Bible Gem 2390 – Is Your Name in the Lamb’s Book of Life?

²⁷ Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, not anyone who practises shameful idolatry and dishonesty – but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Revelation 21:27

I told you in the last Gem that we would deal with that confronting verse next. The verse above makes it clear to all that no evil will be allowed to enter the New Jerusalem. We have spent some time looking at the key verses which spell out the suitability of each person for the New Earth. This truth shocked some of you. Some thought it was all about being suitable for heaven, only to realise that is not the destination. Rather we are headed for the New Earth. Many folk like to debate whether they are eligible for heaven or not. Some conclude they don’t want to go to heaven; they think they would much rather go to the other place because it sounds more fun. They don’t like the idea of sitting around on clouds, playing harps and praying. [I don’t know where they got idea from.] I gave you the Good News in the last Gem. We are not bound for Heaven we are bound for the New Earth. Therefore, we are faced with the serious question: what is the outcome for unbelievers at the end? If you recall I presented you with the two options left in the final hour in Gem 2374. I also gave you links to three videos so you could examine and weigh up the two likely alternative outcomes for the unbeliever.

Annihilation or Eternal Conscious Torment [ECT]

In Gem 2379 I outlined in detail what was in store for the Children of Light. I also included how to go about securing your place in the Life of the Age to Come (Eternal Life). I don’t want there to be any doubt for anyone as to how God’s selection process works. I outlined the benefits of the Life of the Age to Come. I also added how you can make sure your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. How you can know whether you have Eternal Life or not? John has not left us in any doubt. Throughout his letter to the seven churches John made it clear what the criteria is. Let those who have ears let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Those who persevere to the end will inherit the Kingdom, gain eternal life, and will be allowed to enter into the Life of the Age to Come; the Restored Eden, outlined in Gem 2379. John left us with two key questions in Chapter 6 of his letter.

They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”

Revelation 6:10 (the Martyrs)

For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

Revelation 6:17 (the Unrepentant)

These two questions become the forerunners to entry into the New Earth. When push comes to shove, John made it clear multiple times that the only criteria for entry into the Life to Come is whether your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. [Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27 and 22:19] John in the first of his smaller letters at the end of the New Testament wrote:

“He who has the Son has eternal life.”

1 John 5:12

Meaning that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the sole criteria for eternal, spiritual life. If you have done this, you have been given the righteousness of God. When God looks at you He sees you as being in right standing with Him, if you have accepted His terms of repentance and chosen to do as He asks. What is your predicament if you are not assured that you are in right standing with God? All of those hideous, threatening verses I have brought to your attention in the previous Gems apply.

⁹Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand ¹⁰must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. ¹¹The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” ¹²This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

Revelation 14:9-12

Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:10

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:15

All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.

Revelation 21:7-8

I promised I would give all my readers, my conclusion at the appropriate moment toward the end of the Revelation Gems. That moment has now arrived with our arrival at Revelation 21:27. There is only one more confrontative verse ahead – i.e. Revelation 22:15. I will deal with that when we come to what happens to the nations, another of John’s themes.

I am not going to discuss every verse relating to the plight of unbelievers in the light of annihilation or eternal conscious torment. But I will list them for you:-

Annihilation

• Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 66:24; Psalm 34:21; 37:2, 9, 20; 58:10;
• Matthew 10:15, 28; 21:41; Mark 9:22; Luke 13:28; 20:35-36;
• John 3:16, 18; 6:49-50; 10:10-11; Romans 2:8-9; 5:8; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:23, 50-55; 1 Peter 4:17;
• Revelation 20:14; 21:8, 27; 22:2 // Genesis 3:22.

Eternal Conscious Torment

• Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 66:24;
• Matthew 3:12; 8:12; 10:15, 28; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30, 41, 46; Mark 9:43, 48; Luke 3:17; 13:28;
• Romans 2:8-9; 5:8; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55; 1 Peter 4:17;
• Revelation 14:9-11; 20:10, 15; 21:7-8; 21:27;

There is one further category according to modern day pundits and that is:

Universalism^*

• John 1:4-5; Acts 3:20-21; Ephesians 1:9-10; Philippians 2:9-10;
• Colossians 1:19-20; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 4:10.

