Book Of Life

VIEW:13 DATA:01-04-2020
BOOK OF LIFE.—The legalistic conception of morality which existed among the Jews involved a record of the deeds of life on the basis of which the final judgment of God would be given. Allied with this was another conception, derived from the custom of enrolling citizens (Jer_22:30, Neh_7:5; Neh_7:64; Neh_12:22 f.; cf. Exo_32:32), of a list of those who were to partake of the blessings of the Messianic Age. A second natural step was to conceive of God as keeping two sets of books, a Book of Life (Dan_12:1 ff., Mal_3:16, Psa_69:28) for the righteous, and a Book of Death for the wicked (Jub xxx 20–22). To have one’s name blotted out from the Book of Life was equivalent to complete condemnation (Eth. Enoch 108:3).
In the Apocalyptic writings of Judaism the Final Judgment was to be based upon the records contained in the books supposedly kept by the archangel Michael. In some cases Rabbinical thought elaborated the figure until each man was to read and sign his record. The judgment of God was thus supposed to be based upon absolute justice, and determined by the balance of recorded good and evil deeds. In the NT are to be found references both to the books of records (Rev_20:12; Rev_20:15; cf. Dan_7:10, Eth. Enoch 89:61ff.), and to the books containing a list of those who were to enjoy eternal life (Luk_10:20, Php_4:3, Heb_12:23, Rev_3:5; Rev_13:8; Rev_17:6; Rev_21:27).
Shailer Mathews.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909


It appears that different Bible writers used the expression ‘book of life’ in different ways. In Old Testament times it may have meant simply the register of all living people. It seems also to have had a special meaning as referring to the register of all who claimed to be God’s people (Exo_32:32-33; Psa_69:28).
Among those known as God’s people, from Old Testament times to the present, there are those who become apostates or who were not genuine believers in the first place. They demonstrate this by openly and deliberately rejecting God, and God removes their names from the book of life. True believers do not reject God, and God does not remove their names from the book of life. They are assured of eternal life in its fulness (Exo_32:32-33; Rev_3:5; Rev_21:22-25; see APOSTACY; BACKSLIDING).
From this usage, ‘book of life’ has developed a more specific meaning. It becomes the register of all true believers – those whom God has chosen and who have received cleansing from sin through the blood of Jesus. Thus it becomes specifically the ‘Lamb’s book of life’ (Luk_10:20; Php_4:3; Rev_13:8; Rev_21:27). In the coming judgment, all whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life will suffer eternal punishment (Rev_17:8; Rev_20:12-15).
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.


Book Of Life
In Php_4:3, Paul speaks of Clement and other of his fellow- laborers, "whose names are written in the book of life." On this Heinrichs (Annotat. in Ep. Philipp.) observes that, as the future life is represented under the image of a πολίτευμα (citizenship, community, political society) just before (3:20), it is in agreement with this to suppose (as usual) a catalogue of the citizens' names, both natural and adopted (Luk_10:20; Rev_20:15; Rev_21:27), and from which the unworthy are excluded (Rev_3:5). SEE CITIZENSHIP. Thus the names of the good are often represented as -registered in heaven (Luk_10:20): But this by no means implies a certainty of salvation (nor, as Doddridge remarks, does it appear that Paul in the above passage had any particular revelation), but only that at that time the persons were on the list, from which (as in Rev_3:5) the names of unworthy members might be erased. This explanation is sufficient and satisfactory for the other important passage in Rev_3:5, where the glorified Christ premises to "him that overcometh" that he will not blot his name out of the book of life. Here, however, the illustration has been sought rather in military than in civil life, and the passage has been supposed to contain an allusion to the custom according to which the names of those who were cashiered for misconduct were stricken from the muster-roll.
When God threatened to destroy the Israelites altogether, and make of Moses a great nation, the legislator implored forgiveness for them, and added, " If not, blot me; I pray thee, out of the book which thou hast written" (Exo_32:34). By this he meant nothing so foolish or absurd as to offer to forfeit eternal life in the world to come, but only that he, and not they, should be cut off from the world, and brought to an untimely end. This has been regarded as an allusion to the records kept in the courts of justice, where the deeds of criminals are registered, and hence would signify no more than the purpose of God with reference to future events; so that to be cut off by an untimely death is to be blotted out of this book.

CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.





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