He Shall Come to Judge Both the Quick and Dead

The Books

We are told that “the Books were opened and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Rev. xx. 12). What books are these?

The Book of Providence containing a list of all the benefits received from the Hand of God. The days of health and sunshine; the days of prosperity and gladness; the days of hope and promise. All will be recorded there! Page after page, column after column, line upon line! Loving friendships, holy impressions, glorious opportunities, hair-breadth deliverances, miraculous escapes, necessaries and luxuries, the human and the divine — nothing will be omitted, and all leading up to the Divine challenge — ‘“‘ What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it, wherefore, then, brought it forth wild grapes?”

The Book of Nature, from which it will be shown

that the sequence of natural law, the evidences 164 of a Great First Cause, the flush of sunrise, the hush of night, the starry depths, rain, sunshine, and fruitful seasons, were all intended to light men’s hearts to God.

The Book of Memory, on the leaves of which all things are recorded with inevitable precision. No word or deed of man is lost. A German scholar had a memory so wonderful that he could repeat whole volumes of Latin, German, and French without an error. A Russian officer has been known to repeat the roll-call of any regiment after reading it twice. Psychologists hold that nothing is lost from the memory of man. Impressions remain in the brain like words written on paper in invisible ink. So it has been stated, and so it is; and when God says, “Son, remember!” the sea will give up its dead, and the sins of our lives, of premeditation and impulse, of passion and intellect, of intention and conduct will start to view.

The Book of Conscience. Just asa shorthand scribe behind the arras of the court takes down every item in some great trial, noting especially each admission and confession, so does Conscience keep its unerring record, which must be produced at the last.

Lastly, the Book of Life will be opened. Often it is mentioned in successive pages of the Bible. It was referred to by Moses, by Daniel, and by our Lord. The Apostles were bidden to rejoice most of all because their names were written in it. The best reward that the Apostle could devise for his humble helpers was to assure them that their names were written there.

It is called “the Lamb’s Book of Life” because had it not been for Him, not one name would have been inscribed, because all in it were set down before the Foundation of the World, and because He purchased them with His most precious blood.

Has He written your name there? It is more important to be sure of this than to have your name inscribed in the genealogical lists of heralds. “If any was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

There are words in Rev. iii. 5 which suggest that, since Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of all, the names of all are inscribed on those pages, and only blotted out when they force their Divine Keeper to do so. But be that as it may, it is certain that any penitent and believing soul may have his name written in heaven, because he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.