WHAT IS THE BOOK OF LIFE?

There are eight verses in the Bible which specifically mention the Book of Life (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5, 8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:21; 22:19).  Of the eight, only one is written by someone other than the Apostle John.  The Apostle Paul asked his "true yoke-fellow" to help those women who helped him, Clement, and others in spreading the Gospel; he stated that their names are in the "Book of Life" (Phil 4:3).

John is the person who reveals that the book is the "Lamb's Book of Life" (Rev. 21:27).  There appears to be two groups of names having to do with the Lord's Book of Life:  1) Those who are overcomers and whose names therefore remain in it (Rev. 3:5); and 2) Those whose names are not in it now (Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 22:19).

The question which immediately comes to mind is, why are there names that do not appear in the Book of Life?  I believe that before the Creation, all names were written in the book; after all, all human beings would eventually have life (that includes human beings the moment they are conceived – in the Bible, a pregnant woman is always considered to be “with child”).  I believe those children slaughtered “for women’s rights,” and children too young to understand, or those born with an inability to understand, will have been placed “in Christ” by the Holy Spirit, and are therefore, saved!

God, in His foreknowledge (1 Pet. 1:1-5), knew who would accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and also, who would not.  In other words, those whose names remaining in the Book of Life until the final judgment, will have, at some point in their life, placed their trust in Jesus.   Those names which have been blotted out, are those who will not accept Jesus during their lifetime, and are therefore not considered to be “overcomers.”  In addition, those who will have tampered with the Word of God, also had their names removed from the book written before the "foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8; 17:8).

It is nearly impossible for us to comprehend that God is not limited by time.  What He knows will happen, for Him, it is already completed.  Read these verses and you will see that the death of Jesus, the names being placed in the book, and the names being blotted out of the book, all happened before the Creation (Mt. 25:34; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20; Heb. 4:3; Rev. 13:8; 17:8)!  To God, Jesus is the Lamb slain for the sins of the whole world, before the foundation of the world.

 

God is the “I AM,” not the “I was,” or “I will be!”