 One of the issues that I'm thinking a lot of people is, unfortunately, just how we comprehend things. Now, I want to kind of break things down almost in a way, kind of how we do reasoning or how you might put together a math equation, for example, a equals x, a equals x, b equals 2, c equals 5, a plus b equals c, well then what does that mean, a equals, what is x? Again, if b equals 2, if c equals 5, well then 5 minus the 2 will mean 3, so that means a equals 3. Are you with me? That's kind of how this works. So, sometimes we're told something that's definitive about either us or about God. Sometimes we're told something else. And putting it together should not be that difficult. Are you with me? So, a plus b equals c, 2 or 3 plus 2 equals 5. Why am I saying that? Well, I want to go over a passage that is clear, crystal clear, about our salvation, but people tend to add things that are not there. So, let's go to the passage in question. This is Revelation chapter 3 verse 5. Let's see what it says, and let's also see what it absolutely does not say. 3.5 says, the one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot out his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. So, now, what does the passage say? It says that the one who overcomes will be clothed thus, matter of fact, it might be helpful. Let's go to verse 4 as well. Verse 4 says, yet you have still a few names and sardis, people who have not soiled their garments and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy, the one who overcomes will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot out his name. What people come back and say is that, one, he says, I will never blot out your name, meaning that means he can blot your name out. I don't understand the rationale. How do you take, when he says, I will never do something to mean, so you're saying there's a possibility. So, you're saying, even though you said, I will never do it, that means it's a possibility to do it. That's not even good logic. But then they'll also add, the first part of 5, they'll add a condition that's also not there. The one who over, who conquers, I'm sorry. Some verses might be overcome. Some people are going to take that to mean that, if you overcome, if you conquer, if you overcome, if you conquer. Well, there is a word in Greek for if and it's not there. There are conditional words that are used in Greek to determine that this must happen in order for this to take place. You'll see sometimes in Greek, the word hati or the word henna. Neither of those are there. What you see is a participle. What you see is a description of the people who are in Christ. We are called overcomers or conquerors. Now, before I get there though, I want to talk about this book of life. Now, you need to understand that there are also not just the book of life, but there are also other books that are spoken of in the Bible. So we want to make sure that we're talking about the right book, right? So let's go to the passage, Revelation, 2012, and he said, I saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and books were open. Then another book was open, which is the book of life. So there were books that were opened, meaning we won't go into what these other books were. We are going to cover one of the other books, but there are more than one book at play that needs to be understood because when the Bible references another book, sometimes people might want to say, well, that clearly means the book of life. It does not. Let me give you an example. In Psalm 69, as well as Exodus 32, this book comes up. The first book we're going to look at is going to be the one in Exodus. Exodus 32, this is Moses speaking. He says, but now, if you will forgive their sins, and if not, please block me out of your book, which you have written. Well, this is kind of reminiscent of when Paul was speaking, when Paul says, I could wish that I were a curse for my countrymen. As a matter of fact, Paul actually ends up covering some of the things that Moses has stated and even had to deal with him. So Paul says the same thing. I could wish that I could be a curse for my own countrymen. Not Paul, Moses is saying something similar. He says, but now, if you will forgive their sins, if you won't forgive their sins, if not, please block me out from your book, which you have written. The question is, which book is he speaking of? Is he speaking of the book of life or some other book? Well, I'll submit to you that there is another book that deals with the book of those that are alive. We cover that in Psalm 69. Let's go to it in Psalm 69 verse 28. David says, may they be blotted out of the book of life and may they not be recorded in the righteousness or I'm sorry, with the righteousness or with the righteous. So he seems to be talking about two different things happening to them. Not one thing described two different ways, but he seems to be talking about two different things happening to them. I think that's what he's talking about because the issue, what we ought to key on is this book of life. And is this book of life that David is talking about? Is that the same book of life that we're talking about in Revelation? Now, let's go back to it and let's look and see. This word here for the book of life we see over here. Look onto the right hand side. We see the word separate from means appear, which is from the book and then excuse me, and then Cayenne. Now, Cayenne, remember what we said before that if you have in Hebrew, there's three ways that you could number something. One is the singular. Two is the dual. Those who should be self-explanatory singular. That's one dual. That's two. And then you have what's called the plural, meaning three or more. Well, this is the book of the Cayenne. The Hebrew word for life or to live is Cayenne, which are Cay. Well, this is Cayenne. This is the plural and it is the book of the living. This is literally called the book of those that are alive, the book of the living, the