Revelation 20:15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
If you are like most people, you probably received a present that doesn’t fit you or your tastes. The article of clothing in the wrong size or color. The knick knack that doesn’t fit with your decor. The book you have already read. So what do we do with those things? Regift them? Exchange them? Put them in the back of the closet, after a suitable period of time being displayed?
This can place us in an awkward position. If we regift the same present to the person who gave it to you in the first place, yikes! That would be embarrassing. If we return it to the store for an exchange, what if the person asks about the gift in the future, how do you answer them? So in the joy of gift giving and receiving, things can get complicated.
I don’t think kids get caught up in this as much as adults. We have become more accustomed to the nuances of human relationships. We are more aware of the feelings of other people.
At the end of time as we know it, there is going to be a day of reckoning. Books will be opened and examined. Some will have their names show up in what is called the book of life. They get grace and mercy given to them. They abide in the presence of the LORD forever.
But there is another group, those whose names don’t appear in this same book. And because their names are not recorded there, they are separated from God’s presence forever. They share the same fate as those whose existence has been to oppose the LORD’s work during this present time. They wanted nothing to do with the LORD, so the LORD gives them what they want.
But unlike this life, where we can return a present given, once we reach this place in time and space, there are no exchanges. All purchases are final. All decisions have been made already. There are no last minute changes of heart. At least we have no indication of that.
So the choices we make in regards to eternity are ones that need to be made now, in this moment, but the consequences of those choices carry on beyond this life. They are the most important decisions we make, greater than spouse or career, greater than house and home, greater than wealth and fame. These decisions determine our eternity.
The Arnold Journey 