new name

We will have a new name! Jesus will have a new name!

Rev 2:17, 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 3:12, The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Rev 19:12, His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

Dr. MacArthur has a very short devotional from Philippians 2:9 about the naming thing. Here it is

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“God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.”, Philippians 2:9 God exalted Christ by giving Him a new name. In today’s verse a question that arises is, What is the name that is above every name? To be consistent with Scripture, it has to be a name that goes beyond merely distinguishing one person from another. It has to be a name that describes Christ’s nature—revealing something of His inner being. Only such a name would cause Him to be clearly ranked above all others.

Paul wasn’t referring to a comparative name, but a superlative name—one that would set Christ above and beyond all comparison. Change of name in Scripture indicates the commencement of a unique relationship. When God established His covenant with Abram, He changed his name to “Abraham” (Gen. 17:5). When God entered into a unique relationship with Jacob, He gave Him the name “Israel” (Gen. 32:22-32). In the New Testament, Jesus called a man named Simon to follow Him, then gave him a new name: Peter (Matt. 16:18). Those names were given to mark a definite stage in a person’s life. God has done that throughout redemptive history. Philippians 2:9 affirms that God gave Christ a name. He already had many names—Jesus, Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah—but He received a new name. Some assume that the new name is Jesus because verse 10 says, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” But that wasn’t a new name; it was bestowed at birth (see Matt. 1:21).

Nor is the name Jesus above every other name (there have been a lot of people named Jesus). The only name mentioned in Philippians 2:9-11 that is above every name is Lord. In verse 11 Paul says, “Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” That is the only name God gave Christ that is above every name. Whoever is Lord is in control. Let us exalt Christ our Lord by offering Him praise and living a holy life.
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I listened to a MacArthur sermon a few years ago on our service in the millennium and beyond, where the bible says we will rule and reign. It is called “What Will We Do? Part 1 (and there is a part 2). Here is a quote

“I believe clearly that the Scripture teaches that we will reign with Christ. And what that means is we will have responsibility. We will have oversight. We will have duties with regard to the ongoing operation of the eternal state. Now this is an amazing thing to think about. But in this life here the Lord has given us a role of authority in His church. He has given us responsibility. We have certain duties in this church that we are to carry out. Those offices given to us, those spiritual gifts enabling us to minister in certain ways, those spiritual responsibilities God gives to us are a certain amount of authority that He allows us to have by delegation to represent Him in the ongoing work of His church. We…we do that, we don’t do it perfectly, in fact we do it very imperfectly, but when we get to heaven I believe He will operate His Kingdom there in much the same way He has operated the Kingdom here. And that is by delegating that operation to His own. There, however, we will all be perfect and our operation within that delegated authority will be perfect as well. And so we will then in that time in that place when we go to be with Him and dwell forever in eternity be given a sphere of responsibility, a sphere of authority within the ongoing of that kingdom for which we will be eternally responsible.“

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I do remember Dr MacArthur explaining that what we do down here will in all likelihood relate to the sphere of authority we are given up there. It was a very interesting sermon series. He indicated that the gifts from the Spirit in this life are a kind of training ground and that when we get there, we will know as we will be known. So that means if I have been given the gifts of teaching, exhortation and discernment, then hopefully that means I will still be privileged to teach and be with young people in the Millennium, teaching about Christ and His work on the cross. This is something that those born in the millennium will have to know, especially since they will be seeing the sacrifices ongoing in the temple. Every person born in that time and place will need to know about Jesus I hope I have a part in sharing that. When MacArthur explained it, it sounded right, that we will be like we are now (as Abraham, Elijah and Moses were seen to be) but are made better in glorification to perform His will perfectly, in His authority.

As an aside, it was an incredible scene, that Moses and Elijah were talking with the Lord, like in casual conversation! It also tells me how thin the veil is, that the two of them suddenly appeared. In one moment Jesus the man-God was with the three disciples on the mountain, and the next second Jesus was glorified and the long-dead two prophets were there, “talking with Him”. Present tense, like an ongoing conversation? Talking with the disciples on earth AND the men in heaven?! Amazing, isn’t it.

I believe our character and nature will be the same also, our individual uniqueness the Lord formed in the womb and the Spirit took so much time to shape while we were here on earth will not be abandoned but perfected. So we will be kind of the same creatures with kind of the same spheres (except that you will be able to walk and I will be able to smell). However our new name will indicate an intimately personal relationship with Jesus. I can’t imagine a MORE intimate one that I have now with the Spirit indwelling me already, but I am looking forward to my new name and His new name, and for it all to start. Whatever name Jesus chooses to reveal Himself, He is worthy to be praised!

Most of us love to look up the background to our names. Personally I used to enjoy looking up the meaning of my name, Elizabeth, though I was always bemused about it. The name means “oath of God.” I was not saved so I thought that the name was a big miss, because I was far from God. Until I turned 43, that is, and then I was saved.

In the bible when babies were named it was a big deal. The Hebrew parents tried to give a name they thought would capture the essence of the baby’s character or capture what they hoped their baby would become. The bible verse usually took some time to let us know what that name meant.

Last names are fun to look up too. Surnames place us, identify us with a tribe, or sometimes, a profession. In modern times we’ve forgotten that the last name Smith used to be short for blacksmith, or Cooper mean maker of barrels. In the bible there was Alexander the Coppersmith, (2 Timothy 4:14), and Simon the Tanner, (Acts 9:43, Acts 10:32).

