That’s being unfair to my ACTUAL position. I suspect you know that. But, oh well.
Contra-wise, if there was a book of death - one name would suffice - Adam. We use that unspoken analogy all the time.
The confusion produced by it raises authorship issues about TheRev.
Sorry, Ran; I should have been more clear about what I was replying to, with that parenthetical comment.
We did get out of TheRev; and we did talk about the book of life being witnessed to outside the Rev; and nowhere in scripture is the book of life used as an analogy for Christ, nor does scripture anywhere say that the only name in the book of life is Christ’s. Everywhere the scriptures talk about other people’s names being in the book.
No, I know you don’t consider Philipians, Malachi, GosLuke, Exodus etc. as non-canonical. But when you inaccurately diss RevJohn in various ways, it doesn’t help your case for rejecting its canonicity.
To give another example of that:
Except that names aren’t written in the b-o-l in RevJohn due to self-righteousness of anyone; but purely and only due to the grace of God. He does require repentance and faithfulness, but not due to any self-righteousness of the persons involved. If you’re going to disregard the Rev on that ground, you’ll have to disregard practically every text of the New Testament except for a few epistles of St. Paul perhaps (where they focus only on God’s side of the account). That includes rejecting all four Gospels as canonical.
As a text, RevJohn doesn’t go any farther than GosJohn or the Synoptics in calling for repentance (and in punishing the impenitent) as part of the process of salvation. And just as in the Gospels, all the first and continuing action is on God’s side of the process. There is no way to earn God’s action to save anyone; He’s already doing it before repentance, which is why He exhorts to repentance.
Also, I disagreed that names could be blotted out, but I’m reluctantly willing to agree, even though it doesn’t make sense to me. Unless people get written in due to drawing near to God and are not required to be made a new creation first. But even that makes little sense to me. Meh.
I think we’re talking about a metaphor here and forgetting that it is a metaphor. There is no book, nor need for one, as though God were a bit absent-minded and needed the back-up and we needed another object to worship.
Besides, as the metaphor is fleshed out only in TheRev, it’s an embarrassment - written at the foundation of the world and then changed here and there because (as it turns out) ‘foundation of the world’ was just thrown in for effect and doesn’t really mean beans, it nevertheless remains an object of the greatest worship since our destiny hangs on ink or blots. It’s the stuff for cartoons, not theology.
The only reason people put up with this nonsense is that it’s ‘in the bible’. To which I remind them - not everyone’s.
So, we’re quite happy to cut Aaron’s logic to shreds over all this ‘foundation of the world’ stuff without questioning the source. I, for one, do.
Your argument, Jason, that the phrase ‘Book of Life’ appears once in the OT and again in NT, and that, therefore, the fleshed out version in TheRev MUST be scripture, doesn’t hold water for me.
Ran, if you want to pick and choose what doctrines to accept from the word of God that is up to you, but when you start calling the book of Revelation " not God’s word" you are in danger of this: Rev 22:19.
19And 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, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Of course, you realize that that threat is one of the proofs against the book being scripture! Maybe every book should have ended with that warning. Or hey! Maybe the rest of the books aren’t scripture! Wow.
You are such grist for the religious mill. Gone, baby, gone. Kiss thinking goodbye.
Every fraud begins with affinity. They tug so hard on your heart strings. And, in this case, your destiny. “Believe this and not that or burn.”
Is it a coincidence in the last couple of scriptures in the bible… God warns us not to rewrite his established word…and if make the word of God say what we want it to say…your part in heaven is revoked. 
OK Incriminate yourself.
“Christ is the Savior of all men.” What do you want to make that say, Aaron? Something quite different in meaning? Do the Calvinist tap dance for us?
read my post “the days of Awe and the book of life” it is a real eye opener to the symbolism of the festival of Trumpets to the days of Awe…it explains how were written or not written in the book of life. I don’t see how you can hold on to UR after reading it. It will make even a Lutheran dance. Glory to God!
It’s a poetic/metaphorical interpretation that takes that verse to mean regarding the entire bible. It clearly means the book of Revelation itself. But because people wanted to make the canon complete and thus control the people by shutting up the words of God coming through their lips, they created a closed system with antiquated language which they could interpret according to their own whimsy, when Moses himself wished to God that all of His people would prophesy.
They twist the scriptures to their own fancy and their own damnation, and toyed with the people for centuries. They keep them closed up in tiny dirty pens and beat the slaves and get drunk. God will judge them when He returns.
The only question is, have you been played or are you one of the players?
