is it?" They knew not whence it came nor why. They only knew that the LORD supplied their daily needs. In like manner these believers would conquer by God's power and be privileged to eat the hidden manna. It is not visible now, but will be available in abundance when they are blessed in that great day to eat the Bread of life forever (John 6:30-35). Jesus, the great I AM, is that Bread of life (John 6:48-58). Those who feed on Him will live forever.

 Besides the hidden manna, the Risen Christ promises to give them each a white stone with a new name written on it. White is a symbol of holiness (Rev. 1:14; 3:4-5,18). A white stone was often prized in those days as an amulet, an object with power to protect its wearer from harm, especially if it had the name or image of some deity engraved on it or was a mark of membership in a special group. We cannot tell for certain what John's revelation implies, but it seems that in the future, when they conquer in the name of Jesus, believers will receive their own white stone, known only to the conqueror (Rev. 19:12), the secret name of Jesus. They will then be granted entrance into His eternal kingdom. By grace even eunuchs and foreigners will be accepted into the LORD's house of prayer.

And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." - Isa 56:6-7 ESV 

Priest-Martyr Antipas Commemorated April 11

Such are the promises of "him who has the sharp two-edged sword" (Rev. 1:16; 2:16; Hebr 4:12). His Word is all-powerful. It reveals the deepest motives of the heart. And there in Pergamum were those who did not deny faith in the Risen Christ "even in the days of Antipas, my witness." We are not told who this Antipas was, because this is the only Biblical reference to him. There is, however, a tradition that says that John the Apostle ordained Antipas as the Bishop of Pergamum during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian. According to this tradition Antipas was martyred in ca. 92 AD by being burned in a brazen bull-shaped altar, used locally to cast out demons. This is the only martyr mentioned by name in John's Revelation, though others are acknowledged (Rev. 6:9-11).

Others were not as faithful, however. Some held the teaching of Balaam; others the teaching of the Nicolaitans. During the Exodus, when Israel camped in Shiitim, east of the Jordan river and northeast of the Dead Sea, many began to worship Baal of Peor, the god of Moab (Num 25:1-3). This worship included sexual immorality, whoring "with the daughters of Moab" and eating food ritually sacrificed to the Moabite gods. Something of this nature was going on in Pergamum, even by those who also claimed to be followers of Christ.  Sexual immorality, adultery and idol worship were all inter-mingled, as it had often been in the days of the Old Testament (Rev. 9:21; 17:2; 18:3,9; 21:8,15; Isa. 57:3). Jeremiah put it this way:

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, - Jer 7:9 ESV 

For the land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land mourns, and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right. - Jer 23:10 ESV

We have examined the works of the Nicolaitans in an earlier blog. Exactly what the teaching of these Nicolaitans was is unclear. Obviously it had to do with some form of idolatry. One website I found goes through a rather strange process to conclude that John refers to a secret cabal and that there are still Nicolaitans at work in modern times. The writer concludes that they are the modern-day Illuminati or High-Degree Freemasons, the worshippers of Santa Claus and various ancient Roman gods as well as Jewish Kabbalists, etc. —all under the control of Satan. I will not link my readers to the site. The reasoning is quite strange. Nevertheless, the warning John lifts up is real enough. All believers in Christ must ever be prepared to repent and re-examine their beliefs and life-styles in the light of God's Holy Word. We will have occasion to consider these issues in our study of the next letter.