There are several reasons that I believe the Lamb's book and the Book of Life are actually one book.
Psa 69:28 Blot them out from the Book of Life; yea, let them not be written with the righteous.
This tells me that at one time, the unrighteous were written in the Book of Life since they can be blotted out.
On the other hand...
Psalm 139:16: "Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."
I believe this is the same book but is a description of what is in the Book of Life. Our days are ordained by God is what this verse tells me. This is when we see that God has a definite plan of works for each of us to do. He establishes the work of our hands if we are willing to submit to His authority and to obey Him in His perfect will. Because 1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually even as He wills. We can only do God's work with the power of God's Spirit.
Therefore, from the beginning God had a plan. He wrote every person's name to ever be born into the Book of Life. Every one starts off on the same plain. As David points out, those who embrace iniquity and choose to ignore their innermost knowledge of God and then choose the things of the flesh rather than the things of God, get blotted out of the Book of Life.
Romans 1:18 For God's wrath is revealed from Heaven on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, holding the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because the thing known of God is clearly known within them, for God revealed it to them.
First, God makes sure that everyone has a yearning for Him. We are created in His image and we have an embedded knowledge of Him.
Second, God doubly makes sure that everyone knows of Him by creation and "...being understood by the things made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse."
Third, verses 24 & 26 say that God gave them up to their lusts of their hearts and to their own passions. Verse 28, since they refused to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to reprobate minds. This makes them worthy of death= being blotted out of the Book of Life.
Paul says it three times, God gave them up after ...
1. They had other gods before Him making graven images and worshiping them; worshiping the creation instead of the creator.
Because of this, God gave them up...
2. They had dishonorable lusts of the flesh, not just adultery but much more perverted love of man for man and woman for unnatural lusts.
3. They knew the righteous order of God (v.32) but chose to embrace and be filled up with all unrighteousness.
God gave them up... what a chilling statement.
So, we see how people get blotted out of the Book of Life so that they (as David says) will not be written with the righteous.
As I said in a previous post, the word ζωή zōē dzo-ay' life (literally or figuratively): life the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate every living soul; vitality.
That is the Book of Zoe. It is the Book of Life everywhere (except the Hebrew). Then it becomes the Lamb's Book of Zoe in Revelation. Why is that? Because until Jesus rose from the dead, death still had sting which was sin and sin still had power and it was the Law that gave it power.
1Co 15:56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law;
1Co 15:57 but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1Co 15:54 But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the Word that has been written, "Death was swallowed up in victory." Isa. 25:8 55 "O death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?" Hos. 13:14
Jesus paid the price to own the Book. It is His because He not only fulfilled every work that God ordained for Him but He also willingly gave Himself as the Scapegoat for us while we were still wallowing in sin so unworthy. We do not do eveything God has planned for us but Jesus said, "I'll take the responsibility," we are blameless when we give our self and our life over to Him.
Psa 69:28 Blot them out from the Book of Life; yea, let them not be written with the righteous.
This tells me that at one time, the unrighteous were written in the Book of Life since they can be blotted out.
On the other hand...
Psalm 139:16: "Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."
I believe this is the same book but is a description of what is in the Book of Life. Our days are ordained by God is what this verse tells me. This is when we see that God has a definite plan of works for each of us to do. He establishes the work of our hands if we are willing to submit to His authority and to obey Him in His perfect will. Because 1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually even as He wills. We can only do God's work with the power of God's Spirit.
Therefore, from the beginning God had a plan. He wrote every person's name to ever be born into the Book of Life. Every one starts off on the same plain. As David points out, those who embrace iniquity and choose to ignore their innermost knowledge of God and then choose the things of the flesh rather than the things of God, get blotted out of the Book of Life.
Romans 1:18 For God's wrath is revealed from Heaven on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, holding the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because the thing known of God is clearly known within them, for God revealed it to them.
First, God makes sure that everyone has a yearning for Him. We are created in His image and we have an embedded knowledge of Him.
Second, God doubly makes sure that everyone knows of Him by creation and "...being understood by the things made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse."
Third, verses 24 & 26 say that God gave them up to their lusts of their hearts and to their own passions. Verse 28, since they refused to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to reprobate minds. This makes them worthy of death= being blotted out of the Book of Life.
Paul says it three times, God gave them up after ...
1. They had other gods before Him making graven images and worshiping them; worshiping the creation instead of the creator.