book of the people that are living right now. And so David is basically saying, kill them. This is David's imprecatory prayer. I'm mad at these people. I'm sick of these folks. Kill them. That's his point. Let's go back to it and look and see. Make sure you see what I'm saying. The book of the alive, excuse me, Cayenne, this word is now it means to be, excuse me, I'm sorry. This means to be living or alive. Look at the bottom left-hand corner. I'm sorry, the bottom of this, the bottom it is living or alive. It's an adjective, Cayenne, are you with me? So that you don't think that I'm just making anything up. This is the book of the living. Kill them. Take them out of the book of those that are alive. Blot them out of that. Well, that book, you can be blotted out. Now, by the way, we're not sure if God listens to David. This is just what David is praying. We know that God wasn't listening to Moses when Moses had blocked me out of the book. And again, we're not sure which book he's speaking of. I don't think that Moses is saying, take me away from you for eternity forever because of these people. No, I think he's saying, just kill me. We don't have anyone that has regarded salvation so flippantly to where they would say, I don't want to be alive anymore. But I mean, I don't want to live with you forever. Just take me out of this world because we already know that for those who have a heavenly minded attitude, that what does Paul say to live as Christ who dies again? Listen, if I live, well then I'm doing Christ's work but to die, that's a gain for me. I get to be with you. And so there in lies an issue that we need to make sure that we are aware of. This book that's spoken of in Psalms is the book of the living, not the book of life. Now, there are other books also, as a matter of fact, not other books, but there's other times when we're told about those that are in the book of life and we'll come back to it and I'll make sure that you understand this equation that I'm speaking of. So go to Philippians 4-3. He says, yes, I ask you also true companions, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life? Well, clearly this book, this particular book has to be the exact same book that's spoken of in Revelation. This is the book of life. If your name is in the book of life, then the Bible is clear, you will be saved. The question is, can our names ever be blotted out? Also the question needs to be asked, can our names ever, when were our names actually put in? So let's look at that and then let's kind of put together some equations. So when were our names put in the book of life? And then we'll come back to Revelation 3-5 and we'll see that it is literally, God is saying, the word is saying, it's literally impossible to have your names blotted out. In other words, it will never, ever, ever, ever, ever. How many nevers, how many evers can I add that matter? It's impossible for you to have your name blotted out if it's in there. The question though now on the floor is, when was our name written? Let's go back to it, Revelation 13-8. And all who dwell on the earth, speaking of this beast, those who worship it, it says, and all who dwell on the earth will worship it. Everyone whose name has not been written in the book before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. Well, two things. One, first thing we can understand is this, everybody's name is not written in the book. Are you with me? So according to this passage, we know that there are people whose names have been written and then we know that there are people whose names have not been written. Well, okay, the people whose names are not written have not been written, clearly they will not be saved. Clearly there is no salvation for them, their name has not been written. And then there are those whose names have been written. Now the question is, because I think that's important because some folks are gonna say that everybody's names have been written. Well, not according to this passage, let's look at it again. He says, everyone whose name has not been written. So that means that there are some names we can deduce that there are some names that have not been written or with me. Then we can also under, we need to figure out, well, the names that have been written, when were they written in the book? Well, according to the scripture, according to the passage, it says whose names have not been written before the foundation of the world. Apokalabales, which is from before the foundation of gospel of the world. So these names, whatever the names have been written, the names were written not now, not in 2022, not in 1975, not in 1843, not in the Middle Ages before the foundation of the world. Are you with me? Thank you, Ken and Adam, appreciate that. So we also see it, not just in Revelation 13, we also see it in, uh-oh, do I have this? I've got to type the exact same way. Let me type it in in Revelation 17, eight. Let's go to it. He says, the beast that you saw was and is not and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will wonder when they see the beast that he was and is and will not come. So again, John reiterates that these names have been written before the foundation of the world. We know that our names were given, were written. This is him speaking of this election process that we've covered in Ephesians one, that we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. So names are in the book. The names are in the book before the foundation of the world, which also references or we get a backing in Ephesians one, as well as Romans chapter eight. We were predestined to be in him. So now the issue is, since we were predestined or chosen or elected in him before the foundation of the world. And in that case also, if we were chosen, predestined, elected before the foundation of the world, as well as our names being written before the foundation of the world, why then would God ever come back and erase our names out of that? Again, we