God’s Library and The Book of Life
Dec. 4, 2024
Host: Hon. Sam Rohrer
Guest: Dr. Carl Broggi
Note: This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program aired on 12/4/24. To listen to the podcast, click HERE.
Disclaimer: While reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate transcription, the following is a representation of a mechanical transcription and as such, may not be a word for word transcript. Please listen to the audio version for any questions concerning the following dialogue.
Sam Rohrer: Well, hello and welcome to this Wednesday edition of Stand In the Gap Today, and it’s also our bimonthly emphasis on Israel prophecy and the Middle East. And today joining me is returning guest, Dr. Carl Broggi, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in Beaufort, South Carolina, and also a host of his own radio program entitled, searching the Scriptures that has a website@searchthescriptures.org. And today we’re going to engage again an intriguing, I think anyways, and I think you will find it to be as well relevant but generally little understood biblical topic, but it’s actually of a very extreme importance to every person ever born or ever will be born. The focus today is going to revolve around the theme of your name, my name, your name, my name as it’s recorded, not here but in heaven. That’s right in heaven. You know that our names are there, and just as your name and my name must be properly written and witnessed for purposes of such human things, transactions like financial transactions or deeds or wills and inheritance for purposes of that and so much more here on earth as proof of identity or ownership of assets.
Sam Rohrer: For an example, so is our name required to say claim the benefits of heaven such as eternal life, our heavenly inheritance promised to all who are children of God. The Bible refers to the location of these qualified names as being in the book of life and on earth like it is in heaven. The value of properly recorded names are evidence in a judicial or a courtroom type setting. For instance here in Revelation chapter 20, verse 12, the apostle John writes this, he says this, and I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books plural, the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life and the Dead were judged out of these things which were written in the books according to their works. So in this passage, it refers not only to the all important book of life, it also refers to multiple other books, and it’s this topic of books in heaven and the Book of Life in particular. That’s going to be our focus today as it connects the themes of Israel prophecy and much more. And you’ll see how that all fits together. The tide life chosen for today’s program is simply this God’s library and the Book of Life. And with that, Dr. Carl Barge, thanks for being back with me today.
Carl Broggi: Hey, great to be here, Sam, as always,
Sam Rohrer: Carl, before we get into the specifics of the Book of Life and specific, including answering such questions, we’ll deal with a day such as why does God even have a book of life? What’s the purpose for it, how the names get in there and can these names be removed or blotted out as scripture talks about those kinds of things. Before we get there, can you share Carl, what we know from scripture about God’s library of books. In other words, what other books referenced in scripture are in heaven and for what purpose are each one of them being written and well clearly maintained by God himself?
Carl Broggi: Yeah, well just our listeners are clear. We’re saying there’s just one book on earth that God ever inspired. He didn’t inspire the Vedas or the Yasheds or the Koran or the three baskets of Buddhism or the Book of Mormon. Only the Bible and only the Bible is history, which is one of the proofs to show that only 66 of the books of the Bible are God’s word. But of course the cults, they always say, well, it’s not enough. They want to fill in with extra revelation. Some other book, dream angelic message. So every cult, every weird religion is built on some other revelation other than the Bible. But apart from the one book on earth, there’s a number of books that the scripture affirm that are written in heaven, that are found in heaven. For instance, Moses references as the psalmist does the Book of the Living and this is a book that deals with physical life.
Carl Broggi: And so that’s a book where Moses even said, God, I want you to blot my name out and God said, no. Now I’m going to blot some other people’s names out. But that’s the book of the living, much like in one Corinthians 11 and verse 30 where God prematurely takes a person through physical death because of disobedience. There’s the Book of Tears that the Psalm is Psalm 56 references. God sees our tears and expresses that he cares about our tears and the heartaches that we go through. There’s the Book of Remembrance that Malachi three underscores that God looks at the things that we do and he cares about it. The writer of the Hebrew says the same thing that God doesn’t forget the work that we’ve done in his name and ministering to the saints. There’s the Book of Deeds, Daniel seven, Revelation 20 that you mentioned.
