The Book of Life Part 1

As you know, I always start off my message with the title. It helps those who are on audio that will listen later or from across the United States and also the Caribbean. And also it helps for those that, when we video a message. And so the title of today's sermon is the Book of Life. The Book of Life. It could better be said, the Book of Eternal Life. Because if you want to be guaranteed that you will have eternal life, your name must be written in this book called The Book of Life. It is not only important to us, it should be important to anyone in the world. Who, quote-unquote, wants to be saved. Saved from what? You hear that often. Are you saved? Saved from what? Well, you're saved from the lake of fire, according to Scripture. Or you want to have eternal life. What does that mean? It means you want to live forever. I know I grew up in school, for you school teachers that are here. I grew up in school believing that Ponce de Leon, great explorer, was looking for the fountain of youth, or the fountain of eternal life. Well, it wasn't until decades later did I find out that that was not true. It's a myth. He came looking for riches. He came looking for gold, looking for land. But so many people over time have desired. There's been movies, there's been many books written about living forever. Now, I don't want to live forever with this body, and I doubt many of you want to either. Can you imagine being 900 years old, what you might look like? So, I wanted to cover all the details of this book because it is so important, because most of us here are not just here because of today, but it's the destiny before mankind that God has laid out in His Word that most of us are looking forward to. Not only the coming Kingdom of God, or the thousand-year millennial reign of Christ, but it is about the time afterwards when you will live for eternity. That means forever and ever and ever and ever. That seemed like a long time. Well, it is. There is no end to it.

A little peaceful now. I don't have to yell, because I get that on the audio and the video from various people that say, why don't you just stop talking when that crying or the disruption, because it's very hard for us to hear. I said, well, I don't know if I have that much time. So, I will usually just talk louder, and hopefully people will remove the issue and problem. Well, let's go back to the book. The books. The book of life. Well, do you know everything you need to know about the book of life? Because if it is your key, it is your guarantee to eternal life, the ultimate goal of everything written in the book, the Bible. Shouldn't we know everything we need to know? What do we need to do? What do we not need to do? How do we make sure that our name is written there? So, I wanted to cover this. There are famous books that more people have read or bought than any other books. The Bible has been for years, decades, the last hundred years, the best-selling book of all time, followed by the Quran, and then followed by quotations from mouth and tongue. Those are the three main books that have consistently been bought or read. Many of you may have read parts of them. Hopefully, you read a lot of parts of the Bible. But when you look at the top-selling books in the last 20 years, the Bible is not one of them. The Quran is not one of them. It doesn't even finish in the top three in the last 20 years.

The top book sold in the last 20 years was the Da Vinci Code, followed by three Harry Potter books. Those are the books that this younger generation wants to read. And if they don't buy them, their parents or their grandparents buy them.

But I want to talk about this book. The book of life, theologians say, one says that it's the roll call of all those righteous in the eyes of God. Now, another theologian says the book of life is a record of those who will receive God's gift of eternal life. I have to agree with both those statements.

Is it important to us? I think it better be. Or perhaps you're wasting your time sitting here today. You're wasting your time professing to follow Christ. You're wasting your time because if your name is not there, then God has reserved a time and a space, place and space for you in the lake of fire. And I'll prove that today from his scriptures. It's that big. It's that big of a deal. So is your name written in the book of life? Is my name written in the book of life? It's important that I know. It's important that we all know if our name is written there.

It is so very important for everyone, not just those in this room, not just those who believe what we believe, but for those who profess to be Christians.

Because it's the ultimate end to everything, to every single person who has ever lived. The key is to have your name written in the book of life. And if not, you will go. And be burned up in the lake of fire. Now, is this a fire and brimstone sermon? No. It's just telling you and pointing out to you what the scriptures say. What is before us?

What is before the entire world? It's in there. It's crystal clear. It's not ambiguous. It's there for everyone to see. So, let's look at a couple things. And I want to go to, since it's such an important book, and it's such an important part of scripture, that we will go to Jesus Christ in his three and a half year ministry. He only mentions the book of life one time. Now, you would think if it's so important, he would mention it more than once, wouldn't you?

Let's go look at that time. If you'll turn with me to the book of Luke, I'll be reading from New King James Version today. Book of Luke, chapter 10. Let's start up in chapter of verse 17. As you know, from taking the context here, he actually sent his disciples out, seven of them out. They cast out demons. They healed people. They preached the gospel. They did all these things. And they came back in verse 17, said, then the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.

And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Then, verse 20, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that you cast out demons, that you can handle these things, scorpions and serpents, so that he is given power over. Do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

Your names are written in heaven. So, is this the only reference Jesus Christ just wants in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Well, yes, it is. But is it the only time in the New Testament? Hardly. Hardly. I'd like you to turn over with me as we will spend most of our time today in the book of Revelation. You will turn with me to Revelation 1. Revelation 1, verses 1 through 3. So, it says, the revelation of Jesus Christ. So, this is not the revelation of John.

John writes it down, but it says it is the revealing of Jesus Christ, the revelation of Jesus Christ. So, we may find out that this is also his book and his words. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place. And he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John. So, Christ had it. He revealed it. He got it from God. God gave him the power and the authority to reveal all this that would happen in the future. And by the assistance of angels who were there with John, John then got a chance or the opportunity to see the future, to see what's going to happen in the last days.

And he put this down. In verse 2, it says, this John who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ and do all things that he saw, firsthand count. And then something very unique. The only time it takes place in the entire Bible. I hope you will write this in your book. You will write it on your page. You will mark this. It says, blessed. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy. It's the only book in the Bible when you read it, because you read it and you hear it, you will be blessed.

It's unique, isn't it? And yet there's millions of people who say, well, I can't understand it. It's so much figurative language and it's like, oh, nobody can really understand it. How important is it? Well, he said you'll be blessed if you read this book. Who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep these things that are written in there. Keep, or as the Greek word, teria, terio, actually means the Greek word is to obey. Obey the things that are written in here. Sounds simple. Should be.

But really, when you think about it and you read the book of Revelation, you'll find that the book of life, the Lamb's book of life, the book of remembrance is actually mentioned many times in the book of Revelation. The last book of the Bible, what God wants to leave his people with, that last book. How many times is it mentioned in Revelation? Anybody guess?

Very good. Would you expect anything else? You have seven seals, seven trumpets, seven this, seven churches, seven this, seven camels, seven all seven. Well, guess what? He mentions the book of life seven times in the book of Revelation. Not five, not six, not eight, seven times his number of completion. So I thought when I started putting this together a month ago, that I need to know everything that I can know about the book of life. If I expect eternal life, if I just want to take my 70 years if I make that long, then I don't need to know about it. So if you're happy with the amount of years you've lived or that you can physically breathe out here, then don't pay attention to this message. But if you want the ultimate gift of God, you will listen to this message.

A sermon was given two years ago, a little over two years ago, by Robin Weber. It's on the UCG website. It's a very good sermon. My wife pointed me to it. I didn't pick it up. I listened to Robin some, but I just picked through and have certain guys that I listened to more than any others. And Robin's a very good speaker, but he gave a sermon and it could have been the title of this sermon. Even though he goes a little different viewpoint on it, it's still very, very good. The title of his sermon is Eyes Fixed on Eternity. Eyes fixed on eternity. Do you have those eyes? What kind of eyes do you have? You just have eyes on what's going to happen next week, next month? Are your eyes fixed on living forever? Eternity. Ruling and reigning with God over the entire universe. Eyes fixed on eternity. I hope you can make sure that your eyes are not just on making it into the kingdom. It's been a kind of a catch phrase all these years. Church, God, kingdom of God, I want to be in the kingdom of God, right?

Because it's more than that. It's eternity. God just gives us this picture in there, and he describes it many, many times in his books like Isaiah, like Jeremiah, like Ezekiel, of what the thousand years will be like. Because we're so short-sighted, you're already thinking about Monday.

Or maybe what you're going to do tonight? Or tomorrow? God wants us to have our eyes fixed on eternity. But our eyes are so short-sighted, too many times, that he just has to give us a picture of the first thousand years of his kingdom.

But there's billions of years after the thousand years. And that's what we're going to talk about a little bit today. And I'll be talking about as we head towards the kingdom of God, or the study of it as we study about the Feast of Tabernacles. So the last book, seven times. So let's read so that we can be blessed today. And we can know all we need to know about this fabulous book. Because in reality, it probably is the most important book for us that will ever exist.

