The Books in Heaven by Emma Hildreth Adams

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Mar 11, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 10.

The Books in Heaven

By Emma Hildreth Adams

It is evident from multiplied passages of Scripture, that the ultimate destiny of mankind is not determined—so far as the investigative judgment now in progress in heaven is concerned—by the personal recollections of men’s life and deeds, by Christ,—now Judge upon the supreme bench of the universe.

Nor will the vast memory of the righteous Judge, nor His sweeping survey of every man’s life, from the years of accountability to the hour of death, affect in slightest degree the decisions eternal, unalterable, which will be rendered during the long assize which precedes the second resurrection.

Not one of those intensely solemn pronouncements will be the result of personal prejudice, or the outcome of favoritism on the part of the faultless Judge. Nowhere in the universe will arise the cry of "lack of equity," the charge of narrow knowledge of the LAW, the intimation of "undue influence," the accusation of cold bribery.

Every sentence by that court will evince the absolute integrity, the untainted uprightness of the Occupant of that eminent seat of justice. "It is just" will be the full assent after every decision—in your case, in my case—if we wait until the session of that latest tribunal; but how sad if we have neglected this boundless promise: "Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." And this: "Because I live, ye shall live also."

Records for the Judgment-Day

From the inception of human life upon the earth, the exalted, equitable Judge, looking forward to this passing era and to the days of the second judgment, has provided Himself with evidence irrefutable—in every individual case—which must settle the question of guilt or innocence before Him during that momentous time.

In other words, for equity’s sake, to insure absolute conviction of justice, to still forever throughout the universe, all query, all doubt, as to the rectitude of His administration of human affairs, God instituted in heaven two great systems of record of men’s lives on the earth—of their deeds good and bad, of their clear loyalty, of their presumptuous neglect, or their wilful infringement of vital law.

Books of Record

Let us now ascertain what mention the Bible contains of these books of record.

The first intimation of such volumes stored in heaven is probably that from the life of Moses (Ex. 32: 32), when he returned to the Lord, on Mount Sinai, after his aggravating experience upon finding the Israelites worshiping the golden image made by Aaron during the long absence of their great leader with God, on the mountain.

Approaching the mighty Deliverer of that long enslaved people, Moses pleaded: "O, this people have sinned a great sin. . . . Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin;—and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written."

That the "book" was the "Book of Life," to which several of the marginal references of the text allude, is evident from that wonderful first verse of the 12th chapter of Daniel, wherein the angel Gabriel, in closing his momentous interview with the sad-hearted prophet, tells him: "At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." The language employed by the great messenger indicates that being "written in the book" means escape, salvation, LIFE.

But let us turn now to Ps. 69: 28, wherein David, with powerful pen, makes the astonishing entreaty that almost every class of afflictive punishment may be visited upon his enemies, and closes with the startling request that their names may "be blotted out of the book of the living," and not be written with the righteous.

The inference from this petition must be, that the names of his enemies were written in the "book of the living," wherein were recorded the names of those only who had lived righteously, and he prays that they may be blotted out.

This sounds like a strange supplication to spring earnestly from the heart of a man chosen of God to become a distinguished leader of Israel; a man who was to occupy eminent place among the human ancestry of Christ, a man who was to serve indeed as a remarkable type and prophecy of the Son of Man.

He Pleads as Advocate

But if we read this Sixty-ninth Psalm carefully, thoughtfully, with knowledge of the New Testament records of Christ’s life, we shall find from many of his expressions that this pleading king of Israel personates the far greater King to come. Several of the petitions, the entreaties, the statements prefigure clearly conditions, experiences, and occasions in the life of the Saviour.

With this view in mind, one can well understand why the shepherd king prays that his enemies may "be blotted out of the book of the living;" that "their habitation be desolate;" "that none dwell in their tents." In due time his requests would become petitions of mighty significance upon the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

It is of vast interest to the human race—and to the universe—that the names of the many powerful enemies of David’s great Antitype "be blotted out of the book of the living;" that they "be as tho they had not been."

A most woful thing it would be should the names of Lucifer and his misled host remain inscribed with those of the righteous. Far back in time, before the sadly fruitful revolt in heaven, their names were so recorded, but that amazing chapter of history on high erased them. God’s reply to Moses was: "Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book."

Book of Life in the New Testament

Now opening the New Testament, we read (Phil. 4: 3), containing Paul’s manful request of his "true yokefellow" that he would help those women, who had labored with him in the gospel and with Clement also, "whose names are in the Book of Life." Paul does not inform the Philippians where is stored this Book of Life, because, probably, they already possessed that knowledge.

But on this point we have unimpeachable testimony from the Lord Himself. Upon the return of the seventy—whom He had commissioned to proclaim to the people of Judea: "The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you"—telling Him joyfully of their great success, He said to them:

"Behold, I give unto you power . . . over all the power of the enemy. . . . Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."

Years afterward, when, on the island of Patmos, this same Jesus, sending most vital messages to the seven churches of Asia, by His servant John, authorized him to say to the few "in Sardis which have not defiled their garments," that they should walk with Him "in white," and He would not blot their names "out of the Book of Life," but would confess their names before the "Father, and before His angels."

In a succeeding vision (Rev. 13:8), John heard a beast, a mouth, a power, speaking and doing great things. It was announced that unto him was given all power over all kindreds, tongues, and nations, and that all who dwell upon the earth should worship him — the power symbolized by the beast — "whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

In chapter 17:8 occurs a similar statement, but with this striking difference — that they who dwell on the earth, whose names are "not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world" — shall wonder when they behold the scarlet-colored beast upon which is seated a woman bearing the tremendous title capitalized in verse five.

The Books Besides the Book of Life

But let us glance at chapter 20:12, 15, embracing another of John's wonderful visions of history, and enlarging our knowledge of the "books in heaven." He writes:

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the BOOK OF LIFE: and the dead were judged out of the things that were written in the books, according to their WORKS. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

That the closing verses of this vastly important chapter portray the progress, the termination, the dire result, of the second great investigative judgment, in heaven, is evident from the feature of finality expressed in every statement. An earlier portion depicts the first judgment work, and the beatific issue of the first resurrection.

Once more: chapter 21:27, speaking of the new earth and its beautiful capital city, the apostle says: "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE."