Question: What does it mean in Revelation Chapter 17 when it says those who were not written in the Book of Life were judged according to what they had done?
I think the verse you are writing may be from Chapter 20?
The Book of Life is mentioned in Chapter 17, but does not specifically say they were judged according to what they had done, as it is written in Chapter 20v.12.
Here are all the places in Revelation where the Book of Life is mentioned:
Revelation 3:5
[5]He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 13:8
[8]All who dwell on the Earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:8
[8]The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the Earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
This next one is where they are judged for their works:
Revelation 20:12
[12]And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Revelation 20:15
[15]And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27
[27]But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 22:19
[19]and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
These are all the references to the Book of Life in the book of Revelation.
The reason anyone will be judged by their works is only ever because they chose not to accept the works of Christ that fulfilled the law on their behalf.
In Chapter 20v.13 where books were opened and people were judged, those books are a record of people's deeds who had refused amnesty for sin from Jesus. The records of their deeds will be judged to see if they match the requirement for justice against sin. They will not. Only the deeds of Jesus do.
The list of requirements of the Law that condemn us for our sin was nailed to the cross in Jesus, so anyone who has accepted amnesty from Jesus no longer has “books" of their sin to be judged by at the judgement. That list was paid for.
We get judged for the deeds we do in the power of our reborn spirit, where we only receive crowns according to our good deeds done as believers, not as sinners.
The difference being that they will receive rewards for what they have done in their rebellious spirit, which cannot redeem us from sin like the deeds of Jesus has.
Colossians 2:13-14
[13]And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
[14]having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Galatians 3:21-25
[21]Is the Law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a Law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the Law.
[22]But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
[23]But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
[24]Therefore the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
[25]But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
So those who refuse the certificate of exemption that Jesus offers will instead have to make their case by their deeds as recorded by the “books".
The deeds themselves don't actually condemn us. That's a strange thing to say, but we are condemned by rejecting Jesus first and foremost. That alone is enough to condemn us. Our sins are merely a witness against us. Our judgement is in rejecting Christ. Look at these 2 passages and see what I'm saying:
1John 2:2
[2]And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
So all sins for all people for all time were redeemed in Christ.
John 16:7-9
[7]Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
[8]And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
[9]of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
The sin we get convicted of is the sin of not believing in Jesus. The rest are paid for.
Only those who never heard about Jesus will have their deeds judged by the “books" opened at the judgement. God is just. He is not unjust. His judgement will be perfect. No one will say God judged him unfairly.
And that is why the people will be judged by what is written in the books.
Bless you!
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