Thirty-five years ago, I discovered the meaning of our family name, “Elkins.” It means “Jehovah is God.” Our family name can be traced back to the Hebrew name “Elijah.” Discovering the origin of our family name had a significant impact on my life. There is a greater name waiting for me in eternity that will not be revealed in this life, but in the life to come.

As I have read through Scripture, I have reflected on the personal names of God’s people and the meaning of those names. I’ve also noticed how the Lord changed the names of some people to reflect His calling on their lives.

A name change happened for Abraham and Sarah, “I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations” (Genesis 17: 4-5)., A name change also happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarai, whose name was changed to Sarah.

Name changes also happened in the New Testament. It took place when Peter’s name was changed by Jesus from Simon to Peter, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock, I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matthew 16:18).

While some of us may never know the origin of our earthly family name, there is another name, a more significant eternal name that has been given to all of us. It was a name given to us when we came to know the Lord. That name is unique to each believer and will remain hidden until we enter eternity.

In the Lord’s instructions to the 7 churches of Revelation, the Lord refers to that name, “I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

That new name is waiting to be revealed to each of us in eternity. None of us are without that new name. As we walk forward in this life of faith, our acts of obedience to God’s truth will begin to align us with that new name until the day when we finally stand before the Lord to discover the meaning of our name for the first time.