still don't see or have an example of anyone having their names blotted out. Now, someone's gonna go back to the same passage in chapter three, verse five, let's go back to it. And they're going to, because they have a particular doctrinal bent that states that we can lose our salvation, they'll read their doctrine, their theology into the passage. I'm very familiar with this because I used to do the same thing. And because I wanted to be right, I did not want to be wrong, I wanted to make sure that it was, think about how silly that sounds though, I wanted to make sure that it was possible that people can fall away and lose their salvation. I wanted to make sure I wanted to prove that so bad. And when you think about it, why would I want to prove so bad that somebody can lose their salvation? It's almost like I wanted it. It's almost like some of these people want people to lose their salvation, except for them, if you notice that. But let's go back to it and let's see the condition that they put there that is not in the Bible. It says in chapter three, verse five again, he says, the one who conquers will be clothed. What they'll say is the one who conquers or overcomes says that you must conquer or you must overcome if you overcome, if you conquer, then, then and only then, that's the condition, conquering, overcoming, then your name won't be blotted out. Again, it still brings up the question of God, if my name is gonna be blotted out and you see that you're gonna blot my name out because you're God, you obviously know what you're gonna do. But more to the point, you obviously know what I'm going to do as well. Why would you write my name in the book only to turn around and blot it out? When clearly we've seen that everyone did not have their name written in the first place. You could have just left my name out like he left other people's name out, but you put my name in. Why? Not because he sees that I'm gonna choose him. No, we've covered that before, we won't cover it now, but he writes my name in before the foundation of the world and his promise is that I will not have my name blotted out. Now, they make this if, as a condition, if the question is, why don't we see if in the passage? We do not see the word if at all. It says, ha necom, which is the overcoming ones and so are the conquerors. This word indicates it's not saying that we have to do this. No, that's not what it's saying. Understanding this is just proper use of Greek or just proper grammar, period. It's not saying what we have to do is stating what we will do, what we are gonna do, what we are. This is how he sees us. He sees us as conquerors, as overcomers, as those who have overcome the world. How do I know so? Well, first of all, he gives us something to do so, to help us in overcoming the world. Let's go to 1 John and let's look at a couple of passages that John covers. One in 1 John 4, he says, little children, you are from God and have overcome them, that is the world and evil, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. In other words, you've got the Holy Spirit in you. And so because of that, because you have the Holy Spirit in you, that means that you are going to overcome the world. The Holy Spirit is the one, as a matter of fact, we're told in Ephesians, the very passage that's talked about us being chosen from the foundation of the world and to be predestined, that very same discussion also tells us that he's been given to us, the Holy Spirit, as a down payment as a deposit to ensure, to guarantee us that we will get our inheritance. Are you with me? So now he tells us that we have this Holy Spirit in us and he is going to help us to overcome the world. We see that in, I'm sorry, in John, in John 5, let's go to John 5. So the Bible says in John 5, for everyone who has been born of God, overcomes the world. Everyone who has been born of God, look what it says, overcomes the world. Now I wanna pay, I wanna show you something for a second. I wanna look at this word for everyone who's been born. This word for born, the word that's used here is from the word that's used in John 3. We'll go to John 3 in just a second. So in John, now it says that because by the way, here's the condition, you could say this, but again, all Paan, Ta, Gaganemanan, which is all the ones that have been born, notice this is a perfect middle participle. Let me explain that real briefly what a perfect middle participle is. Perfect means it is a completed action that happened in the past, sometime in the past. That's why we use the perfect tense instead of the heiress tense. I could have said that those that were born and I use the heiress tense that it happened maybe a week ago, a day ago or what have you, but this was referring to some time ago in the past. It says, and because it is in the middle voice, means that God did this to us for his benefit. So it happened in the past, it was by God to us for his benefit. And it is a participle meaning that it is ongoing. So this process of being born is an ongoing thing. And so all of us that are born of God, he says we are going to overcome the world. Are you with me? Now, who is born of God? Well, I want you to notice a couple of things. Those of us who believe are also the ones who overcome. Did I write this in here? All of us who believe are also the ones who overcome. Let's go to John 316, famous passage. He says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes. Now, this looks like a basic past tense believe, but let's look at what I put on the screen. The believing ones is what it is, the high pistol ones. The high pistol ones shall never perish, but have eternal life. Are you with me? Those that are believing, the believing ones have eternal life. But now, who are these believing ones? Well, these believing ones, according to Jesus, are the ones earlier in John 3, are the ones that have been born. The ones that have been born are the believing ones, and the believing ones will overcome are the