“He who overcomes… I will write on him My new name.” Revelation 3:12
We come to the last promise of the Lord to the overcomers in Philadelphia. It is the third of the “names” the Lord lists in Revelation 3:12. Each of these three names the Lord says will be written on the overcomer. The first name “the name of God” is written to indicate ownership and access into the dwelling place of God. There is no doubt tovercomers belong to God. The second name is the New Jerusalem (where God dwells and where we will dwell with Him). Overcomers have fellowship with God. The third name is the name of the Lord but once again He surprises us. We are proud that He would write His name on us but we are surprised that the Lord says His name is a new name.
Some struggle with this because they say Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever”. Since He is immutable (unchanging) how can he have a new name? This is not surprising, however, for the Lord has many names in scripture. As Billy Sunday said, “He is infinitely beyond all that any one name could express”. Each of the Lord’s names teaches us of His character and nature. We also read in Revelation 19 that when the Lord returns to judge the earth and sets up His millennial kingdom, He “ has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself”. Thus we see what the Psalmist tells us. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” (Ps. 145:3) We will constantly learn new truths about the greatness of the person of our Lord throughout all eternity.
In this verse the Lord uses the Greek word “onoma” for name which can refer to a person’s name, authority, character, identity or reputation. It is used to express the essence of a person, especially in relation to God. Strong’s Concordance says the Greek word for new, “kainos” describes something that is new in nature, different from the usual, better than the old, or unprecedented. It often implies a qualitative newness, emphasizing the freshness or uniqueness of the object or concept it describes. Today we see “through a glass darkly” but in eternity we will be able to see the Lord’s character and person as we never knew it before.
What can we learn? A new name does not surprise us for many of the promises to the overcomers throughout Revelation express a change in name, either of the believer or of God. This tells us our relationship will be deeper and fuller that anything we ever imagined. Additionally since the overcomers in Philadelphia are soulwinners (wise in the Lord’s eyes) their reward leads to a deeper knowledge of the Lord – unveiling His character at levels revealed by His new name.
The second lesson that strikes us about this new name is that this occurs after the wedding of the church to the Lord. The Bema Seat is finished and the bride is pure and presented to the Lord. In her relationship as the bride of Christ, the church will know him more fully as a wife knows her husband’s character in a way no one else can know.
The third lesson is to remember what the Apostle Paul taught us in I Corinthians 13. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but
then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” God knows us fully now (and still loves us). When we are in our perfect bodies without sin distorting our understanding we will be able to comprehend His love and majesty for us in ways we never imagined. Thus the Lord reminds the overcomers of this truth to encourage them to stay faithful. Living in the very place God dwells and knowing Him personally is a treasure beyond any other value.