The Book of Life

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

The Bible refers to three books of record:  (1)  The Book of Life, (2) The Book of Judgment, and (3) another unknown one.  This article will mainly center on the Book of Life.

The Bible tells us that everyone from the age of conception was created and formed by God in our mother's womb.  At that point, He then recorded everyone in His Book of Life.  According to the Tanakh (The Jewish Scriptures - the Old Testament) every person's name is recorded in God's book.  Psa 139:13-16 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb...My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret...your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written....to the very last one of them.  The questions then arise:  Can one's name be removed from the Book of Life, and how is it removed?  Can one's name be placed back in if it is removed? 

Our answers lie only in the Word of God

The Book of Life contains the names of the righteous in God. Psa 69:27-28 Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into Your righteousness.   May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous.(NASV)  This was a commonly understood belief by the ancient Jews that one must be righteous to have their names written in the Book of Life.  It was also known, which answers one of the questions, that yes a person's name can be removed from the Book of Life. 

• Moses pleaded with God not to blot the names out of those who had sinned against Him.  He even asked of God that if He refused, then blot out his name as well.  Exo 32:32 "Yet now, if You will forgive their sin; but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."  The Lord responded by saying: Exo 32:33 And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.
• King David, praying on behalf of the sins of the Israelites, beseeched God to not remove his name from His book.  

That then leads one to ask another question:  When does God remove names from the Book of Life - how many times does one sin to have his name removed? 

The Bible states that before Christ, all Israelites were under the law and bound by the law.  So then, will sacrificing then keep or bring one's name back into the Book of Life?  In other words, we could ask that same question today:  Will good works keep one's name, or bring back, into the Book of Life?

Christ, speaking to His disciples referred to a special book of the names of the righteous that are written down in heaven: Luke 10:20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."   Here, He was specifically stating that to have one's name written in heaven, one must now believe in Him.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.  That whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Listed in the Book of Revelation also gives reference to this same Book of Life. 

Rev 3:5 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 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

These Scriptures make it clear that there is a book in heaven where the names of the righteous are listed who will retain life and spend an eternity with Christ.  This, however, only brings on other questions.  What about babies?  What about children?  If after the age of accountability, where a child understands right from wrong, and the child rejects Christ, can his or her name removed from the Book of Life?  Can it be added later if that person would later on in life accepts Christ?  Or does God in His predestined sovereignty keeps all names in the Book of Life until the time of death and judgment? 

Be sure to check out the article on the Age of Accountability.  It will address the questions on babies and children.

God tells us in His Word that at the right time, those in Christ will have their names displayed in the Book of Life, and those outside of Christ will have their names placed in the Book of Judgment.  One thing is clear, only the righteous in God will have their names retained in the Book of Life.  

At the end of time, everyone will stand before God when the books are opened.  The Book of Life will be opened; those in Christ Jesus - all who believe in Him - will be saved from the Lake of Fire.  They will spend an eternity with Christ.   Whether God removes or keeps one's name in the Book of Life until the end of life is unimportant, although it appears that God keeps names in His book until the end of life.  The important thing is to make sure that your name is written in the Book of Life, whether is is done early or later in life.  Since our day-to-day life is uncertain, today then is our day of salvation.  Don't wait!

Rev 3:5 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 also spoken of another book - a Book of Judgment, where all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be judged for their works and then cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity.  Rev 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.  And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Dan 12:1 "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.

Phil 4:3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Heb 12:22-23 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect...

Rev 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Rev 17:8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Rev 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.