John 4:31-41; 6:25-39

"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."

Revelation 2:17 (NIV)

  
The letters to the seven churches are PERSONAL letters to each local church. They contain references in the praise, the warnings and exhortations, and the blessings that we can make educated guesses about, but really all we can say emphatically is, that those Christians who were part of those local churches would have understood the meaning of these local references.

There are several theories about what the white stone with a new name written on it is, but truly no one knows what this reference means, just as no one knows who Antipas was except those believers who were there when he was martyred. The hidden manna however becomes very clear in light of our Lord’s teachings recorded by John in John 4 & 6. Manna is heavenly food provided by God in a miraculous way in the wilderness. Our Lord taught that He was that Bread of Life, and that if we ate of Him we would have life. The manna is our Lord. The hidden aspect of the manna is revealed by our Lord’s response to the disciples when they came back to the well in Samaria with food for Him, and He told them that He had food they know nothing about. His food was to do the will of God (which echoes His response to the 1st temptation by Satan in the wilderness).

To the PERSON who is victorious (defined by not sharing in demon feasts and not being sexually immoral) our Lord will come and in a miraculous hidden way give that INDIVIDUAL the sustenance of life. Others won’t know what keeps us going; they will wonder at our hidden supply, but we will be sustained by the Lord Himself. What a blessed Saviour we serve!

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