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The Book of Life, Books of Remembrance and How God Predestined us for Salvation

15/9/2018

17 Comments

 

The Book of Life, Books of Remembrance and How God Predestined us for Salvation


“And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away]. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged according to what they had done as written in the books [that is, everything done while on earth]. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades (the realm of the dead) surrendered the dead who were in them; and they were judged and sentenced, every one according to their deeds. Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire [the eternal separation from God]. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15 AMP)

Hi dear reader, the passage above teaches us that there are at least two types of books about us that God has in heaven: Books of Remembrance which records the deeds of every person, and the Book of Life which records the names of every person who will have eternal life. 

Additionally, we learn that the only criteria for someone to be thrown into the lake of fire is that his name is not in the Book of Life. 

These two types of books are written at different points in time.

The Book of Life and the Books of Remembrance are two types of books which are written at different points in time.
The Book of Life and the Books of Remembrance are two types of books which are written at different points in time.
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Understanding the Books of Remembrance


Firstly, Books of Remembrance are written progressively as time passes. 
It is probably the angels in heaven who record the deeds of men in such books as they happen in real-time, as can be seen from the following passage: 

“Then those who feared the LORD [with awe-filled reverence] spoke to one another; and the LORD paid attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who fear the LORD [with an attitude of reverence and respect] and who esteem His name. “They will be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “on that day when I publicly recognize them and openly declare them to be My own possession [that is, My very special treasure]. And I will have compassion on them and spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.” (MALACHI 3:16-18 AMP)

When the priests spoke words which proved that they feared the Lord, a (not “the” which proves that there is more than one) Book of Remembrance was written to record their act of faith. 

For believers, the records in these books will be referred to when it’s time to stand before Jesus to receive rewards. 

For sinners (unbelievers), the Books of Remembrance about them will be referred to so as to determine the severity of their punishment in the lake of fire. 

Like a friend recently told me, “God is the best Accountant”. 
He keeps such a meticulous record of man’s deeds, both good and evil, so that Jesus will not shortchange anyone on the day of judgment. 

The righteous will get their due rewards, and the wicked will get their due punishments. Jesus is such a righteous Judge! 

The book that David is referring to in the following verse is the Book of Remembrance about his life: 

“You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not recorded in Your book?” (PSALM 56:8 AMP)

And in another psalm, David speaks to God about his anger towards wicked people.

The Bible records what David wrote accurately, but it doesn’t mean that what David wrote is what God will do. 

God records a person’s sins precisely as it should be. He doesn’t add extra accountability to it, neither does He mitigate it:

“Add [unforgiven] iniquity to their iniquity [in Your book], And may they not come into Your righteousness. May they be blotted out of the book of life [and their lives come to an end] And may they not be recorded with the righteous (those in right standing with God).” (PSALM 69:27-28 AMP)

On top of that, God doesn’t blot anyone’s name out of the Book of Life. You’ll find out why shortly. ​

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Sandcastles Don't Last Forever

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This is the eBook version.


If you prefer to get the Paperback version (physical copy), you can get it on Amazon here for US$15.



About the Book:

​

One day when I was singing praises to God, an image floated up in my spirit: a big and beautiful sandcastle being washed away by the waves from the sea. God was teaching me the futility of holding tightly onto worldly possessions because like the sandcastle, they won't last, and one day will cease to exist.


He taught me from His word to focus on Him and by doing so, I would reap great eternal rewards before Jesus' throne at the start of the Millennium. These rewards will last forever and can't be destroyed or stolen. 


It is my prayer that the revelations in this book will help you to live with a focus on the things above where God is, fulfill your God-given calling in life, be happier and to accumulate more eternal rewards to your account.



