The Scroll of Life

Appendix A: The Purpose of the Little Scroll of Life

The Little Scroll of Life in the Revelation has two purposes: it confirms:

1. the glorious status of the saved (Rev 3.5, 21.27) and
2. the condemned status of the lost dead (Rev 13.8; 17.8; 20.12; 20.15).

1: The Status of the Saved (Rev 3.5)

The first mention of the first purpose of the Little Scroll of Life is in Revelation chapter 3:

Rev 3.5
He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the little scroll of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

In the Lord Christ’s message to Sardis, there is an implicit warning for those professing to be His brethren:

He who overcomes …;

This is the same declaration that is used in each of the 7 letters.

To those who overcome, there will be blessings.
To those who don’t overcome, there will be judgments.

Let’s look at the “I will confess …” promise first.

The Lord Christ Confesses our Name Before the Father

Here is another text (likely) of the same event, one that emphasizes the name of the Father to the Lord Christ’s brethren:

Heb 2.10-12
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,
“I will proclaim Your name to My brethren,
In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.”

Therefore, the Lord Christ will confess our name before the Father and own us as “brethren” while He proclaims the name of the LORD to us. It will be a glorious event!

Now let’s look at that last phrase in Rev 3.5.

The Lord Christ Won’t Erase our Name from the Little Scroll of Life

I’ve maintained that the Little Scroll of Life is sealed, and that “sealing” means that its contents will never be changed. However, I anticipate that someone may object:

“If its contents remained unchanged, as you’ve maintained, because the names are safely sealed in the rolled up (closed) Little Scroll of Life, why does the Lord refer to one or more names being erased? Moreover, why can’t that happen now to any Christian?”

Let’s restructure the verse to highlight something that will help us to understand that “erase” term:

Rev 3.5
He who overcomes will thus
be clothed in white garments; and
I will not erase his name from the little scroll of life, and
I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Each of these three promises is unconditional and equivalent in result, but only to those who overcome!

If a believer overcomes, is it guaranteed that
he will be clothed in white garments,
and his name won’t be erased from the Little Scroll of Life,
and his name will be confessed before the Father.

If a “believer” does not overcome, then these promises won’t be fulfilled in his behalf; judgment awaits him.

You can’t separate the “erase” promise from the other two. It is “all or none” proposition.

Let’s consider this from another perspective. As I maintain in this article (and in several other articles on this site as well), the LORD of the Bible acts, not reacts.

Therefore, it is unthinkable that

• He elected a person to eternal life in eternity past,
• He placed the name of that person into the Little Scroll of Life,
• He maintained that Little Scroll of Life in His right hand,
• directed the Lord Christ to atone for that person on the cross,
• accepted the Lord Christ’s atonement for that person by raising Him from the dead,
• in time, brought that person to faith in the Lord Christ by means of the effectual call,
• gave that person His Holy Spirit as a seal,
• enabled that person to persevere,
• brought that person to glory,

only then, once that person is in glory, remove their name from the list!?!?

That can’t happen! Moreover, it is an affront to the LORD to even think such a thought!

Once the “Golden Chain” of Rom 8 begins, it can’t be frustrated—ever!

Rom 8.28-31
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Only Those Named in the Little Scroll of Life Will Enter the New Heaven and the New Earth

The last mention of the Little Scroll of Life is here:

Rev 21.27
and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Little Scroll of Life.

The converse principle is true as well: none of those whose names were not written in the Little Scroll of Life can ever enter the new creation:

Rev 22.15
Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

The new creation is unchangeably free of sin, utterly beyond corruption forever.

2: The Status of the Lost Dead (Rev 20.11-15)

One purpose of the Little Scroll of Life we immediately rule out is that during the Great White Throne Judgment the Lord Christ will check the Little Scroll of Life to determine

1. those He will allow into heaven and
2. those He will cast into the Outer Darkness.

How can we assert this?

Rev 20.13,15
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the little scroll of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
…
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the little scroll of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

It is the lost dead who stand before Him—they are already condemned! Their doom is inexorable.

It is likely that the use of the Little Scroll of Life here is legal testimony presented against the lost dead. Divine grace is not extended to them because, in fact, it was never due them!

Therefore, we finally come to the sobering truth of the reprobation of those who stand before the Lord Christ at the resurrection of the lost dead (the Great White Throne Judgment). As I detail in Appendix B: The Doctrine of Reprobation, the LORD is not passive about anything. The lost stand before the LORD at the Great Judgment because that is what He ordained for them. They were not part of the elect; their names were deliberately not placed on the Little Scroll of Life; they were “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction”. (Rom 9.22-23)

3: Why is the Little Scroll of Life Not Opened Before Rev 20.15?

As we’ve seen, the seven seals of the Little Scroll of Life are broken in Rev 6.1 through Rev 8.1. Many expositors note this, and nearly always associate the fact that some form of wrath follows the breaking of each of the Seal 2 through Seal 6 (and possibly Seal 1). Noting this, they then tend to say that the little scroll of Rev 5.1 is not the Little Scroll of Life, instead speculating:

“Why was it sealed in the first place?
Why does wrath follow the opening of each seal? This seems unusual for a scroll purported to be of life.”

