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. This except comes from Chapter 8: Whoever Remains in Zion: Isaiah 4:3.

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In two previous posts (#1; #2), we began to explore Isaiah’s revelation about the book of life: “Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy ​— ​all in Jerusalem written in the book of life ….” (Isa. 4:3). We complete our study of this passage here.

Zion

So, to whom is this promise made? Isaiah 4:3 tells us, “Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy ​— ​all in Jerusalem written in the book of life ….”​

The word “Zion” appears more than 150 times in Scripture. Essentially, it means “fortification” and carries the idea of being raised up as a monument. Zion is depicted both as the city of David and the city of God. We find the first mention of Zion in 2 Samuel 5: “Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David…. David took up residence in the stronghold, which he named the city of David” (vv. 7, 9).

As we move through the Old and New Testaments, the word “Zion” takes on additional, spiritual meaning. For example, Zion refers figuratively to Israel as the people of God (Isa. 60:14). And it comes to mean God’s spiritual kingdom.

As the writer of Hebrews notes:

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:22-24).

Note the tie between Isaiah 4:3 (“written in the book of life”) and Hebrews 12:23 (“written in heaven”). This offers a broad vista of God’s redemptive work. It spans from the redeemed in Jerusalem to those who stand on Mount Zion in heaven. And it strongly implies that Isaiah is speaking, not merely of survivors of the coming Babylonian invasion, but of those whom God has graciously made holy. 

All of this is grounded in the saving work of Messiah, whom Peter, quoting Isaiah 28:16, calls the cornerstone of Zion: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame” (1 Pet. 2:6).

Repent or rebel

Returning to Isaiah 4:3, God’s promise, in its immediate context, is given to Israelites living in Jerusalem. They’re called to choose between elevating themselves and exalting God. Clearly, the Lord will cleanse his people of their sins, destroy the wicked, create new heavens and a new earth, and rule his holy kingdom as he dwells with his people. 

So, he lays a choice before the people: repent or rebel. Both options carry significant consequences. For those who choose to continue living in arrogance and injustice, dark days are on the horizon. But for those who turn from their sins to a merciful God, glorious days are dawning. Only those made holy by God will enjoy future days of peace and prosperity. 

As one commentator summarizes, “The primary lesson people must remember is that those who exalt and glorify God in their present life will have many opportunities to exalt him in the future.”

The future lies squarely in God’s hands. He’s going to judge the wicked and purify the contrite. He’s going to create new heavens and a new earth. He’s going to bring down his throne from heaven and live with his people. He’s going to make his messianic Branch beautiful and increase the earth’s productivity, reversing the curse (see Gen. 3:17-19; Rom. 8:22; Rev. 21:4). 

What God is about to do is righteous and certain. The question is: What are we going to do with God’s call to repent, and his invitation to live forever under his lordship?

The survivors of God’s wrath – “whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem” – are called holy. They remain, but they’re not the same. God transforms them by his grace and power. The “whoever” in this verse means Israelites, but ultimately, it’s not limited to them. God’s promises to Abraham include blessing allthe peoples of the earth through his progeny: “I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:3). 

The Lord vows to wash away the “filth” – the Hebrew word s’h means excrement or a drunkard’s vomit – of the daughters of Zion, just as he purchases people by his blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9). A day is coming when the Shekinah glory of God hovers over Jerusalem as an enduring reminder of God’s presence. The canopy of God’s protection – like the pillar of cloud and fire in the Exodus – provides shade from the noonday sun and offers light and warmth at night. This same canopy, like the wedding chupah, welcomes us into intimacy and everlasting bliss with the bridegroom.

Isaiah implies a connection between holiness and having one’s name recorded in the book of life, for God is the one who makes us holy and secures our names in the Lamb’s book of life. The registry of names, and the identity of the holy ones in Isaiah 4:3, may refer to the book of life we encountered in Exodus 32:32-33 and Psalm 69:28, the same book we explore in other Scriptures. Having our names written in the book provides assurance of being God’s children.

Finally, we might note Isaiah’s reference to “whoever remains” and “whoever is left” (Isa. 4:3). God is going to remove the wicked from Jerusalem, leaving a holy remnant. This foreshadows Christ’s return, when he comes with his holy angels to execute judgment on the earth’s wicked, casting them into outer darkness. Those who remain are the glorified saints, fully conformed to the image of Christ (Matt. 24:36-44; 2 Thess. 1:3-10; 1 John 3:2). We should not wish to be among the taken. Rather, we should wait eagerly for Christ’s return and prepare for our place among those who remain.

Summary

It seems “the book of life” in Isaiah 4:3 has both immediate and prophetic applications. Certainly, the residents of Zion who renounce their wickedness emerge on the other side of God’s judgment purified, while the wicked are consumed. The survivors, set apart as belonging to God, retain their entries in the book of life and enjoy God’s blessings – not just in the earthly days ahead, but in the unending days of bliss on the slopes of Mount Zion in heaven. 

Those who die in God’s coming judgment are no longer registered in the book of life. God has blotted out their names, as we see in greater detail in future chapters. They’re already spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1). They’re going to die physically (Heb. 9:27). And they’re destined for the second death – that is, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14-15).

Isaiah 4:3 refers to the elect of Israel. But the book of life is not confined to those who trace their physical lineage to Abraham. It embraces all citizens of God’s kingdom – those foreknown by God who respond to the gospel message in belief and repentance and thus, sealed by the Holy Spirit, are adopted sons and daughters of God. Of these, Christ loses none (John 6:39; 10:27-30).

Those whose names are found in the book of life may rest assured that God knows them. Further, in the coming messianic age, the Branch’s holy ones enjoy eternity in the glow of the Shekinah glory, living off the abundant produce of a restored earth. Here, as in other Scriptures, the book of life is God’s record of the redeemed. In the immediate context, this refers to Israelites who turn from their wicked ways and embrace God’s grace. Taking the longer view, it means all the redeemed from every era and ethnicity (Rev. 5:9). 

In his commentary on the major prophets, James Smith writes that three great blessings await those who, “on that day,” escape the wrath of God. First, a glorious leader – the divine and human Branch – appears; clearly, this is the Messiah. Second, the survivors are those written in the book of life. God has chosen them and made them holy as they, by faith, embrace their divinely appointed leader. Third, those who dwell in a purified Zion experience the protection of the Lord.

Next: The Books Were Opened: Daniel 7:9-10