The Bible speaks of a book in Heaven that lists the names of all the people who will inherit eternal life with God. Is your name included in the Book of Life?
We learn through God’s servants and the prophets that He has a very special book. This is an open book which contains a registry of very important people–God’s family. Almighty God Himself holds in high esteem the individuals whose names are recorded in this spiritual book.
This exclusive book is not made with human hands and exists in the Heavenly realm only. It is called “The Lamb’s Book of Life.”
In speaking about Heaven, the apostle John states, “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:27 NKJV).
For an individual’s name to be written in this Book requires that one is considered righteous before God. But hold on please. Righteous does not mean sinless. Righteous means to be in “right standing” with God. In order to inherit eternal life a person must remain in right standing with God. There is only one way to be in “right standing” with God and that is to accept Jesus into your heart and asking Him to forgive you of your sins. When someone accepts this free gift, your sins are covered with the sinless blood of Jesus and washed away. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:5)
To have a name blotted out of this Book is worse than physical death. It means that person is destined to a fate of eternal death. Take a look at this scripture from God’s Word. “Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)
The Book of Life is first mentioned in the Bible when Moses offered to have his name erased from it. Moses spoke to God and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” (Exodus 32:31-32)
Look at how the Lord responded. And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” (Exodus 32:33).
In today’s western culture these verses bring much misunderstanding and disagreement between individuals and organizations alike. You are welcome to disagree with me, of course, but I believe there really is a hell–just as the Bible describes. I believe the entire Bible is true and that we find the truth “in the sum of His Word,” not just one verse, but several verses all indicating the same principle.
With this broad understanding of the nature of God and in learning to know God’s ways, I believe that those that are not in right standing with God when they die will spend eternity in hell. This means that those who have rejected God and His gift of redemption, as well as those that knew God at one time but have turned away from God and not repented, will go to hell. Any who have not chosen by their own free will, this wonderful free gift of salvation, will indeed spend eternity in hell if they experience earthly death while still in this unredeemed condition.
Many have erroneously read these scriptures with such strictness that they believe almost no one can find eternal life with God in Heaven. I believe that God in fact has made it very easy to understand and accept salvation through Jesus–but it takes a repentant and submissive heart. I believe all children prior to the age of accountability go to Heaven regardless of what culture or religion they are born into. This age of accountability is not a fixed day or year but varies with each individual and is determined by God through His angels.
Back to the life of Moses; as noble as Moses’ intentions may have been to protect his fellow Israelites from God’s wrath, God will not negotiate with people’s salvation in this way. God did change His mind when Abraham pleaded with the Lord for Sodom and Gomorrah. God also changed His plan for Lot also before the destruction began. God does have everlasting mercy. But the mercy of God is also combined with His judgment. As we read and understand His Word more and more, there becomes less and less misunderstanding of How God’s love and mercy is blended with His discipline and judgment. The Bible tells us God IS Love. It is His very essence. His judgment and discipline is born out of His love.
Who is currently in the Book of Life?
The Book of Life contains the names of those who have been spiritually reborn. Like other servants of God, Moses understood that his name was already written in the Book of Life (Exodus 32:31-32).
Jesus said that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as the prophets will be in the Kingdom of God, so their names are in the Book of Life. Jesus further told His disciples to rejoice because their names are written in heaven. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20).
The apostle Paul wrote a letter citing the names of a few faithful brethren alive at the time whose names are written in the Book of Life. “And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” (Philippians 4:3).
What members of the true Church of God have in common with the patriarchs and prophets of old is that they all share the same gift of the Holy Spirit. “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things which angels desire to look into.” (I Peter 1:10-12).
Having God’s Holy Spirit is the key to being granted eternal life in the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:9, 11). And God’s Holy Spirit is in all who have invited Jesus into their hearts and lives. It is the Holy Spirit Who does the work of salvation in the hearts of those who believe unto salvation. Jesus said that He must leave so that the Holy Spirit could come. When Jesus departed this world in His glorified form, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit arrived with power to minister to all who would believe.
I believe the Bible makes it understood that there is a second work of the Holy Spirit. That work is to be baptized (or filled) with the Holy Spirit. I’m planning on writing about that later. But just know that this second work of God is where the POWER exists for living this Christian life. You need and you receive the Holy Spirit when you are saved. You get the power to overcome, to be bold, to literally bring Heaven to earth in your personal life with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Because of my experiences and because of my diligent study I believe that all names are written in the Book of Life at conception. Children before the age of accountability, and all people who believe in Jesus as Savior will be in God’s Kingdom and they even now have their names in the Book of Life. God alone knows when a person has made their final rejection of Jesus and His gift of redemption which will cause their name to be blotted out of the Book of Life (Malachi 3:16-17).
If you are uncertain that your name is written in Heaven’s Book of Life, please visit our web page called “Book Your Heaven Flight” to understand how you can be sure you are in God’s family and destined for Heaven when your life is over. There is no greater and more important decision you can make in this lifetime than where you will spend eternity. Click BOOK YOUR HEAVEN FLIGHT for more information:
*this article is taken from the NEW HEAVEN SERIES by Capt. Dale Black. Learn more