This is a reply to a friend who wrote me a very good question....a question hard to answer that deals with the very bedrock of our faith in GOD as a soveriegn Lord.  

The question he wrote was this...

I ask you this because you have proven superior intellect when it comes to the Bible....and I trust your opinion and guidance. I was asked about the quote (I think in Revelations) of the phrase "DON'T MAKE ME ERASE YOUR NAME FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE". As far as I can tell, it would mean one of two things.

 First....if you accept Jesus and fail to live to his standards after the fact....then it would be possible for your name to be wiped out because of your constant sin and failure to stop sinning. This could go as far as repeatedly committing the same sin over and over....even though you know better. This hypothesis would lead me to believe that Jesus died for nothing....once you receive Jesus....you had better straighten up your lifestyle and sin no more. This would negate Jesus dying for all of our sins....wouldn't it?

The second guess would be that all of our names were originally written in the Book of Life and that it was up to each of us if to keep their name there by accepting what Jesus did for us. If we fail to do so....then adios from the Book.

I have recently began to study the Bible and educate myself by many resources much harder than in the past. I've read 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Weiss and am currently reading his second book. From the way he described hell....I wouldn't want my worst enemy to enter such a place.

If I'm going to witness, I need all of the facts....including finding the truth for myself.

Thank you as always. I pray many souls can be saved by the truth. I thank you for your insight and knowledge.

I hope you enjoy exploring it as much as I did.

The Strong Watchman

Thanks for writing…and I am honored that you hold my intellect in such high esteem. LOL.

Regarding your reference to this scripture. GOOD QUESTION! HARD QUESTION!

One of the tools I use to compare and contrast scripture is www.biblos.com .

It’s free and a wealth of fabulous info. Several translations, commentaries, versions, cross refs, and a lot more…check it out.

Now let’s get to it.

Revelation 17:8The 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.

This is a pretty direct reference to “when” the names were written in the book of life. But it quickly gets murky when you try to pin down the eternal and timeless nature of this statement.   Taken in our very specific, small-minded, basic language it seems clear that “predestination” is a doctrine of serious merit. It always has to be contrasted with free choice to the unbeliever…(or perhaps not contrasted at all to the unbeliever…except to those who have a sincere interest in understanding such deep things of God’s Word.).

To be more specific. More scripture reference. Let’s grab a little more for context.

Revelation 3:3-5

3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He 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.

First he is talking to the church in Sardis…telling them to wake up! He is reminding them to “remember, therefore what you have received and heard (the gospel), obey it, and repent.

But if you do not wake up…I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

The phrase “I will come like a thief” is critical. More critical than you might realize. Who is he talking to? He is talking to those who have received and heard the gospel…but have not obeyed it, nor repented of their sins. This could only qualify as unbelievers.

This couples with other scriptures as well…several times scripture gives warning that He will come like a thief in the night…

1 Thessalonians 5: 1Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

WHO WILL NOT ESCAPE? Unbelievers. Scoffers. Those who are not truly watching for the return of the master because they do not truly love Him.

But Paul goes on to tell us that we are not part of this group…and that we will not be surprised.

4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

This brings up a critical point…regarding the “importance” of knowing your scriptures in the last days. We should be watching like Christ told us to watch and be vigilant. If you begin to understand that this message about the day of the Lord coming as a “thief in the night”….is spoken to unbelievers…then we can begin to frame the context around the scripture you mentioned.

When Jesus is talking in Revelation 3…about “NEVER” blotting out the name of a person from the book of life…it is a reversal of logic. Look carefully at the context. He is talking about those who are “overcomers”.   He is not saying that “if you don’t behave I will blot you out of the book of life.” Instead He is saying, because you are overcomers for the sake of the gospel I will NEVER blot you out of the book of life…

It’s important to understand the context that happens just before this verse…he is talking to unbelievers about waking up or else…(demonstrated by the “thief in the night” comment…he is talking to the unbelievers…the unrepentant….)

Conversely, the book of life is a reward for the righteous. It goes hand in hand with the proving of your authentic faith in Christ.

This does not resolve the question of names being blotted or not blotted out of the book of life…this is better framed as predestination versus free choice. It only magnifies both realities.

We can assume that God has foreknowledge of all things. We also must assume that God knew some would make the wrong choice…choosing death instead of life….self instead of God. This is in fact the very reason why God laid out the plan the HE did.

This forces us to recognize who God is…his DIVINE nature…HIS ABSOLUTE POWER…

Even knowing what HE DID would result in billions choosing DEATH over LIFE…HE still proceeded with the plan.

We need to remember that all things that GOD does are according to the good pleasure of HIS will.

Are you getting the picture?

There is a part of us that rebels against this idea of ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY…because we resent feeling ABSOLUTELY HELPLESS and under ABSOLUTE CONTROL. But when you come to this “horrible” realization…of a choice between life and death.   Heaven or Hell. You realize that there is really only one acceptable choice. LIFE of course. DEATH is ANATHEMA…DEATH TO THE SOUL IS UNTHINKABLE.

Death to the soul is really an eternal existence in absolute horror and pain, separated from the grace of GOD, who is just, merciful, righteous, and full of grace.

But in order for GOD to represent those things…HE had to follow the plan HE followed…or else how would we know what is JUST, RIGHTEOUS, MERCY, AND GRACE?

The gospel is really that simple…JESUS made a way of grace and mercy, by taking GOD’S WRATH and JUSTICE upon Himself on the cross.

So whose names will be blotted out of the book of life? We still have to answer that question…

Considering Revelation 22:19

19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Does it say that God will blot them out of the Book of Life? Maybe some translation does…but most versions…say something like the above statement. It would be akin to the same thing…having your “share in the tree of life and in the holy city” taken away or your name “blotted out of the book of life”.

What all of this really comes down to …is a mystery. God knows whose names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

I would tend to think that as a mystery…both realities are true. There are indeed those whose names have been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.   But there are also those whose names perhaps are not written, nor ever will be written in the book of life…because they never make the choice for life…which GOD knows they will NOT make….it’s a paradox.

The paradox really explains the absolute authority of GOD and it demands us to be one of those who seeks to have our names added to the book of life…and to live in eternity with GOD as HE desires for HIS good pleasure.

Once we get over the rebellion aspect of this mess…and realize that GOD has our best interests at heart…we can accept that our GOD is a seriously intense GOD…who requires all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and HE expects to join HIS side or pay the consequences which he has the RIGHT and AUTHORITY to deal out to all those who choose NOT to follow their CREATOR.

Does that make sense? I hope I helped you gain a frame of reference which is much bigger than this question by itself. GOD is much bigger than this question and bigger than our understanding could possibly allow.

Our job as Christians, and ambassadors for Christ is to preach “the gospel of salvation” to the lost. It is not our job to preach “predestination” or to try and judge who is saved and who is not…or who is predestinated…and who is not.

Thanks for the question…you made me think this whole thing through yet again…and dig through God’s Word…which is always a good and enlightening experience.

The Strong Watchman

Here are some references to the Book of Life.

Revelation 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the ...

Revelation 13:8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the ...

Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in ...

Psalm 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be ...

Revelation 22:19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of ...

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing ...

Philippians 4:3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these ...

Revelation 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will ...

Revelation 17:8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not ...