It'll be important if your name is in there, but it's going to be just as important to us if your name is not written in there. So we're going to look at seven scriptures, the seven times, in the book of Revelation today, where the book of life, the Lamb's book of life, the book of remembrance, is actually mentioned and what it teaches us about each of those instances. So let us go. Revelation 3. Revelation 3 and verse 5. Revelation 3 and verse 5. Christ is talking to a church, his church, one of his churches. Perhaps you, like many of us, of the seven churches, there are traits in those seven churches that are in this church here today. Qualities and issues and problems. They exist. They have since his time, and they will up in time till the time Jesus Christ returns. So let's see what he says to this church at Sardis in chapter three and verse one. He said, I know you works, that you have a name, that you are alive, but you're what? What's it say? You're dead! You're dead! You're breathing. You act like you're alive, but inside, spiritually, you're dead! You may put on a good show. Sorry, folks. You're dead! And that was so prevalent that that was most of the Sardis church. Now, I don't view you as dead. Do we have dead, spiritually dead people in here? Absolutely. Do they know who they are? It may hint, but most don't. Right? So let's look and see what he says here. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.

Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard. Hold fast and repent. Repent! Repent of what? What do you repent of? Sin! Right? Well, to repent of it, you obviously have to look it and see it. Look at it and see it. Oh, well, I didn't do this. And most of us have to confess it to God, don't we? I'm sure you did this morning. I had to. Right? Lay it out, and it's before him, and ask for the blood of Jesus Christ to take away those sins so that I can be cleansed, purged, my sins. Well, here, obviously, we have people in this church and the Sardis that they didn't really see their sins. Otherwise, he wouldn't have to tell you to repent.

Repent, therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief. Remember, Christ talked about a thief in the night when he will return for his triumphant return next time? He's going to come. So if people are not really studying, you're not really watching, you're just finding out what the latest bachelor show was about. You want to find out what the Kardashians are doing after 10 years of useless TV. Right? And so you can find out what's going on here, what's going on there, but, you know, as Christ returned, well, you're not really watching. So he's talking. I'm not saying it's you. You are the ones. You don't answer to me. I don't answer to you. I answer to Christ. He is my judge. He is your judge. That's why I think this sermon is important, not only to me, but hopefully to you too. I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. Why? Because you haven't been watching. Not only watching world events, but watching yourself. So you're prepared for the day when it all ends. Maybe it's a car wreck. Maybe it's a heart attack. We don't know, do we? Only one knows it's Christ. So he's saying, let's go. I want you to have a little passion, energy, fire. That's why I called you. I called you because I saw something special in you.

In verse 4, you have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments. Whoa, wait a minute. There's some in the church that actually had a little fire. Their garments are clean. They repented. And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. White linen, the righteous acts of the saints, as it talks about in Revelation 19. They will come with him when he comes back to this earth to conquer and put everything under him as he has been promised. But it says, he who overcomes, or you might say conquers because same word, same Greek word, he who overcomes. So do you overcome? Do you conquer? Have you conquered yourself? Have you conquered this world? Not totally yet. But hopefully we are working at overcoming and conquering things, issues in our lives, sins, problems. He who overcomes shall be clothed in these white garments, this white linen. And I will not blot out his name from the book of what? Life. But I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. So here we get to see another picture, another title for Jesus Christ. Blotter. He's a blotter. Okay. You know what blot means?

Yeah, just blot over it. For many of you, I don't know if I even use it now, but 20 years ago when I had my company, we got white out, lofted. And you take that little thing and my big old fat hands would just make a big mess out of it and try to cover one word and I covered three. Well, because I blotted out those words. Jesus Christ here says, I will not blot out your name if it's in the book of life. Who are his? Are you his? If you profess to be his, you have given your life to him. You have said he is what? Your Savior, your Lord and King, high priest, and soon coming King. You made that covenant of baptism.

Your name is written in the book of life.

But it's conditional. It's not once saved, always saved. Oh, I guess they can't. My name's in there forever. It's not. You don't do these things. He's going to blot out your name because Jesus Christ is now the King blotter. He's the only one who can blot your name out and he will do it. So you can have Jesus Christ the blotter or Jesus Christ the confessor. Confessing your name constantly before God and his angels. Wish you want. Let's go to number two. Second time it's used. Revelation 13. Revelation 13. Revelation 13 gives us the story of the beast. The beast and the beast power. A man will rise up at the last days. He will be powerful. He will be dynamic. He will rise and be the head over a union of nations. He will rule it with an iron fist. He will have incredible ... not only power, but he will be...

