THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE
ILLUSTRATION
Many years ago there was a very small country church that just had a sanctuary and one small class room. For heat there was a coal stove in the basement, and there was an outhouse located along a hedgerow at the edge of the churches property. Physical there was not much to brag about the church, but it was in this old church that many people developed a strong relationship with God.
There is one interesting story relative to that old church. It is a story, which was brought to mind by a lady at the church I now attend. She asked me if I would put together something about the Lamb’s Book of Life. As I sat there contemplating how I would approach her request my mind filled with an image of the old church. More specifically, I could see a church lady standing at the front of the sanctuary, and she was holding a massive book from which she called out names. You see, in that little old country church, so very many years ago, they called role every Sunday.
As I contemplated these things, while sitting in our churches comfortable upholstered pews, I could not help but smile at the thought of how people would react if we were to call role in church today. In my youth it was the norm; and, I can still feel the anxiety of waiting for my name to be called … and the fear that I had forgotten my memory verse. Yep, not only was your name called: you also had to stand up and repeat a bible verse from memory. Of course, there was always good old John 11:35, but you would be stretching your luck if you used it very often. Time sure has changed things; today people seem to prefer a church that expects nothing from them … except maybe some money.
So much for today, we need to return to the little old church, and to my mission to write about the Lamb’s Book of Life. What is interesting about my memory of the lady with her big book is how this scenario not only generated a since of foreboding, but how it also generated a sense of comfort. As a little child I was already somewhat aware of the Lamb’s Book of Life, and for some reason I kind of associated it with the big book from which the lady read our names each week. In my child’s mind, I took a great deal of comfort from knowing my name was written down in that book. Of course there was also the fact that having my name written in that book placed a heavy burden on me … I had to have a memory verse ready each Sunday. Still, when my name was read, and I had prepared a suitable memory verse, I had that glorious feeling of being right with God.
I probably should stop thinking about this and get involved in the service going on around me, but I have a feeling my memory of the lady with the big role book holds the key to my mission. In my young life I was not concerned with any questions about the book. The church lady had the book and my name was in it. I did not care how my name got in the book and I knew my name would not be erased from the book as long as I fulfilled my obligations. From my young perspective, God was glad my name was in the book and God expected me to have a memory verse ready each week … as long as I did my part I had a good relationship with God.
1. BASIC CONCEPT OF A BOOK OF LIFE
There can be no denying that the Book of Life is mentioned numerous times in scripture; but, is the Book of Life literal or symbolic? Of course when we say literal we are not necessarily talking about something physical such as the church ladies big book. That does not mean, however, that we do not consider a literal heavenly existence of some form of record, which God refers to as the “Lambs Book of Life”. Please understand, we are talking about a literal record, which exists in heaven; we are not talking about some church membership book. We do not presume to claim detailed knowledge of this book nor do we expect it to necessarily be in the form and fashion of an earthly text. In our humble understanding of scripture, we are talking about God literally having a heavenly medium in which the names of His true followers and their life history are recorded.
If we believe in the physical existence of a Book of Life rather than its being just symbolic then we must ask ourselves: why does it exist? Perhaps it would be helpful if we took into consideration the fact that our relationship with God has two distinct facets. (Matthew 28:16-20) First and foremost is our coming to the conviction that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, which results in our being spiritually reborn as a disciple of Jesus Christ. (John 3:1-16) The second facet of our relationship with God is the product of our spiritual maturity, which results in our working to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. If we combine these two facts with the realization that at the day of judgement Jesus will judge the world then a Book of Life begins to make sense. According to scripture Jesus will use the Book of Life to separate the goats from the sheep; and, Jesus will evaluate the work the sheep have done and He will reward us accordingly. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) When we take into consideration what will transpire in the judgement it certainly is not unreasonable to believe God has recorded, in heaven, the names of those who have become born again and He has also recorded what they have done as disciples.
There is one sidebar we need to consider before examining evidence to support our position that the Book of Life is literal and used at the final judgment. We need to understand that God and the heavenly host are literal. In other words, we need to dispense with the notion that God is just a thought, or some mystical spiritual being, or some undefinable ethereal force. To start with we need to remember that Jesus spoke of eating in heaven: “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29) Eating in heaven is also referenced in Revelation 22:2, Matthew 8:11, Luke 14:15, and Revelation 19:9. In support of these references we have the fact that the resurrected Jesus ate. (Luke 24:42-43). A spiritual or ethereal force does not eat. Then there is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man’s wanting water dripped on his tongue supports the existence of a literal heaven. And, there is the fact that Paul tells us there is both physical flesh and spiritual flesh. (1 Corinthians 15:44) Heaven is real, just as hell is real, it is foolishness to deny the physical aspect of heaven. Ergo, a literal Book of Life is logical.
