Dear Hervey,
Hervey:
To be "blotted" out of the "book of life", means that your name is not there, and one would end up in the "Lake of Fire" because their name is not in the "book of life" any more, because God "blotted" it out.
If you were chosen from "before" the foundation of the world, then you name is in the "Lamb's book of life". And because of this, you could have your name blotted out by God, because you desire to do the law, instead of living by grace. Then you still would have salvation, but not the promised salvation by grace.
If one desires to walk in the flesh, and to continue to walk in the flesh. Then one can loose their whole salvation, if God blots out their name from the "book of life".
Jim:
I think I see what you mean. You seem to me to be saying that all humans (whether Christian or non-Christian) are in a book of life, whereas all Christians are also in a Lambs book of life. Those Christians that choose law over grace get blotted out of the Lambs book of life but not out of the book of life, and they get demoted from the first resurrection to the second resurrection; and those humans (whether Christian or non-Christian) who choose to revel in the flesh rather than have anything to do with God at all (even legalistically through the law) get blotted out of the book of life and cast into the lake of fire. Thus, the choice isnt life versus death but superior life versus inferior life versus death (three choices instead of two).
If this is what youre saying, then I understand the logic of what youre saying, but I dont think that its scriptural. We can read all kinds of stuff into the Bible that isnt really there by arbitrarily choosing to give Biblical words or phrases multiple meanings. The mere fact that an interpretation follows a certain logic doesnt mean very much, since all interpretations, no matter how far they may deviate from the literal text of the Bible, make perfect sense within the contexts of their own assumptions. Therefore, in my opinion, the question we should ask ourselves isnt whether we CAN interpret the Bible a certain way but whether we SHOULD interpret it that way. If the literal text of a passage or of a set of passages regarding the same subject neither states nor requires an interpretation that were considering, then, in my opinion, we have no legitimate reason for adopting that interpretation, in which case we should simply allow the literal expression of the text to stand.
Having examined the passages that contain the phrase book of life, I see nothing in the literal language of these passages that either states or requires that there be more than one book of life. I therefore see no reason to conclude that there are two.
Hervey (previous post):
The theif on the cross was "not" a Christian who was chosen from before the foundation of the world. He himself choose salvation through Christ while he was on his own cross with Christ. Jesus Christ promised him "paradise", also called the New Earth, also called the city of God, called the New Jerusalem.
Hervey (in response to my post):
The reason people don't get the full understanding of what I say, or what is written within the Word of God, is because they do not "see" that there are "two" books of life.
If you were chosen from "before" the foundation of the world, then you name is in the "Lamb's book of life".
The theif on the cross had his name written in the "book of life" from the foundation of the Word.
Jim:
If what youve said here were scripturally correct, then ones name wouldnt have to be written in the Lambs book of life in order to have access to the New Jerusalem; ones name would only have to be written in the book of life. However, Revelation 21:27 says this:
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it [the New Jerusalem] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE.
It appears to me from this passage that only those whose names are written in the Lambs book of life will have access to the New Jerusalem.
Please reexamine the following passages:
Philippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in THE BOOK OF LIFE.
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of THE BOOK OF LIFE, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in THE BOOK OF LIFE of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in THE BOOK OF LIFE from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Revelation 20:12 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.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in THE BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it [the New Jerusalem] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE.
Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of THE BOOK OF LIFE, and out of the holy city [the New Jerusalem], and from the things which are written in this book.
If there were two distinct books of life (a Christian or Lambs book of life and a generic book of life), wouldnt Paul in Philippians 4:3 and Christ in Revelation 3:5 say Lambs book of life rather than merely say book of life in these two passages regarding Christians?
In Revelation 21:27, being excluded from the Lambs book of life excludes a person from the New Jerusalem. In Revelation 22:19, being excluded from the book of life excludes a person from the New Jerusalem. In my opinion, the logical conclusion from this is that the phrase the Lambs book of life and the phrase the book of life refer to the same book.
Sincerely,
Jim