Carl Broggi: These are all the works, all the sinful deeds that man has done during his entire lifetime. And it’s those deeds that will be evidence that they did not believe in God’s judgment will be accordingly. Then there’s the Book of days who often quote that at a funeral psalm hundred 39, God knows the days that he’s ordained even before one. But then most famously the Book of Life also called the Lamb’s Book of Life. So those are the books in God’s library and when we think about the Book of Life and the Lamb’s book of life, the placement of the name, the use of that name is going to be largely by whether or not someone believes in replacement theology that the church has been replaced with Israel or not. So there’s implications in a man’s theological system of how he might interpret some of these horses, and I know we’re going to discuss that.
Sam Rohrer: Okay, and that’s important Carl, I’m looking forward to getting into that in the next segment or two, ladies and gentlemen, let me just come back and ask this question. It’s simple question and you may have an answer, you may not. But for us on Earth, obviously we know the value of books because we go get information from them. It records specific things, legal things, all that kind of stuff. So it that’s important. But from God’s perspective, heaven Books and heaven, why would God maintain books when our God is all knowing, never forgets anything? In other words, for whose benefit are those books in heaven being maintained?
Carl Broggi: Yeah, well, I think God underscores them, Sam, because he obviously, he’s omniscient. He knows everything. He doesn’t need some kind of a record keeping apparatus to tell us to remind himself, but it says that he cares that he’s watching. And so when he has a book of tears, he says, I care about your heartache. I’m there with you. We don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses and even the Book of Life, it will be very, very important because one, it will affirm the security of the believer that his name can never be blotted out, but it also will affirm the just judgment of God that no unbeliever will be able to say, well, this was unfair. And God will say, well, it actually was fair because you chose by your choice and rejection of Christ not to embrace him so your name could be here.
Sam Rohrer: So it’s really more for our benefit and as evidence and proof for any naysayer that God’s just in all things. Ladies and gentlemen, who maintains these books and we talked about some of them next segment, we’re going to now move into this one and spend the balance of the program focusing on the Book of Life, also referred to as the Lamb’s Book of Life. There are some names in that book and there are some names that are not in that book. Does it make a difference? We’ll talk about that. Stay with us. We’ll be right back. Well, if you’re just joining us today, our theme, Dr. Carl Broggi, senior pastor of Community Bible Church is with me again today and we’re considering this theme of God’s Library. Yeah, that’s right. Library, library of books, books in the library, God’s library, and specifically the Book of Life.
Sam Rohrer: Now in scripture, as Carl just shared, references to books in heaven occur readily in many places. This is a quick summary of what was just said. These include for instance, the Book of the Living. You’ll find that in Psalm 69 28, the Book of Tears, which actually in that verse talks about God keeping our tears in a bottle and it’s all in this book. Well, it’s a book of tears. Psalm 56 verse eight. There’s a book of remembrance found in Malachi three 16. Then there’s the books of deeds, multiple books, books of deeds referenced in Daniel chapter seven, verse 10, and the verse I read at the beginning, revelation chapter 20 verses 12 and 13. Then the book of days referenced in Psalm 1 39, 16. So there’s others in this library and there are all first specific purposes, but the most frequently referenced book is the Book of Life.
Sam Rohrer: It’s found eight times that reference in the New Testament, seven of which are in the book of Revelation, which we’ve spent a lot of time on the prophetical element of all of this. So Carl, what can you share from scripture that tells us what the Book of Life is? In other words, why is it and why does it exist? And you’ve already answered this, but touch on just again, it’s the Book of Life, but we’ve also referred to it as the Lamb’s Book of Life. Why is that? So just those two things to begin with.
Carl Broggi: Well, in the revelation, the Book of Life and the Lamb’s Book of Life occurs some six times. And when you put all those passages together, and it also occurs in Philippians I should say, it’s clear that it’s the same book and in it are the names of everyone. Before God created the earth, before he spoke the universe into existence, before Adam and Eve were made before, man sin, before God gave the plan of redemption, our names were written in there. That’s because God is an all knowing God. He’s not making us like robots where we have no choice or decision in the matter, but if he didn’t know everything, he wouldn’t be God. So the Lamb’s book of life underscores that the basis of our name being in the book of life is the redemptive work of Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And that’s the only way for someone through faith in Jesus to get their name in there.