Alternately some in the bible times were known by their father’s name, such as James the son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21) or Levi son of Alphaeus, who was also known by his profession, hated as it was: Levi the Tax Collector. When the assembled at the synagogue in Jesus’s hometown listened to Jesus they were astonished, and said “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?” (Mark 6:3). This was offensive, a way of saying ‘isn’t he the bastard?’ Because they did not say ‘Isn’t this the son of Joseph?’ Instead they said the son of Mary, naming the mother. This was not done. You were always the son of the father. This is the place where Jesus said a prophet is without honor in his own hometown.

Mary Magdalene was known as the Mary of the town of Magdalene and of course our own Jesus was known as Jesus of Nazareth.

There were nicknames in the bible, also. James and John were nicknamed Boanerges, or Sons of Thunder. We would translate that as “hot heads.” Simon was called Peter for rock.

Adam was tasked with naming all the animals (Genesis 1:19) and Adam also named Eve (Genesis 2:20).

Hannah humbly and fervently asked of God that he would grant her a son. He did, and she named him Samuel, which means ‘asked of God’. “She called his name Samuel, “since she had asked the Lord for him” (1 Samuel 1:20).

In Genesis 35:18 we have a case of a name change done by the father- “And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni: Son of my sorrow: but his father Jacob called him Benjamin, “Son of my right hand.”

Methuselah meant ‘he has sent his death’. And you thought YOUR name was depressing! Literally it meant that God would not send death until Methuselah died. Methuselah was the longest living person in history, 969 years. God’s patience is great! When Methuselah died, the flood came within the year. (Exodus 5:21-32).

Sometimes when someone is given a new name in the bible, it means that they have a new identity. It can work to the negative or to the positive. For example, when Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar, he captured many of the youth to bring back to Babylon with him, including “Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.” (Daniel 1:6). One way to demoralize and assimilate prisoners was to give them a new name. This was in effect giving them a new identity, and cutting them off in every way from their old identity.

As for Daniel and the three friends…. “And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.” Each Hebrew name had been carefully chosen by the parents, and to try and separate them from that identity, they were given names of false gods.

Jamison-Fausset-Brown Dictionary:

“He gave names–designed to mark their new relation, that so they might forget their former religion and country ( Genesis 41:45 ). But as in Joseph’s case (whom Pharaoh called Zaphnath-paaneah), so it was in Daniel’s. His name means God my Judge, the theme of his prophecies being God’s judgment on the heathen world powers, was given the name indicative of his relation to a heathen court (“Belteshazzar,” that is, “Bel’s prince”). To Hananiah–that is, “whom Jehovah hath favored.” was given the name Shadrach–from Rak, in Babylonian, “the King,” that is, “the Sun”; the same root as in Abrech, inspired or illumined by the Sun-god.”

Mishael–that is, “who is what God is?” Who is comparable to God? was given Meshach–The Babylonians retained the first syllable of Mishael, the Hebrew name; but for El, that is, GOD, substituted Shak, the Babylonian goddess, called Sheshach (Jeremiah 25:26, 51:41), answering to the Earth, or else Venus, the goddess of love and mirth; it was during her feast that Cyrus took Babylon.

Azariah–that is, “whom Jehovah helps” was given the name Abed-nego–that is, “servant of the shining fire.”

Thus, instead of to Jehovah, these His servants were dedicated by the heathen to their four leading gods; Bel, the Chief-god, the Sun-god, Earth-god, and Fire-god. The names thus at the outset are significant of the seeming triumph, but sure downfall, of the heathen powers before Jehovah and His people. (source)

Esther is the Persian name (star) of the Hebrew youth named Hadassah (means myrtle), taken to live at Xerxes’s court. (Esther 2:7)

Unlike Joseph, Daniel, and the three friends who were given new pagan names by evil kings to help them forget their identity as one of God’s chosen ones and to force a new identity in the pagan courts, sometimes God Himself gives a new name to mark the beginning of a new identity.

There are several examples of examples of people in the Bible who were given new names by God:
Abram to Abraham (Gen 17:5)
Sarai to Sarah (Gen 17:15)
Jacob to Israel (Gen 32:23)
Oshea (or Hoshea) to Joshua (Num 13:16)
Simon to Peter (Mt 16:17-18)
Saul to Paul (Acts 13:9)

There are several verses in the Bible that speak of us receiving a new name in Heaven: Rev 2:17, Isa 62:2, Rev 3:12.

Revelation 2:17- “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.’”

Isaiah 62:2- The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.”

Revelation 3:12- “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”

When we enter the kingdom above, three names are again written upon us; the name of God, the name of the heavenly city, and Christ’s heavenly name.

But get this–

JESUS gets a new name too!?!? Is it the name written on His thigh, “King of kings, and Lord of lords,” (Revelation 19:16)? Is it a completely new name? “His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.” (Revelation 19:12). What is this new name? We don’t know. MacArthur explains the verse:

“Christ’s own new name. What does that mean? Well the name of God or the name of Christ means all that He is. We know Christ, we know Christ but we only know what we have read, we haven’t seen Him. The moment we see Him His persona will take on utterly new dimensions. And whatever we may have called Him and understood by the name will pale in the reality of what we see. And there will be a new name to describe Him. And He’ll give us that new name and we’ll be privileged to call Him by it.”

Robin Schumacher wrote, “At present and incommunicable and known only to God, to be hereafter revealed and made the believer’s own union with God in Christ. Christ’s name written on Him denotes he shall be wholly Christ’s.” (source)

O, the joys keep coming! We will receive a new name from Christ and He will privilege us to hear His new name we may call Him by! It gets better and better, doesn’t it? The best is yet to come. We have that glorious moment to look forward to, and whatever His new name will be, I know that it is only by His blood that my sinful lips may utter it. He cleanses and purifies, and though I long for that Day, for now I am all joy to call Him JESUS.

Category: new name

Christ’s new name, and our new name

What’s in a name? We get a new name, and Jesus does too