As most people will view it, he will just be the person everybody's been waiting for to come on the scene that can solve all the problems in the world. He will have an answer for everything. He will be the man who everybody will look to and say, Oh, it's all right. No problem. He's taking care of it. Peace and safety. Peace and safety. Peace and safety. She's looked to me as he heads up this world-dominating power. His goal is to take over the entire world, and he will have a religion, a state religion, a world religion, and he will have assisting him will be the false prophet, a prophet, a religious figure that is also dynamic, also impressive that people will look at and go, So let's look at Revelation 13 and verse 8 at this scene. As the whole world is looking to him, looking to this beast in verse 13, and all who dwell on the earth will worship him.

It doesn't say most. It doesn't say 90 percent. It says all the world will worship this leader, this beast, these nations that come together to hopefully bring peace to the world and make this all happen rather quickly as he comes on the scene. All who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in what? The book of life. The book of life. He's going to fool people and says he may even fool the very elect if we're not careful. So how do we make sure we're not fooled? You better know what this book says. You better know how God expects a man, a religious man, or a man with obvious, unique powers should be acting if you're going to come in the name of God. Okay? So those whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. Wow. That says a lot.

So we better make sure because some people say, well, I think y'all know. Well, most of the world will not know. Most of the world will not know they're being fooled. You think it's interesting now because, wow, not that many people worship on Saturday. Not many people keep the Holy Days. Not many people do these. Y'all, we're all right. Well, yeah, what do you think it's going to be when this power comes on the scene? Could it be five years, 10 years, 20? God even told us, don't set dates. You don't even think about it. So I don't. I won't.

He knows when it's time. My job is to live life and try to live it more abundantly with God guiding us and keeping my eyes open and watching myself besides watching the world.

Let's go to Revelation 17, the third appearance of this book of life. In the book of Revelation, third appearance. Revelation 17 in verse 8 said, Then the beast that you saw was and is not, and will ascend, out of the bottomless pit. Well, wait a minute. What's what's talking about here? He was and is not and is and you know, that's just gobbledygook. Right? Well, we're about to see what he's talking about there. But it says he he's from the bottomless pit. Well, wait a minute. I studied bottomless pit and that's talking. Well, is he a demon? Is he? Wait a minute. And then he's going to be cast in the bottomless pit. And that just doesn't make sense. So he must not be a human. No, actually, the word is abyssos. Abyssos, A-B-Y-S-S-O-S. It's where we get the word abyss. And the actual word there, the abyss, means the abode of demons. So this individual, this beast, will be empowered, motivated, protected, and directed by demons. And so it says, wait a minute, he was, and then he wasn't, and then he's going to be, and so forth. Let's go ahead and read. And he will send out the bottomless pit, but he will go to perdition or destruction because he will be destroyed, as we will see later, because his destiny is the lake of fire and he won't rain for very long. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel whose names are not written in the book of life. Why will they marvel? They're going to marvel at this incredible power. They're going to marvel how everybody, wow, he solved hunger, he solved crime, he solved everything. All we needed to do was we just needed this great leader. And all will marvel because he's going to do it in the name of religion. He's going to do it in the name of God. But if you know how, what God expects, you know what God's book says, you're going to find out that he didn't. That's why it's a marvel. He said, and those who dwell on the earth, remember he said all back in 13, will marvel whose names are not written in the book of life because of the people's name written in the book of life. You're not going to marvel. You're going to know who he is.

From the foundation, when they see the beast that was and is not and yet shall be present. Wait a minute, he was and then he wasn't and then he is? How do you explain that? Well, it's explained in the Bible. Let's go back to chapter 13. Let's go back to chapter 13. This is what's going to happen. Chapter 13 verse 1, and I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded and his deadly wound was healed. This beast, this man representing the beast, this beast's power will actually appear to be dead, and he will be brought back to life.

And everybody will go, because he was and then he wasn't and then he is. Now, will he truly be dead?

A lot of experts say it's a contrived death. What can you do today? What do movies do? What do graphics do? Look at everything you can do. They even have a drug they can give you that you just can't even find a pulse on you, and you'll appear dead.

That's going to happen, and perhaps he even looks like he's assassinated, a deadly wound. I don't know. I just know what Scripture says, that this is going to happen, and everybody in the world is going like, oh, and then, oh, and then, oh, he's back. Oh, so it must be divine. Except for those whose names are written in the book of life. We're going to know exactly what's going on and how it happens.

Let's go over to the fourth one. Revelation 20. Revelation 20, as it teaches us this, Revelation 20, we're getting into the white-thrown judgment. We're getting into a time where all humanity who has ever lived will be resurrected after the thousand years, and you all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and all will be judged. Well, let's read that, because it is talking about the book of life here. Revelation 20, verse 12, And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before my new king James says, God, but the actual majority of manuscripts and everything is thrown, instead of God. God was put in there by man. Stand before the throne, and books were opened. What books? The books were opened.

