This is another in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon.

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When it comes to the book of life, it should be noted that Jewish apocalyptic writings conceive of God keeping at least two books: a book of life for the righteous, and a book of death for the wicked. To have one’s name blotted out of the book of life means complete condemnation (e.g., Jubilees 30:20-22; 1 Enoch 108:3). These writings further indicate that the archangel Michael is the keeper of these books. 

The overriding idea is that God, or an angel, keeps a record of people’s deeds, which are exposed to them on judgment day, resulting in salvation or condemnation. This is not strictly a Jewish concept. An ancient Babylonian New Year’s festival finds an assembly of gods determining the duration of people’s lives based on what’s written down in a “tablet of life.”

It’s possible this influenced Jewish thinking during the Babylonian captivity of the sixth century BC. Much later, Islam adopts the concept of two recording angels – one who notes a person’s good deeds; the other, his or her evil deeds. Both angels open their books on judgment day.

The apostolic fathers write about a record of people’s deeds as well. Clement notes, “Those who remained faithful, inherited glory and honour, were exalted and were inscribed by God in His memorial for ever” (1 Clem. 45:8). Hermas, a first-century Christian writer and contemporary of Clement, writes, “Cease not to admonish thy children, for I know that if they shall repent with their whole hearts they shall be inscribed in the books of life with the saints” (Shepherd of Hermas Vis. I, Chap. 3). 

Augustine regarded the book of life as a record of man’s deeds. Yet he observed that it cannot be understood literally, since the reading of such a record would be endless:

We must therefore understand it of a certain Divine power by which it shall be brought about that every one shall recall to memory all his own works, whether good or evil, and shall mentally survey them with a marvellous rapidity, so that this knowledge will either accuse or excuse conscience, and thus all and each shall be simultaneously judged (City of God 20:14). 

If all of this seems to imply that salvation is a matter of weighing a person’s good and evil deeds against each other, this is an oversimplification – and an unbiblical conclusion. As we see in the posts ahead, the names of the redeemed are written in the book of life “from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 17:8) and thus are connected to the biblical doctrines of foreknowledge, election, and predestination. 

The New Catholic Dictionary offers the perspective that the book of life is a figurative expression for predestination, “which signifies God’s foreknowledge of the elect.” The dictionary goes on to say:

It is plain that God by virtue of His omniscience must infallibly know the number of the elect and the lost, which, however, does not imply that the fate of either the elect or the damned is sealed by God without prevision of each individual’s merit. Damnation is in no way forewilled, but merely foreknown by God.

Jewish tradition holds that the ten days from Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, corresponding to the Feast of Trumpets) to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are “Days of Awe.” God reviews the books of judgment on Rosh Hashanah and delivers final judgment on Yom Kippur. These ten days are considered the last chance for a person to repent before God’s judgment falls, possibly resulting in the death of the disobedient in the coming year. 

It is believed that three books are opened, and every person’s name is entered into one of the books:

The book of life for the wicked, sometimes called the book of death. If a person’s name is entered here, judgment is final and that person’s life is cut short during the coming year.

The book of life for the righteous. Those whose names are entered here are granted another year of life and prosperity.

The book of life for the in-between (the benonim, or middle). Those whose names are written here have their lives hanging in the balance. If they sincerely repent during the Days of Awe, God grants them life until the following Yom Kippur.

The Days of Awe are so solemn, weddings and other festive occasions are postponed until afterward. (More on this in a future post: Rosh Hashanah and the Book of Life.)

The Mishnah, the first major collection of Jewish oral traditions, tells us the deeds of every human being are recorded in a book (Pirkei Abot 2:1). 

Reward and punishment

It appears there may be many books in God’s heavenly library: the book of life, a book of remembrance, a book of works, a book of death, etc. Perhaps these are various ways God reveals his omniscience, which includes his foreknowledge, as well as his perfect memory of every person’s life and deeds as they unfold. Perhaps God writes these books himself, or delegates the responsibility to the archangel Michael, or to a stable of heavenly scribes. Perhaps these books are real books – parchment and pen, digital, or recorded through divine technology to be revealed on the last day. Or perhaps they simply express the mind of God in a way we can understand.

But one thing is clear, as Randy Alcorn notes in Heaven, “While God needs no reminder, he makes a permanent record so that the entire universe will one day know his justification for rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.”

Alcorn further points out that there’s no hint these books are ever destroyed, or even consigned to the discount bin after resurrection and final judgment. “It’s likely that these records of the faithful works of God’s people on Earth will be periodically read throughout the ages.”  

These books contain detailed and accurate historical records of everyone’s life. With so much fake news and revisionist history being plopped in our laps today, won’t it be  refreshing to see human history from God’s perfect perspective? Won’t we sit on the edge of our seats as the Lord of the universe reveals how he directed human history toward its climax in the victorious work of Christ? Won’t we feel an otherworldly buoyance as we watch him show the folly of evil and the triumph of good? And won’t we marvel at understanding how godless rulers thought they were in control, only to see God taking their evil and turning it into good?

When we think of our own personal histories, we may wonder whether there’s much of a story to tell. But, because Christ has redeemed us, he has turned our deepest failures into stunning arches of glory. And, if it’s possible in the life to come to remember our sins – even the vilest of them – won’t it be wonderful to see how Jesus took these sins upon himself, became guilty of them, and satisfied God’s wrath on our behalf? Our sins paint the dark background against which the redemption story of Jesus shines brightly. 

Further, our small acts of obedience to Christ are remembered and rewarded. Think about the times you gave faithfully to the work of the kingdom, even when finances were tight. Think about the time you nervously shared your faith with a stranger seated next to you on a long flight, only to discover that person became a follower of Jesus years later. Think of the countless diapers you changed while serving in a church nursery, or the floors you mopped in a church hallway on a Saturday night when no one was around. 

Think of the foster child you brought into your home, or the baby no one else wanted that you adopted. Think of the thankless hours you spent in preparation for a Sunday school class, only to learn in eternity the value of exercising your gifts. Think of the hundreds of cards you wrote to encourage people to stay faithful to the Lord when their world was collapsing around them. Think of the visits to hospitals, prisons, trailer parks, remote villages, and next-door neighbors, simply sharing the love of Christ with those who couldn’t grasp it at the time.

As Alcorn writes, “God is watching. He is keeping track. In Heaven he’ll reward us for our acts of faithfulness to him, right down to every cup of cold water we’ve given to the needy in his name (Mark 9:41). And he’s making a permanent record in Heaven’s books.”

Seven biblical truths

As the New Testament builds on the Old to reveal more details about the book of life, we may note the following truths.

First, the book of life is a heavenly record (Luke 10:20; Heb. 12:23).

Second, it is God’s book, and the Lamb’s book, written from (not before) the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8; 17:8; 21:27).

Third, it features the names of those who respond in faith to God’s gracious offer of salvation, and who willingly participate in his kingdom (Matt. 8:11; John 5:24).

Fourth, it records the names of those who have been born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:23; Rev. 13:8); remain faithful in worship (Rev. 3:11); embrace truth and reject falsehood (Rev. 21:27); endure tribulation (Rev. 3:5); and labor in the love of Christ (Phil. 4:3).

Fifth, Christ assures true believers they belong to him and remain permanently inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 13:8; 21:27). 

Sixth, those whose names are erased from the book of life never really honored the king or truly sought citizenship in his kingdom (Matt. 7:21-23; 22:1-14).

Seventh, when the day of judgment arrives and the books are opened, the destinies of all people are revealed; yet assurance of everlasting life is available now through faith in Christ (Luke 10:20; John 10:27-30).

Next: The Book of Life – A Real Book