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J
How do we know our name is in the book of life The book of Life If you’re a Christian, when was your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Did it happen when you were born again or some other time? Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. We first hear about the book of life early in the Bible, right after Israel committed idolatry by worshiping the golden calf (Exod. 32:32–33). Exo 32:31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Exo 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Then, in the last book of the Bible, Jesus says, Rev 3:5 He that over cometh, 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. But when, exactly, was your name written in the book of life if you’re a Christian? Was it the moment you were baptized? Was it when you professed faith in Jesus Christ? Revelation 13:8 Rev 13:8 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. and Revelation 17:8–13 both address this Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and 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. Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. question. Revelation 13:8 says, “All who dwell on earth will worship (the beast), everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” So, here it says our names were written in the book of life before the beginning of time (“the foundation of the world”). In Revelation 17:8, this idea is repeated: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.” These passages about the book of life show that our salvation is the result of God’s sovereignty. You don’t go in and out of the book of life in a he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not kind of a way. No, God was absolutely sovereign from the very beginning and has always known those who are his. So, God didn’t write your name in his book of life when you were baptized, prayed a prayer, and first heard the gospel. These two passages in Revelation show that, if you’re a Christian, God wrote your name in his book before he created the world. No comments yet Be the first to comment.
J
Jack I believe that God knew who would be “His people” and wrote the names in the book of life, but he also tells us that He can also remove them. For what? For sin! Exodus 32:33 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” We must read and re-read and try to really understand the words here in: Revelation 3:1-6 I know thy works… 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Hold fast, and repent… 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Have not defiled their garments… 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh… 5 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear.. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The way I interpret these verse’s is we need to listen to God and Jesus Christ and follow their commands/ instructions to us, written clearly throughout the Bible, if we want to remain in the Book Of Life. GB
J
Hello Jack, Very good post and I agree with your statement saying that “You don’t go in and out of the book of life.” In other words, a born-again believer whose name is written in the Lamb’s book of life will never be blotted out. The bible mentions a book of life and also the Lamb’s book of life. These are different from each other. There’s the book of life which has listed in it everybody that has received human life. And then there’s the book of the Lamb, those who belong to Christ. In the book of life, if a person rejects Christ, their name is removed from the book of life as if they’ve never been born. But no one is ever blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life. If we go back into the Old Testament and we study from all the references of the book of life, it shows us that there’s more than one book. And the Jews knew that. It’s not that God has books up there. It’s simply a human illustration which shows us that God knows everything, all the people that have been born, and all the people that belong to Christ. And yes, God knew ahead of time those who would eventually receive Him, and He also knew ahead of time those who would reject Him. Again, for those written in the Lamb’s book of life, they will never be blotted out. That would mean a loss of salvation which the Lord has promised all those who belong to Him, He will not lose a single one. Again, thank you for your post. Blessings to you in Christ!