The great white throne. Revelation 20 v 11-15.
"Another book was opened which is the book of life........." This is the time when the tears can begin to flow, when the bitterness of eternal loss sets in. When "what might have been" begins to dawn on the people. The contrast could not be greater; it is either the books, or the book of life. The books are about my works, the book is about the work of Christ. The books are all about my way, the book of life is God's way, God's wonderful way of salvation. It has been so from the very beginning. Abel accepted God's way, but his brother Cain chose his own way and went into perdition. We will first trace this book of life throughout the scriptures, then we shall ask what is it all about and we will finish with the awful realisation that everyone's name could have been there.
- Exodus 32v31-33 - "And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, o this people have sinned a great sin, and have made then gods of gold. Yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin ---: and if not, blot me I pray thee out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, whosoever hath sinned against Me him will I blot out of My book."
- Luke 10v20 - " ..... but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
- Philippians 4v3 - "I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life."
- Hebrews 12v23 - "To the general assembly, and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven."
- Revelation 3v5 - "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."
There is in heaven a book of life. This is a book containing the names of all who have placed their faith and trust in God throughout all the ages. The principal was established as early as Genesis 3v15; it was ratified in Genesis 15v6 that only faith in God would make a man or a woman right with God, no other way. The principal of the book of life is that no person on earth, no matter how good their works could ever achieve the standards required by God. This is why the Saviour must come. Instead of my merit, my efforts, my works, which could never make me right with God, it was only the perfect life and death of Jesus Christ that would avail and bring my name into the book of life. Not one of us whose names are there, deserve to be there. We have done nothing to merit God's salvation. it is a gift of the grace of God received by faith and secures me for eternal bliss. I am in the book of life not because of where I was born, or who my parents were, or what my talents were or which church or religious organisation I attended; my name is there because of one thing and one thing only, I placed my trust for eternity on Jesus Christ and therefore my name is written in heaven. There is a roll call of the great people of faith of the Old Testament all of whose names are in that book in Hebrews chapter 11. To that great list has been added countless millions of people of all classes who trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here comes the tragedy; your way or God's way? God has made it clear from the very beginning what is the way back to Him for all fallen humanity. The names which are written in the book of life may well be read out here, we cannot be sure. At least we know that it will occur to someone standing in the dock that their wife might be there, their husband, their son, their daughter, their mother, their father, their granddad, their grandmother, their grandchildren, their friends, their neighbours, their associates. The saddest thing of all is that everyone's name could have been there. If your name is not in the book of life, it is because you ignored, rejected, or opposed Jesus Christ. He had occasion to say to some "ye will not come unto me that ye might have life".
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