by At the final judgment for unbelievers, in Revelation 20:11-15, “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Contemplating this book, there is no passage in the Bible where names are written in at salvation, but there are plenty where names are blotted out. At this judgment, everyone who has been blotted out is cast into the lake of fire.
Psalms 69:28 is a passage where names are “blotted out of the book of the living.” The simple logic behind blotting out means names were already written in the book. Since this is called the book of the living, and in no place are names added, it contains the names of everyone foreordained to be physically born. As long as a person is alive, their name remains in the book — if one dies without Christ their name is blotted out, but if one trusts Christ their name remains forever. Follow my logic:
2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God “is longsuffering … not willing that any should perish” or be not willing that any should cast into the lake of fire. His longsuffering doesn’t want to remove any names from the book of life. 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants “all men to be saved.” Here, He wants all names to remain in the book of life. 1 John 2:2 tells us that Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins … also for the sins of the whole world.” So, He wants to cover the sins of every name written in the book of life. To accomplish all of this, His “precious blood” was prepared “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:18-21). Thus, logically, God wrote all names in the book of life before the foundation of the world.
Praise God, Revelation 3:5 tells us, “He that overcometh … I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.” 1 John 5:4-5, he that overcometh is “he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.” These are born-again believers who are eternally saved. The question is, are you born-again? If not, your name will be “blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28) before you are cast into the lake of fire at the Great White throne of judgement (Revelation 20:11-15).
Pastor Howell
