Names Written In A Book?

I have heard all my life that your name is written in the Book of Life when you first believe in Jesus as your Saviour. Is this true? Is there more to be learned? This morning I will try to answer these questions.

In Luke 10:20 Jesus is talking with His disciples and He mentions that their names are written in Heaven, and this is what they should be excited about. But these men are not born again or converted, and Jesus is telling them that their names are written in Heaven. How was this possible?

The disciples were following Jesus and they believed He was the Christ. But, they were not converted or born again. To prove my point let us look at Luke 22:32, Jesus is talking with Peter and He tells him “I have prayed for you to keep the faith, and when you are converted, that you should strengthen your brethren”. This implies that when Jesus talked with them back in Luke 10:20, they were not converted, but their names were written in Heaven.

So the question remains, when are your names written down? The Old Testament speaks of a book where the names are written down and could be blotted out. The word blot means to erase.

In Psalm 69:28 David is writing about a book of the living. What is this book? I believe this book is one in which every person who has ever been born is written down. This book is a list of people who have lived on planet earth, since the beginning of Adam and Eve. Some Old Testament scriptures are Exodus 32:31-33, Psalm 56:8, 69:27-28, 139:16, Daniel 12:1 and Malachi 3:16. This is confirmation that there is a book of life existing since the beginning.

I believe this is what Jesus was talking about with His disciples. It is now up to the New Testament to determine if there is more than one book of life. We read in Hebrews 12:23 “to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven”. This is the first the New Testament speaks of this book, and only one other time in Revelation 13:8. This book is about those who have received Jesus as their Saviour, and are converted. Their names are written down in this book as well as the original book of life as you are born into this earth.

The writer of Hebrews is talking to the Jewish Christians, and in Revelation 13:8, John is telling the story of the end times as revealed to him by God. He is painting a picture of all the people on earth whose names are not written in the Lambs Book of Life, as they are not Christians. But, they are alive so their names are written in the Book of Life, and if they do not believe on Jesus, they will be erased from this book.

It is my understanding that by this time the ‘Church” has been taken out by God, and the only people of God that are left are the 144,000 Jews who will preach the Messiah during the last years of earths remaining time. Grace is over and wrath is to be released for the final harvest. During this period of time only the ones who are willing to die for their faith will be saved. But this is my opinion according to my understanding of the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 20:12-15 the Bible talks about the books were opened, and another book, which is the Lambs Book of Life. I believe that this book is the one which has the names of all who have believed on the Lord Jesus since His resurrection from the grave. This book is only for those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. The ones who reject the message of the Gospel, never have their names written in this book. These are the ones who have their names removed from the original book of life, as they are born into this world.

The book of Revelation is our main source of information that tells us about the Book of Life and the Lambs Book of Life. Revelation 3:5 reads, “he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name from the book of life”. This statement could lead you to believe that your name could be erased. But in reality it is only assuring the believer that their names are secure in Jesus. The book of John 5:24, 6:35-37,39, and 10:28-29, assures us of our status in Christ Jesus.

John writes about the Book of Life four times in his revelation from God, while on the Isles of Patmos. I believe there are two books of life, but the one thing I know according to scripture is that we are secure in Jesus for our salvation. I choose to believe His blood was enough, and Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He is our door to eternal life (John 10:9-16). The bloodline is established and we are now citizens of Heaven, here on assignment to the people of earth. Not only that, but now you are Gods child and he has become your Father.

So in conclusion we have this assurance. The Book of Life is the book that when we are conceived, our name is written in it. This means that every person that has ever lived, whether they are born to life or aborted and killed, are known to God, as He is the giver of life (Jeremiah 1:1). The other book is the Lambs Book of Life, and your name is also recorded in it as you become a believer and it will never be erased.

Kind of makes your head spin doesn’t it? It is just information that is purely speculative other than the fact that you are known to God by name and when you believe on Jesus your future is secure in Him. It should give you much comfort to know your name is recorded in the Lambs Book of Life and will not be erased.

Always remember, you will make it, just don’t give up. See you next week.