The New Name on a White Stone: The New Name of Jesus
The phrase “the new name on a white stone” appears in Revelation 2:17, where Jesus Christ promises to give a white stone with a new name written on it to those who overcome. This prophecy signifies that Christ will appear again in the last days with a new name. To accept God means to believe in His name;[1] therefore, those who recognize and believe in the new name written on the white stone are the ones who receive the Second Coming Christ.
The Meaning of the White Stone
In Revelation 2:17, it is written about a “white stone” inscribed with a “new name.”
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.
Biblical Symbolism of Christ as a Stone
In the Bible, the term “stone” is often used symbolically to represent Christ. In the Old Testament, it was prophesied that the LORD would become “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” for both Israel and Judah, and that He would lay “a precious cornerstone in Zion.” These prophecies reveal that Christ is the spiritual foundation upon which salvation is built.
- The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy . . . for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. (Isaiah 8:13–14)
- So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16)
- The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22–23)
Jesus as the Living Stone
These prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. In other words, Jesus is one with the LORD God Himself—God who came in the flesh to bring salvation to people.
He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ ”
As you come to him [Jesus], the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—. . . For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone . . .” But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
Jesus was a precious stone to those who rightly accepted Him as the Christ; however, to those who did not believe, He became “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” The Jews and the religious leaders of His time criticized His humble life and environment, ultimately rejecting Him and failing to recognize Him as the Savior.[2][3][4][5][6] As prophesied in the Old Testament, God concealed His glory and came in the flesh to lay the foundation of salvation—but those who could not discern Him stumbled because of Him.
In the same way, the “white stone” mentioned in Revelation 2:17 symbolizes Jesus. Therefore, the “new name on the white stone” refers to the new name of Jesus at His Second Coming. This is further confirmed in Revelation 3:12, which declares:
“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.”
Jesus’ New Name
Jesus said, “I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”[7] Although Jesus had already come as the precious cornerstone, He promised to give a white stone with a new name—signifying that He would come again in the flesh, bearing a different name.
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
The Christ who appears a second time to bring salvation—that is, the Second Coming Jesus—will come in the last days with a new name. God’s work of redemption unfolds in three distinct ages: the Age of the Father, the Age of the Son, and the Age of the Holy Spirit. In each age, God carries out the work of salvation under a different name. In the Age of the Father, He worked in the name of Jehovah; in the Age of the Son, in the name of Jesus; and in the Age of the Holy Spirit, He works in the new name of Jesus—the name of the Second Coming Christ.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
According to the biblical teaching of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not separate beings but one and the same God the Father, who fulfills different roles across the ages. However, the name of the Father differs from that of the Son, and the name of the Holy Spirit differs from both. The name of the Holy Spirit, as prophesied in the book of Revelation, is the new name of Jesus. The time when Jesus comes with this new name is the Age of the Holy Spirit. In the Age of the Father, those who believed in and called upon the name of Jehovah were saved.[8] When the age changed to the Age of the Son, salvation was given to those who believed in and confessed the name of Jesus.[9] Likewise, in the Age of the Holy Spirit, salvation is granted to those who recognize and call upon the Second Coming Christ, who comes with a new name.
The Mystery of God: The New Name
Christ is the mystery of God, hidden for ages and generations.[10][11] To know Christ—the One who grants salvation—is to understand this divine mystery. Yet, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are not revealed to everyone.[12] Two thousand years ago, the members of the early Church recognized Jesus as the Savior and were saved by calling on His name.[13][14] In contrast, the religious leaders and many Jews of that time failed to recognize Him and ultimately crucified Him.[15]
In this present age, the mystery is the Second Coming Christ. According to Revelation 2:17, the new name written on the white stone is known only to those who receive it[7]—showing that even now, some will recognize the Second Coming Christ while others will not. Therefore, in the Age of the Holy Spirit, salvation is granted to those who receive the new name written on the white stone—that is, those who recognize, accept, and call upon the name of the Second Coming Christ.