Defining: The Lamb's Book Of Life

[Starman3000m]

You may have heard some ministers preach that when a person accepts Jesus that is when their name gets written into the Lamb's Book of Life. However, in Revelation 3:5-6 Jesus states that He has the power to blot out a name from the Book of Life. So we have the scenario that at the Great White Throne Judgment, some people's name are found written in the Book of Life and some people's names are not found because they had been blotted out.

Question: How can Jesus blot out a name if it hadn't been written in the Book of Life to begin with? The only possible thought is perhaps not what some preachers have stated - that you get your name written in only when you accept Jesus. It could possibly mean that the names of all people who have ever lived started out with their name in the Lambs Book of Life and through rejecting Him as their Lord and Saviour were then blotted out.

Any thoughts?

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. (Philippians 4:3)

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 what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:5-6)


Revelation 13, verses:

4: And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5: And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6: And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
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.
9: If any man have an ear, let him hear.


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. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Revelation 17:8-9)


Revelation 20, verses:

10: And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
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.
13: 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.
14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.


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. (Revelation 21:27)


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.
(Revelation 22:19)

 

[Kain99]

You think to hard.

Let us say, that Jim accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior at age 22.

By age 34 he is a mass murderer who loves bloody sex with children. He has denounced Christ.

He gets blotted.

It has nothing to do with the book or birth.

 

[Starman3000m]

You think to hard.

Let us say, that Jim accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior at age 22.

By age 34 he is a mass murderer who loves bloody sex with children. He has denounced Christ.

He gets blotted.

It has nothing to do with the book or birth.

So then you believe that a person can lose their salvation? How can you be sure that Jim was really sincere in his profession to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour to begin with?

There are many who make a superficial acceptance because they are walked through a profession of faith but just go along with what is expected of them by peer pressure, for example. Doesn't mean that Jim really has accepted Christ because he said so.

 

[Kain99]

So then you believe that a person can lose their salvation? How can you be sure that Jim was really sincere in his profession to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour to begin with?

There are many who make a superficial acceptance because they are walked through a profession of faith but just go along with what is expected of them by peer pressure, for example. Doesn't mean that Jim really has accepted Christ because he said so.

Yes you can lose your salvation. There are conditions.

If he wasn't sincere he would not have been in the book.

Humans have free will. We can decide to hate God, any day we want.

Again, I think you are thinking to hard.

 

[Penn]

So then you believe that a person can lose their salvation? How can you be sure that Jim was really sincere in his profession to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour to begin with?

There are many who make a superficial acceptance because they are walked through a profession of faith but just go along with what is expected of them by peer pressure, for example. Doesn't mean that Jim really has accepted Christ because he said so.

Doesn't the Book of Hebrews cover some of what you say?

We had a class, in our Adult Sunday School that covered/spoke to the issue.

It depends, it would seem, if your belief in Jesus Christ was real, and not facetious.

 

[ItalianScallion]

Yes you can lose your salvation. There are conditions. If he wasn't sincere he would not have been in the book.
Humans have free will. We can decide to hate God, any day we want.

Maybe your God can't keep you saved but mine can. That is a blasphemous and dangerous statement Kain. You cannot lose you salvation. It is not biblical. If you could, then God makes mistakes and doesn't know everything. Why would He write your name, then erase it? Why write it in there at all if you're not "staying"? If you're not saved, your name is NOT written in the Book of Life. (Rev 13 v 8 see it quoted below).
You do not get saved then lost, then saved then lost. You are not born again & again & again.
See if you get the idea that you can lose your salvation from these verses:

"He chose us before the creation of the world..." (Eph 1 v 4)
"All...will worship the beast...all whose names have NOT been written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world". (Rev 13 v 8)
"The inhabitants of the earth whose names have NOT been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished..." (Rev 17 v8).

"Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit GUARANTEEING our inheritance until the redemption..." (Ephesians 1 v 13).
"Therefore He is able to save completely (forever) those who came to God through Him"... (Hebrews 7 v 25).
"He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in Heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation..." (1 Peter 1 v 4)

If you're going to be saved, you name was written in God's book before anything was ever made.
If you were going to "try on Christianity" for a short time then walk away for good, your name was not written in the book ever.

 

[Starman3000m]

Doesn't the Book of Hebrews cover some of what you say?

We had a class, in our Adult Sunday School that covered/spoke to the issue.

It depends, it would seem, if your belief in Jesus Christ was real, and not facetious.

One verse that comes to mind is:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:19)

 

[baydoll]

You think to hard.

Let us say, that Jim accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior at age 22.

By age 34 he is a mass murderer who loves bloody sex with children. He has denounced Christ.

No, it means he never belonged to Christ to begin with.

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."


"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ"

" and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom...."


“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

"No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."

He gets blotted.

It has nothing to do with the book or birth

God does not have an eraser.


In the Book of Revelation, John refers to the 'book of life' six times. From two of those passages it becomes clear that he certainly did not believe names could be erased from it:

"All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered." Rev 13:8

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. Those who live on the earth whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astounded when they see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present again." Rev 17:8

John tells us in those passages when the Book of Life was filled out:

FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.

The Book of Life has been COMPLETED since the foundation of the world before anyone was ever born. Meaning that in God's foreknowledge, He knew who were to be written in and who were not.

In anticipation of Christ's death on man's behalf, God wrote the names of those He knew from eternity past would accept His gracious offer. God wrote before WE did anything.

This is very important, for if God put names in the Book as history unfolded, as we actually believed, it could be argued that He erases them as history unfolded as well.


God wrote according to foreknowledge so we don't fear that our name will be erased or blotted out from the Book of Life sometime in the future.

1Jo 5:13 -
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.



(thanks to Dr. Charles Stanley and his excellent book Eternal Security for the above.)