The wrong I've done, and I knew I had to pay. I was bound to face hell's flame, I'd be there today. My friends but for the blood, but for the blood, shed on Calvary's day. But for the blood, there'd be no hope for you and me. All my righteousness is spilt in rags, and that's all there'll ever be. But for the blood that cleansed and set me free. Even now I get so low You know the devil lets me know I'm so undeserving I'm unworthy of God's love And though yes, I know it's true But here I stand with the chosen few I stand today Yes, I'm saved just by the blood But for the blood that cleansed and set me free. But for the blood shed on Calvary's tree. But for the blood that beat a heart for you and me. But for the blood that cleansed and set me free But for the blood that cleansed and set me free But for the blood that cleansed and set me free Okay, I got that right. Well, my daughter thought we sung this the other day, but I don't think we did. I think we practiced it, but if we sang it, we're singing it again and I apologize, but this song, Look What I Traded for a Mansion, it's, you know, we sang it many times and it just means a lot to me. Because I look at this old world and everything, I could just leave it behind. I've got so much more to look forward to. I don't want to leave those people behind. But anything else in this world, it's nothing to be compared with heaven and what we have in store. And I heard a lot of the, we sing this at a lot of funerals. I mean, it's not a funeral song, but I heard a lot of Prairie Quest tonight. for different things. And I was just thankful that both when my dad and my mom both passed away that we were able to say those things that need to be said. When my dad, my dad had cancer and that's a bad thing, but sometimes it gives you that time to say goodbye and to say those things that you wouldn't have maybe be able to say if they were taken suddenly. And my mom left in 2020. And she told me she had to go away. And I feel like that separation is hard. You don't want to leave your family, but you want to go on. But I'm thankful that that's all just temporary. And one day we'll meet again, and I look forward to that day. So I'll be thankful to trade all of this for that mansion and what the Lord has in store for me. I can tell you a story of a saint and dear mother who lived out her life here As she lay on her deathbed, her friends gathered round her. And these were the last words she said. Oh, look what I've traded for a mansion. Oh, look what I'm leaving behind. Oh, look who will be there to greet me When I step in the sweet paradise I'm leaving behind all my sorrow I'm leaving behind For I've traded it all for the mansion That Jesus let's go to prepare Her hands were so feeble, her voice was so low But she still had a smile on her face. She said, I hear singing. Oh, they're waiting for me. Then she looked up to heaven and said, oh, look what I've traded for a mansion. Oh, look what I'm leaving behind Oh, look who will be there to greet me When I step in your sweet paradise I'm leaving behind all my sorrow Behind all my cares For I've traded it all for a mansion Glad Jesus has come to prepare For I've traded it all for a mansion That Jesus has gone to prepare. Title, My Message is Blotted Out of the Book of Life. Blotted out of the Book of Life. You know, a lot of people think you can lose your salvation. And the reason is because they don't understand how to read the Bible. If you just read the Bible for what it says, you'll know that there's eternal security. I've written unto thee that you may know that you have eternal life. Well, if you know you have eternal life and you lose it, You never had it. So it's just interesting how perversion of truth happens. But in Philippians 4, verse 3, the Bible says, And I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life. Now, a lot of people think, well, the book of life, you get your name written down, which a lot of songs say that, but it's not necessarily so. It may be that every name is in there at birth, and then at death it gets blotted out, or in Daniel's 70th week, when a person takes the mark of the beast, it gets blotted out while they're here on earth. And those are things to consider. We have songs like a new name in glory with a chorus, there's a new name written down in glory. He wrote my name with a chorus I never could forget the day that Jesus wrote my name within that blessed book of life and took my many sins away. That's songs. Sometimes songs aren't completely accurate, so we're going to consider that today. Turn to Revelation, and we're going to look at some of the last chapters. Revelation 21, I want to first dispel a myth. And I'm gonna go a little bit fast because we had quite a few prayer requests and then we did what, you know, we had music, which glory to God. I mean, if I could cut out the 30 seconds of taking the offering, I would to have more time doing what we do. I actually tried, but it, you know, it didn't work. The plates were up here and we need to get all your money back there. So Revelation 21, 27. