THE BOOK OF LIFE

BY

OKEKE CHRISTOPHER CHINEDU

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF MOUNTAIN TOP

MINISTERIAL SCHOOLS, MOUNTAIN OF FIRE & MIRACLES

MINISTRIES, ASABA CAMPUS, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF

CERTIFICATE IN BIBLICAL STUDIES

DECEMBER, 2020

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 FACULTY APPROVAL

“THE BOOK OF LIFE”

APPROVED BY:

_______________________________ _________________
Pst. (Mrs.) Daramola, T.A. Date
(RECTOR, MTMS/South-South Regions)

________________________________ _________________
Pst. Caleb Awili Date
(Schools Coordinator, MTMS, Asaba Campus)

DECLARATION
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I hereby declare that this Project was solely written by me and it is a record of my
own Research effort. And it has not been presented in any previous work.

__________________________
Okeke Christopher Chinedu

DEDICATION

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This project work is dedicated to God Almighty for his kindness and merciful
protection upon my life throughout this academic pursuit.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

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My sincere and unreserved gratitude goes to the Almighty, Everlasting God, the
invisible, the immortal, the father of our saviour Lord Jesus Christ who stayed by
me to complete this improved project.

Particularly I wish to express my appreciation to the general overseer Mountain

of Fire and Miracles Ministries Dr. O.K. Olukoya for creating this awesome vision
that is helping to shape my person in God's vineyard.

Also, I acknowledge the followings for their care, moral and spiritual guidance,
Pastor Mrs. T.A. Daramola MTMS, South-South Rector, Pastor Awili Caleb
Schools Coordinator, Asaba Campus and all the School lecturers for their
impartation of knowledge. I equally appreciate the efforts and support of my
classmates.

Finally, I appreciate my lovely family for their absolute support and

understanding.

ABSTRACT
This project work was an overview of The Book of Life. The survey research was
adopted by administering structured questionnaire used to collect data. Data
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collected was subjected to simple table and percentage analysis. The study
revealed the following by the respondents; that if your name is not in the book of
life, you cannot make heaven, that God does not want us to go to hell fire and that
righteous living can lead someone to heaven. The study further indicated that the
fear of God can make us live a holy life and that fear of God has great effect on the
wellbeing of a believer. Based on these findings, i recommended that believers
should fear God in order to abstain from sin, as the consequences of sin is
enormous which hinders one from going to heaven and that believers should obey
the voice of the Holy Spirit at all time in order for their name to be in the book of
life.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Project Title i

vi
Faculty Approval ii
Dedication iii
Declaration iv
Acknowledgement v
Abstract vi
Table of Contents vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Historical Background 2
1.2 Problem of the Study 3
1.3 Objective of the Study 3
1.4 Scope of the Study 3
1.5 Significance of the Study 4
1.6 Limitation of the Study 4
1.7 Research Procedure 5
1.8 Definition of Terms 6
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0Introduction 8
2.1The Concept of The Book of Life 8
2.2Who is currently in the Book of Life 9

2.1 Can a name be erased from the Book of Life? 10

2.3A Promise to the People 11

2.4What else does God keep a Record of 12
2.5Is there also a Record of Men’s sins in heaven 13
2.6The Basis of God’s Judgment 14
2.7Are People predestined to be in the Book of Life 15
2.8When is a name meant to be in the Book of Life 17
2.9What must I do to have my name in the Book of Life? 17
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2.10 When is a Believers of Name Written in the Book of Life 18
2.11 10 Things You Need to Know About the Lamb's Book of Life 28
2.12 Amazing Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why They
Matter 29
CHAPTER THREE: BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
3.0 Introduction 41
3.1 The Old Testament Perspective on the Fear of God 41
3.2 The New Testament Perspective on the Fear of God 43
CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
4.0Introduction 45
4.1Presentation of Data 45
4.2Research Finding 47
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.0Introduction 48
5.1Summary 48
5.2Conclusion 48
5.3Recommendations 49
References 50

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

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According to Charles (2020), the Book of Life (Hebrew: transliterated Sefer
HaChaim; Greek Biblíon) is the book in which God records the names of every
person who is destined for heaven or the World to Come. According to
the Talmud it is open on Rosh Hashanah, as is its analog for the wicked, the Book
of the Dead. For this reason extra mention is made for the Book of Life
during Amidah recitations during the Days of Awe, the ten days between Rosh
Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.

In the Hebrew Bible the Book of Life—the book or muster-roll of God—records

forever all people considered righteous before God. To be blotted out of this book
signifies death. It is with reference to the Book of Life that the holy remnant is
spoken of as being written unto life in Jerusalem; compare also Ezekiel 9:4, where
one of the six heavenly envoys "who had the scribe's inkhorn upon his loins" is
told to mark the righteous for life, while the remainder of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem are doomed. The Psalms also speaks of a book of the living: "Let them
be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Even the tears of men are recorded in this Book of God. "Every one that shall be
found written in the book . . shall awake to everlasting life". This book is probably
identical with the "Book of Remembrance" in which are recorded the deeds of
those that fear the Lord.

1.1 Historical Background

Charles (2020), affirms that the Book of Life is referred to seven times in the Book
of Revelation (3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27, 22:19) one of the books of
the New Testament, attributed to John of Patmos. As described, only those whose
names are written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, and have
not been blotted out by the Lamb, are saved at the Last Judgment; all others are
doomed. "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15, King James Version). "And I saw the dead, small and

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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, King
James Version)

It is also mentioned in Paul's letter to the Philippians:

Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the
Book of Life.

However, those who are found written in the book and who escape
the troubles preparatory to the coming of the Messianic kingdom are they who,
together with the risen martyrs, are destined to share in everlasting life. Eternal life
is certainly meant.

Chris (2020), opined that the first mention of this Book of Life is when Moses
offered to have his name erased from it. Speaking to God, Moses said, “Oh, these
people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book
which You have written” (Exodus 32:31-32).

God replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My
book” (verse 33). As noble as Moses’ intentions may have been to protect his
fellow Israelites from God’s wrath, God will not negotiate with people’s salvation
in this way.

1.2 Problem of the Study

People lack understanding of what the book of life is all about. People lack
knowledge of when believers name is written on the book of life . This research
study is therefore necessitated by the people low knowledge on when and how
one’s name get into the book of life and the believer’s quest to find out what to
do so that their name can be written on the book of life and also when someone’s

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name can wiped out of the book of life, hence the need to investigate the problem
in order to proffer solution to it.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives are:

a. To investigate the actual meaning of the book of life.

b. To examine when someone’s name can be written in the book life.

c. To analyze God’s intention to us through the book of life.

d. To examine the benefits of having a close relationship with God.

