OVERVIEW
Death is just a parking spot. But you choose your spot. Will it be on solid ground, or sinking sand?
Every child’s name is written in the Book of Life at conception. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:13-16
BE ACCOUNTABLE
However, there is an illusive age of accountability which refers to the time only God knows when a person either accepts or rejects God. God hates sin, but not the sinner. He alone reads our hearts. When we recognize our sin and ask him to forgive us, he forgives. He receives us as his own child and leads us on the path of righteousness for his own name’s sake. If we reject him, we’re told our names are blotted out of his Book of LIfe.
“For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9
The following verses highlight a few actions determining whose names will either be blotted out or rewritten into the Lamb’s Book of Life.
KNOW GOD
“All people know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20.
KNOW CHRIST
God is reaching out to you. He wants to restore and renew your relationship with him. The first step is to accept the sacrifice Christ made for you through his death on the cross. Both you and God know that you are a sinner and that sin requires the death penalty. Ask God to forgive you and accept the free gift of forgiveness through Christ since he already died for you.
DETAILS ABOUT THE BOOK OF LIFE
God listens. He takes notes. He writes books. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8
The Book of Life records the names of all people who are in God’s “family”. God is determined to spend eternity with his family – those who trust him, obey him, love him and adore him. Being the most amazing God of Fairness, the rules apply evenly to all.
“Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another: and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, said the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.” Malachi 3:16-17
“And Moses returned to the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if you will forgive their sin– ; and if not, blot me, I pray, out of your book that you have written. And the Lord said to Moses, Whosoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” Exodus 32:32-33
“The Lord will not spare him [who worships other gods], but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.” Deuteronomy 29:20
“Let them [David’s enemies] be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” Psalm 69:28
We find it clearly in Samuel’s rebuke of Saul: “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23
It is said in The Book of the Wars of the Lord what he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, and at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lies upon the border of Moab. “ For this reason The Book of the Wars of the Lord speaks of “the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines of the Arnon River, and the ravines that extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab.” Numbers 21:14-15
“And I say to you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: Fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, Fear him.” Luke 12:4-5
“He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1
[During 7 years of Tribulation] “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [Satan], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8
“The beast that you saw 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.” “Revelation 17:8
“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. And whosoever was not found written in The Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12, 15
“And there shall in no way enter into it [Eternity’s Holy City of God] anything that defiles, neither he that works abomination, or makes a lie, but they who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:27
“For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; 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 22:18-19
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20
“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thought, and let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, said the Lord. Just like the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. It’s just like the rain that comes down, and the snow that falls from heaven; it does not return there but it goes forth and waters the earth and causes it to bud and bloom and bring seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish whatever I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to.” Isaiah 55:6-11
See Also: Accept Christ