Because of this, God gave them up...
2. They had dishonorable lusts of the flesh, not just adultery but much more perverted love of man for man and woman for unnatural lusts.
3. They knew the righteous order of God (v.32) but chose to embrace and be filled up with all unrighteousness.
God gave them up... what a chilling statement.
So, we see how people get blotted out of the Book of Life so that they (as David says) will not be written with the righteous.
As I said in a previous post, the word ζωή zōē dzo-ay' life (literally or figuratively): life the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate every living soul; vitality.
That is the Book of Zoe. It is the Book of Life everywhere (except the Hebrew). Then it becomes the Lamb's Book of Zoe in Revelation. Why is that? Because until Jesus rose from the dead, death still had sting which was sin and sin still had power and it was the Law that gave it power.
1Co 15:56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law;
1Co 15:57 but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1Co 15:54 But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the Word that has been written, "Death was swallowed up in victory." Isa. 25:8 55 "O death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?" Hos. 13:14
Jesus paid the price to own the Book. It is His because He not only fulfilled every work that God ordained for Him but He also willingly gave Himself as the Scapegoat for us while we were still wallowing in sin so unworthy. We do not do eveything God has planned for us but Jesus said, "I'll take the responsibility," we are blameless when we give our self and our life over to Him.
| Someone asked me a question... |
From what I understood, the Psalm's Book referred to God's plan for everyone's life. The OT Book of Life referred to those in the OT who went to Abraham's Bosom (such as Lazarus of Luke 16:19-31). The NT Lamb's Book of Life is the record of the redeemed by the blood of Christ who believe in Him and are thus written into that book as they believe, and when Christ rose again, every name that was in the OT Book of Life who were in Abraham's Bosom had their names converted over into the Lamb's Book of Life on the 3rd day. Any possibility for that? |
Why would God go to the trouble of blotting out the names of unrighteous people if the Book of Life would become obsolete after Christ rose from the dead? He could just have easily had a Book of Those Who Lived and then have another Book of Spiritually Alive and that would be the Lamb's Book of Life.
But here's the thing. When we get our glorified bodies (just like Jesus displayed to the over 500 witnesses after He rose from the dead), we will be alive both physically in the physical realm and alive Spiritually in the Spiritual realm. Because of this, it makes most perfect sense that God has one Book of Life which the unrighteous are blotted out of and the blameless are retained. It is Jesus Who makes that distinction between the two.
In Jesus' story (and I believe it is a true life story not a parable) of Lazarus and the Rich Man, we see the Rich Man in torment and Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham in comfort and the Rich Man's request for a drop of water is refused. Torment in Hell had not changed the Rich Man's attitude at all. He was still trying to use Lazarus as a "gofer" or a servant. So Hell didn't teach him any lessons. He thought of himself first (drop of water) and his brothers last ("...send him back to warn my brothers so they won't have to come to this place.")
Since nothing had changed about his heart from his mortal life to when he was in torment this proves to me that God is Just and Right to blot out the names of the unrighteous which is how the Rich Man wound up in torment instead of in Paradise. But Lazarus was found in the Book of Life which is why he wound up in Paradise instead of Hell.
Isaiah 7:15 He shall eat curds and honey until He knows to refuse the evil and choose the good.
This verse tells me (there are others but this will suffice), that when a child finally understands the difference between good and evil and then is old enough to choose evil ways instead of the righteous ways, he is at a crossroads between the Book of Life and the Books of the Dead. RE: Romans 1 for the NT era. In the OT era, if a person died before this age then I believe that person was not blotted out of the Book of Life. But when the person reached this age of understanding and chose to live unrighteously then He was blotted out of the Book of Life. God declared it so in Isaiah.
Isa 33:15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly; he who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands free from taking the bribe, who stops his ear from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil. 16 He shall live on high; strongholds of rocks will be his retreat; his bread shall be given; his waters are faithful.
And in Ezekiel 18 God declares that each person is responsible for his own iniquity. The man that turns from his wicked ways and live in righteousness will live but if he turns from his righteous ways and again lives in wickeness, he shall surely die. But God pleads for us to make a new heart and a new spirit for
Eze 18:32 For I do not have delight in the death of him who dies, declares the Lord Jehovah. So turn and live.
This tells me that God is very long suffering and that He does not soon blot out a person from the Book of Life. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some deem slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not having purposed any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
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