The Book of Life and the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15)

“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

– Revelation 20:15

This is the ultimate determining moment in every single one of our lives. In the end, when we die, we will stand before God as Judge, and if our name is written in the book of life, if we have trusted in His grace, in His mercy, to save us from our sins, if we’ve put our faith in Jesus for eternal life, we will enter into that eternal life. If we have not, then we will be thrown into the lake of fire. We will go into an eternal hell, like every single one of us who’s listening to this right now.

You look around at the world today, the people around you in your life, every single person you see. Look at a world where 7.2 or three billion people live right now. Every one of them, 7.2–3 billion people will one day stand before God as Judge and if our name is written in the book of life, experience eternal life. If not, we’ll be thrown into the lake of fire. This is what matters most in the world. Is your name in the book? Are people’s names in the book?

Revelation 20:15 Illustrates the Importance of Trusting in the Grace of Christ

And certainly as we listen to this, we want to know our name’s in the book, and we know that’s only possible not because of anything we’ve done, like we were good enough. That’s not what this book is about. It’s about those who have trusted in the grace of Christ, who have submitted to the lordship of Christ over them as Savior. So if you have never done that in your life, if you have not placed your faith in Jesus as Savior of your life, as Lord over your life, confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. This is the way, the Bible teaches, to be saved, to know you are safe on that day. Only in Jesus can we be safe on that day.

So are you saved? If not, I encourage you, I urge you, implore you, trust in Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. And then if you know this, once you know this, then look at the world around you. Look at people around you, and ask, do they know their name is written in that book? Do you know their name is written in that book? I want to encourage you, my own heart, let’s live today so that others might know that their names are written in that book, so others might know that they will be saved, they have been saved from their sins.

Revelation 20:15 is a Reminder that Our Salvation is Rooted in Christ

God, we pray for that. God, help us amidst all the temporal things among us. Help us to lift our eyes to the eternal, to that which is going to matter forever. To this moment. It’s going to matter in our lives. This moment—it’s going to matter in everybody’s life around us. So help us today to live with urgency, to make the gospel known so that other people might know that their eternity is safe in Christ. That other people might know Your salvation. So other people might know You, know the life that is found in You, not even just on that day but today, that they might know the life that’s found in You.

God, please help us to share the gospel today. Help us not to be silent with the gospel today. God, we pray that people would trust in Christ around us today. This week, please, oh God, may it be so.

We don’t want people to be thrown into the lake of fire. We know you don’t desire that in 2 Peter 3:9. You desire people’s salvation. You so loved the world You gave Your only Son, that anyone who believes in Jesus will never perish but have eternal life. Oh God, may that eternal life be a reality for more and more and more people, and use our lives, we pray, to bring that reality about, in Your love and mercy and sovereign plan. In Jesus’ name we pray these things, amen.