Hi kennymac,
I could remember that Ray had covered this, so I looked it up for you
http://bible-truths.com/lake8.html -----------------------------------------------------
THE CHURCH IN SARDIS
(5)
"He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment [Christ’s righteousness in His saints, Rev. 19:9 vs. Phil. 3:9]; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life" (Rev. 3:5).
That’s CHRIST! Jesus Christ IS "The Book of Life!" This is not a literal, physical book with names written on pages of paper. No indeed, this is not merely "the book of life," this is the book OF SOMEONE’S LIFE! Whose life? Let’s read it and believe:
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [Satan, the dragon, the devil, the serpent], whose names are not written in THE BOOK OF THE [‘the’ is in the Greek manuscripts] LIFE OF THE LAMB [THAT’S CHRIST] slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:
!
Your "name" (that’s YOU, your name IS WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE), YOU must be "IN CHRIST," Who IS LIFE, or your name is "not written in the book of life."
Oh how much we lose when translators both translate and interpret wrongly. I realize that this was not intentional, however, it was wrong of them to leave out the article "the" in this verse, as it is IN the Greek manuscripts. It is not merely "the book of life … of the Lamb," but rather, "the book of … the life of the Lamb!" WOW! What a difference a simple three letter article makes in the meaning of this most profound verse! This book is not merely a list of the names of the saints in alphabetical order or by chronological number. The "book of life" is the book of SOMEONE’S life—Jesus Christ’s LIFE!
Oh that we would have ears to SPIRITUALLY hear:
"Therefore if any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Cor. 5:17).
This is the new, converted, believer’s life "IN Christ." And when God comes to judge the world, we will have no fear of judgment for we are being judged now "IN Christ." Highlight this verse in your Bibles:
"And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and He that dwells in love dwells IN GOD, and GOD IN HIM. Herein is your love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: BECAUSE [get ready; here it comes…] As He [Jesus Christ] IS [right now, this minute] SO ARE WE in this world" (I John 4:17).
And just how is that?
We just read it—because we live IN CHRIST, and Christ lives IN US!!! Our names are written in "the book of THE LIFE OF THE LAMB" only if WE TOO LIVE "THE life OF the Lamb," IN THE LAMB! "Abide in Me, and I in you" (John 15:4). I pray for God to give you spiritual eyes to see these grand Truths that have been hid from the blinded eyes of the Church today.
A stern warning: How many does Jesus say through His Spirit, will He "…not blot out his name out of the book of life?" Let’s read it:
"Thou has A FEW names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy" (Rev. 3:4).
Dear readers it is always, just the FEW who will be in Christ in His glory in the first resurrection. All of the rest, ALL of them, will come up in the Second Resurrection, and white throne judgment with its "lake of fire and second death."
I feel it necessary to show you just how sobering our Lord’s statement to the churches really is. Not many escaped the flood that came on the world in Noah’s day because the thoughts of men were only evil continually,
"…while the ark was a preparing, wherein FEW, that is, eight souls were saved…" (I Pet. 3:20).
Are things better now? NO, Paul said things would get worse AND WORSE.
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and FEW there be that find it" (Matt. 7:14).
"So the last shall be first, and the first last: and many be called, but FEW chosen" (Matt. 20:16).
"For many are called, but FEW are chosen" (Matt. 22:14).
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mercy, peace, and love
Kat
P.S. I would like to tell you a way to search Ray's site that I learned about resently.
Go to any article of Ray's, hold down the Ctrl key, then hit the 'f' key and a box will appear at the top of the page, you may put a word or phrase in the box and it will find it