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THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:12-15) Our text deals with the final White Throne Judgment of the wicked where sinners are judged on the basis of their works. Their degree of punishment in the Lake of Fire is determined by their works, but their SENTENCE TO the Lake of Fire is determined by the fact that their names are not in the Book of Life. Verse 15 says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:12-15) No one’s bad works put them into the Lake of Fire; they are there because they are NOT in the Book of Life. I thought we’d spend some time today studying this book and trying to grasp a better understanding of it. It is mentioned several times in the Bible, spanning all the way from Exodus to Revelation, and it’s real easy to think you understand it and then have that understanding challenged by a verse or two that presents new information that you haven’t considered. It is my intention in this study to present ALL the Biblical information that is relevant to the subject so as to have the most complete understanding, so this might take a while, but I believe we’ll all be wiser for taking the time. Okay, two things are very clear from the start: there IS a Book of Life present at the final judgment and many names will be missing from it. Revelation 21:27 offers a bit more detail about this book by calling it the “Lamb’s book of life.” The verse says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” So it isn’t merely the Book of Life; it’s the LAMB’S Book of Life. The Lamb, as you well know, is the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:29; I Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:12-13; 7:14), so this Book of Life is a book containing the names of those who have been washed from their sins in the blood of Jesus Christ, the slain Lamb of God. At this point in Revelation 20, no one is in the Book of Life who isn’t washed in the blood of Christ. That’s pretty clear from the scriptures. I Peter 1:18-19 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” So, if a man’s sins haven’t been covered by the blood of Christ, then that man isn’t listed in the Book of Life in the day of judgement, and he will have an eternal home in the Lake of Fire. But WHEN are names written in the Book of Life, can names be taken out of it, and are the names of believers PRESENTLY written in the book? That’s what takes a bit of study, because the answer isn’t as simple as you might think. From my studies of the subject, looking strictly at what the scriptures say, it appears that five basic truths summarize the doctrine of the Book of Life: (I) There are names presently written in the Book of Life (II) Some names in the Book of Life have been or will be removed (III) Some names in the Book of Life will never be removed (IV) The names presently in the Book of Life havebeen there since Genesis 1 (V) Some names were never even written in the Book of Life I realize that sounds pretty far-fetched, but just hang with me for a while as we look at some scripture. (I) THERE ARE NAMES PRESENTLY WRITTEN INTHE BOOK OF LIFE In addressing the Philippian believers, Paul wrote, “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” (Phil. 4:3) Since there is no record of Paul ever actually seeing the Book of Life or of God ever revealing its contents to Paul, we can only assume that he believed these people were in the Book of Life due to their conversion to Christ. Hebrews 12:23 seems to reaffirm this same truth: “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven.” Jesus himself said much the same in Luke 10:20: “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” In each of these verses, the present tense “are” is used: “are in the book of life,” “are written in heaven,” and “your names are written in heaven.” That means that right this minute, your name is literally written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, if you have been born again. (II) SOME NAMES IN THE BOOK OF LIFE HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE REMOVED Now things get a little tricky because there is scripture in both the Old and New Testaments that speak of God blotting names OUT of the Book of Life. Let’s begin with the Old Testament. In Exodus 32:32, Moses is put out with the sins of the Israelites, and he goes to God on their behalf and says, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” Instead of correcting Moses in any way, God replied in verse 33 with, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” That means (1) some individual names were already written in the book and (2) such names could be blotted out due to sin. Since no other divine book of names is mentioned, it’s likely that this refers to the Book of Life, and these additional verses probably have reference to the same: “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” (Psa. 69:28) “. . . thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Dan. 12:1) A few other Old Testament verses also come to mind, but might not refer to the Book of Life itself: “. . . the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.” (Deu. 29:20) “Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.” (Psa. 9:5) “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” (Pro. 10:7) Coming to the New Testament, we still find the reality of God blotting names out of the Book of Life. Revelation 22:19 says, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” It doesn’t say that such a man was ever a SAVED man; it simply says “any man.” Perhaps the Holy Spirit is implying that no truly saved man would take away words from Revelation. Whatever the case, God promises to remove names from the book. Then Revelation 3:5 says to the church at Sardis, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” It doesn’t say that the overcomer’s name will be “written” in the Book of Life, but rather that it will not be blotted out. That seems to imply that the name has been there all along, but can be blotted out. That is, it appears that names are not written in the Book of Life to secure salvation, but rather to indicate a living person (Hence: Book of LIFE, or, as Proverbs 69:28 has it, “book of the living.”). It is at the point of salvation—the new birth—that names are SECURED in the Book of Life. The names that are not secured are at some point blotted out because, although they had life, they did not have ETERNAL life through Christ. It might be that such names are blotted out at death, but the wording of Jesus in Luke 10:20 seems to imply that the names of some living people are missing from the Book of Life: “rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Why say that if EVERYONE’S name is written in heaven until death? The same can be said of Paul’s choice words in Philippians 4:3 and Hebrews 12:23: “my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life” and “church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” The implication is that it’s an honor for one to have his name in the Book of Life and that some do not enjoy this honor. That would mean that their names have been removed, even before the point of death. This presents somewhat of a dilemma. If God knew that certain names would have to be removed from the Book of Life, then why did He ever bother to record their names there in the first place? Then