In this Book, you will learn about:​


- Heavenly investment advice and the futility of worldly pursuits from a trillionaire in the Bible

- Why God has to reward us in order to be righteous

- When and how God will destroy the current earth and sky to make way for new ones

- The types of fireproof works that earn eternal rewards at the end of time

- The abundant rewards of doing good works while abiding by the non-disclosure agreement between God and you

- The difference between the temporary places of torment: Sheol and Abaddon

- Who is the Antichrist and his name revealed in the Bible

- What is the Mark of the Beast and why it disqualifies its recipients from receiving salvation

- The different judgments at the throne of Jesus Christ and what it means for you as a believer

- How to fulfill your calling and maximize your gifts to receive the best eternal rewards 



Testimonials about the contents of this book:


"Sandcastles Don't Last Forever is very well written, its message loud and clear. Milton Goh gives common-sense insight on often confusing Scripture, which is much appreciated in these troubled times. My understanding of the Bible has definitely improved."

- Mike Garrett, first Editor/ Publisher for Stephen King and Author of Christian Novel "Innocence Denied", from USA


"This book is absolutely breathtaking. We don't work to be saved but were created to do good works. I am so energized and excited to know God values our works and we will be rewarded. This is all Glory to Jesus... I cant wait to throw my crowns at his feet and thank him for saving my life!" - Evangelist Michael Clark from USA


"Dear Milton Goh, I truly thank our Abba, Father for the revelations in this book. It is so amazing how I begin to discover important verses in the Bible that I have never read. That instead of following riches, with sleepless nights, and actually shortening our lives, we are just to 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ', and 'Love one another'. How beautiful to find out that actually in the Bible there is both 'Earthly or Worldly Investment Wisdom' and 'Eternal Investment Wisdom' according to the revelations here from Ecclesiastes 5:14-17 WEB)!; “It seems like Solomon was not only wise at earning material riches but also at earning eternal riches.” All the glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! God bless you Milton Goh for such a wonderful book!" - Nitta Nierra from Belgium


“Thank you Milton. I have just finished reading “Sandcastles Don’t Last Forever”. It’s such a good book that's filled with God's word. I love it very much. Might read again if I have the time. Thanks so much!” - Mally Chai from Singapore


"I'm reading this book and loving it! The revelations of the Gospel truth shared and it's life applications are absolutely amazing! I give glory to the Lord Jesus for my dear brother Milton for this exceptional resource. I'm gonna keep feeding on its contents and believe God for supernatural breakthroughs as my mind is renewed in Christ!" - Terence from Tombel, Cameroon 

​

“Excellent book!! I enjoyed reading it so much and definitely recommend it! Milton is so gifted and all his teachings have blessed me tremendously! I thank God for people like him. Get this book, it will be worth it!” - Madeleine from SA, “Unmerited Favor” tier patron



* The PDF file of this eBook will be sent to you via email manually after your purchase is confirmed. Look out for a separate email from the order confirmation email, within the next 24 hours.

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Physical beauty, youth, health and fitness. So many of us desire these blessings that Jesus has and try all sorts of ways to attain them: plastic surgery, nutritional supplements, skincare products, exercise, dieting and more. I know one thing though - God’s word is much more powerful and effective - when the revelations in this book drop into your heart, you can’t help but become a more beautiful, younger, healthier and stronger version of you - it’s a transformation that everyone can see!


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Chapter 1: God Finds this Attractive

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Chapter 3: Jesus’ Body: A Masterpiece Knitted with Love

Chapter 4: Is Suffering Death, Poverty and Sickness a Godly Way of Living?

Chapter 5: Be Blessed as you Rest

Chapter 6: Your Physical Body can be Renewed

Chapter 7: The Best Surgeon Of All

Chapter 8: Eat from the Tree of Life to be Healthy

Chapter 9: Tame your Tongue to Remain in Health

Chapter 10: Transformed through Mountaintop Fellowship with Abba Father

Chapter 11: Moses’ Secret to Youth, Health and Strength at 120 Years Old

Chapter 12: God’s Purpose in Keeping you Young


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​Understanding the Book of Life and How God predestined us for salvation


You see, although the Books of Remembrance are written progressively as time passes, the Book of Life was written and completed since the foundation of the world:

“He was also permitted to wage war against the saints (God’s people) and to overcome them, and authority and power over every tribe and people and language and nation. All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain [as a willing sacrifice].” (REVELATION 13:7-8 AMP)

This means that God doesn’t add or remove names from the Book of Life anymore. It is a perfectly-completed book. 