1.4 Significance of the Study

This research study is significant because, it would provide answers to the

challenges and factors the book of life, and how best to utilize it.

The result of this work will assist:-

a. Ginger self examination in the prophets' life;

b. Christians who are interested in carrying further research on the topic in

view.

c. It will eventually offer first hand information to all men and women of God.

1.5 Scope of the Study

This work is confined to the Pentecostal churches in Asaba, such as Mountain of Fire
and Miracles Ministries, Asaba. The study also gives a better understanding of the
book of life, the challenges of not knowing when someone’s name can actually
enter the book of life, etc.

1.6 Limitation of the Study

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The researcher in the course of carrying out this study, met with some
constraints that led to the difficulties in completing this research work, such
constraints includes:

i. Time constraints, the factor of time was a limitation, considering the short time
given to carry out the research work.

ii. Lack of materials such as textbooks for proper literature review,

newspapers, journals a comprehensive work could not be done as most of the
materials gotten were foreign base and did not suit the content of this research.

iii. Poor attitude of respondents, for giving out vital information that might affect
their lives, they refuse to give accurate data.

iv. Secrecy, some of the information required for this study were regarded as
confidential which was difficult to obtain.

v. Finance was also a constraint that affected the smooth execution of

this research.

1.7 Research Procedure

1.7.1 Research Design

This study therefore was setup to investigate "The Book of Life ", mostly
in Asaba metropolis and its environs. In this area of study, sources and
types of data, population of the study, the size of the sample, method of
data collection, instrument of the study, method of data analysis and the
design of the instruments were used in this study to gather information,
etc.

1.7.2 Population of the Study

The population was derived from church members, Christian homes and
ministers of Deeper Life Bible Church, Church of God Mission and

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Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries within Asaba and its environs.
The number of population used was 500.

1.7.3 Sample Size and Sampling Technique

The sample size of the population was derived by using 10% of the total
population. This was done through proportionate stratified method to
ensure homogeneity. Thereafter, simple random sampling was
employed for equal chance of the respondents to be selected. 50
respondents was selected and used for this study.

1.7.4 Area of the Study

This study was carried out in some Pentecostal churches in Asaba

metropolis, the capital of Delta State in Oshimili South Local
Government Area. The Pentecostal churches include; Deeper Life Bible
Church, Church of God Mission and Mountain of Fire and Miracle of
Ministries.

1.7.5 Sources and Types of Data

The types of data used in this study are the primary data collected from
the field in the course of the direct interview administered on the
respondents, while the secondary data are from textbooks, journals,
Christian articles, e-library, dictionary, the Holy Bible, etc.

1.7.6 Method of Data Collection

The data used in this study, especially the primary data was collected
through the use of structured questionnaire and the direct personal
interviewed administered to the respondents. The researcher also
employed the method of observation and focal group discussion.
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1.7.7 Method of Data Analysis

The data collected was subjected to simple frequency table and

percentage analysis to determine the outcome for generalization.

1.8 Definition of Terms

The Book of Life: this refers to the book in which God records the
names of every person who is destined for heaven or the world to come.

Believers: These are people that serve God in spirit and in truth.

Minister: A minister according to oxford advanced learners'

dictionary:- means a trained religious leader.

God: "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being,

wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.".

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 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

3.0 Introduction

Some books written by Christian Authors were researched in order to get the
relevant idea required to enlighten our minds on the Topic: The Fear of God.

3.1 The Concept of The Book of Life

According to Charles (2020), the Book of Life is referred to seven times in

the Book of Revelation (3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27, 22:19) one of the
books of the New Testament, attributed to John of Patmos. As described, only
those whose names are written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the
world, and have not been blotted out by the Lamb, are saved at the Last Judgment;
all others are doomed. "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15, King James Version). "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,
King James Version).

Chris (2020), asserted that The Bible speaks of a book in heaven that lists the
names of all the people who will inherit eternal life. Will your name be included in
the Book of Life? God reveals through His servants, the prophets, that He has a

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very special book. This is currently an open book containing a registry of names.
God deems very precious the individuals whose names are being recorded in it.

This unique book was not made with human hands. Instead, it exists in the
heavenly realm. It belongs to Jesus Christ and is called “the Lamb’s Book of Life”
(Revelation 21:27). To have one’s name written in this book means that one is
considered righteous before God and will inherit eternal life provided he or she
remains faithful to the end (Revelation 3:5). To have one’s name blotted out of this
book signifies a fate of eternal death (Revelation 3:5; 20:15).

The first mention of this Book of Life is when Moses offered to have his name
erased from it. Speaking to God, Moses said, “Oh, these people have committed a
great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will
forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have
written” (Exodus 32:31-32).

God replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My
book” (verse 33). As noble as Moses’ intentions may have been to protect his
fellow Israelites from God’s wrath, God will not negotiate with people’s salvation
in this way.

The Book of Life contains the names of those who have been spiritually
converted and who have dedicated their lives to the service of God. Like other
servants of God, Moses understood that his name was already written in the Book
of Life (Exodus 32:31-32).

3.2 Who is currently in the Book of Life?

According to Chris (2020), Jesus said that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets
will be in the Kingdom of God, so their names are certainly in the Book of Life
(Luke 13:28). Jesus further told His disciples to “rejoice because your names are
written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The apostle Paul wrote a letter citing the names

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of a few faithful brethren alive at the time “whose names are written in the Book of
Life” (Philippians 4:3).

What faithful believers have in common with the patriarchs and prophets of old is
that they all share the same gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:21).
Having God’s Holy Spirit is the key to being granted eternal life in the Kingdom of
God (Romans 8:9, 11). Those who will be in God’s Kingdom will have their
names in the Book of Life (Malachi 3:16-17).

3.3 Can a name be erased from the Book of Life?

God was very clear that a person’s name can be removed from the Book of Life:
“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (Exodus 32:33).

At the end of the book of Revelation, a warning stands as a guard defending God’s
truth. “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in
this book; 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” (Revelation 22:18-19).

In the last days, there will be a global resurgence of a false religious system. God
says this system of worship of a man will be synonymous with worshipping Satan
the devil (Revelation 13:4). The deception will be so great that “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” (verse 8).

Only those who resist participating in this system of worship will be rewarded for
their victory over Satan (Revelation 15:2; 17:8; 20:4). See our article “What Is
Babylon?” to better understand this false system.