2. A LITERAL HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Very often we limit our examination of a biblical factoid to scripture and in so doing we can sometimes miss getting a deeper perspective. Most assuredly, all we ever need is scripture … end of any debate. Still, we are going to take the liberty to examine what ancient Christians were exposed to and how these non-canon literary writings can sometimes reveal a broader picture about our belief. It can also be postulated that the more widespread an ancient belief, such as a literal book of life, the greater the probability that our interpretation of the bible is correct. In other words, when other historical documents support the notion that the bible is talking about a “literal” record, which we call the Lamb’s Book of Life, there is an increased probability that this is what the men writing the bible also meant. The point we want to make is: if the bible infers a literal record, and historical documents imply a literal record, then we can also assume that its purpose is literal … there is a literal Book of Life and it is a literal record of each human life. More to the point, our record in the Book of Life will be used in our final judgment.
A. BOOK OF LIFE IN JUDAISM
It is the belief of devote Jews that on Rosh Hashana, God determines if a person's good deeds outnumber their sinful acts during the past year. If a person’s good deeds are more than their bad deeds then their name will remain inscribed in the Book of Life for another year. Jews believe God inscribes everyone's name into one of three catregories: the Book of Life (righteous), Book of Death (evil), and those who are luke warm get their judgment suspended until Yom Kippur. (Talmud, Rosh Hashana 32b) In typical mid-eastern fashion, Judaism blankets black and white with a gray shade of negotiation. Few people are righteous and few people are truly evil; thus, the majority of people can work out a deal with God by being good until Yom Kippur. During the 10-days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the bulk of the Jewish people try to do good deeds or extra mitzvot so their names remain in, or they get their names written in, the Book of Life for another year.
The average Jew may view the Book of Life in such a casual fashion, but in a true Hebrew perspective it is not that simple. Determining a person’s standing in the eyes of God is not simply comparing the number of good deed with the number of bad deeds. Determining our standing is not a numbers game of one mitzvah versus one transgression. In reality, God examines the nature and impact of our action to determine the true state of our heart. All the simple good deeds of a life time may not be sufficient to offset the impact of a serious disobedience or rebellion against God’s instructions. Although the numbers game is a common belief among many Jews the fact remains the Hebrew faith teaches us that the best way to ensure a right standing with God is to sincerely embrace the teachings of the Torah and in so doing be transformed into a new person.
B. THE BOOK OF LIFE IN ISLAM
In examining Islam we are going a bit outside most Christian’s comfort zone. We need to remember, however, that Islam shares much history and many beliefs with Judaism. According to the teachings of Islam, all activities can be categorized in two parts: positive or negative. Positive activities will be recorded in a book called Illiyyin and negative activities will be recorded in a book called as Sijjin. It should be noted that our use of the term book over simplifies the implications of Sijjin and Illiyyin. In all probability Islamic scholars would want to debate the implication that the Sijjin and Illiyyin are “books.” The fact is that Islamic writings do not clearly define the record medium of Sijjin and Illiyyin. The important point we want to garner from this is that Islam teaches that there exist a literal record of all activities and this record will be used to judge us at a later time.
C. THE BOOK OF LIFE IN THE BOOK OF JUBILEES
Christians do not consider the Book of Jubilees to possess sufficient credentials to be included on the cannon of the Holy Bible. This does not, however, mean that the Book of Jubilees is without historical significance. The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis, is an ancient Jewish religious work, which is accepted as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as well Ethiopian Jews. Early Christians recognized its historical value and many of our early church fathers referenced or used quotes from the Book of Jubilees. For this reason it may be of value for us to consider what the writer or writers of the Book of Jubliees thought about the Lamb’s Book of Life.
For example, in the Book of Jubilees chapter 30 verses 21 and 22 it is written: “All this account I have written for thee, and have commanded thee to say to the children of Israel, that they should not commit sin nor transgress the ordinances nor break the covenant which has been ordained for them, (but) that they should fulfil it and be recorded as friends. But if they transgress and work uncleanness in every way, they will be recorded on the heavenly tablets as adversaries, and they will be destroyed out of the book of life, and they will be recorded in the book of those who will be destroyed and with those who will be rooted out of the earth.”
Again, in the Book of Jubilees chapter 36 verses 9 and 10 it is written: “And if either of you deviseth evil against his brother, know that from henceforth every one that deviseth evil against his brother will fall into his hand, and will be rooted out of the land of the living, and his seed will be destroyed from under heaven. But on the day of turbulence and execration and indignation and anger, with flaming devouring fire as He burnt Sodom, so likewise will He burn his land and his city and all that is his, and he will be blotted out of the book of the discipline of the children of men, and not be recorded in the book of life, but in that which is appointed to destruction, and he will depart into eternal execration; so that their condemnation may be always renewed in hate and in execration and in wrath and in torment and in indignation and in plagues and in disease forever.”
The point we want to take out of this is a reinforcing of the Hebrew belief that God has a record of those who are obedient to His commands and those who have rebelled.