The passage above says that those whose names are not in the Book of Life will worship the antichrist during the Great Tribulation. 

Get this truth right: Their names are not in the Book of Life not because they worship the antichrist. 
They worship the antichrist because their names are not in the Book of Life! 

Don’t get me wrong, God doesn’t create us in His mind one by one and think: “Hmm, I’m going to choose Samantha to be saved so she is going to be in the Book of Life, but I’m creating Sandy to burn in the lake of fire eventually, so I’m not going to add her name in the Book of Life.” 

No, the Book of Life is not written to decide each individual’s salvation. 

Instead, it is an accurate, objective record of God’s foreknowledge of what will happen throughout time.


God simply recorded all the names of those who will choose to believe in Him and receive salvation of their own free will. 

When God decided to create man with a free will, being omniscient (all-knowing), He saw into the future and knew exactly who will chose to believe in Him and who will reject Him, even before these people are even born. 

I believe that God chose His own course of actions based on how He can cause the largest number of people to be saved, since the Bible says that He's no respecter of persons (He doesn't practice favoritism).


If He knows ahead of time that this particular person won't ever believe in Him no matter what He does, then He would rather spend the time drawing another person (by orchestrating events and timings) who will believe in Him instead. 

That’s why God’s word says that we are elected, selected and predestined for salvation from the foundation of the world.

God saw all of us who would use our free will to believe in Him, and He said yes to creating man with free will, and His best course of actions, effectively predestining us for salvation. 

It is still us choosing to believe in Him of our own free will, but He already knew long ago that we would do so. 

I know that this is confusing, but when I finally understood it, everything makes sense. 

No one is created to burn in the lake of fire. 
We all choose our own eternal fate of our own free will, but God already knows who will believe in Him and who won’t.

That’s why God’s word says that His desire is for all to come to repentance and that no one should perish. 
But the consequence of free will is that some will believe in Him and some won’t. 

So since the Book of Life is a completed book, no one’s name can be blotted out from it today. 

This proves that our salvation is eternally secure - once we believe in Jesus, we already have eternal life and will always remain saved:

“He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will accordingly be dressed in white clothing; and I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess and openly acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels [saying that he is one of Mine].” (REVELATION 3:5 AMP)

God talked about the Book of Life through prophet Ezekiel, and called it by another name, “The Register of the House of Israel”.
This is probably a code name before it was revealed openly in the New Testament as the Book of Life: 

““So My hand will be against the [counterfeit] prophets who see (make up) empty and delusive visions and who give lying prophecies. They will have no place in the [secret] council of My people, nor will they be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter into the land of Israel, that you may know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord GOD.” (EZEKIEL 13:9 AMP)

The Book of Life is a register of names of the house of Israel because all Gentile believers are added into Israel like wild olive shoots are grafted into a natural olive tree:

“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you [Gentiles], being like a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them to share with them the rich root of the olive tree,” (ROMANS 11:17 AMP)

So all believers, whether Jew or Gentile, are part of the true and eternal “House of Israel”. 

Rejoice child of God, for your name is recorded in the Book of Life! 

On Judgment Day, you can stand confidently before Jesus’ throne and know that the only things you’re going to receive are rewards and the confirmation of eternal life.

With this bold assurance of faith, you can live a victorious life in Christ, full of anticipation of the future, and freedom from fear and condemnation! 

This is an original devotional. Support our ministry by joining our membership on Patreon to receive valuable rewards like original eBooks, devotionals, sermon notes and more exclusive Christian content! 

