"The book of life..."
We met them very early in our lives: it is those
thick public books that record our lawful existence to a specific place or
country. Such numbers as the id number, the passport number or the VAT number
that are absolutely necessary for all our official transactions, have their
trace to a record in a relative public book. At the end whether we officially
exist or not as citizens of a country, depends on whether our names are written
in its books.
What happens with the earthly kingdoms and countries, it
also happens with the heavenly one: there is a book there that records the names
of the citizens of this kingdom. The Word of God calls it: THE BOOK OF
LIFE:
Revelation 20: 12,
15«And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, AND THE
BOOKS WERE OPENED. AND ANOTHER BOOK WAS OPENED, WHICH IS THE BOOK OF
LIFE……..And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake
of fire.»
Revelation 21:27«But
there shall by no means enter it [the New Jerusalem] anything that defiles, or
causes an abomination or a lie BUT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE WRITTEN IN THE LAMB’S BOOK
OF LIFE»
Daniel 12:1-2«…….and
at that time your people shall be delivered, EVERY ONE WHO IS FOUND WRITTEN IN
THE BOOK. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some
to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt»
Philippians 4:2-3«I
implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I
urge you also true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the
gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, WHOSE NAMES
ARE IN THE BOOK OF LIFE»
Luke
10:20«Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are
subject to you, BUT RATHER REJOICE BECAUSE YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN»
As it
is clear from the above, whoever is written in the book of life, will have
eternal life. Whoever is not written, will be expelled from before the Lord to
eternal torture. We take so much care to have our names written in the books of
our municipality, our homes registered with the state, our marital status change
registered to the respective books, and so on. But what about the book of life?
Is your name written there? Jesus Christ said:
John 3:16-18«For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN
HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON
INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT THAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE
SAVED. HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED; BUT HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS
CONDEMNED ALREADY, BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN
SON OF GOD»
There
is no need to wait till the day that the books will be opened to know whether
you are there or not. Jesus Christ made it very clear: IF YOU HAVE NOT BELIEVED
IN HIM, THAT HE IS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD, YOU WILL NOT BE IN THE
BOOK. As apostle Paul says:
Romans 10:9«that if
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved»
Can it
be more clear? Either you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you are written in the book of
life, or you don’t believe and you are eternally lost. God loves you my friend,
and because He loves you He gave His Son for you and for me and for any other
human soul that lives in this world. «For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH» we read
previously. Also, as the Word of God says in another passage:
I Timothy 2:3«For this
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, WHO DESIRES ALL
MEN TO BE SAVED AND TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH»
God
wants all men to be saved. You? Do you want to be saved? If yes, then you must
believe in Jesus Christ, that He is Lord and God raised him from the dead. Do
you believe it? Once in the Philippi of Macedonia a prison keeper asked Paul and
Silas:
Acts 16:30-32«Sirs,
what must I do to be saved? So they said, «BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND
YOU WILL BE SAVED, YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD.» Then they spoke the word of the Lord
to him and to all who were in his house»
The
prison keeper believed and at the same time his name was registered in the book
of life. When it will be opened, it will be there. Yours? Will it be there? God
wants to see it there. For you He gave His only begotten Son. But it is needed
that you also are willing to be reconciled with Him, by believing in His Son.
For you He long-suffers and He does not bring the end, as He wants to see you
returning to Him repented.
II Peter 3:9-10«The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance. BUT THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME AS A THIEF
IN THE NIGHT»
The
Lord is long-suffering but His day will come. And will come suddenly, as a thief
in the night. Are you ready for that day? Are you ready for the hour that the
book will be opened? If you go there and your name is not in the book, it will
be very late for you. NOW IS THE TIME:
II Corinthians
6:2«BEHOLD, NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME,
NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION»
So, what
is your decision?
Tassos Kioulachoglou
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