The books of the Bible. These are books. This book consists of many books. At one time, it was scrolls, and then it was put together as a book. And it's interesting, because these scrolls were rolled up, and just like the book we will read, we will talk about today during Bible study, is Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one of the major prophets, the four major prophets, and so his book, or everything about him, was actually rolled up on one scroll. And it was considered one book, because they would roll this out and read it. Were the minor prophets, you know, as you go into Jonah and Malachi and everybody in that, you had 12, and they were all on one scroll, because they were smaller. That's why I called minor. And all the major prophets had their own scroll, their only book. But here, it's talking about, you're going to be... the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. So there's... two different books here are books. There's a... he mentioned books, which is a compilation of the words of this Bible. And there's also the book of life, which is one book. It's never mentioned as books. It's one book. Has everybody in it, okay? That he's put, okay? And it says, And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. We are judged by what's written in here. The whole world will be judged by the things that are written in here. Everybody gets the same. You're judged from the same book. Everyone will give account for their sins. You're judged by and with God's words. You say, well, wait a minute. Are we going to be standing there with the small and great? No. 1 Peter, where it says, Judgment is now on the house of God. We know now. We're judged now. We're judged daily. We will not be judged when the rest are judged. Said, And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were open. See, that's these incredible books that they're going to be judged by the words. Okay.

Sorry, but I had an homosexual lover for eight years. Well, then you sin. Yeah, but I loved him.

You're going to be judged like we are. Right? So everyone's going to be judged by the words of this that are in this Bible. The Ten Commandments defines sin. He didn't need 11, just needed 10. And if you need to know anymore, just go by the spirit of the law. It's made pretty simple. But it says here that the book of life was opened up. There was a book of life there that was opened up when all the billions that will come before the judgment seat of Christ, this book is laid open. And here you have the books also. You have the Bible, and then you have the book of life. All it takes is God to see or Christ to see. Your name is not written in the book of life.

What are you going to do about it? What do you want down about it? Because he's going to judge. Oh, I know, but I was this great person. No, you weren't. He knows it all. Remember, he's the blotter. And he's the one that writes your name in there because you're his. We said that at baptism. We said, you're our master, our Lord. We will follow you.

And the dead were judged according to their works, the things they do. Well, I thought we were under grace. Well, no, you have to do something too. Guess what?

And you're going to have people standing there going, well, I thought I was a good person. Read the book by the things which were written in the books. And this is verse 13. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and the grave, or Hades, delivered up the dead which were in them. So everybody's coming back to life and going to stand before all who've ever lived will stand before Christ. We do our standing right now. Hopefully we do more kneeling than standing before Christ. Right? I hope you do. Because if you don't do enough kneeling before Christ, you may do the standing. You may not want. You may not want that. And they were judged, each one according to their works. Then death and the grave were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And then he explains why. Because Christ even said what? Oh, today this earth, you know, the grass is growing, the earth is here, but you know, it's all going to be burned up someday. And it's not going to be because of global warming.

And because he sets it on fire and burns it up as we see right here in these verses. Number five. The number five time that the book of life is. And after this death in Hades were cast in the lake of fire, and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Okay, so all physical stuff. At that time, after this judgment, after everyone has been given their opportunity to know Christ, to repent, to do as we have had the opportunity to do just before them, they have their chance. And if they do not turn, which the book says, he desires all to be saved. He wants everyone. But there are some just the incorrigible wicked, they just won't. They won't repent. They don't. They're not wrong. And they won't accept him. And so guess what? They're going to be burned up and cast into the lake of fire.

And then everything will be burned up. And there will be those followers of Christ who are spirit, because God is spirit. Christ is spirit. And you see, just on down the next few verses in 21, and I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea. God will bring his throne down and it will take the place of where this planet earth used to be. And everything will be purified. How do you purify gold? How do you purify things? Heat. And he's going to heat it up.