Sam Rohrer: Alright, so the only names in the Book of Life are the redeemed of the Lord, the truly born again the adopted sons and daughters of faith through the work of Jesus Christ. That’s the Lamb’s book of life. Those are the names that are in that book, correct?
Carl Broggi: Yes, absolutely.
Sam Rohrer: Alright. Now, how do the names actually get there in the first place? You’ve already alluded to the fact that they were there a long time ago. God was writing the book, I’m believing from scripture. So who writes the names? When are they inscribed? How do the names get into this book of life?
Carl Broggi: So got an eternity path based on his fore knowledge, which I think you’re going to address in the next segment. His elective choice was able before the foundations of the world to write people’s names in that book. And by election we don’t mean that God chose some to go to heaven and some to go to hell, but God in his prior knowledge knew how a man would respond to the grace of God and based on that he wrote their names in. And so we used to sing a little diddy in church. There’s a new name written down in glory and that’s not entirely accurate because it’s written down before the foundation of the world. Now we might say a check mark was put next to the name. At the moment someone comes to faith, which God foresaw of course that that would happen. And once the name is there it can never be removed.
Carl Broggi: There’s a minority of Christians who teach you can lose your salvation. And even our brothers in the reformed faith that teach replacement theology do not believe that once saved, always saved and there’s a verse that’s often used out of context. He will overcome it’s revelation three five will be clothed in white garments and I will not erase his name from the book of life. And so it’s not some veil thread about 150 times in the New Testament it affirms our eternal security. There’s about seven or eight passages that seemingly teach that you can lose your salvation. So a good rule of thumb is you always interpret what is unclear in light of what God has said to be clear because the scripture can’t be broken and God’s not going to contradict himself. And so it’s actually an affirmation of our security that God will not erase our name and many passages teach this.
Carl Broggi: And so he speaks here of those who overcome and those who overcome whatever is born of God, who’s born again overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world are faith. And so Jesus is clear that he gives the eternal life. It’s a double negative in Revelation three, five, the same double negative is used by Jesus in John 10 and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish. He’s underscoring our security. In fact, he’ll later say all that the father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out because I’ve come down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me and the will of him who sent me is that everyone that believes in the son may have eternal life and I will raise it up on the last day and he affirms I will lose none.
Carl Broggi: It’s an irrefutable promise that once our name is there, it can never ever, ever be erased. And so for Jesus not to raise up on the last day, someone who is believed would be to disobey the father’s will that makes him a sinner. And he didn’t come to disobey the father’s will but to do the father’s will that would make him a liar because he said, oh, without exception, everyone losing nothing that believes will be raised up for the last day and it makes him weak like he’s unable to keep us. And most people who deny eternal security haven’t thought it through. But in essence what they’re saying is to lose your salvation means that Christ is a liar, he’s a sinner and he is weak. And I don’t think they really want to say that.
Sam Rohrer: No, they doubt they’re on really terrible ground if they do, I’m sure some are thinking right now, but they say, but some fall away from the faith. Scripture says the apostle Paul himself was concerned that he finished the course, he finished the race so that he would not be a cast away. Alright, so there are people in this world in our life, we know some listening may be a part of this who believe I’m a child of God, but we know many is going to stand before the Lord to say, but Lord, haven’t we done all of these things in your name? And obviously they would’ve called themselves Christians in his life and he says, depart from me. I never knew you essentially saying your name is not in this book of life probably. So how do we answer those who in this life appear to be Christians but are not their names? Not in the book of life, God didn’t take it out. So how do we answer that?
Carl Broggi: Well, in first John two 19, he says, if they were of us truly saved, they would’ve remained with us. But the fact that they went out from us indicates that they were never really of us to begin with. In other words, if you have salvation, you can’t lose it. And if you lost salvation, you never really had it to begin with. And so there’s a lot of people who outwardly are Christian, they even hear the word of God with joy. Jesus said in Luke eight 13, they believe for a while, but it’s only intellectual belief. And then in time of temptation they fall away. He’s not describing someone who lost salvation, he’s talking of an apostate. And apostate is someone who walks up to the edge of the faith, understands it, acknowledges it, but then at some point turns away. Now there are Christians who break fellowship with God.
