The Book of Life
The Book of Life
We make a big mistake in thinking that God does not have a plan. We plan; we plan because God plans. God has a plan, a plan from "before the foundations of the world," and since God exists in an eternal present, this should not surprise us. He was not caught by surprise when Lucifer rebelled! He was not caught by surprise when Adam and Eve sinned! While we may struggle to understand how these things fit together: Infra-Lapsarianism verses Supra-Lapsarianism, God has it all worked out. Never think that because you cannot figure something out in the bible, or because it does make sense to you, then it must not be true.
Any God whom you can fully figure out, is not the true, eternally, self-existing God. And there are many things he has not told us; they are "above our pay grade;" heck, we do not have a pay grade!
"The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." Deu 29:29
So regarding "The Book of Life?"
One, The Book of Life is a real book.
"And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life." Php 4:3
"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." Rev 3:5
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev 13:8
"The beast that thou sawest 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." Rev 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." Rev 20:12
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Rev 20:15
"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Rev 21:27
"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." Rev 22:19
We struggle with the physical nature of heaven, but remember, there are four (4) human bodies in heaven right now, Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and Enoch; the physical resurrection of Jesus is proof positive that heaven is physical, and so when it says in Rev 20:12, "and another book was opened, which is the book of life," this in not figurative language, there is a book.
Two, the Book of Life is a written document.
It has names and words written in it; it is written so it cannot be changed! In this digital age, where documents can be changed with "delete" or "insert," we forget that something on paper cannot be changed. That is why we print out important documents. That is why printed books are so important!
You can post a newer version of a digital document, but you cannot un-write a written document!
When Moses said in Exo 32:32, "blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written," he is referring to the only way you can "remove" something from a book that is written with ink. You cannot erase ink! "Blotting out," refers to the practice used with fountain pens and liquid ink, were the pen tip was left at the same place on a piece of paper, and the ink wicked out of the pen, into the paper, and covered over, blotted out, the previous writing. It was done if you did not want what was previously written to be readable. If you wanted the person reading your document to see what you had written, but wanted to change, you put a line through it, but blotting out was a permanent covering up, so that what was previously written would become forever unknown. And yes, I do remember using a fountain pen!
The point here is that there are actual words, letters written with ink, in an actual book, such that Moses has to say, "blot out my name."
Three, the Book of Life deals with life.
It is the contract between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in which is written what each will do to effect the salvation of the elect: to give them eternal life. God is on the side of life; he is the living God.
The Father elects these individuals, writes their names in the book of life, and gives them to Christ, and appoints Christ to died for their/our sins.
Christ promises to die for those people.
The Holy Spirit promises to call them out of death and darkness, and impart new life to them.
Just like a life insurance policy works: we are the beneficiaries of Christ's death. Christ agrees to die, and the benefits of his death accrue to us.
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." Heb 10:7
"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," 1Pe 1:20
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev 13:8
He was not killed before the foundation of the world, he died on the cross 2000 years ago; but in the agreement which the Trinity made within itself, his death was ordained before the world began, "and when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son," Gal 4:4, meaning that when the pre-ordained time arrived, God sent Christ. Jesus was always referring to himself as the one sent by the Father: in the contract, the Father was the Sender, Christ was the sent one, and these things were all written in the book, in the contract.
And these things were kept secret, vaguely revealed in the Old Testament, then fully revealed by Christ in his personal teaching, and in the New Testament.
"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Mat 13:35
They were secret: during the Old Testament period, bits and pieces were revealed to us by the prophets; but the full meaning was not revealed until the correct time.
"Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." 1Pe 1:10-12
The contents of which the angels also discussed, desiring to look into, but not being able, because they were mysteries kept secret even from angels.
Four, it is the Lamb's Book of Life.
Biblical Christianity is Christo-centeric, meaning it revolves around Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity.
It is not the Father's book of life, it is not the Holy Spirit's book of life.
Here is were our Pentecostal/Charismatic brothers and sisters err: they are Pneumo-centric, they focus on the Holy Spirit, but Jesus said the Holy Spirit would speak about him:
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." Joh 16:13-14
We are called Christians, not Spiritians.
Human history revolves around Jesus! It is his name to which we will all at will bow:
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" Php 2:10
Five, it was written before the foundation of the world.
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" Eph 1:4
"whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" Rev 17:8
This is why we say it is all of grace, not one bit of works; see Rom 9.
Six, it has names written in it.
We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, the book was written before the foundation of the world, and our names, our personal individual names were written in it. This is specific, nothing vague. My name, Ray Gibello, was written in the book before the foundation of the world, and on a specific day, at a specific time, the set time, Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to birth me. Think of our birth certificates, they have day and time written on them; our spiritual birth certificates, the date and time of our salvation, were pre-written.
Consider these verses:
"Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." Exo 32:32
"Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Luk 10:20
"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," Heb 12:23
Jesus said he calls his sheep by name, because our names are written in the book of life.
Seven, the book also has written in it God's plan for us as individuals.
"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" Psa 56:8
"Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." Psa 139:16
The story of our lives, meaning "our wandering," and our sorrows, meaning "our tears;" our body shapes and mis-shapes, "all my members," they are all written in the book!
And they were all written "when as yet there was none of them," ie before we were born!
So God tells Jeremiah:
"Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Jer 1:4-5
God knew him as Jeremiah, and ordained his work for him; it was written in the book!
Christian, each of our names is written in that same book, and for each of us our heavenly father has a plan, do not miss what God has planned for you. We were made for better things than the trinkets of this world.
See my Blog "Faithfulness with the gifts God has entrusted to us.
Seven, in this book are the benefits that will accrue to us.
Again think "life insurance policy." A life insurance policy is a contract that I make with the life insurance company. When I die, they give benefits (money) to my beneficiaries. My beneficiaries do nothing; I do it all.
Jesus made a contract with the Father. The Father is like the life insurance company. We are the beneficiaries. He dies, the Father gives us benefits. We do nothing, we just benefit.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" Mat 25:34
"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luk 12:32
The benefits, the things, the kingdom God prepared for us from the foundation of the world, are part of his eternal plan for those whom he chose in Christ from before the foundation of the world.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1Co 2:9
"hath prepared;" God was active in this!
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." Joh 17:24
Christian brother, Christian sister these things are truly amazing, beyond anything we can imagine, and they were prepared for us, and guaranteed in writing; they are written in the book!
25 July 2025