Book of Life and Book of Works

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5, NASB)

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB)

The Book of Life

God is sovereign and can do whatsoever He pleases. He was pleased to give man free will. Psalms 135:6.

“Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” (Psalms 135:6, NASB)

God is also absolute righteousness (+R) and justice and can do nothing wrong. He is also always fair. Christ died for the sins of the whole world. He purchased everyone. 1 John 2:2; Ezek. 18:4.

“and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2, NASB)

““Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4, NASB)

Therefore, the name of every member of the human race is written in the Book of Life when they receive physical life at the point of birth. Believers’ names remain in the Book of Life. Believers names are not ever blotted out. Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5.

“Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” (Philippians 4:3, NASB)

“‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:5, NASB)

Unbelievers’ names are blotted out at physical death because they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. In Exodus 32:32, Moses had his back up at God. In Exodus 32:33, the phrase “sinned against Me” refers to the “unpardonable sin” which is rejection of Jesus Christ. Psalms 69:27-28.

““But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” (Exodus 32:32-33, NASB)

“Add iniquity to their iniquity, And may they not come into Your righteousness. May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous.” (Psalms 69:27-28, NASB)

Dead unbelievers are not in the Book of Life. They will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. Rev. 20:15.

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15, NASB)

Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8 indicates that during the Tribulation, those that accept the mark of the Beast terminate their chance to change their mind about Christ - the same as physical death.

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” (Revelation 13:8, NASB)

““The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.” (Revelation 17:8, NASB)

Your name is entered into the Book of Life when you receive physical life - at birth. Your name stays in the Book of Life if you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, thus receiving God’s eternal life before physical death.

There are three categories of individuals: A normal person who reaches the age of accountability, a normal person who hasn’t reached the age of accountability, and a person with an abnormally low IQ regardless of age.

At Death

At the point of physical death, the normal person who has reached the age of accountability, but has rejected Jesus Christ as Savior, their name is blotted out of the Book of Life and is written into the Book of Works. Rev. 3:5; Psalms 69:28.

“May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous.” (Psalms 69:28, NASB)

At the point of physical death of a normal person who has not yet reaching the age of accountability, their name stays in the Book of Life. If such a person lives to reach the age of accountability, they continue to stay in the Book of Life although they are unsaved. God’s grace is for their name to stay in the Book of Life until the final moment of death. If that person dies without accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior, their name is then blotted out at the point of death.

For the person with an abnormally low IQ, their name stays in the Book of Life as their volition will never be normally operative. At death, their name stays in the Book of Life because of God’s perfect righteousness (+R) and Justice. Jesus Christ purchased all of the human race from the slave market of sin. The only issue will always be your volition or free will. As long as you are alive you have a choice. Gen. 6:3.

“Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”“ (Genesis 6:3, NASB)

At the Rapture of the Church

All Church Age believers will meet Jesus Christ in the air at the Rapture. Unbelievers remain on the earth to go through the Tribulation. There will be much evangelism during the Tribulation. If one or both parents are believers and have either a normal child who has not yet reached the age of accountability or a child with abnormally low IQ, these children will meet Jesus Christ in the air along with their believing parents.

If both parents are unbelievers, the children will stay with the parents under the concept of Divine Institution #3 (Family) and will hear the Gospel during the Tribulation. The normal child may or may not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

For children with abnormally low IQ, it is not possible to evangelize them in the Tribulation because they can never reach God-consciousness. Because God is always fair and has absolute righteousness (+R) and Justice, these children always have an eternal future with God in heaven.

At the Second Advent

If the normal person has accepted Jesus Christ during the Tribulation, they will go into the Millennium in a physical body and replenish the earth. There will be a great population at the end of the Millennium. Rev. 20:8.

“and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.” (Revelation 20:8, NASB)

The child who has not reached accountability in the Tribulation will go into the Millennium where they will have a chance to accept Christ as Savior. If the person with abnormally low IQ has not died in the Tribulation and gone to be with the Lord, they will be given a resurrection body with Jewish Age believers or God will perform a miracle to restore sufficient mental capability to exercise volition and they will have opportunity to accept the Lord Jesus Christ in the Millennium.

The Book of Works

The Book of Works contains the names of all unbelievers along with every good deed they have ever done. Unbelievers’ good deeds are the only things mentioned at the Last Judgment. Rev. 20:11-15.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15, NASB)

Good works are the basis of indictment of unbelievers. The unbeliever will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and will attempt to match their good works against Christ’s perfect salvation work on the Cross. God, in His absolute righteousness (+R) and justice, evaluates these good works and they will not measure up. Isaiah 64:6.

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6, NASB)

Their free will rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior sends them to the Lake of Fire for eternity.