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3.4 A Promise to the Faithful

The prophet Daniel, while being given a vision of “a time of trouble” at the end of
the age, was told: “At that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is
found written in the book [of life]” (Daniel 12:1).

The apostle John was given a vision even farther into the future of “the great city,
the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:10). It
was revealed to John that “there shall by no means enter it [the holy city] anything
that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the
Lamb’s Book of Life” (verse 27).

The prophet Malachi was given a message of correction and warning for God’s
wayward people, the Israelites. God still loved His people, though they had strayed
from His laws; but He now demanded honor, faithfulness and obedience from
them.

God then inspired Malachi to share a wonderful promise of hope. God would grant
to those who fear Him the reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. They
would be identified in a registry called a “book of remembrance” (Malachi 3:16).

This “book of remembrance” is a reference to the Book of Life. As Malachi noted:

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened
and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who
fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the
LORD of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as
a man spares his own son who serves him’” (Malachi 3:16-17).

This fear of the Lord that Malachi spoke of is a healthy respect and love for God.
To fear God and to keep His commandments is the whole duty of man
(Ecclesiastes 12:13). To love God is to keep His commandments (1 John 2:5; 5:3).

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God remembers the faithful deeds of “those who fear the LORD and who meditate
on His name.” God remembers the faithful deeds of “those who fear the LORD and
who meditate on His name” (Malachi 3:16). This means their godly conversations
with each other are being listened to intently, and every act of kindness and mercy
is being noted (Matthew 10:42; 25:34-40). To those who care for the needs of
others, we’re reminded, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of
love which you have shown toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10).

3.5 What else does God keep a record of?

Chris (2020), opined that even the struggles of trying to live a godly life against
hardship and temptation appear to be recorded in heaven. David, who was destined
to be Israel’s next king, asked God to remember his suffering during a low point in
his life when he was surrounded by enemies. He said, “You number my
wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Psalm
56:8).

Nehemiah may have been making reference to a heavenly record as he prayed:

“Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds
that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!” (Nehemiah 13:14).

3.6 Is there also a Record of Men’s sins in heaven?

The simple truth is that we will be judged for what we do (Isaiah 66:15-16;
Romans 1:18-32). Solomon said, “For God will bring every work into judgment,
including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Jesus Christ, after His return and during His judgment of mankind, “will both bring
to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts” (1
Corinthians 4:5). While here on earth, Jesus also said, “I say to you that for every
idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For
by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned”
(Matthew 12:36-37).
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While the scriptures we have just seen do not necessarily imply that there is a
written record of men’s sins, the reality is that God knows everything we do. And
because God has perfect memory, there is indeed a record.

Thankfully, there is a way to have our sins blotted out and remembered no more by
God (Hebrews 8:12). This forgiveness is made possible by Jesus Christ paying our
death penalty for us, if we repent and accept it.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God says, “Again, when a wicked man turns away
from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he
preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the
transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die” (Ezekiel
18:27-28). When a wicked man repents of his sins, “none of the transgressions
which he has committed shall be remembered against him” (verse 22).

When people repent, God also declares through the prophet Isaiah: “I, even I, am
He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember
your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). For more understanding on this subject, see the article
“Judgments of God: The Real Story.”

3.7 The Basis of God’s Judgment

The prophet Daniel, describing the vision he was given of God’s throne room
where judgment takes place, said: “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the
Ancient of Days was seated. … The court was seated, and the books were opened”
(Daniel 7:9-10).  

The apostle John was also given a vision of God’s future judgment. John
recounted: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened”
(Revelation 20:11-12).

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These books represent the books of the Bible, which contain God’s law—the
standard by which everyone’s deeds will be judged. “And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (verse
12).

John, still recounting his vision, then explained that an additional book was
opened: “And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life” (verse 12).
When the process of judgment is finished, the record of names will be examined
and “anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire”
(verse 15).

3.8 Are People Predestined to be in the Book of Life?

Because of the wording of several scriptures that mention the Book of Life, some
have wondered if God determined at the foundation of the world, prior to the
existence of any human, whether or not each person would be in the Book of Life.

Passages from which this question arises include:

 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as
sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”
(Ephesians 1:3-5).

 “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” (Revelation 17:8). 

What exactly was predestined from the foundation of the world?

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From the foundation of the world, God’s plan was predestined. God the Father and
the Word (the One who came to earth as Jesus) agreed, from the outset, to the plan
that the latter would die for the sins of mankind so humans could be forgiven of
their sins and become part of God’s eternal family. This is clearly attested to in
Revelation 13:8, where Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world.”

In addition, from the foundation of the world, God predestined that some humans
would be called in this age for an opportunity to become members of His eternal
family, and the majority would be called later. Additional passages make it clear
that humans are free moral agents who, upon receiving knowledge of God’s
expectations, have to decide whether they will act on that knowledge or not.

Our loving God is not willing that any should perish. Instead, He wants all men to
repent and be saved. This is why Jesus urged people to “repent, and believe in the
gospel” (Mark 1:15). And this is why Paul spoke of God taking vengeance “on
those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Noting that judgment had begun at the house of God, Peter asked, “What will be
the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

Our loving God is not willing that any should perish. Instead, He wants all men to
repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). The warnings issued by Jesus
and His disciples and the clear desire of God would make no sense if God had
purposefully created some humans to fail.

The Bible teaches that we humans must choose what course of action we will take
and that we will be judged by God for the choices we make. In the next sections
we will consider what God expects of us if we are to have our names written in the
Book of Life.

For further study, see the article “What Is Predestination?”

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3.9 When is a Name Entered into the Book of Life?

Chris (2020), opined that the apostle Paul explains that the initial step toward
salvation is for a person to believe the gospel message of Jesus Christ. “In him you
also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have
believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee
of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory”
(Ephesians 1:13-14, Revised Standard Version).

Upon receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, at that moment a person is begotten into
the spiritual family of God (Romans 8:14, 16). When a believer receives the Holy
Spirit, the seal of promise, he or she joins the “general assembly and church of the
firstborn who are registered in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). Thus, a person’s name is
entered into the Book of Life.

3.10 What must I do to have my name in the Book of Life?

For God to record our names in the Book of Life, we must repent of our sins, be
baptized and become spiritually converted. (See more about the process of
conversion in our booklet Change Your Life.) Water baptism symbolizes one’s
lifelong commitment to follow God’s way of life (Acts 2:38).

