The Lamb's Book of Life, & The Eternal Will Of God For The Security Of Those Who Have Been Graciously Called To Come & Believe

A journal entry. One early morning of October. A study on my readings, on John 1:13, Ephesians 1:4, Revelation 13:8, 17:8 and 21:27. 

From eternity past, even before the beginning of the beginning, the Lamb wrote a book. 

 

In this book were special names. Names He had deemed, in His sovereignty, He would love to be His forever bride. These names were written in careful affection, with great love, and with great zeal, amidst a great plan to reveal to them this love, through sacrifice. He had written these names down permanently, determined and precisely, without any intention to erase or blot them out. He had written them down from eternity, and there will they remain throughout all eternity. He who wrote them embodies eternity, for He is eternity, and whom He loves He loves unto all eternity.

 

And it came to pass that He afterwards created everything that is. And thus began time. Yet He who made all these things stands outside of time, because he is transcendent and eternal. The evening and the morning following were the first day. The story in the redemption of these names began to unfold. God allows man to fall. He deemed it unnecessary to even stop the offense of the first of His creations, because the laying down of the first law, that is, not to eat of the fruit, implied that death was allowed to fall upon him and his offspring.

 

In a perfect world, there is no need to know the Father other than as Creator, or as a whole. If we did not die, we would not know how precious the life giving light of the Son is. If there were no wounds, we would not have known how he heals. If there were no need, we would not have known his bountiful filling. If there were no sorrow, we would not have known how he comforts his beloved even in their sleep. If we had not been lost, we would not have known the love it took to search for us till we are found. If we had not fallen into bondage, we would not have known how it is to be redeemed. If there is no despair and helplessness, we would not have known the need for a precious Savior. If we had not died, we would not have known the fullness of a love that is willing to sacrifice all that we may live. A love wholly willing to die in our place as us, with us, and in us, and by his own power raise us up again as He did Himself. All for the sake of His love for these precious names.

 

These names, whose each person was written down in great detail, in secret darkness, curiously formed in the lowest parts of the earth, being yet imperfect, predestined to be redeemed at an appointed time, and conformed to the image of the One who wrote their names, regardless of what they have done, and what they will do; these names were to be born into His creation not of the purpose of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of the perfect will and purpose of God Himself. It is He who wrote them down. He that would surely work in them both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. He has minded to author a work in them and to finish it, to perfect it. For He had it in mind that they should be the very vessels through which He will display His magnificent glory.

 

These names were not written for the purpose of excellence, but for weakness, that the strength of the One who wrote them would be magnified in them. These names were purposed to be broken in time, to be shining recipients of a new nature stemming from being regenerated by the power of God into a new creature. Lifted up from the miry clay. These names will naturally hate anything that offends God, however failing they are left to themselves. They will pursue the holiness of God with great zeal and great desperation, and God is well pleased to prune them towards ever blooming fruitfulness. He who wrote their names from eternity promised never to cast them away after being drawn to Him by the Father. He is as ready to forgive them, as they are always pleading to be forgiven daily for the failings of their flesh. They fall short of the glory of God daily, yes, but no matter. God has already claimed their hearts for His own. He holds out the golden scepter to them. He not only allows them to come into His royal courts, He invites them. He bids them, 'Come'! He is theirs, they are His. They yearn for His presence, His prayer, His glory. He prays for these names and these names alone. He prays not for the world. He prays for His own. He secured them before the beginning, He ensures their endurance to the end. No power will there ever be that would blot their names out, for there is no power that will change the mind of God. What He has written, He has written.

 

That is why He is boldly confident in declaring that none whose names that the Father did put into His hand will ever be lost. Their acceptance being founded not through what they are able to accomplish, or how they will fail everyday, inside of time, but that He who wrote them down was minded before the beginning of time, even before the foundation of the world, to claim these names as His; intended to be written down not by any merit of their own, for their names were written even before anything came into being, having done nothing yet, either good or evil, but solely by the merit of the One who wrote them.

 

This is why salvation is only and solely of the LORD. The Planter of wheat. The Destroyer of tares. The Seeker of the lost. The Enemy of the world. The Author and Finisher of faith. the Creator of a new heaven and a new earth. The Redeemer of his own people. The Propitiation of their offences. The Security of these whom He hath given the power to call upon His name. The One. The Truth. The Way. The Life. These names will He call through the proclamation of His Gospel, and these names will come to Him and believe in Him in saving faith. Faith that came forth from Him, graciously given to whom He ordained should receive it, and will return to Him in perfect praise, accomplishing the security of those whom He foreknew. Not one falls. Not one name is lost.

 

His will is inviolable. 

 

These names whom He minded to be conformed to the image of His Son, these names to whom His Son will be married to, when He brings to an end all that He has started: these names hath He opened their eyes to see, and given them ears to hear, so that their hearts would understand, and turn to God from death unto his marvelous light, and be healed. To these names hath He given the gift of eternal life and the power to become the sons of the most High. He knew them before everything was, He knows them as everything is, He will know them when they are finally reunited with the One who thought of them, before time began, even before the foundation of the world.

 

These names, will find that even the thought of being written down before everything was, regardless of their daily falling short of God's glory, or what they will ever accomplish in their time of life, to be extremely too wonderful to grasp and understand, incomprehensible, yet oh, so precious and priceless - the very reason and purpose of their being. An out of this world treasure to behold, both in awe and gratitude. They rejoice that their names are written in heaven. No, not during this lifetime, but before everything came into being. These names will ride upon the palms of God's own hand, forever graven with a nail and hammer. Singing new songs, bearing new names. Delighting in His joy. His protection, His perseverance, His goodness and mercy, His forgiveness, His truth; they follow them all the days of their lives. And they will dwell in the house of Him who wrote their names in unfathomable love, forever.