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. So I just want you to understand a myth is that the book of life and the Lamb's book of life are two different things. They're one and the same. It says those that are able to come in are in the Lamb's book of life. Now let me prove to you they're the same. Revelation 13. Look at verse 8. and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So the Lamb's Book of Life is the same thing as the Book of Life of the Lamb. I mean, you know, it's just the way you put the noun or the pronoun or whatever it is. Lamb's Book of Life and the Book of Life of the Lamb are the same. Now notice who worships the beast. It's those whose names are not in the book of life. So evidently there are people's names during the time of Revelation, during Daniel's 70th week, that are in the book of life. Maybe everybody's names in the book of life, until they worship the beast, take the mark, the names blotted out and then the others still have their name in there and those that don't have their name in there anymore are the ones that worship the beast. It very well could be. I'll see if I can develop this as we go. You'll turn to Daniel chapter 7. Remember, it's Bible study night, so we're going to go through a lot of Scripture tonight as we normally do. I just want to preface it with we're going to get a little deep. And I think it's important. I think it's important to understand and know your Bible because the Bible says, They're going to be people that are ashamed because they never study their Bible. They never put in the time and the effort to learn God's Word. And I believe whatever foundation you build here on this earth as far as your knowledge and understanding of God and His Word will be the foundation that you start with in heaven. Not everybody's going to be the same. There are going to be people that get to heaven. Boy, they got saved. That's all they did. They never learned their Bible. Pop, they died. They go to heaven. They're not going to start out with somebody that has put in the time and dedicated their life to learning God. Learning Jesus, learning the Gospel, learning what it means to try to help others that are confused. You do realize the world has no hope apart from Jesus Christ. Their only hope is us. So what we've got to do is we've got to show them the reason we believe what we believe, and the reason that we believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, He was buried, He's the way, the truth, and the life. There's no other way other than Him. We've got to be able to tell people that that's true. And we gotta tell it with conviction. But the only way you have the conviction is if you understand what other people teach. Because if you go into the Bible, listen, there's a lot of things that are confusing in there. You don't learn your Bible, you'll be confused. So, Daniel chapter 7. I just want to set up a thing here. The plural books. Look at verse 9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, the ancient of days did sit. This is in the future. Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. Can you imagine? That's descriptive terminology right there. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before Him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened. So you see that's what it talks about in Revelation chapter 21. If you want to go ahead and turn there to Revelation 20, let's look at these books. Let's look at these books because there's a lot of people. One little S changes the whole meaning of this passage. That letter S. Books and book. Changes the whole meaning. If you don't distinguish between books and book in this passage, you'll be confused. Here's what I mean. Now remember, the books are open. That's what they're judged out of in Daniel 7. Revelation 20 verse 11. I saw a great white throne. That's what we're looking at over here. I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the what? Plural. The books were open. And then there's another book. And another book was open. What's the other book? Which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books. So people look at that and say, well see, it's salvation by works. Because they're judged based on what's written in the books. Not the Book of Life. Well, that's true. They are judged based on what's written in the books. But you have to continue on. Context is most important. So they were... which were written in the books according to their works. That's what's written in the books. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. So notice hell's delivering up the dead which were in them. These are people being judged, not the judgment seat of Christ, but the great white throne judgment. Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And they go, well, see? It's works. It is works. A lost person's gonna be judged according to their works. Why? Because of the next verse. And death and hell were cast in the lake of fire. This is the second death. Look at 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire. So the point is, look, the books are open. It's the works that are going to be judged according to their works because, listen, Hitler's going to have a greater judgment based on what's written in those books than somebody that hasn't killed millions of people. There's different levels in hell. Listen, hell is hell, and if you're a sinner and you die without Jesus Christ, you're going to go to hell. And you're going to suffer torment for all eternity. That torment is terrible. But you can imagine that God is just. And He's going to look at somebody like Stalin and Hitler and Khomeini and people that blow up buildings and blow up innocent children, and He's going to judge them harsher. But the point is this, the reason that they're standing in that judgment is because there's names not written in the book of life. It's not because of their works. Their works, you know, good works didn't outweigh their bad works, and their bad works didn't outweigh their good works, and that's why they're there. No, the ones that aren't in the book of life. Now, that's why it's so important to study your