D. THE BOOK OF LIFE IN THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS
Another ancient (late 1st or mid-2nd century) religious text frequently referenced, or quoted from, by early church leaders is The Shepherd of Hermas or sometimes just called The Shepherd. In the First Vision, verse 23 and 24, it is written: “But now the mercy of God hath taken compassion upon thee, and upon thine house, and hath greatly comforted thee. Only as for thee, do not wander, but be of an even mind, and comfort thy house. As the workman bringing forth his work, offers it to whomsoever he pleaseth; so shalt thou by teaching every day what is just cut off a great sin. Wherefore cease not to admonish thy sons, for the Lord knows that they will repent with all their heart, and they shall be written in the book of life. It is obvious that the author believed that repentance would help us establish a right relationship with God and that this would result in our having our names written in the Book of Life.
D. THE BOOK OF LIFE IN ENOCH
The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious literary work from about 300 BC. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, but it does reveal historical or theological attitudes and beliefs. In chapter XLVII, verse 3 and 4 it is written: “In those days I saw the Head of Days when He seated himself upon the throne of His glory, And the books of the living were opened before Him: And all His host which is in heaven above and His counselors stood before Him, And the hearts of the holy were filled with joy;…”
In chapter CVIII, verses 2 and 3, it is written: “Ye who have done good shall wait for those days till an end is made of those who work evil; and an end of the might of the transgressors. And wait ye indeed till sin has passed away, for their names shall be blotted out of the book of life and out of the holy books, and their seed shall be destroyed forever, and their spirits shall be slain, and they shall cry and make lamentation in a place that is a chaotic wilderness, and in the fire shall they burn; for there is no earth there.”
There is sufficient historical evidence for us to say that the “Book of Life” is theologically considered to be a literal record of human acceptance of God’s divine authority as well as rejection, as portrayed by their labors to obey the commandments and teachings of God.
3. BOOK OF LIFE IN THE BIBLE
As was stated earlier, our knowledge and beliefs regarding the Book of Life are founded on, rooted in, and constrained by, what is written in the Holy Bible. To this end, in the New American Standard Bible the term “Book of Life” appears nine times: once in the Old Testament and eight times in the New Testament. The term “Book of Remembrance” occurs one time in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is also probably referring to the Book of Life in Luke 10:20, when he tells the seventy disciples not to rejoice because the spirits are subject to them, but to rejoice because their names are recorded in heaven.
A closer look at scriptural evidence clearly reveals that:
- Whosoever sins against God will have their name removed from God’s book; Exodus 32:33,
- David asked God if his name is not in God’s book; Psalm 56:8,
- David asked God to blot the names of his enemies from the book of the living; Psalms 69:28,
- David references his life being written in God’s book; Psalm 139:16,
- Daniel said that everyone who is found written in the book will be rescued; Daniel 12:1,
- Fear the Lord and have your name written in a book of remembrance; Malachi 3:16,
- Those who serve the Lord have their names in the book of life; Philippians 4:3,
- He that overcometh will not have his name blotted out of the book of life; Revelation 3:5,-
- Those not in the Book of Life will worship anti-Christ; Revelation 13:8,
- Those whose are not written in the book of life will admire the beast; Revelation 17:8,
- It is a record of our life that is used in the final judgment; Revelation 20:12,
- Those not in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire; Revelation 20:15, and
- Those in the Book of Life are allowed to enter New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:27
We could enter into a long dialog regarding these scripture, but it is sufficient to say that there is a preponderance of evidence supporting the literal existence of a Lamb’s Book of Life.
CONCLUSION
It is our belief that the biblically referenced “Book of Life” contains the names of born again Christians who are to receive the gift of everlasting life and subsequent heavenly rewards. Furthermore, it is understood that God determines those names based on a person’s conviction in Jesus Christ and their willingness to obey all that He commanded.
We are the one who determines if our name is to be written in the book of life. In Malachi it is written: “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.” (Malachi 3:16) In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he implied that those who serve Jesus have their names written in the Book of Life: “Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” It is our decision to become a disciple of Jesus and it is our decision to obey all that He commanded … it is our decision!
We do have the assurance that God has kept each of his loyal servants recorded in heaven. Remember, we are Jesus’ sheep; not by our being physically born but because we were spiritually born or reborn. We are sheep because we have been born again. John writes that Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John10:27-30)
We also have the assurance that God will remain faithful to us … provided we remain faithful to Him. “The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” (Exodus 32:33) Jesus said: “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:5) Thus, we are born again as a disciple of Jesus Christ and our name is recorded in the Book of Life … our name remains in the Book of Life as long as we remain faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21) It is through endurance that we remain faithful and continue to have our names recorded in the Book of Life. We can also say that our deeds are recorded in heaven and used to judge our rewards. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
There is every reason to believe that a literal record, “Book of Life,” exists in heaven and it contains the names of born again Christians who are to receive the gift of everlasting life and subsequent heavenly rewards.