At the "GEM Tier" on Patreon, you will also receive my eBook "Sandcastles Don't Last Forever" which teaches you about the different judgments that will take place before Jesus' throne at the end of time, and how to maximise your eternal rewards which will never be destroyed or stolen from you. 
​

Pinterest Pinnable Image. Learn the difference between the Book of Life and the Books of Remembrance. Through this Bible study, you will also understand how God predestined/elected us for salvation without infringing on our free will!
Pinterest Pinnable Image. Learn the difference between the Book of Life and the Books of Remembrance. Through this Bible study, you will also understand how God predestined/elected us for salvation without infringing on our free will!

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​I hope that you have been blessed by reading this post on "The Book of Life, Books of Remembrance and How God Predestined us for Salvation".

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17 Comments
Melissa Henderson link
15/9/2018 10:02:51 pm

I am thankful for His love and His mercy and forgiveness. I am thankful He has a plan for all of us.

Reply
Chip Mattis link
16/9/2018 10:20:22 am

Interesting article, Milton. I had heard David Jeremiah's teaching on Revelation, and he has a similar approach. According to him the Books of Remembrance are used as evidence in the judgment of non-believers. Meanwhile the Book of Life is all the evidence needed for believers. There is no record of sins for believers. The only deeds of ours that are remembered are our actions within the Kingdom of God. Then it's not an eternal judgment we face, but a judgment of merit. What did we earn as our reward. In any case, you've really done a good job pulling OT references together with NT. I wonder though, what is the key take-away?

Reply
Emily | To Unearth link
17/9/2018 10:18:44 pm

I love how you explain the Book of Life and how God didn't say "I choose this person to be saved but this person to burn in hell." Instead, in His omniscience, He knew who would choose Him. Great article!

Reply
Edna Davidsen link
18/9/2018 02:34:25 am

Hi Milton!

Your friend is right. God is the best accountant. I've always loved the idea about letting him do the counting because that's none of our business. :-)

He know's exactly who's in the book.

Blessings!
Edna Davidsen

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23/9/2018 10:37:00 pm

I have an off-topic question: Have you written any blog post about who you built the following on Instagram?

Kindly
Edna

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Yes your name can be blotted out of the Book of Life. Rev 3:5. If you do not overcome it will be blotted out. Telling believers their name can't be blotted out is a false doctrine. You can not intentionally sin after God changes your heart. We might stumble and fall but you better get forgiven before you die. You are saying that you never have to ask God to forgive you again

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Your article, "The Book of Life and Books of Remembrance," offers a profound exploration of these significant biblical concepts. By distinguishing between the Book of Life, which records those granted eternal life, and the Books of Remembrance, documenting individual deeds, you provide readers with a clearer understanding of their distinct purposes. Your insights into how these records influence both rewards for believers and judgments for non-believers are enlightening. Thank you for shedding light on these essential topics, enhancing our comprehension of divine record-keeping and its implications for our faith journey.

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This is a thought-provoking and powerful reflection on the significance of the Book of Life and the Books of Remembrance. It’s a sobering reminder of how our deeds are recorded and how salvation is determined by God’s grace. The passage from Revelation truly emphasizes the importance of faith and being written in the Book of Life.

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    Hi I'm Milton Goh,  32, from Singapore. I am married to a beautiful wife and have one adorable 9 year old daughter. I am a Christian writer/author and I blog on this website about Christian, Parenting and Lifestyle content. Thanks for reading!
    Hi I'm Milton Goh, 32, from Singapore. I am married to a beautiful wife and have one adorable 9 year old daughter. I am a Christian writer/author and I blog on this website about Christian, Parenting and Lifestyle content. Thanks for reading!

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    Hi I’m Milton Goh, I'm 31 years old and i'm a blogger who writes about Christianity, Parenting, Life Lessons that I learn from Movies/Shows, and Lifestyle.

    I independently compile and post New Creation Church and Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online here on my blog.
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    Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible.


    Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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