Jesus told His followers, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the
food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you,
because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:27). Why is it so
important for us to do this?

Jesus Christ declares, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and
I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name
before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5).

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For more on this subject, see “Is Your Name in the Book of Life?” To better
understand what it means to overcome, we encourage you to read the articles in the
“Change” section of this website.

3.11 10 Things You Need to Know About the "Lamb's Book of Life"

Sam (2018), asserted that on several occasions in Scripture we come across

reference to something called “the book of life” or “the Lamb’s book of life.” What
is it and why is it important that we know?

1. There was an Old Testament "book of life."

In the OT the “book of life” (or its equivalents) was a register of the citizens of the
theocratic community of Israel. To have one’s name written in the book of life
implied the privilege of participation in the temporal blessings of the theocracy,
while to be erased or blotted out of this book meant exclusion from those blessings.
In other words, this book had reference to the rights of citizenship for the Jewish
people (cf. Ex. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Isa. 4:3).

“So Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Alas, this people has sinned a great sin.
They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin –
but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.’ But the Lord said
to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book’” (Exod.
32:31-33; cf. Ps. 69:28; Isa. 4:3).

2. Not all of God's "books" are the Lamb's book of life.

The concept of a “book” was also used to portray God’s all-inclusive decree; i.e.,
the very days of one’s life are ordained and written in

God’s “book” before one of them occurs:

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of
them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps.
139:16).
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But this does not appear to be the same as the Lamb’s book of life.

There is also the notion of “books” of judgment in which are recorded men’s
deeds. They serve as that by which or from which one shall be judged:

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead
were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done”
(Rev. 20:12; cf. Dan. 7:10).

Again, however, this is not the same thing as believers having their names
inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world.

3. The Lamb's book of life lists those who have been (and are to be) saved.

On most occasions where the Lamb’s book of life is mentioned it refers to the
register of those who have been chosen for salvation from eternity past. It is not
temporal or earthly blessings that are in view, but participation in the eternal
kingdom of God as recipients of eternal life. For example:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of
the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the
spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:22-23).

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the New Jerusalem on the New Earth], nor
anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the
Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

4. Only the elect are written in this book.

It would appear from several texts that not all are written in this book, but only the
elect. In Revelation, the terminology of “earth dwellers” or “those that dwell on the
earth” is a standard designation for non-believers. These are the ones who
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“worship” the Beast (Rev. 13:8a). They are the ones “whose name has not been
written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was
slain” (Rev. 13:8b). Thus it would appear that to be one whose name has been
written down before the foundation of the world is simply another way of saying
that he/she is elect (see Eph. 1:4).

Photo Courtesy: Pexels

5. Paul makes an important reference to this book in Philippians.

The Apostle Paul spoke of his co-workers as those “whose names are in the book
of life” (Phil. 4:3):

“I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche, to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also,
true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the
gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are
in the book of life” (Phil. 4:2-3).

This appears to be the grounds on which he makes his appeal that they all learn to
get along in love and unity, especially the two women in Philippi who were in
some sort of conflict (Euodia and Syntyche). Those who are the objects of divine
election, who, in spite of their well-deserved damnation nevertheless have been
sovereignly and graciously chosen by God to inherit eternal life, should respond to
such an immeasurable blessing by doing everything they can to get along and to
work in harmony for the sake of the gospel.

6. All the names written in the book of life were inscribed in eternity past.

We see this in Revelation 13:8 and 17:8. There are two ways of

translating Revelation 13:8, both of which are grammatically possible:

(1) “whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the
book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (ESV); or,

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(2) “whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been
slain from the foundation of the world.”

The parallel statement in Revelation 17:8 clearly indicates that (1) is correct. There
we read:

“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless
pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been
written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the
best, because it was and is not and is to come” (Rev. 17:8).

Also, whereas it can certainly be said that the Lamb of God was “foreknown before
the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20) and that he was “delivered up [to die]
by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), what can it
possibly mean theologically to say that the Lamb of God was “slain from the
foundation of the world”? The point of the text is that the people who worship the
beast do so because their names have not been written in the book of life.’ That is
why they are deceived by the Beast.

7. You don't believe in Jesus in order to have your name written,

but because your name has been written.

People often ask: “What must one do to have his/her name written down in the
Lamb’s book of life? Can someone whose name is not now written in the book do
something, such as believe in Jesus, so that his/her name will be written in the
book?” The answer to the first question is, nothing. The answer to the second
question is, No. Names are inscribed in the book of life before the foundation of
the world. This is by God’s sovereign and altogether gracious choice. You don’t
believe in Jesus in order that your name will be written in the book. You believe in
Jesus because your name has already been written down in the book. To those who
do not presently believe in Jesus, we say: “Repent and believe!” If they do, it is

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because their names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the
world.

In other words, one does not have his/her name inscribed at some point in human
history or as a result of anything he/she may do or believe. Belief in Jesus is the
fruit of having one’s name inscribed in the book of life, not its cause.

8. God has not chosen to reveal to us the names written in the Lamb's book of
life.

It is none of our business. We are not free to speculate about it. What he has
revealed is the responsibility of each individual to repent and believe the gospel. If
a person does not believe the gospel, he has no one to blame but himself. If he does
believe the gospel, he has no one to praise but God.

None of us deserves to have his/her name written down in God’s book. We all
deserve eternal damnation. The only explanation for why a hell-deserving sinner
has his/her name written down in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of
the world is because God is gracious and merciful and wishes to provide his Son
with a Bride that will enjoy his glorious presence and love for eternity. Had God
chosen not to inscribe anyone’s name in his book, he would have done no one an
injustice.

9. There's some debate around names being removed from the book of life.

Is it possible for someone whose name is written down to have it erased or

removed? Some say yes based on Revelation 3:5 – “The one who conquers will be
clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of
life.”

Colin Hemer refers to one particular custom in ancient Athens according to which
the names of condemned criminals were erased from civic registers before their

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execution. The Greek word translated “to erase” (exaleiphein), “was the technical
term for such degradation” (148). As insightful as this may be, it is more likely that
we should look for a biblical background to this imagery.

On the one hand, Jesus may be saying that it is possible for a sinning, unrepentant
Christian (such as were many at Sardis) to fail to overcome or conquer and thereby
to forfeit their place in the book of life. Their names, already inscribed in the book,
will be erased, signifying the loss of their salvation.

Some suggest having one's name "blotted out" is not about salvation.

