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Jesus
Promised a White Stone
Why
Did Jesus Promise a White Stone?
Rick
Renner
“…To him that overcometh will I give… a white
stone….” — Revelation 2:17
For years, I carried
a small white stone in my pocket.
In times when I felt
discouraged, I would reach into my pocket to touch that stone and remind myself
that Jesus promised a “white stone” to those who overcome.
Of course, a stone
has no magical powers, but that little stone reminded me of what the Lord said
when He promised a “white stone” in Revelation 2:17 to those who
overcome.
So what is the
significance of the “white stone” that Jesus promised?
Let’s delve into the
Greek language and history today to see what we can find about how “white
stones” were used at the time this was written by John on the isle of
Patmos and why Christ promised a “white stone” to those who overcome.
In the original text
of Revelation 2:17, the wording in the phrase “a white stone” is ordered
differently in Greek.
The Greek wording actually reads “psiephon leuken.”
The word psiephon refers to a stone or pebble, and leuken means white.
So rather than “a
white stone,” it should be literally translated, “A stone, a white one.”
This lays a
particular emphasis on the color of the stone, so we must examine the primary
way “white stones” were used in early New Testament times.
When a Roman trial
concluded, and it was time for a panel of judges to vote for the defendant’s
innocence or guilt, the judges registered their votes by casting a black or
white stone into an urn.
A black stone
symbolized a vote for guilt, and a white stone denoted a vote for innocence.
When all the votes
had been cast, the stones were emptied from the urn and counted one by one.
If there were more
black stones, it meant the judges had found the defendant guilty; if there were more white stones, it meant they
had found the individual to be not guilty.
Therefore, when Christ offered “a stone, a white one” to overcomers — placing a definite
emphasis on the word white — it
meant: “I have reviewed all the evidence, and I have judged you not
guilty!”
Jesus’ message to
that church, and to us today, was that regardless of who they had been or what they had done before they came to Christ,
what mattered now was who they had become in
Christ.
Viewing them in light
of His blood, Jesus had cast “a stone, a white one”
in their direction, affirming their full acquittal and complete release from
their past sinful lives and memories.
Therefore, when the devil — or any person, for that matter — tries
to throw a stone of judgment against us by mentally tormenting us about past
actions we’ve already been forgiven for, we may boldly answer, “Christ has
already cast His vote. He has found me NOT GUILTY!”
Regardless of any
actions we may have committed in the past, Jesus’ blood has purged our con-
science from dead works to serve the living God (see Hebrews
9:14).
There was another way
the ancient Greeks also used white and black stones for vote-casting.
One of the greatest
privileges in Greek society was to vote about civic issues in a public
election.
In these elections,
people used white and black stones to cast their votes, similar to the way such
stones were used in legal trials.
Votes were
customarily registered by casting a black or white pebble into large vases that
were set up throughout the city at designated locations.
When the time for
voting had concluded, the pebbles were separated into white and black piles and
then counted.
A white stone
represented a person voting in favor of some
issue, whereas a black stone represented a person was voting against it.
Thus, when Christ promised “a stone, a white one” to the believers who overcame, He
was not only announcing freedom, forgiveness, and acquittal from a past sinful
life, but He was also telling them: “My vote is for you. I am
putting My full support behind you.”
How powerful this is
when we realize what the “white stone” means in Revelation 2:17.
It declares that
Christ has found us not guilty and that He is putting His full support behind
you and me. Christ is voting for us!
Years ago, I actually
preached on this subject in the city of Moscow — then we distributed white
stones to the whole congregation.
I urged people to
carry them in their pockets or purses as a reminder that if they were washed in
the blood of Christ, Jesus has found them not guilty.
And regardless of
what the devil tries to tell them, Christ’s blood has freed them from the past,
and they are free!
Furthermore, I
encouraged them when life seemed to be getting tough to let that white stone
remind them that if no one else was voting for them, Christ was voting for them and, therefore, they
were going to make it!
Today I want to
tell you that if you have been forgiven and washed in
the precious blood of Christ, you are forgiven — period.
The devil may try to
hassle you in your mind and torment you with past memories that God Himself
doesn’t remember.
But just realize that
Christ reviewed all the evidence, and since His blood was applied to your life,
He has found you completely blameless and free from shame.
Furthermore, if it
doesn’t feel at the moment like anyone else is for you, just remember that
Christ Himself has cast His vote for you.
Romans 8:31 tells us, “… If God be for us, who can be against
us?”
My friend, if Jesus
has cast His vote for you — and He has! — you can throw off all despair and
start rejoicing, because the one vote that really matters
has been cast in your favor!
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, I thank You for the blood of Jesus Christ,
which has cleansed me from all sinful actions of the past. Although I
admittedly did wrong in the past, it is not held against me, because the blood
of Christ has made me free.
You have officially declared me clean. I stand
before You as a born-again individual, free from the offenses of my past. A
white stone has been cast in my favor. I am cleansed and free, and You are
voting for me and my success!
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
I confess that I refuse to
wallow in condemnation over my past sins that even God Himself doesn’t
remember. Instead, I focus my attention on the blood of Jesus as I remember all
He has done for me.
When the devil — or anyone, for
that matter — tries to throw a stone of judgment against me by mentally
tormenting me about past actions that I’ve already been forgiven for, I boldly
answer: “Christ has reviewed all the evidence and already cast His vote. He has
found me innocent!”
I toss aside any garments of
despair, and I put on the garment of praise because Jesus’ blood has purged my
conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Since God is for me, who can be
against me? Jesus has cast His vote of a white stone in my favor — and that is
the only vote that matters!
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER
2.
When you think of Christ casting a “white stone” in your
favor — a favorable vote for you — how does that affect you?
3.
In light of Christ casting a white stone in your favor, don’t you
think it’s time for you to stop submitting to the devil’s actions of throwing
stones of accusation at you — or at others?
OUR
VISION… Is to take the Gospel both to our nearby world and to the ends of
the earth, proclaiming Christ, and warning and teaching every man with all
wisdom, in order that we may present every person fully mature in Christ
Jesus. – Colossians 1:28
Rick and Denise met while they were each on an
individual quest to wholeheartedly follow God’s plan for their lives. Rick was
a college student, growing in his teaching ministry. Denise was a talented
vocalist. She chose not to pursue a course that held the prospect of performing
with the Metropolitan Opera so that she could instead pursue a relationship
with Rick and fulfill her heart’s desire to enter full-time ministry.
Rick
and Denise’s friendship has led to a lifelong love and a powerful partnership
in building the Kingdom of God. After a decade of ministry, first as pastors
and then as itinerant ministers, Rick and Denise Renner embarked on an
adventure of a lifetime. In January 1991, the Renners and their sons — Paul
(then 8), Philip (then 6), and Joel (then 2) — left behind all they knew to
relocate their family to serve the region that only weeks earlier had become
the former Soviet Union.
Rick
and Denise remember kneeling together as a family and kissing the ground when
they arrived at the airport in Latvia on that cold January day. In that moment,
they all committed their lives to the will of God and to the people of their
new homeland. The following year, Rick moved forward to launch and establish
the first of its kind — and eventually the largest — Christian television
network in that region of the world.
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