Understanding of the Book of Life

[bsd058]

Sorry, just some questions about the Book of Life:

What is the book of life?

What does having your part of the book of life taken away mean? (Rev 22:19)

What does having your name blotted out mean? (Rev 3:5, Ex 32:33)

Does Psalm 139:16 speak of the same book? Is there any reason to assume it is talking about a different book?

Clearly some names were not written down from the beginning of the world. (Rev 17:8)

Does anyone have any good books or lectures (.mp3) on the subject?

I was originally under the impression that the Lamb's Book of Life contained the names of all people who would live, and that anyone who would not believe were blotted out (symbolizing death) and died. Those who were not blotted out, continued to live though they died (John 11:25), and would be resurrected to life.

However, I am now very suspect of this view, and would like to look into this further. I am currently studying Revelation, and this is a difficult subject since there is so much speculation on it.

Please provide any reputable (Reformed) online or written resources that I can purchase on the subject if anyone would like to share in their study of the matter.

Thanks.

 

[Elderone]

This link will give you good understanding of the Book of Life.

How Are People Blotted Out of the Book of Life

 

[bsd058]

This link will give you good understanding of the Book of Life.

Thank you, Elderone. I will read this on my lunch break.

 

[bsd058]

I just found a text to mp3 conversion site, so I converted the webpage into an mp3 and have a cool electronic voice reading it to me. WOW! I have to use this for studying! It would be so much more efficient if I could listen to my books on my ipod while I'm doing other things like working out or relaxing. Easier on my eyes, too.

It's called yakitome. It's a dot com, but I can't post the link until I have more posts, so if you can find it, try it!! lol. Really cool! I think I'll buy electronic books from now on and listen to them if I find this to be an efficient method of reading.

 

[Elderone]

Thanks, bsd058, for the info. This should come in very handy.

 

[bsd058]

I think the electronic voice would take some getting used to. It's still cool, but sometimes the words sound weird, like they are being strung together too quickly. lol. Oh well, I understood the article.

That was a very good article. Explains it very clearly.

Conclusion of the article:

The book of life (obviously not a literal book) contains the names of those who are a part of the new covenant community of believers. Those who have the appearance of being a part of the body of believers. Just as not all of Israel was Israel in the true sense (Romans 9), though the blotted out ones were in covenant, they were not regenerate and therefore not part of God's elect who were chosen from the foundation of the world. If everyone in the book was righteous, why would God blot them out for being unrighteous? The answer is that not everyone in the book is righteous. There are some tares among the wheat. Some who are in covenant with God through baptism and the promise associated with that, yet they have not been genuinely converted and have not really believed proving they haven't received life through Christ. They will be thrown out of Christ's kingdom (Matthew 22:1-14) because, though they were called, they were not chosen.

I think I like this explanation. It sounds like it is the proper way to understand the blotting out. Thank you, Elderone.