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"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 of life 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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