^* According to Universalism, God will save all flesh. Those who have not yet repented at the time of the first death will spend time in purgatory (if you follow Catholicism), or hell until they have repented when they will be raised to heaven. I include this category to be thorough and give you all three options, but I strongly reject this theory in the light of Hebrews 9:27. The verses listed above for Universalism are weak exegetically, but I am not going to take the time to explain. Instead I have just listed them for you. If you want more information on this simply ask me.

Nothing evil will be allowed to enter New Jerusalem, the New Earth, only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Those who sinned in Eden were barred from the Tree of life. They cut themselves off from the Tree of Life and God’s presence. How could evil be allowed back into the New Earth, New Heaven and New Jerusalem?

Let’s explore the weeping and gnashing of teeth verses for a moment. Either the reaction is a personal human one as a result of the shock of realising all that is written in the Bible is true and you have missed out. Imagine the horror of that realisation, as I wrote about in Gem 1939. You are now excluded from the Life of the Age to Come. Or the reaction is set in fury against God and your anger and vitriol is toward Him for making such a choice. Of course there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth, but it won’t lead to repentance; the time for choice is now over. Rather it is just regret or anger at missing out on eternity. I totally reject Philippians 2:9-10 [according to the universalist claim] that these verses indicate entry to the New Earth and New Heaven for all mankind. That is not the message of the Bible.

I believe the answer to our leading question(s) is a combination of both Annihilation and Eternal Conscious Torment for those who willingly defy God. But I don’t believe the fire is eternal and burns forever. Just ponder the fires of Sodom and Gomorrah or Edom (in the Isaiah verses) for a moment. It was not the fire which burns forever, but the consequence of the burning; life reduced to ashes. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Annihilation is the punishment of death (Roman 6:23). It is eternal capital punishment. Romans 2:6-11 makes it clear immortality is a gift from God. Without being granted immortality, the end is death forever. I believe the Bible shows us most of human kind without God will perish, they will just cease to exist.

Now let’s consider eternal conscious torment. It is interesting that the only verse in John’s Revelation which includes the prospect of eternal conscious torment is reserved for the devil, the beast and the false prophet (Rev 20:10 above). For those who didn’t choose to submit to Christ and walk according to His Way and Truth, they will simply be thrown into the lake of fire and die, being consumed by fire. (Rev 20:15)

But for those who worshipped the devil, receiving his mark and bowing to his images in whatever form, for them remains the prospect of eternal conscious torment (according to Rev 14:9-11). However, I believe there is also another category in accord with the request of the martyrs across the Ages. The plea for their blood to be avenged. I think that will be a very likely scenario. I will just choose one person to illustrate that. If you have been following my Revelation series of Gems, you can probably guess who I choose. I think Felicien depicts this kind of person as the epitome of someone whose lust for the blood of the martyrs knew no bounds. I used his name in a quote in Gem 2298 as a part of the Gem series Facing Death Not Afraid to Die. Just type his name into the <Search this Website> slot and it will bring up five Gems where I used him as an example. You don’t need me to give you more examples of people like Felicien, who embody a blood lust for killing God’s children. I can name many more who I believe will suffer eternal conscious torment. I imagine you can come up with a list as well. How long their torment will be I will leave to the God who judges justly. There may be torment and suffering, but I believe God is merciful and will not torture people vindictively. Hell will be a proportionate response to the evil they have forced on others.

I will close my response to the debate between Annihilationism and Eternal Conscious Torment with two final verses.

 I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.

Matthew 10:15

For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?

1 Peter 4:17

I believe in the principle that God will judge according to the revelation each individual received. Be careful when applying this principle! The outcome is the reverse of what we might think. Even those living in Sodom and Gomorrah will be judged less harshly than those who knew the Truth and the Ways of Christ but did not practise it as such. After all, John’s letter to the recipients in the seven churches of Asia Minor was sent to Christian churches for whom God had complaints against them. [Revelation 2:4, 2:14, 2:20, 3:1-3, 3:15-19]

I believe I have said enough, but if you have questions don’t be afraid to ask.

To the one who has been given greater enlightenment comes greater responsibility.

Ian

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

Revelation 14:12

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! . . .  For our God is a devouring fire.

Hebrews 12:25, 29

The only place in the universe you find atheists is on this current earth. God lets you deny him your entire life, but then he’ll deny you. There will be no atheists on the New Earth or the New Jerusalem.

Ian

Our world is in trouble because we are too serious about trivial matters & flippant about things of eternal significance.

Rick Warren

Imagine waking up to the reality of a Christ-less Eternity.

Ian