Is there a difference between the book of life and the Lamb's book of life ?
Answer: There are eight references in Scripture to the “book of life,” and two of them refer specifically to the book of life that belongs to the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Although the book of life is primarily a New Testament reference, it does appear once in the Old Testament in Psalm 69:27-28. In this psalm, David is pleading for God’s help against his enemies. Because David’s enemies are God’s enemies, David asks God to blot their names out of the book of life, so that they will not “share in your salvation” along with the “righteous.” We see here that those whose names are written in the book of life are those who belong to God, those who have attained eternal life.
Moving on to the New Testament, Paul refers to those who have labored alongside him as those whose names are in the book of life (Philippians 4:3), again identifying the book of life as a record of the names of those who have eternal salvation. In the same way, Revelation 3:5 refers to the book of life in which the names of believers in the Lord are found. These are those who overcome the trials of earthly life, proving that their salvation is genuine. This verse also makes it clear that once a name is written in the book of life, Jesus promises that He will never blot it out, proving once more the doctrine of eternal security. The Lord Jesus, who is speaking to the churches in this part of Revelation, promises to acknowledge His own before His Father. Conversely, Revelation 20:15 reveals the fate of those whose names are not written in the book of life—eternity in the lake of fire.
In Revelation 13:8 and 21:27, we find the references to the "Lamb's book of life," in which also are the names of all those who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. The Lamb who has been “slain from the creation of the world” has a book in which are written all those who have been redeemed by His sacrifice. They are the ones who will enter the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10) and who will live forever in heaven with God. Since the book of life is that which records all who have eternal life through the Lamb, it’s clear that the book of life and the Lamb’s book of life are one and the same.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Is there a difference between the book of life and the Lamb's book of life ?
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