Carl Broggi: You spoke of a castaway, I did a sermon once on castaway Christians and these are Christians who are living in disobedience where they’ve broken fellowship and there’s consequences for them at the judgment of the just. There’s a judgment called the bema seat that every Christian will stand before the Lord and it’s not a judgment determine if we go to heaven, that’s settled the moment we believe, but how we will spend eternity and it’s a judgment not dealing with our sin because that was dealt with at Calvary, but our service. And so when we’re out of fellowship with God, we cannot effectively serve the Lord and we’re not going to be storing up treasure in heaven, which we’re commanded to do. And so it’s a serious judgment and some people’s works will be burned with fire, their works will be burned, not the person because they’re eternally secure.
Carl Broggi: So there’s a difference between a castaway Christian and someone who is shipwrecked in the faith versus someone who never genuinely came to faith. The New Testament makes that distinction. Sometimes we don’t know, we think, well, maybe they just broke fellowship when in reality maybe they never came to faith at all. So there are people who live a life of wickedness and I would just say as a general principle, the New Testament would give very little assurance that they’ve ever come into the kingdom. But neither does it eliminate the possibility that there are some Christians who through willful disobedience, break fellowship, my relationship is eternal. It can never be broken. I’m born of my earthly father. That fact can never change. But my intimacy, my friendship, my closeness can be changed when I do something wrong. And the same is true with my heavenly Father. It’s an eternal relationship. And so one John one, nine is a fellowship verse. It has nothing to do with salvation. It has everything to do with maintaining communion with God.
Sam Rohrer: Alright Carl, that’s excellent and ladies and gentlemen, that brings us right up to the break. Hopefully that little bit of a discussion there on that aspect of our service and our walk with God is different than our relationship which is represented when our name is written in the book of life, which cannot be blotted out. Important to understand that distinction. I’m going to come back, we’re going to engage a little bit more of the theological consideration of this eternal security already been mentioned election already been mentioned and how that fits together with these names that are in the book of life that are written before the world began. Going back to Revelation, we’re talking, if you’re just joining us talking about one of the books in God’s library and we talked, we have identified a number of books called out in scripture that are in heaven maintained by God in heaven and for very specific purposes, one of them, a most important one is called the Book of Life, also the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Sam Rohrer: And we just described and talked about that in the last segment. But there’s some implications that arise out of that that I want to talk about now with Dr. Carl Broggi in this segment. For instance, in Revelation 13 and verse eight, it says this, a portion of the verse says this, the book of life of the Lamb. So that’s the lamb book life, the book of life of the lamb slain. And here the keywords slain from the foundation of the world. It’s in reference to the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Then in Revelation 17 eight, just a few chapters later, it says, the world shall Wonder but whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. So from these references of the lamb slain and the names written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, it raises a number of theologically considerations. Carl, just a brief thing, we’ve already kind of talked about it, but just reiterate if you don’t mind the reading of that from the foundation of the world as used there in Revelation regarding Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God and the names written in the lamb’s book of life. What does that mean actually?
Carl Broggi: Well, Ephesians one verse four, letting scripture interpret scripture says that God shows us in Christ in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless. And the word choose is we get our word election from Greek to Latin into English. You can almost hear the word election. So the doctrine of election is a biblical doctrine. Every Christian believes it. It’s like the doctrine of the rapture. Sometimes you’ll meet people who will say, well, I don’t believe in the rapture. Yes you do. You believe that we’ll all be caught up in the air and will be transformed and will get a resurrection body. Now you may not agree on the timing of the rapture or whether there’s just one big catching up of the loss and the saved or if the church goes up separately, but you believe in the rapture.