Others suggest that to have one’s name blotted out refers to something other
than salvation. In Revelation 3:1 Jesus referred to the people at Sardis as having a
“name” for being alive, i.e., they had a reputation for spiritual vitality. The idea,
then, is that such people are saved, but will forfeit any hope of an honorable
position in the coming kingdom of God. They are saved, but will experience shame
at the last day. It is not the loss of life, per se, but the loss of a certain quality of life
that otherwise could have been theirs. Thus, what one loses by having their name
erased from the book of life is eternal rewards in the kingdom.

Several factors lead me to conclude that John does not envision the possibility
of a true Christian forfeiting salvation.

We should begin by noting that all of the other promises to the

“conqueror/overcomer” are coined in positive terms with no threat (implied or
explicit) of losing a salvation once gained (see 2:7,11,17,26-27; 3:12,21). This isn’t
to suggest that Christians can’t backslide and sin badly. The rebukes in these seven
letters indicate otherwise. Nevertheless, the evidence of the reality of true
saving faith is perseverance (i.e., “overcoming”; cf. 1 John 2:19).

If it is asked why this promise is couched in negative terms, the answer is obvious:
Jesus couldn’t say “I will write his name in the book of life” because the names of
the “overcomers” (i.e., the elect) were already written in the book from eternity
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past (see Rev. 13:8; 17:8). There is no indication in Scripture, least of all in
Revelation, of additional names being inscribed in the book as a reward for
faithfulness or perseverance. Rather, faithfulness and perseverance are the
evidence or fruit of having had one’s name written in the book. Those who worship
the “beast” do so precisely because their names were not written in the book in
eternity past (13:8; 17:8).

Two groups of people are shown in Revelation.

It is clear from Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 that there are two and only two groups of
people. On the one hand are those whose names have not been written in the book
of life from eternity past. They “worship” and “marvel” at the Beast. The second
group consists of those whose names have been written in the book of life, which
constitutes the reason why they refuse to give their allegiance to the enemy of
Christ. Nowhere does it suggest a third group: people whose names had been
written in the book in eternity past but, because they worshiped the Beast, failed to
overcome or conquer and thus have their names blotted out.

In other words, as John Piper explains, “having our name in the book of life from
the foundation of the world seems to mean that God will keep you from falling and
grant you to persevere in allegiance to God. Being in the book means you will not
apostatize” (“Can the Regenerate Be Erased from the Book of Life?” Or again,
being written in the book means that God is committed to guarding your heart so
that you will “conquer” and “overcome” the Beast by not yielding to the
temptation to worship his name or receive his mark.

Those who worship the Beast do so because their names were not in the book.
Having one’s name written in the book from eternity past is what guarantees a life
that overcomes, a life that perseveres, a faith that conquers. Piper summarizes:

“This fits with Revelation 3:5, ‘He who overcomes . . . I will not erase his name
from the book of life.’ The triumph required in 3:5 is guaranteed in 13:8 and 17:8.
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This is not a contradiction any more than for Paul to say, ‘Work out
your salvation . . . for God is at work in you to will and to do his good pleasure’
(Philippians 2:12-13). It is not nonsense to state the condition: if you conquer, God
will not erase your name (3:5); and to state the assurance: if your name is written,
you will conquer (13:8 and 17:8). God’s ‘written-down-ones’ really must conquer,
and really will conquer. One side highlights our responsibility; the other highlights
God’s sovereignty.”

His word is a promise of security to overcomers, not a threat of insecurity to

those who lapse.

Therefore, this declaration of Jesus is a promise to the elect that nothing will ever,
by any means (he uses a double negative), prevent them from possessing the
eternal inheritance to which they have been ordained. In other words, we must take
note of what Jesus does not say. He does not say that anyone will be erased from
the book of life. Rather, he says the overcomers will not be erased. 

His word is a promise of security to overcomers, not a threat of insecurity to those

who lapse. So again, Jesus nowhere says he will erase names previously inscribed
in the book of life.

What joy! What comfort! What incentive to love him and praise him and serve
him. Jesus will never blot my name out of the book of life!

10. Compared with having your name written down in heaven... everything
else is next to nothing.

In what do you take deepest delight? What is it that brings the greatest and most
intense joy and happiness to your heart? I’m sure that many of us would point to
our families, perhaps our children. Others might say that their greatest source of
joy is their good health and good friends and a robust bank account. Of course, if
Christians give much thought to the question they would eventually say something
like, “My greatest source of joy is in knowing Jesus and being assured that I will
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spend an eternity in intimate fellowship with him.” Others might point to the truth
of our adoption as God’s children, or our being justified or declared righteous in
God’s sight through faith in Jesus, and the list of answers could go on almost
without end.

The disciples had misplaced joy:

There was an event in the lives of the first-century followers of Jesus that brought
this question very much into play. It’s found in Luke 10. There Jesus sent out 72
disciples, not apostles, but average followers like you and me. He told them to heal
the sick and proclaim the presence of God’s kingdom. When they returned to Jesus
to give him a report of what happened, we read this:

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to
us in your name!’ And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you’” (Luke 10:17-19).

I can understand why the disciples of Jesus were so excited and filled with joy. To
exercise the authority of Jesus himself in subduing demonic spirits is a wonderful
thing. But then Jesus said this:

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice
that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

Jesus isn’t saying it is wrong to rejoice that we have authority over demons. This is
a standard way of speaking in biblical times. His point is that compared with
having your name written down in heaven exercising authority over demons is next
to nothing.

3.12 When is a Believer’s Name Written in the Book of Life?

According to Rogers (2018), Revelation 20:15 says that everyone whose name was
not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. From this

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passage, Christians conclude that God has a record of followers of Jesus Christ–
the Book of Life– and that we do not have to fear Judgment Day, because if our
names are written in the Book of Life, we will receive the gift of eternal life in
heaven by God’s grace.

But exactly when is a believer’s name written in the Book of Life– at birth, or at

the time we believe? I have always thought of it as written at the time that we
believe in Christ, since it is a record of those who believe. However, I recently
learned I was wrong.

We were discussing this in my Bible class recently. My friend Allen Steele pointed
out Revelation 13:8 and 17:8. Both passages refer to unbelievers as “everyone
whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of
the Lamb…” If unbelievers names were not written from the foundation of the
world in the book of life, then it would follow logically that the names of
believers were written from the foundation of the world in the book of life.