if we conclude that their names never were in the Book of Life, how can it be truthfully stated that God will blot them out? Considering all scripture, it appears that the names of most people were originally written in the Book of Life because they would LIVE out their LIVES on the earth, but those names would be blotted out once such people made their final choice to not be reconciled with God. It’s not a pleasant thought, but the Bible does teach that some people expire their grace and spend the remainder of their days as hopeless reprobates. Consider the following: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Rom. 1:28) God gave them “up” (vs. 24), “up” (vs. 26), and then “over” (vs. 28). That does not sound like someone whose name is still in the Book of Life. Webster defines a “reprobate” as someone who has been “rejected . . . abandoned in sin . . . abandoned to error or in apostasy.” The apostates in II Thessalonians 2:11-12 are sent “strong delusion . . . that they should believe a lie: THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (emphasis added) They reach a point to where the God of justice WANTS to damn them. That definitely looks like someone who has expired their grace and can no longer repent. To those who read the scriptures faithfully, this is not some new and strange doctrine. Esau, we are told in Hebrews 12:17, “was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears,” and this is applied by Paul to New Testament Hebrews who might “fail of the grace of God” (Heb. 12:15). The word “reprobate” is first found and defined in Jeremiah 6:30: “REPROBATE silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath REJECTED them.” (emphasis added) This agrees with Webster’s “rejected” definition. We even read of religious people being reprobates in Titus 1:16: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Consider the harsh words from Proverbs 1:24-28: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I WILL NOT ANSWER; they shall seek me early, but THEY SHALL NOT FIND ME.” (emphasis added) It’s not a popular truth, but the Bible teaches WHOsoever, not WHENsoever. God saves and grants new birth when His Spirit moves and convicts hearts, not when sinners repeat empty prayers. Sinners must be “born of the Spirit” (John 3:6-8), not born of a religious routine or some spiritless prayer. Sinners have a “space to repent” (Rev. 2:21), and they’ve been commanded to do so (Acts 17:30; Luke 13:3), but that space does not always last until one’s dying breath. Some people cross God’s line of grace long before death and are turned over to a reprobate mind. It MIGHT be that their names are blotted out of the Book of Life at this point. I wouldn’t be dogmatic about it, but this view allows all scripture pertaining to the Book of Life to stand as is without any contradictions or discrepancies. III. SOME NAMES IN THE BOOK OF LIFEWILL NEVER BE REMOVED The Biblical doctrine of eternal security could not stand true if a born again believer in Christ could have his name removed from the Book of Life. It could not be stated that we will “never perish” if some of us are to have our names blotted out, yet Jesus gave the promise just the same: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) He also promised in John 6:37 that He would never cast us out: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Assuming that blotting out would also include casting out, this promise cannot stand if we, as believers in Christ, are at risk of having our names removed from the Book of Life. Many other examples could be presented, but the point should be clear. In essence, the Book of Life becomes the Book of ETERNAL Life for those who receive Christ. For sake of illustration, think of it as having your name written in pencil until you receive Christ; then it’s written in BLOOD. As Christians, we have already overcome, according to I John 4:4 and I John 5:4, and the names of “overcomers” are safely secured in the Book of Life: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Rev. 3:5) IV. THE NAMES PRESENTLY IN THE BOOK OF LIFE HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE GENESIS 1 Nowhere in the Bible do we read of God making entries into the Book of Life. Instead, we read that He, in His foreknowledge, had our names recorded in the Book of Life “from the foundation of the world.” This is stated twice in Revelation (13:8 and 17:8), which we shall consider on our final point, but it’s also hinted at in a verse that we’ve already seen. In Exodus 32:32, Moses said to God, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou HAST WRITTEN.” (emphasis added) Then God agreed that He HAD written such a book: “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of MY BOOK.” (vs. 33) Again, the Bible never speaks of God entering names into the Book of Life, only of Him blotting out names that are already there. So it appears that everyone who enters LIFE had their name entered into the Book of LIFE at the “foundation of the world.” Well, ALMOST everyone . . . V. SOME NAMES WERE NEVER EVEN INTHE BOOK OF LIFE I must confess that this is a troubling thought to me, but the scriptures are quite clear. Speaking of the reprobate and apostate generation that literally worships Satan’s antichrist, Revelation 13:8 says, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” One might argue that this is a present tense statement since it says their names “are” not written, meaning at the future time when they worship the antichrist, but Revelation 17:8 doubles down on the point in the PAST tense: “ . . . they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names WERE not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (emphasis added) That’s pretty clear: they WERE not written in the Book of Life FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. Unlike other lost people, these people are not blotted out of the Book of Life; they were never even in it! This is not because God didn’t WANT them in it (since He’s not willing that ANY should perish—II Pet. 3:9), but rather because He FOREKNEW (Acts 2:23; I Pet. 1:2; Rom. 8:29; 11:2) that they would be so depraved as to worship the “son of perdition” when Satan finally makes his earthly showing to be “like the most high” and “as God” (Isa. 14:14; II Ths. 2:4). That’s a tough one, I know, but that’s what the Book says. Now, let me close by saying this. God doesn’t want anyone in Hell, so He doesn’t want to blot anyone’s name out of the Book of Life. He’d much rather blot out YOUR SINS than your name! David said in Psalm 51, “blot out my transgressions” and “blot out all mine iniquities.” (verses 1 and 9) God Himself says in Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Either God doesn’t remember your name or He doesn’t remember your sins. Take your pick, because it’s a personal choice. You can have your NAME blotted out, or you can have your SINS blotted out. If your name is blotted out, then your sins remain on record and you must pay for them in Hell. If your sins are blotted, then your name is secured in the Book of Life because “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:7). The Father wrote my name in the Book of Life thousands of years ago, the Son wrote over it in His own blood, and the Holy Spirit drew a circle around it! I’m IN!!! If you aren’t in, there’s no better time than RIGHT NOW.