In the answer to your recent question “Living in the Millennium”, you state that the only people allowed in the New Jerusalem would be those who’s names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. As a result, you say, the Old Testament saints would come back and live on the earth in Israel, not in Heaven because their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life which is reserved for the Church.
My question is why are the Church the only names written in the Book of Life? When Jesus went to the cross, he sacrificed himself for all sinners, past, present, and future. I thought the Book of Life contained the name of those who have been redeemed by the blood of The Lamb, thus including the old testament saint and giving them access to live eternally in heaven with the Lord?
There are two books with similar names in the Bible. One is the Book of Life (literally Book of the Living), mentioned throughout the Bible, which contains the name of every person who ever lived along with a record of their life and their final disposition. The names of people who don’t inherit eternal life because of their unfaithfulness/disobedience are blotted out of this book.
The second is the Lamb’s Book of Life mentioned only in the Book of Revelation. This book contains the names of those from the Church Age who will receive the special blessings reserved for the Church. This includes eternal life in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:27).
Also, In the Old Testament God promised to come back and dwell with His people in Israel forever (Ezekiel 43:7). In the New Testament Jesus promised the Church He would come back to take us to a place He was preparing for us in “His Father’s House” where we will dwell with Him there (John 14:2-3). Both these promises have to come true.