WildB
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THE BOOK OF BOOKS
"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).
We believe there are three sets of books made reference to here by the Apostle John. The statement "the books were opened" includes the 66 Books of the Bible and the books that record the deeds of the unsaved. The third book that is opened is the book of life.
According to the Apostle Paul, "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Rom. 2:16). Here we learn that the written Word of God will play a prominent role in the sentencing phase of those who reject the gospel. But in what sense is the unbeliever judged according to Paul's gospel, especially since many in the sea of humanity standing before God lived prior to the administration of Grace? How can they be held responsible for a revelation that they never heard? Simple! The answer lies in the mystery of the gospel. The secret of the gospel, which is Calvary, was first revealed to Paul. At God's appointed time it was made known in Paul's epistles that Christ died for the sins of the world—past, present and future. This is the foundation of all of God's good news down through the ages and the ages to come.
Stam gives this insightful response:
"The answer is that Christ was to die for sin and that on this basis God could justly accept those who approached Him in the way that He had prescribed....Thus, the judgment of the Great White Throne will be presided over by the One who died for our sins and will proceed on the basis of the good news proclaimed by Paul, that through the death of Christ for sin, salvation is, and always has been essentially by grace, through faith; that never in any age has salvation been denied to one person who has taken God at His Word and has approached Him by faith the way that He prescribed."1
The Books of the Bible reveal the mind and will of God in each dispensation; therefore, they will serve as the final authority in the sentencing of the unsaved. For example, those who lived under the law will be judged by the law (Rom. 2:12). Since both the saved and unsaved failed miserably under the Mosaic system, the issue for the unbelieving will not be if they consistently kept every detail of the law, but did they respond to God in faith. The piercing gaze of the One who sits on the throne will bring to light that they blatantly rejected the counsel of God and went about to establish their own righteousness. The self-righteous ways of those who lived under this system will ultimately condemn them and demonstrate their lack of faith.
"And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" (Rev. 20:12).
Interestingly, all of the future judgments of God are a review of works. For the believer, our rewards, crowns, and reigning position with Christ will be determined by our conduct and good works after we were saved. The works of the unbeliever will be reviewed as well to ascertain the degree of punishment they will endure throughout eternity in the lake of fire. Nothing has escaped the all-seeing eye of Almighty God. In preparation of that day, a meticulous record is being kept of the unrighteous acts of the unsaved.
Seeing that unbelievers are judged according to their works, some evil deeds will carry a greater penalty than others. The same is true in the affairs of men. A man who steals from his employer is likely to be placed on probation and have to pay restitution, while a man who commits an armed robbery at a bank is given prison time. The penalty always matches the violation, or at least this is the intent of the law. In God's court of justice perfect retribution will be paid. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord!" The atrocities of evil men and the corrupt influences that remained after their death will be carefully weighed out on the scales of God's justice and they will suffer the degree of punishment that is equal to their sins.
"And the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life" (Rev. 20:12).
The subject of the "book of life" has suffered greatly at the hands of well-meaning Bible teachers. The traditional interpretation goes something like this: when a sinner trusts Christ as his personal Savior the angels in heaven write his name in the book of life and seal it there with the blood of Christ. But does this interpretation pass the Berean test? We believe just the opposite is true. Clearly the Scriptures teach that from the foundation of the world every name has been recorded in the book of life. God has made reservations for all! When the enemies of David sought to trouble him, he lifted his voice to God with these words:
"Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into Thy righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous" (Psa. 69:27,28).
David was so perplexed over the actions of the unrighteous who were hindering the plans and purposes of God that he prayed God would blot them out of the book of life and not allow their names to be written alongside of the righteous. Obviously the names of the unrighteous appear in the book for there to be the possibility to blot them out. Once again, God has made a provision for all to be saved on the basis of the shed blood of Christ, but only those who believe the gospel in whatever age they lived will receive the benefit of His once-for-all sacrifice.
If a sinner dies in his sins having rejected the three witnesses of God: creation, conscience, and the Word of God, his name is blotted out of the book of the living. This will serve as a testimony against the unsaved because their names will not be found in the book of life at that day. Those who are cast into the lake of fire will be haunted for eternity by that blank space where their name once appeared. If only I had believed!!! Beloved, have we faithfully upheld our responsibility to warn them of this peril?
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That is all.....
Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004
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