Heaven’s Library

When researching “The Book of Life” as part of my study of prophecy, I remember being surprised at how many books were identified as being recorded in heaven. I thought you might enjoy sharing what I learned in that study and plan to share in the next several posts.

The Psalmist tells us that a special book is set aside just to keep an accounting of our tears. God loves us and makes note of what brings us tears of sorrow and joy.

Psalms 56:8 “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?”

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite psalms since it records the thought and care that God personally invests in creating each one of us. In fact, our physical attributes and the days allotted to us are recorded in a book at or before conception.

Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”

The prophet Malachi tells us that a Book of Remembrance exists that records the names of those who fear the Lord and esteem Him. You would think that the names in this book would mirror those recorded in the Book of Life, but the implication seems to be that they are different.

Malachi 3:16-17 “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.”

Both Ezekiel and John make reference to a couple of books that originated in heaven but were to be consumed by the prophets. This appears to be a unique method used by God to impart to them the prophecies they were to declare.

Ezekiel 2:8–10 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.”

Revelation 10:8–9 “Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.

I can’t help but wonder if, based on God’s omniscience, there already exists in heaven a set of prerecorded “history” books of events on planet earth from original creation to the creation of the new heavens and new earth.