Can you imagine Paul ending each of his epistles with “Add or subtract anything to my writing and you will surely die.” They would have thought him a lunatic. It’s the truth that sets people free - not threats. Coercion does not produce disciples, but clones. Who are quite able to parrot the party-line while understanding nothing.
The Ambassadors of Reconciliation don’t come wearing jack-boots - or need to. It’s an entirely different world than the one Aaron finds himself immersed in.
Aaron, I’m surprised that you’d send out the post on the days of Awe. The conconclusion is very interesting.
The Days of Awe start on or immediately after the Feast of Trumpets, when historically, the Temple doors were left open until the end of the Day of Atonement. Next Sabbath, 19 September, is the Feast of Trumpets, better named Yom Teruah or the Day of Acclamation. Atonement is only 9 days later - September 28th. I hope that everyone who hears this message already has his name in God= s Book of Life. These Days of Awe picture the days that are set aside for the repentance and forgiveness of those who are not in the Book of Life, those who will have to experience God= s wrath before they are motivated enough to turn to God in deep-felt repentance. It is my fervent prayer that none of us finds ourselves in that situation through lack of repentance.
So the Feast of Trumpets speaks of Jesus Returning, and those who do not already have their names written in the book of life, experience Remedial Punishment, experience God’s wrath, punishment with the purpose of bringing them to repentance. This is what I’ve pointed out on other threads, that the “Lake of Fire and Brimstone” speaks of Remedial Punishment. Those who are not found in the Book of Life are cast into the Lake of Fire.
You might recall that I pointed out that the Lake of Fire in Rev.14.10 is said to be in the presence of the Lamb and the presence of the Angels. It is a blast furnace of the Revelation of the Atonement (Lamb) and the benevolent supernatural provison of God (Angels). This Revelation works repentance in both us who embrace it now, and in those who will not see it until “olam haba”, life to come. What an awesome God we serve. Jesus never fails!
Remedial Punishment in the after-life is the predominant meaning of Gehenna also, that human fate is not sealed at death, but there shall also be repentance and turning to God in the life to come when everyone shall be exposed to the full revelation of the Atonement of Christ! We, as believers, are of course blessed to have already recieved the revelation of the Lamb and repented. Jesus Christ truly is the savior of all humanity, especially (not only) we who believe (1 Tim.4.10). For one day every knee shall bow in submission and every tongue shall confess their faith in the Lord! Hallelujah!
Thanks for sharing,
Sherman
How about copying and pasting the whole post, Sherman, instead of copying one paragraph and twisting it to support your flawed views. Did you read my new corrective post which ties everything together? No where in the OT feasts was it taught that the people who were written in the book of death… the punishment they received was remedial. Remedial punishment is a man made doctrine. No where in scripture does it teach the lake of fire being remedial punishment…you must add this to hold on to UR. No where in scripture does it record that every person who ever existed were found written in the book of life. Your Ghennna teaching is flawed at best. Again, UR is impossible unless you ignore the true teaching of the OT feasts and take scriptures out of context.
Btw, it is obvious that you do not understand how the Jews viewed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the days of Awe and how it foreshadows the church rapture and the purpose of the tribulation period which leads to the final judgment in Rev 20:11-15.
You see, Aaron’s not a Messianic Jew, he just subscribes to whatever belief he can twist to fit his personal views.
Plus Judaism provides a convenient backdrop for Christian belief, but the truth is that the Hebrews were fairly agnostic (much more than we are, and not much changed on that with the NT) about what happens in the afterlife, and especially several thousand years away. They were concerned as most always are with the immediate present and looked forward to God’s ever marching redemption.
The Jews who later scorned their oppressors and committed that their “fire would never go out” could be said to be using emotionally hyperbolic language, as middle-easterners are more than prone to do.
Actually, I was wondering why you did not put the whole post in this thread instead of PM’ing everyone. Also, the “one paragraph” copied and posted was the concluding paragraph where the author tied everything together and I didn’t “twist” anything, but only highlighted how what was stated there about the Book of Life and the subsequent Remedial Punishment for those who are not written in it mirrors what Revelation speaks of. But of course, for those who have “twisted” beliefs, if anyone tries to straighten out those beliefs, they have to twist them to be straight.
Actually, not only does Gehenna speak of Remedial Punishment, but even Paul specifically speaks of a brother being turned over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his spirit might be saved - Remedial Punishment.