The first question is answered easily: it is the list of the elect before the foundation of the world. It will therefore never be changed and therefore can remain sealed until used.

To answer the second question, we need to determine the context. For that, we look at the end of chapter 5:

Rev 5.11-13
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

This the greatest declaration of all time; the entire cosmos recognizes that Christ is Lord and bows before Him!!

[I won’t take the time to prove it here, but I believe that the Book of Revelation is literal and linear, unless the text clearly indicates otherwise (*such as the interludes in chapters 12 and 13, and chapters 17 and 18, which are historical summations given to illustrate certain truths).

The declarations of Rev 5.11-13, while perhaps not “next” on the eschatological calendar, are certainly of that class of events which must take place before the return of the Lord Christ.

Relative to my first assertion "that the Book of Revelation is literal and linear", as mentioned in other places in this article and on this site, the planned group of articles which will rebut Amillennialism will provide some support for my claims.]

As each of Seal 2 through Seal 6 are broken, they progressively signal that the time of judgment draws near for those who "dwell on the earth"!

[For a small and interesting study, search for the phrase "dwell on the earth" in the Revelation. The phrase is used approximately 11 times and always indicates those who are lost and doomed. It is the opposite of these wonderful promises:

Joh 14.2-3
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

2 Cor 5.1-2
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,

Eph 2.6
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Phi 3.20
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

2 Tim 4.18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Pet 1.4
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,]

What happens as each seal is broken?

Seal 2 through Seal 6 are broken in chapter 6. The following is a very brief summary of the breaking of each seal. (I deal with Seal 1 after.)

• Seal 2: peace is removed from the earth, and many will be slain.
• Seal 3: global famine.
• Seal 4: one-fourth of the earth’s population will die.
• Seal 5: reveals the martyrs who were killed for their witness.
• Seal 6: produces several terrifying events:
  a great earthquake (every mountain and island were moved out of their places)
  the sun became black;
  the moon appeared blood red;
  the stars of the sky fell to the earth (meteorites, probably numerous and very large)
  the sky splits apart like a scroll;
  there (finally!) will be global realization that “the great day of [the LORD’s] wrath has come”;
  the 144,000 Jewish males are sealed;
  a great multitude is seen before the throne praising God.
• Seal 7: initiates the 7 trumpets.

There are a few common elements within the first four Seals and the so-called Horsemen of the Apocalypse:

• The attention is focused upon the rider of the horse and his task.
• The imagery of each horse suits the purpose of its rider.
• Each affects the entire earth: the gospel with the first (as I show below), then devastation with the 2nd through the 4th.

The Rider on the White Horse

Regarding Seal 1 and the rider on the white horse: he “went out conquering and to conquer”.

Many expositors tend to view this as global war. This, however, is incorrect since seals 2 and 4 deal with war and its consequences (like famine and disease). Moreover, Seal 1 is the only seal which does not produce anything that even begins to resemble the falling of divine wrath.

We first need to look at any other place in the Revelation which mentions “white horses”. There are exactly two, both in chapter 19:

Rev 19.11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

Rev 19.14
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

We are here told the Lord Christ will return on a white horse, followed by His saints also on white horses.

[For the readers who assume that I’m setting up to claim that the return of the Lord Christ occurs at the opening of seal 1—and therefore prior to the tribulation—you're going to be very disappointed.

The opening of Seal 1 is not the return of the Lord Christ to the earth. But Seal 1 is something just as remarkable.]

Those readers who spend much time in the OT know that the LORD delights in mercy. He frequently forgave people who warranted only destruction. This has always been true:

Hos 11.8-11
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart is turned over within Me,
All My compassions are kindled.
I will not execute My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in wrath.
They will walk after the Lord,
He will roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar
And His sons will come trembling from the west.
They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
And like doves from the land of Assyria;
And I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.

Here is another text, much earlier than this text above from Hosea, during the time Israel wandered in the desert:

Num 14.17-19
But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’ Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

The context here is when the 12 Jewish spies had just returned from their reconnaissance of the Promised Land. Ten of the spies “gave a bad report” and therefore disheartened the people; only Joshua and Caleb remained faithful. The result was that the people complained against the LORD and wallowed in self-pity:

Num 14.1
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.

The young nation rebelled against the LORD; they deserved wrath because of their disobedience. The record of Moses’ prayer in vv17-19 is his pleading with the LORD to forgive—yet again—an obstinate and disobedient people. How could Moses ask such a thing? It was based on the LORD’s lovingkindness.

[As a result of Moses’ prayer, the LORD did not destroy Israel. There was, however, a cost for their disobedience: they would wander in the desert as nomads until all the males who were 20 years old and older died. Again, only Joshua and Caleb escaped this judgment of death in the wilderness.]

Probably my readers are wondering:

“What does this have to do with the opening of Seal 1? Where are you going?”

I believe that the same principle of “the LORD delights in mercy” is very much in view here.