overcoming ones. And all of that was done by the Holy Spirit. The very same Holy Spirit that was put into us as a down payment, as a deposit. That very same Holy Spirit that Jesus says in verse eight, he says, the wind blows where he wishes, and you hear it sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is, and there's that word. Remember the word that I said in first John 5? Let's go back to it real quick. In first John 5, the word that I point to in first John 5, 4, this word, right here in the Greek, if you see it, this word is giganamanon. Well, let's go back to John 3 and look at this exact same Greek word. For everyone who was born, the Greek word here is, put it on the screen, giganamanon, giganamanos, which is the exact same word. So what Jesus is telling us in John 3 is exactly what John is telling us in first John 5. The overcoming ones are the one that have been born of the Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit that does. So he says, but as the wind goes where you hear the sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is of everyone who was born of the Spirit. Now, I hope this started to make sense. I hope we're putting this together. By the way, we've got the believing ones, the overcoming ones, the being born ones, meaning all put together, it's an act of the Holy Spirit. And look what he says. All of us, let's go to John 6 and we're almost coming to a close. John 6, 47, truly, truly I say to you that whoever believes, well, what's the word here? Hapistuan. So the Hapistuan, again, the believing ones, that we got the believing ones, we've got the overcoming ones, we've got the ones that were born. Well, they're all the same. Remember I say that A plus B equals C, this equation. Well, the believing ones, or I'm sorry, the overcoming ones have had their names written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world. The overcoming ones will never have their names blotted out. Who are the overcoming ones? The overcoming ones we just saw are the believing ones. The believing ones, who are they? The believing ones are the ones that were born. Who caused them to be born? They were born. We saw in John they were born. Let's put it back on the screen. I don't want to miss, once you guys missed this point, the ones that were born, John 1, chapter 5, verse 4, the born ones, it is the perfect middle participle, meaning that the born ones, who are the believing ones, who are the overcoming ones, these born ones were done to us by God for the benefit of himself. And we're told that those very same people going back to where we started off in Revelation 3.5, let's put it back on the screen, those overcoming ones, those conquering ones, will, he says, will be clothed in white garments. And he says, I will never blot their name out. Now, I've covered this before, guys. I've stated that in Greek, we've got what's called the emphatic negation. I've covered it with other passages. We also have it here in Revelation 3.5. When you have an emphatic negation, to a double negation, oo in May, let's put it on the screen, why we say never, never, never, ever, ever. We have the word oo, which means no or not. We have may, which means not also. So we have no, not. And then we have this word for being blotted out, which is ex leapso, which is will never be blotted out. It is impossible. This is a future active indicative, meaning that there is nothing in the future that can cause these people to ever be blotted out. It is, that's how you say in Greek, it's literally impossible. Put it back on the screen. He says, I'm sorry, I have myself muted. He says, I will never, ever, ever, ever blot you out. There is no condition put on you. Why? Because what was done to you, what's causing it was done by God. That's why we use the middle voice. There are rules to grammar, would you all agree? And since there are rules to grammar, let's adhere to the rules of grammar. If God does, we should too. He says that I have caused you to be born for my benefit. That's the middle voice. A equals, I have caused you to be born. You are those that have been born. That's A. B is you are the believing ones. So A equals being born by God, B equals you are believing. And by the way, it's also a present active participle, meaning that you are continually, you are in a state of continual believing. That's B. C is that you are overcoming. C means you are the overcoming one. So God caused you to be the overcoming ones. Why in the world, dear person, would you ever take that if God caused you to believe, to be a believing one, to be an overcoming, why would you ever think that he has decided after all of that work that he's done and to ensure it was because of his death on the cross? He chose you from the beginning of the foundation of the world. Wrote your name in the book of life before the foundation of the world put his spirit in you, knew he was gonna put his spirit in you before the foundation of the world based on what he was gonna do on the cross to suffer that torment, to suffer that beating, to suffer that bloodshed, to die in a horrific manner only to turn around and blot your name out. One, what sort of God would that be? Not the God that the Bible is talking about. And if you continue to say so, the question's gonna be, well then are you now denying the work of the Holy Spirit as well as making or trampling underfoot his blood and the effectiveness of his blood? Remember, the debt was nailed to the cross. And so for that reason, he can say, again, let's put it back on the screen as we get ready to leave. He says, I will never, ever blot his name out and I will confess his name before my father and before the angels. Look how he ends it. He says he who has an ear, let him hear. Let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. It can't be any more plain unless you just don't want it to be. But I take what he says at face value. And because of that, what do I do like the rest of us? We rejoice. Amen.