Actually, scripture does not specify what the lake of fire metaphor means. We must research scripture and the culture in order to correctly interpret the meaning of the metaphor. Frankly, if Hell was a reality, then I believe scripture would be filled with the warning of such. And Greek has a perfect word to communicate such a concept - Tartaroo! Tartaroo meant a place of endless torture. But the writters of the NT were careful to not use Tartaroo to refer to the end state of people. Rather, the concept of Tartaroo was interpreted into scripture when St. Jerome translated his Latin Vulgate, mistranslating Sheol, Gehenna, and Hades as “Infernum”, which was later translated into English as “Hell” 109 times. Tartaroo is actually only used once in scripture by Peter, and is speaks of sinning angels being held there until judgment. It is not used in reference to humans, and does not even specifically say that even sinning angels will be tortured there endlessly. But of course, tradition dies hard, regardless of how much evidence there is to the contrary.
Actually, scripture does not specify who’s names are written in the book of life. It says that people’s names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. And it mentions people being blotted out of the book of life. And as your copied info on the book of life mentions, people who were not in the book of life were submitted to Remedial Punishment and even they believed that most people subjected to such would repent.
Actually, all I’ve done is point out what the 1st Century Jews understood Gehenna to speak of, as noted by 1st Century B.C. Rabbis Shammai and Hillel, the President and Head of the Sanhedrin. They understood Gehenna to be a place of Remedial punishment for most people, though they did argue over whether those wholly given over to wickedness were annihilated or continued in Gehenna indefinitely longer than 12 months. If you have evidence that this is not how the Jews understood Gehenna, please present it. Otherwise your judgment that this information I’ve presented about Gehenna being flawed is groundless.
Your own post on the OT feasts (copied from what sourse?) even affirms that the punishment for those not written in the book of life is meant to be remedial counters your assertions.
As to what is “obvious” to you about “me”, well, I’ll not comment. Nor will I even attempt to judge you, especially your motives, level of education, or open-mindedness. As to the OT feasts, I admit that I’m certainly no expert on them; in fact, I’ve studied them little. On the other hand, your own post concludes that those who are not written in the book of life have an opportunity to repent after being remedially punished. In fact, most are expected to repent.
Also, to me it is significant that John appends the concept of the Lamb to the book of life, calling it “the Lamb’s book of Life.” And of course, the Lamb speaks of the Atonement, the sacrifice of Christ, Jesus’ death for all humanity! So who are written in “the Lamb’s book of life”? Those whom Jesus died for! He is our savior, isn’t He. It is only by His blood that we are saved and forgiven! Did not Jesus die for all humanity! So though John taps into the Jewish metaphor of “the book of life”, God revealed to him and through him that we should think of it as “the Lamb’s book of Life.” Salvation is wholly by grace, and one day every knee shall bow in submission and every tongue shall confess in faith that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God!
God wins! Jesus does not fail to save any whom he loves!
Sherman, I give your post five stars. You’re my new hero.
GO SHERM! 
Sherman, it is obvious you have not read my corrective post based on your comments. I suggest you do read my post and do some more research of the Jew view of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippor and the days of Awe.
Btw, what part of this do you consider remedial, Sherman?
According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh HaShanah (Trumpets), God sits on His throne of judgment and three books are opened. They are the ‘Book of Life,’ the ‘Book of Death,’ and the ‘Book of the Intermediates.’ Those written in the ‘Book of Life’ are the totally righteous who have fully repented of their sins, and had their repentance accepted by God. Those written in the ‘Book of Death’ are the totally wicked who are fit only for destruction. The vast majority of people are written in the ‘Book of Intermediates.’ These people have until Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) to repent and be written in the ‘Book of Life.’ If they do not repent, they will be written in the ‘Book of Death.’
It is said that, “man is judged on Trumpets and his doom is sealed on the Day of Atonement.”
What part of " Man is judged on Trumpets and his DOOM IS SEALED ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT" is remedial? They are judged and there destiny is sealed and revealed! Sealed, meaning a done deal, Sherman. There is nothing remedial about that, sir.
Sherman
I’m going to start a new post and do a study of the Greek word ‘Kolasis" and "Timoria’ and see if the remedial definition fits in context where the words are found in scripture. 
btw Aaron37, what was your source for the info on the days?
Why are you acting as if this statement were scripture? You cut and pasted the above from a Jewish site and elevate it above scripture as some sort of last word on the subject. It’s a silly, almost goofy, lie that knows nothing of Christ’s accomplishment on the Cross!
Nowhere in the NT is mankind’s doom sealed. But quite the opposite is taught throughout. Christ redeemed humanity - His love, sacrifice, redemption and salvation of people precede the confession of Him in ALL cases.
We believe we are redeemed because we were redeemed at the cross with the rest of humanity. The fact that everyone is resurrected is absolute proof of that universal redemption from death. It’s an absolute truth because without redemption the dead would remain dead. He paid with His blood to set all the captives free.