Look again here:

Rev 5.2
I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

The rider on the white horse represents the going forth of the gospel following the spectacular display of the LORD’s power and grace in the cosmos-wide declaration at the end of Revelation chapter 5. The hearts of many (as we see when Seal 5 is broken) will be turned to the LORD in true repentance and faith.

The LORD always goes to great lengths to call people to repent before He sends His wrath! Hence, it appears that the LORD extends the opportunity to repent (the gospel and the Rider on the White Horse) before the global wrath of the remainder of the Seal judgments breaks forth.

At the breaking of Seal 1 the white horse goes out. Why? It “goes out conquering and to conquer”.

But who or what is being conquered?

Do you remember this event in Peter’s ministry to the household of Cornelius during which Peter made this very informative assertion:

Act 10.40-41
God raised [the Lord Christ] up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

By design, the Lord Christ did not appear to any who were lost at that time. That is, only those “who were chosen beforehand by God” were witnesses of the resurrected Christ.

But, in the starkest contrast, the magnificent event of Rev 5.11-13 will be seen not only by all believers, but also by every person, saved or lost, on the entire planet, those awaiting judgment in Hades, and by all beings in the LORD’s sentient universe! The revelation and declaration herald that the time of global judgment has arrived!

It is time to repent!

[Please refer to my article “Is Creation Sentient?” for more details.]

It will be second only to the resurrection of the Lord Christ as the most amazing event to take place in all time. Multitudes will be driven to the resurrected Lord Christ and turn to Him for salvation. They are those who are conquered when they are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light! (Col 1.13-14)

The “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”

In fictional films and (pseudo)documentaries, the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse” are typically shown as fearsome beasts, hideous and ominous. While these descriptions are appropriate for the riders and horses of Seals 2, 3 and 4, it is not the case for the rider and horse of Seal 1.

[Another major error of these fantasy films is that they typically show all the horsemen with their horses going out simultaneously. This is clearly wrong; each rider goes out and accomplishes his task before the following one goes out. In real time, they are likely separated by at least many months, perhaps even by years, because they initiate global events that take time to come to fruition (such as famine and disease).]

I want to focus on 4 significant details regarding the Rider of the white horse:

1. He has [ἔχων, present active participle] a bow;
2. a crown was given [ἐδόθη, aorist passive indicative] to Him;
3. He went out conquering [νικῶν: present active participle]
4. He went out to conquer [νικήσῃ: ἵνα followed by an aorist active subjunctive]

What can we learn from these details of the original language? Let’s review each in order.

First, therefore, “He had a bow.”

There are doubtless some expositors who think that the “bow in the cloud” of Gen 9.13 applies here:

Gen 9.13
I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

No, this is clearly wrong. The “bow in the clouds” is not the “bow” that the rider of the white horse carries. The “bow” in Gen 9 was a sign of the covenant the LORD made with the earth and all that live on it, that He would never again destroy it by a flood. That covenant has been active for approximately 4300 years; we do not need to be reminded of something which is demonstrated locally around the planet many thousands of time per day.

The opening of Seals 2 through Seal 4 are global judgments. Asserting that the bow of Seal 1 is the rainbow makes no sense; they are relatively tiny, local events only.

There is, however, an OT text that I believe does apply here regarding the bow:

Psa 7.12
If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.

When the LORD offers the gospel, it comes with an implicit warning: if you refuse, there will be a judgment. This is the bow in the hand of the rider of the white horse, a bow ready to be loosed in wrath. The remainder of the Revelation is the implementation of that wrath for those who refuse the gospel.

Second, “a crown was given to him”. The rider of the white horse will be victorious, since crowns are given to the victors. Moreover, the crown was given to Him as He went out, not when He returned. The gospel sent from the LORD will always be victorious, as this OT text teaches:

Isa 55.11
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

The LORD will never and can never fail in anything that He undertakes.

Third, “and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν νικῶν καὶ ἵνα νικήσῃ

There are three verbs here, “went out”, “conquering” and “to conquer”.

ἐξῆλθεν: “went out” [aorist active indicative]
The rider on the white horse has a single job to do and a single time (aorist) during which to do it. The earth will be given the last opportunity to trust the gospel before the judgments fall.

νικῶν: “conquering”
The rider on the white horse performs His task, namely to preach the gospel and He is successful. The gospel bears much fruit.

ἵνα νικήσῃ : “to conquer”
We tend to think of the result clause (“conquering”) before the purpose clause (“to conquer”). However, it appears that the Apostle John was emphasizing the purpose clause by deliberately repeating it. The rider on the white horse will be successful because He knew His intention would be successful. He could not and would not fail in His mission.

[As I state above, the death of the martyrs seen by the time of the breaking of Seal 5 implies that the going forth of the gospel subsequent to the rider on the white horse bore much fruit—at least among the Gentiles. That is, it might be that there will be no additional Gentile conversions during the course of the Revelation at the completion of the work of the Rider on the White Horse. This will then be the fulfillment of the following well-known text:

Rom 11.25-27
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”]