Predestination and Book of Life (with Scripture Study)

Predestination and the Book of Life
and how it relates to Predestination in the bible.

The Book of Life, which is mentioned in the Bible, may very well be one of the most overlooked and misunderstood topics in the Christian course of study. There has been much confusion among many who have studied the bible, in the area of predestination and the Book of Life.

Scriptural References:
There are 8 verses in the Bible which reference Predestination and mention the Book of Life.

Phil 4:3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Rev 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Rev 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Rev 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Rev 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Description of the Book of Life

The Book of Life belongs to Jesus Christ. It is referred to as the “Book of Life of the Lamb Slain”, which was written at the foundation of the world. A detailed study indicates that this Divine Book contains written names which are of a permanent nature, with one exception seen in Rev 22:19, which states the condition that anyone who adds or takes away from the words of the book of prophesy, their names shall be “blotted out” of the Book of Life and of the Holy City. There are no other occurrences in scripture which speak of names being removed from the Book of Life.

Who is in the Book of Life, destined for heaven?

We find that the Book of Life, upon extensive study, contains the names of those chosen for eternal glory with Christ in heaven. In Exodus 32:32, one may think that the scripture implies that there’s a possibility of being removed from the Book of Life, based on the text as it is written. However, the book spoken of in Exodus 32 does not state that it is the Book of Life, as it states in the scriptures above. It is more likely that the writer is referring to the “Book of the Living”.

Exodus 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin- and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

In regards to the Book of Life, we can see that those who are found written will be those who live a holy life. Living a holy life is not a prerequisite to God writing our name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Rather, the names are written, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and by God’s promise to clothe His chosen ones in white, the chosen ones will be those who will be regenerated, and reborn in Christ. If our names are written in the Book of Life, how then could we as humans suppose that we could obtain the holy job of erasing our own names? Again, the only condition mentioned in scripture in which God will exercise His power in removing any names, are those who have violated the condition and actually changed, added to or taken away from the words of the book, or biblios, meaning, “little scroll”.

Can one be blotted out of the Book of Life?

The “Book of the Living” is mentioned by title once in scripture, in Psalm 69:28. When doing a study on what’s found in this book, a good resource that I recommend is BlueLetterBible. Go to the search box and type in the keywords “blot out book” (without quotes). All scriptures containing those words will appear. You may also look on the right side of the page to see how often those words appear in other bible versions, and at the top, you may choose which version you prefer to view.

Using these scriptures that appear in your search, note that when the writer speaks of being “blotted out”, further study reveals that this implies a literal physical human death. Exodus 32:32 is an example of this, where Moses asks God to take his life in place of those who would not be forgiven. God states He will blot them out of His book, but further study of Exodus reveals that this was not done, as God showed His grace and mercy instead. (Exodus 33:16-19)

Am I written in the Book of Life?

The question arises, “Am I written in the Book of Life”? It is possible that anyone who questions and faces such a fear that they may not be found written in such a Book, may be exhibiting signs that they are worthy of being in it. Why would one be fearful as to whether or not they have eternal security, unless they are truly one of the Lord’s chosen ones? Do you ever wonder if you’ll be found worthy to go to heaven for eternity?

What are the signs that may indicate that you may be one of the secret names found in the Book of Life? Here are some questions to ask yourself as you move forward in your journey with Christ.

Do I strongly desire to be holy and live in Christ?

Do I have a motivation to put away my bosom sins?

Do I find myself angry or frustrated at my own sins, that I cannot seem to be rid of?

Do I exhibit righteousness, thank the Father in prayer, and display signs that the Holy Spirit is operating in my life?

If you answered yes to these questions, then the Lord may be working in you to refine you and bring you closer to Him. You may feel you can’t seem to “shake off” the desire to become closer to God, or pray, or learn more about Him. You may find yourself eagerly awaiting the Lord’s return, excited for the day when He arrives on the cloud with His Holy angels. Of all things, you will feel that you don’t want to sin against God. You will feel Him working in your life.

The introduction here to the Book of Life is one of the most important reasons to begin to research predestination, as found in scripture. Spend a good amount of time closely reading Ephesians and Romans. Understand that it is ok to be concerned about your salvation, but it is more important that you celebrate it in Christ, through praise, honor, gratitude and appreciation in prayer.

Who is not found in the Book of Life?

It is clear that those not found written in the Book of Life will be those who are displaying signs that they are not concerned about Christ Jesus. This may cause those who are beginning in their walk of faith to question the “fairness” of God. Why are some written, and others not? God did not ever say that He would be fair in the eyes of humans. We should praise Him that He is not so fair that He would punish us severely for each of our sins, lest we realize just how sinful and dirty we really are in His sight. But what about those not written in the Book of Life? Will they be in our midst? Will we ever know who they are?

Those not found in the Book of Life will have no love for Christ. However, as we learn regarding the sinner who hung beside Christ, a man can come to have faith in Christ even at the last moment of his life. We should never presume to know who God’s chosen ones are, lest we make judgements or speculations that belong only to God. Is your unbelieving neighbor found in the Book of Life? It may be more beneficial to leave such questions up to God, and be concerned about where we now stand with Christ.

Characteristics of the Elect who are found in the Book of Life

What things will we show in our lives if we end up being one of God’s chosen ones? We will show righteousness in Christ. We will, above all else, do what He instructed us to do, and we will be one of the ones who remained faithful in our right minds, right until the very end. We will die in a state of faith in Christ, and we will know that the Lord will keep His promises. We will not have shown the world that we turned away from God, but rather our actions will show that we loved Him and faithed in Him, until our very last breath.

Suggestions for self study

To start, here are some key words for suggested scripture reference study:
“Book of Life”
“blot out”, “book”
“book of the living”
I recommend using a concordance or online website such as BlueLetterBible to compare scriptures.