The sixth time. The sixth time. Revelation 21. Revelation 21. Here, okay, follows along the line. God has brought the holy city, New Jerusalem, down to where earth used to be. And it is huge. It is a huge city. We'll go through that someday. It makes a wonderful Bible study. But by that time, everything is purified. God's not coming down until this is a purified world. And it's said in Habakkuk, you are a purer eyes than to behold evil. Christ is preparing for when God the Father will bring that down. And when he does in verse 22 of chapter 21, But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or even a lie. Or even a lie? Why? People lie all the time. You won't dare. So it shows how pure is going to be because, hey, we all lie. We may not mean to, but we do it anyway sometimes. Right? I told you to love. William and Neil and you schoolteacher, you've got to love it when a parent comes in and, well, my child would never lie. Oh, well, I know where he gets it now. Right? Well, this is how it is with God. God says, the kingdom, when it's here, it's so pure, there won't even be a lie. There's not going to be any sin. There's not going to be any lies. But only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. That's who's going to be in the kingdom of God. That's who's going to live for eternity. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life.

And I'm looking at people now who had the opportunity to live forever.

Who have to make sure that their name is not blotted out. Because it's in there! It's in there!

And Christ has no desire to blot it out. His desire is to confess that name and to spend eternity with that name.

Finally, the last one, Revelation 22. Let's go there. But can you see? He put this in here seven times to make sure... Well, I didn't read the first few. We had to read some. It's in there. It's the last book. We're going to go next week. We're going to go to the Old Testament, and we're going to see exactly whose names were written in the Book of Life. And exactly how you can make sure that you don't make the mistake that happened in the 4,000 years that took up the Old Testament. As we look at the instances of the Book of Life that have been here since man first came in. It was first laid out. This book was planned. And we'll look at that next week. But let's wrap this up today.

22 and verse 18, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. Remember those blessed? You blessed people who hear now. You've read it. You've heard it. You're going to be blessed by it. Okay? If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. You want to go back and read the plagues? I don't think you want any part of it. Those plagues are not fun. Okay? He says, don't add to it. And how many people do you see adding to it? Everywhere. Oh, the Bible says, no, it doesn't. Well, but, you know, I think God meant that, no, no. We have to make sure. We don't add to it. But this is what it says. Because that's what has to be done. The plagues. I had to go this week and have some skin cancer things cut off me, or tests done, and cut off. You know? And that wasn't very pleasant. Okay? What I was sitting there thinking this morning, you know, because I've got this patch on here, and I've got this patch here, and stuff. And I'm going, you know, I think I'll take this over those plagues. This is minor stuff. That's big stuff when God says, I'm gonna pour plagues out on you. Okay? And just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut and just say what I said, you had to add your own to it. That's dangerous. That's blasphemy. Yes. The words are perfect. They're holy. They're righteous. Don't add to them.

And I'm talking to myself, too. So I want to go, wait a minute. And that's why Mary sometimes say, you still reading over there? Yeah, because I at one time thought this, or said this, or was taught this, and the book doesn't say that. So I'm constantly learning. Learning to keep my mouth shut, except what the Bible says. I don't want all of you in a thousand years from now going, oh, let's watch God lay the plagues on Pastor Smith. But then he says in verse 19, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, oh, whoa, whoa, that's, it's even bigger, the book of the prophecy, God, or as the original translation says, may God take away his part from the book of life. You take away, you don't really say what it means. Oh, well, and then you cut a verse off, or you just, or you don't read it in context. And how many preachers do that? Oh, I've seen that. They just take this, and I have to explain to a lot of times, people on the phone, they're like, well, my minister said this. I said, well, read two verses under it. Oh, it does say that. Wonder why? You think he doesn't know? Duh, he did know. He didn't want to lay out the truth because it changes everything. Don't take away. It really feels like if I have one thing, if I had, I think I'd rather add two than take away. Add two, I get the plague. Take away, I get what? Lake of fire. I get my name taken out of the Book of Life. Why? Because it's good, it's holy, it's righteous, these words. It's so powerful. He says, I'll take away his part from the Book of Life from the holy city. That's eternal life. And from the things that are written in this book, he's going to take away our eternal life. Why? Because doctrine is big to God. What he says to do, these words in this book are holy. They're very holy. It's what Peter said, 1 Peter 1, what? 25, your words are eternal. Your words last forever. Just like he says in Psalm 119, your words last forever. All right, let's close on this. Let's go. Matthew 24. Sermon on the, I mean, all of it prophecy. Matthew 24. Of all this stuff, as he talks about the future, as he talks about what's going to happen at the end time, he comes down in the same sermon and in Matthew 24 and verse 35, and Christ says, heaven and earth will pass away. But my, what? My words will by no means pass away. His words are eternal. It's so important. So, brethren, the book of life, it is what we are about. Our eyes, they need to be fixed on eternity, not just on the short term. Brethren, this is exciting news for me and for you, because eternity is within our grasp.