The Book of Life

 

 

 

 

The Old Testament

 

Exodus 32:33

The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.

 

Ps 69:28

May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

The New Testament

 

Phil 4:3

Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

 

Rev 3:5

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

 

 

 

The Great Tribulation

 

Rev 13:8

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

 

Rev 17:8

The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. 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 when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.

 

 

 

 

 

The Dead Are Judged at the Great White Throne

Rev 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New Jerusalem

Rev 21:23-27

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life

 

 

 

The Little Scroll and the Seven Seals

The Lamb and the Scroll

(Revelation Ch 5)

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

 

The Seals

(Revelation Ch 6)

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two poundsof wheat for a day’s wages,and six poundsof barley for a day’s wages,and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide usf from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of theirg wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

The Great Multitude in White Robes

(Revelation Ch 7:9-17)

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

(Revelation Ch 8:1-5)

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

 

The Angel and the Little Scroll

(Revelation Ch 10)

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Commentary

 

If the seventh seal is synchronous with the seventh trumpet, then the Little Scroll could well be the scroll that the Lamb is opening one seal at a time in Revelations 6:1-8:5

 

The Great Multitude in white robes in Revelations 7:9-17 would, therefore, be the rapture of the Church at the Last Trumpet

 

Could the Little Scroll be the same as the Book of Life? Once it is opened, those who are saved are resurrected or raptured to be with Christ in the clouds.

 

The Church is judged separately to the Nations (Pagans/Gentiles).

 

The Church is called up to be with Christ in the Clouds when the seventh trumpet sounds. They stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and are judged for the things that they have done in the body of Christ. At the same time, false christians in the Church are sent to hell by the angel in charge of the fire (Revelation Ch 14).

 

The pagans who have died are not judged until the end of the Millennium at the Great White Throne.  Those who are alive when Christ returns will suffer the seven bowls of God’s wrath and will be separated into the Sheep (who were kind to God’s people) and the Goats (who persecuted God’s people).  Some of these ‘Sheep Nations’ will be allowed to continue to live on Earth as the Nations during the Millennium.

 

Some Pagans (Gentiles, Nations) escape the Lake of Fire and are allowed to spend Eternity as the New Nations basking in the Light of the New Jerusalem. They are even given the 'Leaves of the Tree of Life' for healing and they are allowed to enter the New Jerusalem once a year. It therefore follows that these nations must not have accepted the mark of the beast as they were not thrown into the Lake of Fire. It also follows that their Names must be in the Lamb's Book of Life as they are allowed to enter the New Jerusalem once a year. When they are judged at the Great White Throne at the end of the Millennium, if their names are not in the Book of Life they are thrown into the Lake of Fire.

 

The Book of Life must, therefore, contain the Names of Pagans who were not thrown into the Lake of Fire.

 

The Book of Life is opened once at the beginning of the Millennium to judge Christians and it is opened again a the end of the Millennium to judge pagans.

 

The Born Again Believers' names are listed on the Little Scroll which is part of the Book of Life.

 

The Names of Pagans who are spared the Lake of Fire are listed on a separate scroll (let's say it is called the 'Big Scroll') which is also part of the Book of Life.

 

The Little Scroll therefore contains the names of born again believers in the New and Old Covenant times. When it is opened at the seventh trumpet (before the Millennium) the Believers get resurrected (if sleeping) or raptured (if alive).

 

The 'Big Scroll' contains the names of all Pagans who are spared the Lake of Fire and are destined to be the Nations in Eternity.

 

Both the 'Little Scroll' and the 'Big Scroll' are therefore pages or chapters in the Book of Life. They are a subsets of the Book of Life.

 

 

 

 

 

The Second Coming of Christ at the Last Trumpet