Bible. I talked to a guy recently, he says, well, you know, that pre-trib stuff, I don't know about that, because I'm post-millennial. I'm like, you're post-what? You're post-millennial. You believe that the rapture is going to happen post-millennium, after the millennial kingdom? Man! But you know why they do it? Because this is the first resurrection. You know the verse. And blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection. How many parts are there? At least three. Jesus was a part. And all those in the Old Testament. The rapture is a part of the first resurrection, and then later on there's going to be another resurrection, and it's part of the first resurrection. Then there's a second resurrection, which is the second death. That's all bad. So if you don't have part of the first resurrection, now they go, well, see, that's over there. That's over there after the millennium. Therefore, the first resurrection happens after millennium. It says part. That's why you don't change the Bible. That's why you believe every word. You leave every word in it because if you don't and you take that one word out, you can end up believing that you're post-millennial because the first resurrection happens after the millennium. Only part of it happens after the millennium. That is the E. I mean, I didn't know this, let's see, 35 years ago or 30 years ago I was on the Board of Directors, Faith Rescue Mission. Southern Baptist guy comes up to me. He's on the board and he says, Oh yeah, you ought to see what I saw. I don't believe that the rapture is going to happen till after the millennium. And he showed me that verse and I hadn't really studied it out. But he became post-millennial because of that one verse there, by the way, out of an NIV. And I just read it when he showed it to me and I looked at it and I didn't have an answer because I hadn't really thought about it. But had I looked in my King James Bible and it said part and I would have thought about it, I'd have said, listen, that's only one part of it. But anyway, look at Isaiah chapter 4. The psalmist and the book of Isaiah refer to the book of the living. That could be a different book. The book of the living could contain all the names of the people that are living, both righteous and unrighteous. The book of the living. Wouldn't that make sense? Isaiah 4, 3. And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy, even everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem. And we'll look at Psalms here in a minute where it talks about actually the book of the living. But before we do, look at Luke 10. Luke 10. Jesus told His disciples to rejoice that their names are written in heaven, and Hebrews also mentions names written in heaven. Luke 10 20. The Bible says, Notwithstanding in this rejoice not. that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Your names. You realize that God knows your name. There's songs like that. You guys have probably sung them. He knows your name. What a beautiful song. What a beautiful thought that the God of the universe knows my name. He knows your name. It's not like, you know, Muhammad, he doesn't care who you are, just blow yourself up and kill a bunch of infidels. Allah Akbar, or whatever you want to call it, you know, Akka Ishabad, whatever. Look at the book of Hebrews. I know it's Allah Akbar. I've never done it, never said it in reality, but, you know, they do. Hebrews 12, look at verse 23. He says, to the general assembly, and Church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." Again, names written in heaven. Now let's go a little deeper before I make any more points. Look at Psalm 69. Let me show you why you have to be careful. David, I think it was, or maybe Moses said, you know, blot my name out of the book. Psalm 69 verse 28. Now read this very carefully. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous. So if he says let them be blotted out of the book of the living and the book of the living is not the book of life, then what he's saying is if he blots out a name out of the book of living, what just happened to the people? They died. Simple as that. You don't have to make things complicated. So now we have a book of life. We have the books. Now we have the book of the living. Look at another verse in Deuteronomy 29. Again, showing that somebody's name can be blotted out from under heaven. And again, under heaven is on earth. So if you have your name blotted out of the book of the living, it's the same thing as Deuteronomy 29.20. The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven." Well, that could be the book of the living. His name is blotted out. from under heaven. Now, let's go to Revelation 3. This is where I want to get really started into this thing. All that was introduction. The Bible seems to indicate that someone who fails to overcome can have their name blotted out of the book of life. Now that gets complicated. Because if you think that you get your name in the book of life when you get saved, then you get your name blotted out of the book of life, it sounds like you can lose your salvation that way. What happens if everybody's name is written in the book of life at birth, and then if you die without Jesus, your name's blotted out of the book of life, because you're in hell. Or during Daniel's 70th week, there's a difference there because there's nothing you can do today where you can't be saved. But a person that takes the mark of the beast can never be saved. So now watch this overcome. Hebrews 3, 5. He that overcometh the saying shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. but I will confess His name for my Father before His angels." Now, that's really interesting. Remember, Revelation's generally dealing with the time to come after the rapture of the church, Daniel's 70th week. He that overcometh, but it also could be dealing with today. He that overcometh, I will not blot out His name out of the world. Now, how do you overcome? How do you overcome? Especially, how do you overcome? Look at Revelation 12. Verse 11. Revelation 12, 11. How does a person overcome, especially during Daniel's 70th week? Because Revelation 12 is right in the middle of it. It's three and a half years in. Verse 11. Revelation 12, 11. Here's how you overcome in that future period. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. What's the word of their testimony? You know, the testimony of Jesus Christ. And they loved not their lives unto the death. The thing that saved them was overcoming by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony, Jesus, is the testimony, so it's all one and the same. And then the result is, they loved not their lives unto the death, which is generally beheading during that time. But that's what it's talking about there. Now let me give you another verse. 1 John 5, just to make sure you understand how a person overcomes. How does a person overcome? It's simple faith. 1 John 5 verse 4, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. So being born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our what? Faith. Who is he that overcometh the world? Here's your answer. It's right there. What is it? But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. How does a person overcome? By the blood of the Lamb. How does a person overcome? By believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So they overcame Him and those that didn't overcome took the mark. But why did they take the mark? They didn't have the blood of the Lamb. They didn't believe in Jesus Christ. That's the truth. Revelation chapter 21, again, gives the determining factor whether a person enters the holy city of Jerusalem. And we don't need to turn there. Well, no, no. Go ahead and turn there because I don't think I went over one other verse. Let me see. No, I didn't. I got to tie two together this time. Revelation 21-27. And there shall a no-wise enter into... we read this one... into it, anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." So, who's in the Lamb's book of life at that time? Look at verse 7. "'He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.'" See, those that overcome, how do they overcome? The blood of the Lamb. How do they overcome? By believing on Jesus Christ according to 1 John. It's all about Jesus. Listen, if anything isn't about Jesus, then Jesus doesn't matter. But He matters from Genesis through Revelation. He matters through all time. You say, well, no, they didn't know who Jesus was. Jesus always was. When you look at the angels that approached Abraham, you look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who'd they see in the fiery furnace with Him? The Son of God. So you can't go, well, wait a minute, Jesus didn't come to be Jesus until He was born. No, He's God the Son. He's in the Old Testament. Now, nobody's looking forward to the cross. That's easy to prove. But they had to believe the revelation given to them. Now, in revelation, they have to trust in Christ. That's it. Person trusting Christ, they get saved. God protects them from the delusion because all those that are deceived, He protects them from deception. All those that are deceived take the mark. If He protects them from deception, they don't take the mark. Why? Because God is merciful and gracious and powerful. Look at Exodus 32. Exodus 32. Those who reject God's forgiveness will ultimately be blotted out of God's book. Now let me say it again. Those who reject God's forgiveness will be ultimately blotted out of God's book. Exodus 32, 32. Now, look at this little double dash here, if it's in your Bible. Some of them change it, even though they're King James. Exodus 32, 33. Yet now, if you wilt, forgive their sin. And then it's just, man, what that is, he's getting ready to say something else, and then he just changes course. The Bible's an amazing book. Watch it again. Now that could be the book of life, or it could be the book with every name written, the book of the living. Because if he blots a sinner out of the book of the living, what are they? They're dead. They're not in the book of the living anymore because that's everybody that's alive. That's why you have to be careful. You've got to study your Bible. Some of this you may not get because there's a lot to it, but you've got to get some of it. What you've got to get is this. Everywhere and all the time, relationship is always the key. Israel had to have a relationship. Today, you and I have to have a relationship. It's not religion. It's not, you know, well, what do you do, do, do, do, do? Listen, I'm glad you guys do. In other words, you sing. I don't do that, okay? We don't want me to do that. David, you don't want us to do that, right? And we're gonna sing a duet, and he told me, he said, I don't think you wanna do that. I said, you know, I don't think you wanna do that. We were in Vernis, Florida in the year 2000. Preacher said, do you all sing together? I'm thinking, well yeah, we sing in the car. Oh yeah, we sing here. So the four of us got up, Justin, Heather, Judy, and I, and we started singing. By the time we got a little ways in, both children are on the floor. It was a train wreck. Do you know how many times we did that? I was on the road 19 