God says,
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Revelation 13:8
And,
“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
Revelation 17:8
Spiritual things
Revelation is a difficult topic to discuss because it cannot be known through our natural minds. By its very nature, revelation must be given through the Spirit of our Father.
For instance, many have tried to interpret the book of Revelation by treating it like a massive jigsaw puzzle that only needs to be properly pieced together in order to understand it. However, interpreting this prophecy through our natural minds has often led to erroneous conclusions and great disappointments when believers predictions did not come to pass. We hear of individuals or groups waiting for the end of the world only to be proven wrong when, the day after doomsday, the sun also rises.
Why is this so? Why, if we have the revealed word of God which predicts the future, do we constantly get it wrong? At least part of the answer to this question is contained in the following verse,
Spiritually discerned
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
1 Corinthians 2:14
When we approach the study of prophecy through our natural minds it is impossible to interpret the Bible correctly because the scriptures must be revealed to you by God’s Spirit. Frankly, understanding the scriptures has a lot more to do with the condition of our heart towards God rather than the ability of our minds to reason.
God reveals truth
I have oftentimes been perplexed at the apparent inability of some to grasp what I write because it seems crystal clear to me. I came to realize, recently, that the only reason that I understand these things is because it has been revealed to me; otherwise, I would struggle too. If you stand in a dark room and someone flips on the light, causing you to see clearly, it is simply because the room is now revealed by the light.
Thus, if you wish to understand the Final Feast, ask to have these truths revealed to you. This does not mean that you must discard your mind and simply believe anything that is labeled “revelation”. It means that you must yoke your minds and reason to the Holy Spirit to understand clearly what He’s saying. We literally need spiritual eyes in order to see spiritual truths.
How revelation really works
I am sharing these principles so that we might come to understand the things of the Spirit together. Some have never been told how revelation really works. Many are not used to receiving revelation let alone trusting it. This is often because we have been trained from birth to trust our five senses more than God’s Spirit. However, we are all called to learn to live, once again, by every word that proceeds from His Spirit.
Now we come to the subject of this essay: the Lamb’s book of life. What is it and why does it matter you? It is written,
“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 20:15
Your name must be written
The book of life is important because if your name is not written in it you will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. We also learn that this is the Lamb’s book of life from Revelation 13:8. Who is the Lamb of God? It is written,
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 1:19
Therefore, the Book of Life is a book that Jesus possesses and if your name is not written in that book you will be cast into the lake of fire. It is a document that contains all the names of those who are predestined to be saved. Predestination doesn’t mean you have no free will, it simply means that God foreknows how you will use your free.
Here is a truth,
“The book of Revelation is essentially an account of the opening of the Lamb’s Book of Life and the consequences thereof.”
God says,
“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.”
Revelation 5:1
and,
“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
Revelation 5:5
The truth is that the lamb’s book of life is the book (which is a scroll) that has been held in the right hand of God from the foundation of the world, sealed with seven seals. What is written within and without on that scroll is the names of those who are predestined to be saved. However, in order to be saved one had to be found that was worthy to open this document. The only one found worthy to break the seven seals is Jesus.
The judgment of mankind
When mankind sinned, God sealed all the names of those who were destined to be saved in the book of Life. This is what God held in His right hand. This was a judgment upon all mankind for the sin of their father Adam. The sin of Adam sealed the book and the sacrifice of the last Adam (Jesus) opened the book. However, when each seal is opened, a judgment is unleashed upon the people of the Earth. These are the judgments that God determined were appropriate for mankind’s sin.
God, in His mercy, sealed up these judgments and postponed them until a savior could be found. God literally bound mankind’s salvation up with seven seals. These seven seals held back judgments until such time as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world appeared. Jesus, through his obedience to the cross, overcame sin and was found worthy to open the little book. From the time that Jesus rose from the dead, Christ has been opening the little book and judgments are happening. Salvation began when the veil was rent and judgment began when the first seal was opened.
The scroll must be opened and read
Without fully opening the scroll so that the names can be read and called out no one can be resurrected. It is probable that God Himself called out the name of Jesus and that is what made His resurrection possible. It is written,
“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”
John 11:43
This event foreshadows the way in which all will be resurrected. It is written,
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 14:15-17
The key to the book of Revelation
If there is a key to understanding the book of Revelation, it is the understanding given by the Spirit. Once you understand this, the book of prophecy starts to come into focus and make sense. I did not come to this conclusion through study or intellect, but I have received it from the Holy Spirit. Though I’ve written about it plainly, those who read will only be able to receive this truth similarly.
People are predisposed to dismiss new revelation as, “super spiritual, Gnostic mumbo-jumbo.” However, though this may be true in some instances, it is not true in all instances. When it comes to truth, any real truth, it must be given to you from God. It isn’t because it cannot be understood, bit unless we yield our minds to His Spirit they don’t function right.
The lambs book of life and the book in the hand of God are one and the same
In conclusion, understanding what the Lamb’s Book of Life is and how it relates to the book of Revelation is central to understanding end-time prophecy. Prophecy must be spiritually discerned (understood) for it is the mind of God. Those who desire to understand God’s mysteries cannot partake of the knowledge of good and evil.