Rev. 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and ANOTHER BOOK was opened, which is the BOOK OF LIFE: and the dead were JUDGED out of those things which were written in THE BOOKS, according to their works.”

“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

“O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsakes thee shall be ashamed, and THEY THAT DEPART FROM ME SHALL BE WRITTEN IN THE EARTH, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters,” Jer. 17:13.

It’s either you are written in heaven or you are written in earth. But your name is written either way. So what does it mean to be written in the earth?

Written in the Earth

This shows you will never be in a place of true honour. It means your name is written in the dust and the slightest wind that blows over it shall destroy every letter and make it illegible. Jesus did the same thing while freeing the woman that was caught in adultery (John 8:6), who knows , if it was the names of the accusers that He was writing on the ground.

That is, such a name shall be consigned to oblivion. Here their hopes are rejoicing while on the earth and not in a state of heaven, which speaks of the Book of Life (Rev. 13:8; 20:12,15).

So those written in Heaven will have a reverse of what all those written in the earth are to experience.

Similarly just like the Israel returnees had the genealogical records, even so God has a Book of Life depicting the fact that God is aware of all His creation, particularly those people with whom He is especially working and walking with.

Now the big question. Can you know if your name is written in the Book of life? Must you die before you know whether you are there or not? At least Moses knew his name was there. “I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written,” Exo. 32:31-32.

Listen to Paul list out names that are already there, yet he was alive and the people he mentioned were alive;

Phil.4:3, “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.”

So how did Paul get to know that these fellows already had their names in the Book of Life? This tells you, you can know and not this fairy tale in movies and magazines of an angel opening one book when you get to the gate of heaven. And then your fate is decided with either the devil taking you to hell or another angel escorting you to heaven, because your name is either there or missing.

If this is the case, it means you can know where you will be by now before you ever transited

How can we know? Simply that by reason of our New Birth, you are a citizen.

Listen to this. Heb. 12: 22, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven…” “For our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20) says Paul.

So you see, what Paul said concerning those fellow labourers that their names are written in heaven (Phil. 4:3) was such an encouragement by that acknowledgment. So friends, have this assurance that as long as you are born again of the Spirit of Christ, your name is in the Book of Life.

Get fear out of your mind that you don’t know what will happen to you at heaven’s gate. Get ready to show that imaginary angel of the church that you are a citizen, and as such your name must be there in the only Book God has written.

To be continued…