years. Do you know how many times we did that? Well, it was one time in the year 2000 in Inverness, Jerry Bloxton's church. I'll tell you another story about her. They had this room over there. They had this get-together at the church, and we're all there, and then it's over, and she's out, and she's got a gallon. That was almost a full gallon of milk. She's holding it like this. All of a sudden, it slips out of her hand. It hits the floor. You can ask Judy. It hits the floor. The top comes popping off, and the whole thing just goes. I was dripping. I had so much, and she's like, I'm so sorry. I'll pay for your suit to get clean. So now for 21 years, our joke is you got milk, Facebook, oh man. So I got a shirt, I got a shirt one time says got milk on it and I took a picture of it, we sent it to him. You know, you gotta enjoy life. Listen, I just looked at it and I was like, hey, it's just another one of those things. I mean, when you get hit by a train, now all this stuff was later getting hit by a train, but I mean, we broke down so many times, it was just like, and the Lord took care of us. What am I gonna worry about a little spilled milk? And there was a lot of spilled milk. Look at Romans 9. You know, Paul was just like Moses maybe when he said he wished he could be a curse for his Jewish brethren. Moses was saying, hey, blot me out. God's saying, I'm not going to blot you out. I'm going to blot somebody else out. And then Paul's the same way in Romans 9. His brethren, according to the flesh, weren't believing. Romans 9.3, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. He said, I could wish that. It wasn't going to do them any good. God isn't going to blot a saved man. That's just the bottom line. Now, let's close this up and look at the book of Revelation and I'll show you where I'm trying to go with this. Notice the worshipers of the beast are those whose names are not in the Lamb's Book of Life. Revelation 13, 8. Revelation 13, 8. What's the Bible say? that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, that's the beast, whose names are not written in the book of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now, is their name not written in there, therefore they worship the beast? Or do they worship the beast and therefore their name's not written in there? I believe that when a person rejects Christ, takes the mark, their names blotted out of the book of life. The Bible also explains that the worshipers of the beast are those who have received the mark. They experienced the wrath of God. Revelation 14, next chapter, verse 9. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast in his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, the presence of the holy angels, the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment is set up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. And I could take you over to Daniel 12, Revelation 17, Revelation 22, and I'm going to see if I can find something else instead. I think it's Revelation 19. Look at Revelation 19. Ah, it's not 19. Oh, no. Yeah, it is Revelation 19, but it's verse 20. Look at this right here and pay close attention. This is what I'm closing on. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive in the lake of fire burning with brimstone. He deceived them that had received the mark of the beast. The reason that somebody takes the mark is because they are deceived. When they are deceived and they take the mark, the name's blotted out. What about those that don't take the mark, don't have their name blotted out? Who are they? Well, if God protects people from deception, which He says if it were possible He would deceive the very elect, the elect are those that are saved, Therefore, it may be impossible to deceive those that are saved, and therefore they don't take the mark. Why? Because of the supernatural protection that God gives them. So how's a person saved in the future? They don't take the mark. Why don't they take the mark? Because they're powerful? Strong? No, because God protects them from the deception. He protects them from the deception. It's all about God, not about man. When it's all about God, that's what it's all about. It's always about God. The Old Testament, New Testament, future time, it's always about God. Let's all stand together. I know that was a bit deep, but sometimes when it's raining, you got to get deep. It got deep today out there. I don't mean in here, but it got deep outside. Our neighbor's flooding a little bit. Not in the house, but it sure yards flooding. Man, I appreciate that singing. You keep it up. I mean that. If you don't, I'm gonna come haunt you. Yeah. I'm telling you what, I was very pleased that you got up here and you did that. And up here. Not even just over there. Yeah, are you? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so keep it up. I mean that. I'm very enthused. And you can sing too next time. Oh, you're with me and David then. We're going to sing a trio outside alone when nobody can hear us. In the dark. And we're going to have hats on so nobody can see the glare from the lights or from the moon. All right, let's pray. Lord, we do thank you for your many blessings. Thank you for sending your Son to die for our sins. Lord, we thank you for, Lord, just having such a wonderful time in church, Lord, getting to laugh a little bit and enjoy ourselves. Lord, that's why, that's why you saved us, Lord, that we can enjoy all things. We don't need to be uptight and stuff-shirted and all that. We just need to enjoy you and enjoy each other. And thank you for that in Jesus' name. Go ahead and play.