If we think this through, it makes perfect sense. After all, God speaks of our
salvation as being “chosen in Him, before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians
1:4), and that “those He foreknew He also predestined” (Romans 8:29), since we
are “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:1-2). In
other words, God in His omniscience already foreknows what we will do, so He
can speak of us as “chosen,” and He already has our names in the book even before
we were born.

Does this mean our salvation is predetermined, without any choice on our parts?
No, we “sealed” that entry in the book when we believed. As Ephesians 1:13 says,
“When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you
believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Thus
Revelation 7:4 refers to believers as those “sealed.” So God foreknew who would

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believe, and already has their names in His book, but when we believe, we “seal”
the deal.

3.13 Amazing Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why They Matter

According to Crosswalk (2019), what are God’s attributes? When we talk about the
attributes of God, we are trying to answer questions like, Who is God, What is God
like, and What kind of God is he? An attribute of God is something true about him.
While fully comprehending who God is impossible for us as limited beings, God
does make himself known in a variety of ways, and through what he reveals about
himself in his Word and in his creation, we can begin to wrap our minds around
our awesome Creator and God.

God is unlike anything or anyone we could ever know or imagine. He is one of a

kind, unique and without comparison. Even describing him with mere words truly
falls short of capturing who he is – our words simply cannot to justice to describe
our holy God.

Still, God possess attributes that we can know (even in just in part) and he’s given
us his Word as a means to understand himself. We’ve complied a list of 15 of
God’s attributes; some are what theologians call “incommunicable” (qualities
possessed by God alone) and others are “communicable” (qualities that both God
and we possess, though only he possesses them perfectly).

Here are 15 attributes of God, what they mean and why they matter:

1. God Is Infinite – He is Self-Existing, Without Origin

"And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:17

“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure”
– Psalm 147:5

The fact that God is self-existent -- that he was created by nothing and has always
existed forever -- is perhaps one of the hardest attributes of God for the believer to
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understand. In our limitedness, grasping the nature of our limit-less God is like
holding onto water as it rages down a river. Indeed, Tozer writes this about the
confusing, head-spinning attribute of God’s infinity:

‘To admit that there is One who lies beyond us, who exists outside of all our
categories, who will not be dismissed with a name, who will not appear before the
bar of our reason, nor submit to our curious inquiries: this requires a great deal of
humility, more than most of us possess, so we save face by thinking God down to
our level, or at least down to where we can manage Him.”

2. God Is Immutable – He Never Changes

“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not
destroyed.” Malachi 3:6

God does not change. Who he is never changes. His attributes are the same from
before the beginning of time into eternity. His character never changes – he never
gets “better” or “worse.” His plans do not change. His promises do not change.

This ought to be a source of incredible joy for believers. Sam Storms writes this
about the good news of God’s unchanging nature: “What all this means, very
simply, is that God is dependable! Our trust in him is therefore a confident trust,
for we know that he will not, indeed cannot, change. His purposes are unfailing,
his promises unassailable. It is because the God who promised us eternal life is
immutable that we may rest assured that nothing, not trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword shall separate us from
the love of Christ. It is because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever that neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not even
powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:35-39)!”

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3. God Is Self-Sufficient – He Has No Needs

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in
himself.” – John 5:26

As limited humans, we have incredible needs, which left unfulfilled, result in

death. God, however, has never once been in need of anything.  As Tim
Temple writes, “God is perfectly complete within his own being.”

In a blog post on Reformation21.org, Scott Swain writes that the self-sufficiency of

God means he “possesses infinite riches of being, wisdom, goodness, and power in
and of himself (Gen 17:1; John 5:26; Eph 3:16). Because he possesses these
unfathomable riches in the perfect knowledge and love of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit (Matt 11.25-27; John 17:24-26), God is the "blessed" or "happy"
God (1 Tim 1.11; 6:15).” 

4. God is Omnipotent – He Is All Powerful

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath
of his mouth.” – Psalm 33:6

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than
the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and
wider than the sea. If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a
court, who can oppose him? Surely he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil,
does he not take note?” – Job 11:7-11

Omnipotent means to have unlimited power (omni = all; potent = powerful). God

is able and powerful to do anything he wills without any effort on his part.

It’s important to note the “anything he wills” part of that statement, because God
cannot do anything that is contradictory or contrary to his nature. Hebrews
6:18 puts it like this: “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it

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is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before
us may be greatly encouraged.”

5. God Is Omniscient – He Is All-Knowing

“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I
am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will
do all that I please” - Isaiah 46:9-10

God is omniscient, which means he knows everything. Debbie McDaniel writes

this about the omniscience of God, “He can be everywhere, at the same time. And
He never sleeps or slumbers, He's aware every moment of every day, exactly what
we're up against. He knows our way, and is with us always. There's no place on
this earth we can go that He doesn't see and know of.”

Tozer writes this about God’s omniscience: “God perfectly knows Himself and,

being the source and author of all things, it follows that He knows all that can be
known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes
every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have
existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the
centuries or ages yet unborn.”

Because God is all-knowing, we can trust that he knows everything we’re going
through today and everything we will go through tomorrow. When we meditate on
this truth, especially in light of his other attributes of goodness and love, it makes it
easier to trust him with all we have going on in our lives, from the very serious to
the silly and mundane.

6. God Is Omnipresent – He Is Always Everywhere

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I
ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

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If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there
Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.” Psalm 139:7-10

“‘Am I a God at hand,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off? Can a man hide
himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill
heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” - Jeremiah 23:23-24

To be omnipresent is to be in all places, at all times. Yet, it is important to

understand that for God “to be” in a place is not the same way we are in a place.
“God’s being is all together different from physical matter,” the
website Ligonier.org explains. “He exists on a plane wholly distinguishable from
the one readily available to the five senses.”

7. God Is Wise – He Is Full of Perfect, Unchanging Wisdom

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” – Romans 11:33

Wisdom is more than just head knowledge and intelligence. A truly wise person is
someone who understands all the facts and makes the best decisions. A wise
person uses his heart, soul and mind together with skill and competence. But even
the wisest man on earth would never come close to being as wise as God.

God is infinitely wise, consistently wise, perfectly wise. Tozer writes,  “Wisdom,
among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends
by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no
need to guess or conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper
relation to all, and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless
precision.”

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8. God Is Faithful – He Is Infinitely, Unchangingly True

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping
his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his
commands." - Deut 7:9

“[I]f we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy
2:13

As with all of God’s attributes, they are not separate, isolated traits but
interconnected parts of his perfect whole being. So his faithfulness cannot be
understood apart from his immutability, the fact that he never changes. So when
we read that God remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself, we see these his
attributes working together. The fact that he is unchanging means he can never not
be faithful.

