Book of
Life!
“And to the angel of the Church in Sardis write,…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. He who has an ear, let him hear what The SPIRIT says to the Churches.” Revelation 3:1, 5 Today I heard a very prominent TV preacher that this passage did not say that GOD would erase someone’s name from The Book of Life but it showed that GOD would never remove our name from The Book of Life. Then he quoted Revelation 20:15, “And anyone not found in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of fire.”
This teaching is contrary to the Bible!
Will = Strong’s
1014 βoύλoμαι boo’-lom-ahee; mid. of a prim. verb; to “will,”
i.e. (reflex.) be willing:–be disposed, minded, intend, list, (be, of own)
will (-ing) Comp. 2309
Not = Strong’s 3756 oύ ŏu, oo; also (before a vowel)
oύ ŏuk, ook; and (before aspirate)
oύc
ŏuch, ookh; a prim. word; the absol. neg. [comp. 3361] adv.; no
or not;– + long,
nay, neither, no (X man), none, [can–] not, + nothing. + special, un ([-worthy]), when, + without, + yet but. See also 3364, 3372
Blot = Strong’s 1813 έξαλείφω ĕxαlĕlphō; from 1537 and 218; to smear out, i.e. obliterate (erase tears, fig. pardon sin):–blot out, wipe away.
Out = Strong’s 1537 έξ, ĕx; a prim. prep. Denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds), from, out (of place, time or cause; lit. or fig.; direct or remote):–after, among, X are, at betwixt (-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for (-th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in, . . . ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto X vehemently, with (-out). Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion.
“I (JESUS) WILL NOT BLOT OUT…” If JESUS will not blot out that means that He can blot out or there would be no reason to state that He would not. Some would argue that it is the same as when He says, “I WILL NEVER LEAVE OF FORSAKE YOU…” JESUS reminds us of this promise from GOD that He made to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land, Deuteronomy 31:6, because our natural experience and our religious experience can cause us to fear abandonment. So can they cause us to fear loss of salvation, that is true, but we can lose our salvation; “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘LORD, LORD,’ shall enter The Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to Me in That Day, ‘LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name and done many wonders in Your Name?’ And then I Will declare to them, ‘I Never Knew You; Depart from Me you who Practice Lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23.
We know that people can do the Works of GOD’s KINGDOM and not be in His KINGDOM, yet they believe they are and that their name is written in the Book of Life. So is it that The HOLY SPIRIT will use anyone who is willing to do the Works of The Kingdom – even if they are not saved? Or, is it that some start on the straight and narrow path but at some point wander off to the wide and easy path thereby breaking their relationship with JESUS? Yes! It is both and maybe more things that we don’t see or understand that can cause JESUS to blot out someone’s name from the Book of Life!