Carl Broggi: The same is true with the doctrine of election. A Christian should be able to say, yes, I believe in the doctrine of election. The issue is on what basis does God elect not does he elect? And so the scripture says that God chooses us based on his foreknowledge. And the word foreknowledge as a verb or the noun appears seven times in the New Testament. And in each case it simply means to know something beforehand, to know something in advance. Pro gco, we get a word pre gco, we speak agnostics or knowledge. And so pre-knowledge. So an eternity pass, God looked down the channels of time and he said, I see Sam Rohrer. I see him responding to my sovereign work. I see that he’s going to come to faith in my son. So he writes your name down in the lamb’s book of life. Now the Calvinist because of his replacement theology, because he believes that God is done with Israel.
Carl Broggi: And John Calvin was basically mentored by a man who lived a thousand years before named Augustine. And Augustine, as best we can tell, was the first one who had determinative theology that God chose some to go to heaven and God made other people to go to hell. And so Calvin would say, you can have two pregnant women side by side and one baby is destined for heaven. The other baby is created and destined for hell. Now I believe that’s a slander on the character of God, but Calvin loves Augustine. He quotes him over 400 times in his institutes and he quotes him over 4,000 times between his other writings and commentaries. And who is Augustine? Well, he believes that Unbaptized babies will go to hell. He is the first to teach the for prayer for the dead, which leads to the doctrine of purgatory that’s further developed in the Middle Ages.
Carl Broggi: He believes that Mary never sinned. He believed that she was a perpetual virgin. He had a lot of gross error in his theology and he believed that God chose some to go to heaven and others to go to hell. Now I reject that because again, when you look at the seven usages of foreknowledge in the New Testament, you cannot come up with that unless you read a system of thought. So Paul, I just turned to Acts 26. He said, these men who were accusing him before King Agrippa, they’ve known about me before for a long time. It’s the word they knew about me before I was saved. How I lived as a Pharisee. Peter will say to those who reside as aliens, who are chosen house according to the foreknowledge, it’s the noun prognosis. We get our word prognosis for it of a medical term, meaning advanced knowledge.
Carl Broggi: And so every time the word is used in the New Testament, it just means something in advance that God knew. But when we come to Romans eight, the Calvinist wants to redefine foreknowledge. He does not want to make it a divine attribute but a divine action for some to go to heaven and some to go to hell. And that’s why when Calvin came to Romans nine, 10 and 11, he read it through a philosophical lens that he had developed instead of exigent the scripture plainly. And so the subject of nine, 10 and 11 is Israel in one word, Israel’s election in chapter nine. There are current rejection in chapter 10. There are future restoration in chapter 11. But if you believe God’s done with Israel and the church has replaced Israel, that’s why Calvin in Geneva had a theocracy. He is responsible for the deaths of 38 people.
Carl Broggi: Two that are specifically highlighted where his hand was directly in it, where these men were executed for theological heresy. And look, Michael Vees had a weird view of the doctrine of Trinity, but we don’t execute a man. But he thought that because the church had replaced Israel, that you do what they did in the Old Testament and he had some really weird views and people don’t think about it sometimes they wave the Calvinistic flag and they hide some of the antisemitic statements that he made and the gross antisemitism of Augustine, he’s said awful things about the Jewish people in his writings and this is the lens in which they interpret some of these issues from.
Sam Rohrer: Alright, so in a case like that, the view that the names in the book of life, so those of reformed thinking, Calvin Augustine, who you’re talking about, the point you are making there is that they took a position that the names in the Book of life were there because God selected those names to be there rather than God in his knowledge knew that they were going to trust through faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God and therefore the names were there. That’s a big difference, but that’s what you’re saying, correct.
Carl Broggi: Exactly. So they would say that man is like a rock and that rock has no capability to respond. And I would say, well yes, we’re dead in our trespasses and sins. And yes, Jesus said no one can come to the Father unless the father draws him. So I can’t take any credit for my salvation. The issue is that Calvin says that God doesn’t draw every man, he doesn’t work on every rock, only those who are elected for salvation. And I would say no when the scripture says for God so loved the world, he means the world. But again, the Calvinists of our day like RC Sproul and others did not believe that Jesus died for every man. And so they use couch language. Jesus died for those who would repent and believe only those who would come to faith. And that’s not true. I can look at anyone in the eye and say, God loves you, Christ died for you.