A. W. Pink writes this about God’s faithfulness: “God is true. His Word of Promise
is sure. In all His relations with His people God is faithful. He may be safely relied
upon. No one ever yet really trusted Him in vain. We find this precious truth
expressed almost everywhere in the Scriptures, for His people need to know that
faithfulness is an essential part of the Divine character. This is the basis of our
confidence in Him.”

9. God Is Good – He Is Infinitely, Unchangingly Kind and Full of Good Will

“O, taste and see that the Lord is good” – Psalm 34:8

According to Tozer, the goodness of God “disposes Him to be kind, cordial,

benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick
sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and
friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy
pleasure in the happiness of His people.”

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Just like his other attributes, God’s goodness exists within his immutability, and
infinite nature, so that he is unchangingly, always good. His mercy flows from his
goodness. “In his goodness to us, we see that He has purposed to be good in a
special way to his people”(Ligonier.com).

As with God’s other perfect attributes, Christians find it easier to affirm the
goodness of God when things are going well. When life takes a nosedive, though,
that’s when we begin to question God’s goodness to and for us.

10. God Is Just – He Is Infinitely, Unchangeably Right and Perfect in All He

Does

"The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness
and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” – Duet 32:4

What does it mean that God is just? It means more than he is simply fair.  It means
he always does what is right and good toward all men. Likewise, although this is
hard for many to accept, his sentencing of evil, unrepentant sinners to hell is also
right and good. 

A natural question that arises from this is, how then can a just God justify the
unjust (as each of us are without Christ!)? Tozer answers this by reminding us that
we find the answer through the Christian doctrine of justification and redemption.
“Through the work of Christ in atonement, justice is not violated but satisfied
when God spares a sinner.” His mercy is does not forbid him to exercise his
justice, nor does his justice forbid him to exercise his mercy. He is both fully
merciful and fully just.  

In light of God’s other attributes of goodness, mercy, love and grace, there are

some who might, in error, say that God is too kind to punish the ungodly. But to
believe this means we dull the reality of his infinite, unchanging justice. God will
have justice for sin, either from Christ’s atoning death or, for those who will not
accept it, eternal wrath in hell.
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11. God Is Merciful – He is Infinitely, Unchangeably Compassionate and Kind

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man
who runs, but on God who has mercy." - Romans 9:15-16

As noted above, God’s mercy is inseparable from his justness. He is infinitely,

unchangeably, unfailingly merciful – forgiving, lovingly kind toward us. He is
inexhaustibly, actively compassionate. His mercy is also undeserved by us.
Spurgeon writes that, “It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for
deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner's
part, to the saving mercy of the Most High God. Had the rebel been doomed at
once to eternal fire — he would have justly merited the doom; and if delivered
from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the
sinner himself. “

Without the mercy of God, we would have no hope of heaven. Because of our
disobedient hearts, we deserve death. “For all have sinned and fall short glory of
God,” and, “the wages of sin is death.” But because of mercy, we don’t get what
we deserve. Instead, because of the mercy of God, we get life through faith in
Christ.

12. God Is Gracious – God Is Infinitely Inclined to Spare the Guilty

"The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness."
– Psalm 145:8

If mercy is not getting what we do deserve (damnation), grace is getting what we

don’t deserve (eternal life). “As mercy is God’s goodness confronting human
misery and guilt,” Tozer writes, “so grace is His goodness directed toward human
debt and demerit. It is by his grace that God imputes merit where none previously
existed and declares no debt to be where one had been before.”

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Because grace is a part of who God is and not just an action he bestows, it means
we can trust that grace is eternal. His grace is something we do not earn or lose
(“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God…” Eph. 2:8). His grace is also sovereign. “I will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19).

13. God Is Loving – God Infinitely, Unchangingly Loves Us

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has
been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God,
because God is love.” - 1 John 4:7-8

Love. The word “staggers before its task of even describing the reality,” writes
R.C. Sproul in his book, God’s Love. As with all attributes, we can only begin to
comprehend God’s love in light of his other attributes. The love of God is eternal,
sovereign, unchanging, and infinite.

“It is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God,” Tozer writes,  “that He
has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men. Self-sufficient as He
is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it. Free as He is, He has
let His heart be bound to us forever. God’s love is active, drawing us to himself.
His love is personal. He doesn’t love humanity in some vague sense, he loves
humans. He loves you and me. And his love for us knows no beginning and no
end.

14. God Is Holy – He is Infinitely, Unchangingly Perfect

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord Almighty” – Revelation 4:8

The word holy means sacred, set apart, revered, or devine. And yet none of those
words is adequate to describe the awesome holiness of our God. John
MacArthur writes this about God’s holiness: “Of all the attributes of God, holiness
is the one that most uniquely describes Him and in reality is a summation of all His

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other attributes. The word holiness refers to His separateness, His otherness, the
fact that He is unlike any other being. It indicates His complete and infinite
perfection. Holiness is the attribute of God that binds all the others together.”

15. God Is Glorious – He is Infinitely Beautiful and Great

“His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, And there is
the hiding of His power.” - Habakkuk 3:4

John Piper defines God’s glory like this: “The glory of God is the infinite beauty
and greatness of God’s manifold perfections. The infinite beauty—and I am
focusing on the manifestation of his character and his worth and his attributes —
all of his perfections and greatness are beautiful as they are seen, and there are
many of them. That is why I use the word manifold.”

CHAPTER THREE
BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

4.0 Introduction

This chapter looked at the Old and the New Testament perspective on The Book of
Life.

4.1 The Old Testament Stand on The Book of Life

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Psalm 69:28 

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among
the righteous.

Psalm 139:16 

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of
them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Daniel 12:1 

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a
nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone
whose name shall be found written in the book.

Isaiah 53:6 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Exodus 32:31-33 

So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin.
They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin
—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” But
the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my
book.

Joshua 10:13 

And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on
their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the
midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.

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Exodus 32:33 

But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my
book.

Exodus 32:32-33 

But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book
that you have written.” But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against
me, I will blot out of my book.

Exodus 32:32 

But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book
that you have written.”

Malachi 3:16 

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention
and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who
feared the LORD and esteemed his name.

Psalm 56:8 

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in
your book?

4.2 The New Testament Stand on The Book of Life

Revelation 3:5 

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot
his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and
before his angels.

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Revelation 13:8 

And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been
written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was
slain.

