Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. Revelation 20:11-12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלוהים) says:
The pages of your life. What is written on them? I have a book I wrote about you, Psalm 139:16, but the book you are writing may have a very different story, but hopefully not a different ending, but that is up to you. Each day you are writing the story of your life. Everyone who is living or has ever lived is an author of his or her autobiography. And each day what is written on those pages determines your destiny and your reward.
And it is not only written out but it also is illustrated with pictures of what you are doing each day, and video clips as well. Maybe it is time for you to proof, edit, and make a change, perhaps even a new beginning to the story of your life.
“But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord LORD, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? Ezekiel 18:21-23.
This is serious. It is all about your path of life.
Now you may wonder how you are writing this book of deeds. You are writing it with your tongue, that is, with your words, which express your thoughts and fuel your actions. Your life is made up of actions that follow what you think and say about yourself and others. I am very clear about this. Death and life are in the power of your tongue and by your words you will be judged righteous and by your words you will be condemned. You are judged for every useless, harmful, idle word you speak.
My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Psalm 45:1.
Good authors choose their words carefully and weave the plot so that it flows into the desired ending of their book. They prepare a brief summary beforehand so they stay on course and chart out the chapters before they write them, so they do not detour from the storyline they are building. Before they write, they have the plan in mind for the book, its genre and its purpose. And they imagine the characters and the scenes in their mind’s eye before they appear concretely on the page.
Good artists are the same. They have the plan for their painting in mind before they begin so that they do not ruin the canvas. They map it out and know where they want to place the various parts of the painting, where the light is coming from so the shadows are consistent, and to keep the various parts in correct height and stature to fit together realistically.
And the same is true with architects and building plans, engineers and roadways or underground pipes, etc.
But very few people do this with their lives. They wander about, start a structure, and then tear it down with their own hands, have no plan for the plot or the ending. Have not mapped out the path that gets them to the desired destination and, worse yet, have no idea of the destination. And never put together a plan for the chapters or even think of a summary of what they want to do with the brief life I give you on the earth that determines your eternity.
In fact, people often spend their days in frivolous pursuits that have no Kingdom value and say they are just “killing time.” Do not kill time, I tell you to redeem the time.
My servant Paul talked about the building project of your life. The most important part of a building is the foundation. My Son talked about that as well. He told you that hearing and doing My Word is like building your house on a solid rock foundation that no storm or wear and tear can take down. These are wise builders. He said others, those who do not hear or obey My Word are like those building their homes on shifting sand, when a storm hits, down they go. Sand may conform to your bodies, but it does not hold you in a storm. Rock does not conform but if you build on it you are always assured of stability.
Paul discussed building on the foundation of Jesus Christ, who is My Word but in a very special manifestation of My love. Without receiving Him as Lord you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven, because without His saving grace you are still in your sins. But in Him you are completely cleansed, washed and sanctified for He, though He never committed even one sin, willingly took all your sins on Himself and died in your place the eternal death of the sinner. He gave His eternal life in the flesh for the eternal life you lost in Adam’s sin and in Him you are born again of the imperishable seed of My Word. But once you have been born again you are building and writing and living the story of your life, and you will be in Heaven as well but there all will be perfect glory.
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, o the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24.
And My servant Paul talks of the testing of your works in this life as going through a refining furnace of fire and only those whose stories withstand the test and come out pure gold and precious stones will have fruit that remains unto life eternal. I am speaking of rewards and eternal promotions.
I would like to show you what I do when looking at your book of deeds, the story of your life as written by you. It is the story of king Jehoiakim and the scroll of My warnings of impeding defeat and captivity if they did not return to Me from their evil and defiant ways that were stout against My Word.
Jeremiah, who was not allowed to enter the temple because he was prophesying against the people for their disobedience, dictated to Baruch all the words I had spoken to him. Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted; I cannot go into the house of the LORD. So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the LORD to the people in the LORD’s house on a fast day. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. Perhaps their supplication will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people.” Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded.
When the court officials heard Baruch read the scroll they were convicted and feared, so they asked Baruch to give them the scroll and they would take it and have it read to the king. So they told the king about the scroll and then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it to the king as well as to all the officials who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier before him. When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. Jeremiah 36:21-23.
Now that was what the king did thinking he would erase the prophecies and escape the punishment. He was also showing his scorn and disbelief. But let Me just use this scene to tell you that is what I do with the pages of your life that are filled with immoral, unclean, profane, wicked, angry, bitter, hateful, indifferent, fearful, sinful and/or lying words and actions. I cut that page out of your book and throw it in the fire. I keep looking and looking through the pages ot find a redeeming action, even to giving a cup of cold water to a believer and an alms to the poor out of compassion and that page I will keep in your book. I am looking for the page of salvation, where you received Jesus, and then all the other pages just go up in smoke, and you can come in the Kingdom. But if I find nothing but worldly works, ambitions, and no saving actions, then there was nothing salvageable. And you go with the one who ran your life.
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10.
There will come a day of judgment. Most people forget this and live very haphazard lives, just “whatever will be will be.” Parents instead of raising children in the Word and disciplining them therein will give in to sinful behavior in the children saying they just want them to be happy. Sinning never really made anyone happy and certainly not happy for eternity. Would you rob them and yourself from the eternal Kingdom for the very fleeting joys of sin? But many of you are doing just that calling it love and tolerance for others’ “lifestyles of choice.” But that is not what your life on this earth is about. It is about the path to life to My Kingdom. Are you on it?
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15.
What is the Book of Life? It is where all your names are inscribed from eternity past, every person born starts out in the Lamb’s Book of Life for Jesus died for ALL, He paid the ransom for ALL. But if you reject Him when you reach the age when you make your own decisions for your path in life and refuse to accept His saving grace and wash your robes clean in the Blood of the Lamb, even worse, if you reject and blaspheme that precious and sacred Name by which you are saved, your name is erased from the Book of Life.
He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:5.
Moses knew this as well.
On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. But go now, lead the people where I told you”. Exodus 32:30-34.
And now I will tell you the good news of how to write the pages of your life so that you shine like bright lights before Me and all those at judgment to see. Write the story of your life with Me! Let us write it together and it will be the greatest story ever told. Never spend your day writing your life without Me. Get constant input from My Spirit in you and He will guide you to all truth. For it is I who teach you to profit and lead you in the way you should go, you just have to listen and obey, and you will have the good of the land.
I did not send Jesus to judge you, but to love and save you, so that you might live your life through Him. His story can be your story as you do the deeds He did and greater ones yet. He is your good Shepherd and your great High Priest even now, right this minute.
And the story I love best is the story of the one who rejoices always, prays without ceasing, and gives constant thanks, for that is My Will for you in Christ Jesus. For rejoicing is faith, for you believe in the good result before you see it and rejoice in it, praying without ceasing is hope, confident hope of the answer, and constantly thanking is love, for love is grateful and love is a thankful receiver and a thankful giver. And the greatest of these is love. Stay alert with thanksgiving and you will know the day and the hour I come.
I love you. Always remember that I am for you not against you. I gave Jesus for you, will I not give you all things in Him? Why not sing the story of your life with Me? It is called the Song of Songs and it is a love song. Know this, you are beloved, forgiven, blessed, and favored and that is the story of your life. Love it, live it, and write it each day with Me. I am your helper.
This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose Word I praise, in the Lord, whose Word I praise, in God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. For You have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living. Psalm 56:9-13.