Carl Broggi: It’s real. So yes, their view of having your name written in the lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world is because God elected you, not based on his prior knowledge but on a divine action. So again, they make foreknowledge a divine action instead of a divine attribute. And they’re reading in the scripture and you can’t find the meaning of that word, not only in the New Testament, but when it’s used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, you can’t find it nor in common Greek of the first century. So it’s a system of thought that is prejudiced on their view of the Jew. So
Sam Rohrer: Alright, so the implication, we’re not much time left. So the implication of how one views this does affect how one views Israel. That’s the connection to our program today, Israel. And that’s replacement theology concept, God’s done with Israel. And so it makes that difference. What’s the other, if there is another major implication of the view that God chose people and put their names in that book, what are the implications does it have?
Carl Broggi: Well, the implications are great in terms of how you look at people and how you view people and whether or not you’ll passionately evangelize. And let’s face it, the reform movement does not grow largely by conversion. They find other people who tend to agree with that maybe who grew up in those denominations. It’s the Methodist, the Baptist during the first and second great awakenings that are passionate to preach the gospel to lead people into the kingdom. The Presbyterian reformed view, they saw few conversions comparatively speaking, that’s factual and that’s a major implication. But look, if I believe God is so sovereign, and again I’m not taking away from his sovereignty, I’m just saying that God in his sovereignty has not made us robotic, but we’re free moral agents and we can say yes or no based on his initiative work. So it begins with God, he initiates, he comes after Adam. Adam’s hiding, he comes after us, but we are still a free moral agent who has to make a decision to say yes or no to Christ.
Sam Rohrer: So ladies and gentlemen, hopefully this is making sense. There are major implications to everything that scripture says and how we view it. So it’s very critical that we interpret all that’s in scripture by scripture as we are in this case. When we come back, we’re going to talk more now about the usage of this book and when in Revelation 20, when this book of life is actually being pulled off the well welcome back going into our final segment here now today. And again our theme has been this God’s library because God has books in heaven, we’ve talked about that and specifically the Book of Life, we’ve been dwelling on that one because there’s something very, very definitive about this book of life also referred to as the Lamb’s book of life in that well it means, let’s put it this way, there are consequences if one’s name is not in that book and there are well benefits, there are certain things that accrue that come to the person whose name is in that book.
Sam Rohrer: It’s like a definitive final book. And so we’re going to talk about this segment here of when it’s used. Now just a reminder to all of those who are listening, thank you again for listening to us and I pray that you through this month of December here as we consider God’s holy day, this holy day observance of Christmas and Holy Day holiday, holy day of Thanksgiving, that in these days that we are ever grateful to God above who has given us all things source of all blessing. And if you know him as your savior, then obviously the greatest thing to be thankful for is that salvation of which we’ve been adopted into God’s family. I hope that you are there. If not, I trust that this season will be the time that you make that. Sure. And also as well, just a practical thing, this program here today in all of our programs, you can find on our app and on our Stand in the gap radio site.
Sam Rohrer: And that’s given many times during the program, but with each one of those you can also find a transcript. A lot of information is shared. And I know that many of you are either could be at home in the kitchen. I know many moms are in kitchens making things and some are waiting in cars for their children to be picked up. I know that because they hear that from people. Some listen to this program very late at night before they go to bed. You may or may not have an opportunity to write things down. You can easily get that transcript, read it and then listen to the program again as there is so much information just impossible to understand it all. And I would encourage you to do that and pray that you would as well. So just that reminder here as we go into it now, the application of this, when this book is used in the passage from Revelation chapter 20 in verse 12 where I started this program says this and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.
Sam Rohrer: We’ve been talking about that and it says The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, plural, the other books of the books of deeds and so forth according to their works. But in verse 11, in that chapter, it declares the location for this event where the Apostle John saw and he wrote this and it says, and I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. Alright, so that’s the setting. So Carl, this setting is the great white throne judgment. So explain that just a little bit. When does this judgment occur? Who is present at this judgment before whom the earth and the heaven fled away? It’s a major event. And for what purpose is this courtroom appearance? Just kind of put that together.
