Book of Life - All Books

The Book of Life and All Books of Life

The Lambs Book of Life - Not everyone has his or her name written in the Lamb's Book of Life! One's name is not written in at birth, nor does he or she have it written in by the sovereign choice of God. A person's name is written in the Lamb's book of Life only because he or she chooses to ask God to place it there. Jesus Christ offers us eternal life if we receive Him, if we invite Him into our hearts. Lambs Book of Life

If we heed His call and ask Him to come in as Lord and Savior, He enters our lives (Rev. 3 v.20), and the recording angel writes our names into the Lamb's Book of Life, from which it can never be blotted. Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? If not, may I urge you to invite Jesus Christ into your life right now and let Him write it there.

The Books of One's Deeds Opened - At this point we find a set of books and a book being opened. Notice the wording in Rev 20 v.12: Revelation 20:12 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. Book of Life - All Books

For the identity of these "books" we must look beyond our immediate text to another passage in God's word. Galatians 3 v.10 contains the description of the second book by which the human race will be judged. Those who have lived under the hearing of the law of God will be judged by it. Unless people accept the mercy of God in the person of His Son, there is no way they can be found righteous, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3 v.23)

Revelation 20 v.12 indicates that some of the books at this Great White Throne Judgment will be the books of a person's works, for "the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." The same thing is said in verse 13b. In some way every person must have a recording angel who in this life is tabulating everything he or she does. In connection with this though it is well to consider Ecclesiastes 12 v.14: "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." In this final hour the books of one's works or deeds will be opened.

The Book of Life Opened - Verse 12 indicated not only that the dead will be judged out of the books according to their works, but that another book is opened, which is the Book of Life. Here we discover that a recording angel maintains a book called the Book of Life. The New Testament refers to this Book of Life eight times; and although the Old Testament does not call it the Book of Life, three times it mentions a book in which names are written.

To properly understand the Book of Life, you must realize that there are really two Books of Life. One is called "the book of life"; the other, "the Lamb's book of life". These are definitely not the same! "The book of life" contains the names of the living; "the Lamb's book of life" is a book belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1 v.29) Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and, as He repeatedly said, "to give them eternal life." Clearly then, the Lamb's Book of Life is the book of Jesus Christ in which are entered the names of those who have received His eternal life. (Rev. 13 v.8) I am personally inclined to believe that in this book will appear only the names of the believers who have lived since the cross.

Rev. 13 v.8 indicates that during the Tribulation period the people who will worship the Antichrist are "all those whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." Rev. 21 v.27 tells us that the only people who will enter into the Holy City are "those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of Life." It is therefore essential that one have his or her name written in this book. There are 2 major differences between these two Books of Life.

The Book of Life seems to contain the names of all living people, whereas the Lamb's Book of Life includes only the names of those who call on the Lamb for salvation.
Without doubt more important, it is possible to have one's name blotted out of the Book of Life, but not out of the Lamb's Book of Life. In Rev. 3 v.5 we find that "he who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life."

An overcomer here is one clothed in the white garments of Christ, for he or she is a believer to whom is imputed the righteousness of Christ. Therefore that person's name will not be blotted out of the Book of Life. In Exodus 32 v.33 we read: "The Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." It is therefore possible to have one's name blotted out of the Book of Life because of sin. But it is impossible to have one's name removed from the Lamb's Book of Life." And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Rev. 22 v19)

Some try to tell us that this reference to God's taking away a person's "share" out of the Book of Life suggests that anyone who detracts from the book of Revelation and its prophecy will lose his or her rewards; but this cannot be, for the only "share" we have in the Book of Life is our name. We have no indication in Scripture that anything but our name is written in the Book of Life, for our deeds are not recorded there, but in the books of our works. We see, then, that the Bible offers three reasons for having one's name blotted out of the Book of Life:

For sinning against God
For not being clothed in the righteousness of Christ through the new birth, and
For taking away from the words of the book of this prophecy.

Rev. 20 v.15 establishes the importance of the Book of Life, for it tells us, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." In a sense this is God's double check at the Great White Throne Judgment, for as a person comes forward, he or she will be judged by the book of law, by the Lamb's Book of Life, and by the deeds done in the flesh taken from the books of human works. Then, just before that person is cast into the lake of fire, he or she is given a double check. The recording angel will look through the Book of Life, and "if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

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