He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.

—Revelation 22:11

The contrasts we just read reveal that there are two eternal destinies. Contrary to what universalists teach, not everyone will end up in heaven because God is love. The contrasts in Scripture cannot be read any other way—they are not figurative. The New Jerusalem will be the eternal home of all believers, and the lake of fire will be the eternal home of all unbelievers.

Every person ever born will end up in one of two eternal destinations, and that destination will be determined by the presence or absence of that person’s name in the Lamb’s Book of Life: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5).

There has been substantial debate over whether names can be blotted out of the Book of Life. Some see Revelation 3:5 as proof that a Christian can lose their salvation, which would make Jesus’ statement a threat and not a promise. Others say this means that everyone has their name written in the Book of Life, and unbelief blots it out. That is beyond unlikely, for that would imply everyone is saved at birth, and they lose their salvation later through unbelief.

It is my belief that what Jesus said is consistent with other statements He made about us: No one can snatch us from the Father’s hand (John 10:29), and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). Revelation 3:5 is not a threat, but a promise. That raises the question: How do you get your name written in the Book of Life, never to be blotted out?

Let’s start by looking at the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus:

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

JOHN 3:1-3

Everyone who is born again is written in the Book of Life!

Excerpt from The Time of the Signs by Barry Stagner. Order Now.

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