Carl Broggi: Well again, for the reformed theologians, someone who embraces replacement theology, they see at this judgment, all of humanity of all time gathered together because they do not interpret the scripture concerning the prophetic nature for the second coming in a historical, grammatical, literal fashion. But the scripture is clear. I just did a series recently on this, on four future judgments. There is one in heaven, two on the earth at the second coming and one between heaven and earth, which is the one we’re referencing. The one in heaven is believers only. The bema seat where our services evaluated, God looks at what we did, what we attempted to do, and then he looks at why we did what we did motive. And he tests our works, be they gold, silver or precious, stone, wood, hay, stubble, and we’re rewarded accordingly. Then there’s two judgments on the earth that happen at the second coming when Jesus literally comes back to the earth again.
Carl Broggi: The reformed theologian doesn’t believe that Jesus is literally going to rain on the earth, so they have to allegorize passages. You read Zechariah 14 where it says Messiah’s feet will step in the mount of olives and split in two. You can get 10 interpretations if you allegorize it because who knows what it means if it doesn’t literally mean he splits them out in two. But he’s coming back and when he comes at the second coming, there will be people who have survived the tribulation. He’ll judge believing from unbelieving Jews, that’s the first half of Matthew 25. It’s also underscored in the prophet Ezekiel. And then he’ll judge the non-Jews, the Gentiles. And so you see the sheep, goat, judgment, sheep, goats in my brethren, three groups of people and how they treated my brethren meaning the Jews. These gentiles will show whether or not they had genuine faith or not.
Carl Broggi: That’s why I’m always scared about these antisemites who hate Jews because they may be telling on themselves, but then there’s this final judgment that takes place between heaven and earth. And it’s at the very end of time crisis on the throne because all judgment has been given to the son. The only people present are unbelievers and he waits to the very end. Why does he wait to the very end to make this? Because sometimes even after people die, their sin continues. Are you Hefner who started a pornographic industry long after he died? The fruits of what he does continues to this day. And so God looks at all of a person’s influence while he was alive and even the influence he had after he died. And that final judgment, the books which records the deeds of unbelievers will demonstrate that they did not have genuine faith. And that’s why their names are not written in the lamb’s book of life. But if anyone listening wants to have their name written in the lamb’s book of life, it can be written in there if they’ll call upon Jesus.
Sam Rohrer: That’s excellent. Just less than two minutes now left in this program for the believers listening right now, what impact should what we’ve talked about here today create in the lives of true believers listening today?
Carl Broggi: Well, number one, they should be grateful to God that he initiated with them. Because again, I don’t take any credit for my salvation. I was dead in my sin, but God loved me enough to initiate. So I can’t brag and say, well, I read this book, I’m apologetics or I did this. No, God initiated. And so we should fall on our faith and thank God for his mercy and his grace. But again, I believe he initiates with all men and we still have a choice. But then secondly, if this is all true, if we just take the plain literal sense of scripture written, Dr. Pentecost used to always say, listen, when the plain truth makes good sense, don’t seek any other sense or you’ll come up with sheer nonsense. And that’s where a lot of people are at. So just take the scripture at face value.
Carl Broggi: That means there’s a real place called heaven. There’s a real place called hell and people are going to spend an eternity there. And when a man has been in hell a hundred billion years, he won’t have one less second to spend there. And if we really believe that, then we should be praying like the apostle Paul does in Colossians four. Pray that God would give me an open door. I can’t share with everyone, but there’s probably someone before this day is over that I’m going to encounter that God wants me to reach out to. And then when I have that opportunity, he says, pray that God would help me to make it clear the gospel, this is important. This is what we’re to be about in the average Christian in America, sadly has lost this perspective.
Sam Rohrer: And Carl, that’s a fantastic challenge. It comes right off the pages of scripture. For all of us listening today, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being with us today on this program. If you do not know the Lord, trust him. Trust him. If you do know, be grateful for what he has done and share the good news with others around us. That’s why we’re here. Let us be faithful in doing that. Dr. Carl Broggi’s website again is search the scriptures.org. You can find a lot of information on his site and of course ours, this program on all of our programs and archive form, including Stand in the Gap tv, on our app or on our website. Go there, watch and listen until tomorrow, stand in the gap for truth. Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow.
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