'And they that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are

not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the

Lamb slain' (Rev. 13:8).*

*

See The Apocalypse by Dr. E.W. Bullinger.  Now available with the new

title, A Commentary on Revelation, published by Kregel.

'The beast ... shall ... go into perdition: and they that dwell on the

earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life

from the foundation of the world' (Rev. 17:8).

'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'

(Rev. 20:12).

'And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into

the lake of fire' (Rev. 20:15).

'And there shall in no wise enter ... or maketh a lie: but they which

are written in the Lamb's book of life' (Rev. 21:27).

'And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this

prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life (or as

many texts read "the tree of life"), and out of the holy city, and from

the things which are written in this book' (Rev. 22:19).

Again we have exclusion from the Holy City, and from the things written

in the book of the Revelation.  Inasmuch as the New Jerusalem is not the

sphere of blessing for all the redeemed, this threat of exclusion must

necessarily be limited.  Inasmuch as the book of the Revelation deals with

the day of the Lord and the Millennial Kingdom, only those who came within

the province of that period could forfeit the things written therein.

Exclusion from the Holy City will be a great deprivation, but can it be

likened to an eternity of agony in fire and brimstone?  Everything points to

a special company, a special time, a special reward, and a special

punishment.  Everything points away from the period covered by the present

dispensation of grace.  (See Millennial Studies9, for a fuller examination).

One more feature needs adjustment.  The average reader when he reads:

'And Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the

lake of fire' pictures to himself a vast multitude whom no man can number

suffering this dreadful fate, and to disarm any criticism, we quote

unaltered, from the translation of J.N. Darby, whose views on eternal

punishment were orthodox:

'And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast

into the lake of fire' (Rev. 20:15, J.N. Darby).

'Any one', 'he', are intensely singular.  Instead of the mass of

mankind ending here, the number likely to endure this penalty may be small.

We come to no rigid conclusion.  All we ask is that the reader should come

to no conclusion that takes him outside of the limitations set by the

references quoted.  Where matters that belong to our own calling are

inexplicable, that should call for heart -searching.  If some passage in

Ephesians is beyond our understanding, that should call for prayer.  But