Revelation 21:27 

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or
false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 20:15 

And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into
the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:12 

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead
were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Luke 10:20 

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice
that your names are written in heaven.”

Philippians 4:3 

Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by
side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow
workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Revelation 17:8 

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit
and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been

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written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the
beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

Revelation 20:14-15 

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death,
the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he
was thrown into the lake of fire.

Hebrews 12:23 

And to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the
judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

CHAPTER FOUR
RESEARCH FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

5.0 Introduction

Raw data generated from any research instrument are in the form that does not
provide sufficient information and meaning unless they are presented and analysed
in line with global practices. The above submission best describes what this
chapter contains in that the data so obtained are presented and analysed. The data
gathered were presented according to the order in which they were arranged,
sample percentage and pie charts were used to analyze the demographic
information of the respondents

5.1 Data Presentation

Howitt (2004), opined that data presentation is defined as then process of

identifying, locating, manipulating and presentation of data on a research work into
a pre-defined form like graphs, charts, table etc. Nwadinigwe (2002), referred to it
xlvii
as the breaking down and ordering of quantitative information obtained from
research instrument into pattern, trend etc.

Table 4.3.1: Is it true that if your name is not in the book of life, you can’t go
to heaven?

Options Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 50 100
No - -

Total 50 100
Source: Field survey, 2020

From table 4.3.1, all the respondents (representing 100%) stated that it is true that
if your name is not in the book of life, you can’t go to heaven.

Table 4.3.2: Does God want us to go to hell fire?

Options Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 0 0

No 50 100

Total 50 100

Source: Field survey, 2020

From the table 4.3.2, 100% of the respondents disagreed that God does not want us
to go to hell fire.

Table 4.3.3: Can righteous living lead someone to heaven?

Options Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 50 100

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 No 0 0

Total 50 100

Source: Field Survey, 2020

From table 4.3.3, all the respondents totally 100% agreed that righteous living can
lead someone to heaven.

Table 4.3.4: Can the fear of God make us to live a holy life?

Options Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 50 100
No 0 0

Total 50 100
Source: Field Survey, 2020

From the table 4.3.4 above, 100% of the respondents agreed that the fear of God
can make live a holy life.

Table 4.3.5: Does the fear of God have effect on the wellbeing of a believer?

Options Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 50 100
No 0 0

Total 50 100
Source: Field Survey, 2020

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From the table 4.3.4 above, 100% of the respondents agreed that the fear of God
has a great effect on the wellbeing of a believer.

5.2 Research finding

From the result of the research study, it was observed that:

i. It is true that if your name is not in the book of life, you cannot go to heaven
ii. God does not want us to go to hell fire.
iii. Righteous living can lead someone to heaven.
iv. The fear of God can make us to live a holy life.
v. The fear of God has great effect on the wellbeing of a believer.

CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.0 Introduction

This chapter talks about the summary, conclusion and recommendations based on
the research carried out on the Book of Life.

6.1 Summary

The objective of the study was to get a better understanding of what the Book of
Life is all about is all about. Findings from the study reveals that majority of the
respondents are of the opinion that if your name is not in the book of life, you can’t
make heaven and God does not want us to go to hell fire. The research also
revealed that the righteous living can lead someone to heaven and that the fear of
God can make us to live a holy life. Finally, it was discovered that the fear of God
has great effect on the wellbeing of a believer.

6.2 Conclusion

God obviously had to think about what he would create before he spoke it into
existence. His thoughts are the beginning of all things, including you and me.

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There is a thought in the mind of God that corresponds to each of us in particular.
From that thought, we came to exist. And through that thought, we are given our
purpose and calling in life. Those thoughts that correspond to each of us would
otherwise be inaccessible if they were not written in the “book of life”.

The following conclusion was drawn as a result of this study;

i. It is true that if your name is not in the book of life, you cannot go to heaven
ii. God does not want us to go to hell fire.
iii. Righteous living can lead someone to heaven.
iv. The fear of God can make us to live a holy life.
v. The fear of God has great effect on the wellbeing of a believer.

6.3 Recommendations

Based on these findings, the researcher made the following recommendations from
this study;

i. Believers should abstain from sin, as the consequences of sin is enormous

and hinders one from making heaven.
ii. Believers should obey the voice of the Holy Spirit at all time in order to live
a holy life.
iii. Believers should kill every agent of character disorder in their lives for
character matters a lot.
iv. Having known that nothing good comes ease, therefore pray for God’s to
strengthen you in living a life worthy of making heaven.
v. We should truly fear God, in order to brings us into a deep personal love
relationship with God.

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 References
Anonymous (2020). The Book of Life: What is it? https://www.
allaboutgod.com/book-of-life.htm. Retrieved 27/11/2020.
Anonymous (2011). How can we be written in the Book of Life? https:
//livingchurch.org/covenant/2011/01/11/how-can-we-be-written-in-the-
book-of-life/ Retrieved 27/11/2020.
Berkhof L. (1963). Systematic Theology. Banner of Truth Publishers. P. 61
Charles E. (2020). The Christian Book of Life https://lifehopeandtruth
.com/prophecy/revelation/the-book-of-life/ Retrieved 27/11/2020.
Chris M (2020). The Book of Life https://lifehopeandtruth.com/
prophecy/revelation/the-book-of-life/ Retrieved 27/11/2020.
Crosswalk S. (2019), 15 Amazing Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why
They Matter.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/15-amazing-
attributes-of-god-what-they-mean-and-why-they-matter.html. Retrieved
27/11/2020.
David R.G. (2004). God, Power, and Evil: a Process Theodicy (Westminster), 31.
Erickson, M.L. (2001). Introducing Christian Doctrine. (2nd Edition).
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Gary M.B. (1987). The Anointed Community: The Holy Spirit in the Johannine
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Jeff B. (2019). Find Yourself within the Book of Life https://living
church.org/covenant/2019/11/11/find-yourself-within-the-book-of-life/
Retrieved 27/11/2020.
Leith J.H. (1992). Basic Christian Doctrine. ISBN 0664251927 pages 55-56
Marten V. (2018). When are names written in the book of life? https:
//www.biblword.net/when-are-names-written-in-the-book-of-life/ Retrieved
27/11/2020.
Marten (1971). What is the character of God? https://www.biblword. net/what-is-
the-character-of-god/? Retrieved 27/11/2020.

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Rogers B. (2018). When is a believer’s name written in the book of life.
https://bobrogers.me/2018/11/15/when-is-a-believers-name-written-in-the-
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