The Bible teaches us that there is a distinction between God’s people who are qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven and those who are not. The people who practice lawlessness will not enter the kingdom of heav¬en, but they will all be driven out, no matter how loud they cry out, “Lord, Lord,” and no matter how diligently they believe in Christ and prophesy in His name (Mt 7:21-23; 25:31-46).

This scene is similar to that of an immigration checkpoint. To enter a country, everyone has to pass through immigration at the airport. How¬ever, the immigration checkpoint has different lines for the citizens of the country or green card holders and foreigners; the former can pass through the immigration without difficulty just by getting a stamp on their passports, but the latter have to go through quite a bit more complicated process; the immigration officers ask them what the purpose of their visit is and how long they will stay, so they can figure out if the foreigners are trying to enter the country with evil intentions or if they might cause any harm to the country.

It is the same for the kingdom of heaven; only those who have the citi¬zenship of heaven can enter the heavenly kingdom. As for those who have citizenship in heaven, their names are written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb.

The citizens of heaven and the book of life

Those whose names are written in the book of life are the people of God’s kingdom, who can enter heaven—the kingdom of eternal life. It is a great joy and honor that our names are written in the book of life.

Lk 10:17-20 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “. . . However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus awakened His disciples to the fact that their names are written in heaven. The fact that their names are written in heaven means that their citizenship is in heaven.

Php 3:19-21 . . . But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Jesus told us to rejoice that our names are written in heaven, and added that our citizenship is in heaven. If anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, it means that he or she cannot enter into salvation. So, it is a great blessing and grace from God that our names are recorded in the book of life.

Ro 6:1-5 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

In order to obtain the citizenship of heaven, we must be born again through baptism. Baptism is a ceremony where we bury our old, sinful selves and are reborn as new selves in Christ. If a child is born, his or her name is entered in the family register. Likewise, if one is born into a new life, his or her name is registered in the book of life, as a citizen of the kingdom of God.

There are so many people in the world who claim to believe in God. However, not all of them have the citizenship of heaven. The “Lamb’s book of life” is in Zion where God dwells. Therefore, when our names are recorded in Zion, the Church that keeps the feasts of God, they can be reg¬istered in the Lamb’s book of life (Ps 87:5-6; Ps 132:13-18; Isa 33:20-24; Mt 16:19).

Blessings for those whose names are written in the book of life

Through the book of Isaiah, let us examine again the fact that our names can only be registered in the Lamb’s book of life when they are registered in Zion.

Isa 4:2-3 In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!” In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.

The Bible tells us that all whose names are recorded among those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy.

On this earth, people want to obtain citizenship in a developed country which has strong economic strength and national power. How much more valuable and precious our citizenship in the kingdom of God will be! People born in Zion are able to obtain the glory of becoming God’s holy people as citizens of heaven. So, being baptized in the truth is not really a small thing. The person who is recorded in the book of life is the one who can attain salvation.

Da 12:1-3 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

The “book” mentioned here refers to the book of life. All those whose names are written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb will be saved and be called holy. Since this tremendous blessing follows them, the Apostle Paul gives comfort to the saints at Philippi by saying that their names are in the book of life.

Php 4:2-3 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

The book of Philippians is the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the saints at Philippi. Not only the Apostle Paul but also his fellow workers in the gos¬pel—all their names were in the book of life. They all kept the Sabbath (Ac 17:2), proclaimed the New Covenant Passover (1 Co 11:22-26), and kept the feasts of God.

Those whose names are not written in the book of life

What will become of those whose names are not in the book of life? The Apostle John describes the fate of the people, whose names are not found written in the book of life, as follows:

Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Rev 13:6-8 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

The Bible records that all whose names are not written in the book of life will go into the everlasting fire of hell, where they will be tormented forever and ever. All inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb from the creation of the world—they all worship the beast. That is why they are all destined to go to the lake of fire. So, God distinguishes between those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life and those who are not.

Considering this fact, it is truly a great blessing that our names are writ¬ten in the book of life. Until a person is led into the truth, there are a lot of difficult situations and processes which we are not aware of. After such difficulties, that person is baptized and his or her name is written in the book of life. So, we need to think about how much effort God put into saving us behind the scenes. Let us always give thanks and glory to God for giving the forgiveness of sins to us, who are weak and lacking in every way, and for leading us to the eternal kingdom of heaven by allowing our names to be written in the book of life, as God’s children who have the citizenship of heaven.

The book of life of the Lamb who is with His Bride

So, we need to find out about the Lamb who is the Owner of the book of life. If we know who the Lamb mentioned in the Bible is, we will be able to make sure that the Lamb’s book of life is the true book of life.

Rev 19:7-9 “. . . For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

In the Bible, the “Lamb” refers to Christ (Jn 1:29; Rev 5:6). The Lamb who appears here has His Bride, the spiritual Bride.

A wedding feast is held to tell people who the bride is and who the bridegroom is. When we know correctly about the Bride who appears at the wedding banquet of the Lamb, we can also discover the Lamb who is the Bridegroom.

Rev 21:9-10 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

The angel told the Apostle John that he would show him the bride, the wife of the Lamb, and he showed him the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. Whom does the Holy City, the heavenly Jerusalem, represent here?

Gal 4:26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

The Bride of the Lamb is our Mother, and our Heavenly Father who is with our Mother is the Lamb mentioned in the Bible. So, God’s people whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life must be those who dwell in the truth, who are together with the Spirit and the Bride. The Bible says that those who are left in Zion are recorded in the book of life, so the Lamb and His Bride must exist in Zion.

The Lamb, the Owner of the book of life, is God the Father who is together with God the Mother. The book of life is in Zion where God’s feast are celebrated, where God the Father—the Holy Spirit—and God the Mother—the Bride—are together. All who are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life will be called holy and saved.

Those who follow the Lamb—their names will shine in the book of life forever

Considering all these facts, we must be so proud that our names are recorded in Zion, where we believe in Elohim—our Father Ahnsahnghong and our Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem.

Sometimes, however, those who are not God’s true children secretly enter Zion. What does the Bible say about those people?

Ps 69:27-28 Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

God said, “My sheep listen to my voice.” The children of God act like God’s children, but those who are not the children of God cannot help but behave as non-children of God. These people, even if their names are recorded in the book of life, fail to remain in Zion till the end and they end up leaving because they do not carry out God’s commands. As a result, their names are blotted out of the book of life and not listed with the righteous.

The Bible says that God will be a stone that causes men to stumble, a rock that makes them fall, a trap and a snare, and Jesus said, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me (Isa 8:14-15; Mt 11:6). Those who look at God from a physical point of view cannot follow God who has come to this earth in the flesh. Only “those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” will eventually be able to receive the blessing of salvation (Rev 14:4).

Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

Those who overcome—their names will never be blotted out of the book of life. We must follow the Lamb—the Owner of the book of life—till the end, wherever He leads us, so that our names will not be blotted out of the book of life but shine forever. We also have to preach the Lamb and the Bride properly to all the people in the world, so they can hope to have their names written in the book of life and make efforts for it.

Our names are written in the book of life, and our citizenship is in heaven. That is why our future is bright. Let us always feel proud to be citizens of heaven and live holy and godly lives. We are merely strangers and pilgrims on this earth, where we stay only for a short period of time. I hope that all you brothers and sisters in Zion will enter the kingdom of heaven by responding to God with joy when He calls the names of His children that are written in the book of life one by one, on the day we go back to our eternal home.