Last year The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC was renamed The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. A federal judge has now ruled that the name change was unlawful, and President Trump’s name has been removed.
Many famous people have wanted to be memorialized in buildings or monuments – such as the Egyptian Pharaohs, Alexander the Great and Roman Emperors.
President Trump’s wish was thwarted, but that is not our concern. We should, however, be concerned about a very special book of names. The Bible refers several times to a ‘book of life’, and it is one where names can be added or removed.
In an act of selfless compassion, the prophet Moses offered to have his name taken out of this book in order to save the rebellious Hebrews in the wilderness. “But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written” (Exodus 32:32).
God’s reply was unequivocal, saying that Moses had no such prerogative: “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33).
King David and the prophet Daniel referred to this book, and much later Jesus himself said that his disciples should not rejoice in the fact that they could do miracles, but in the fact that their names were recorded in heaven (Luke 10:20).
New Testament writers of letters to baptised Christians similarly referred to their names being ‘in the book of life’ or ‘enrolled in heaven’.
The book of Revelation makes several references to such a book. Those who are true followers of Jesus, and who ‘conquer’ (that is, who remain committed to following Jesus despite resultant suffering) will not be blotted out of it (3:5); it is associated with divine judgment and with the consequent utter destruction of those people whose names are not found there. In fact, only those written in the book are allowed into the city of God at the end of time (21:27). In this reference it is called ‘the Lamb’s book of life’. This is because people are only saved because of Jesus and what he did ‘for the sins of the whole world’ (1 John 2;2), meaning that his sacrifice is the only way anyone can be saved. So there are necessary conditions for someone’s name to be in this book and thereby guarantee their eternal salvation.
Whether the book is literal or figurative matters not. Clearly those whose names are missing will not be saved. They will perish. On the other hand, those who are listed there will be saved. God is the ultimate authority, and He has made Jesus the judge of the earth (Acts 17:31). We have no authority to add or remove names from this book. But surely we want ours to have a place in this most important volume?
Anna Hart