Who Are the Companions in the Book of Life?

Short Answer: If a person accepts the Messiah as Savior, I expect to see them in the Kingdom of Heaven. It does not matter if they are Catholic, Protestant, Messianic Jew, Adventist, or Non-Denominational ... they are companions in the Book of Life because they have chosen salvation through Yahshuah / Jesus.

Throughout my writings, I distinguish many groups of Believers / Christians based on the traditions they follow. Please do not assume I am implying these groups are not saved simply because they have different doctrinal positions. In fact, I would consider the vast majority of them brethren. Furthermore, I find the separation between denominations to be a weakness that gives our enemy an extra advantage in the war of good and evil.

Having Salvation

The English word 'salvation' comes from the Hebrew word 'yahshuah' and the essential meaning is 'to rescue'. When something or someone is in trouble, another can come to the rescue. In the physical this can refer to things that can be destroyed. An example of this is a city during a time of war in which a military leader comes to defeat the enemy and rescue the city from destruction. In the spiritual, this refers to things which can die. The primary example is our soul which is in danger of death because of sin. We need someone who can come and rescue our soul from that death.

The Name of Messiah is Salvation

The concept of salvation is so wrapped up in the work of the Messiah, that His Hebrew name 'Yahshuah' is identical with the Hebrew word for 'salvation'. Not surprisingly, many of the passages of Scripture that speak of salvation also contain prophecies of the Messiah. Such examples include Is 49:5-8 and Zec. 9:9-11. It is only through Yahshuah, the Messiah and Savior, that the concepts of atonement and redemption come together and the process of our salvation is possible.

The Book of Life

Those who have accepted the Messiah as Savior have their names written in the Book of Life. This is also referred to as the Lamb's Book of Life and includes those whom the Messiah will confess before His Father and those who will not be cast into the lake of fire.

Companions and Brethren

When we examine who is included within this broad definition, we find there are many types of believers in Messiah, each with their own set of beliefs and traditions. The two most prominent types are probably Christianity and Messianic Judaism. Each type of believer contains doctrines that come from Scripture and doctrines that come from the traditions of man. It is the doctrines from Scripture that bring Believers together and the traditions of man that separate the many denominations.

Following Scripture

Our Heavenly Father has instructed His people regarding how to have close relationship and on proper methods of worship. These are recorded in the early books of Scripture and the results, both good and bad examples, are shown throughout history in the remaining books of Scripture. The Scriptures show that salvation and eternal life come through the atonement, sanctification, and redemption that comes through the Messiah as our Savior. It also shows the blessing that comes with obedience to the covenant relationship we currently have with the One Most High.

Following Christianity

The Christian religion has several core beliefs that define and distinguish it from other types of believers in Messiah. The attempts to define the Almighty and the wording of the Trinity formula come from Greek culture and philosophy rather than from Scripture. The Christian religion chose to use an allegorical or spiritual interpretation of Scripture, even though most of it is given in a direct and literal writing style. Almost 2000 years ago, the Bishops declared themselves to have the authority to decide which commandments people are to obey in worshiping the Almighty and what observances to follow in daily life. The Christian religion views its relationship with the Almighty through the concept of dispensationalism and, therefore, ignores many of the covenant laws. Furthermore, many traditions and methods of worship now used by the Christian religion come from the rituals of other religions.

Following Messianic Judaism

Messianic Judaism has many traditions and beliefs, based on Rabbinical Judaism, that have added to or changed the commandments found in Scripture and therefore distinguish Messianic believers from other believers in the Messiah. The Pharisees were not priests of the line of Aaron, but they claimed the power to decide how the people would worship. The Pharisees believed in the authority of the Oral Torah, which is another set of commandments that they claim had been given to Moses and orally handed down through the centuries. The midrashic form of interpreting the Scriptures often uses filters which ignore the wording or context of the passage and enables the making of new traditions. The Rabbinical interpretations of the festivals focus on the literal history of the Nation of Israel or of what the people can do to attain salvation rather than focusing on the Messiah.

Adventists and Related Groups

There are an increasing number of Christian denominations which have decided not to take the allegorical view of Scripture nor a dispensational view of the covenant. They typically are moving away from tradition and moving more toward Scripture. Therefore, they include major changes from Christian tradition such as observing a seventh day Sabbath, eating clean foods, and observing the festivals. Traditional Christianity sometimes labels these groups as legalistic, but the charge does not hold up as few, if any, would claim that keeping the commandments is able to atone for their sin. The Messiah is still the Savior for members of these groups.

Groups not Included

There are groups of people which call themselves Christian or believers which fall outside of even the broad definition given here. Typically, they accept the Messiah as a prophet or as making salvation a possibility, but they do not regard His work as being the only thing necessary for salvation. Generally, some type of works or good standing within the denomination must also be done to have salvation. Such groups also tend to have additional books included in the Canon of Scripture which is not generally accepted by other believers or their own translations which is changed to support their individual doctrines.

The Mormons

The term 'Mormon' generally refers to members several current denominations which have formed from what Joseph Smith founded. The name comes from the 'Book of Mormon' which was published by Joseph Smith in 1830. Mormons consider themselves to be Christian as followers of Jesus Christ. Catholics and Protestants do not consider them Christian because of many divergent doctrines. They believe there are many gods and each started as a man and had to work his way to godhood. The god of this world is limited in power and controls only this world or universe. They believe the Messiah's work gives a person a physical resurrection, but eternal life must be earned through the Mormon plan of Salvation which includes doing Temple work. The Messiah is not considered a substitute, but only an example in how to live.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses consider the Messiah to be Michael the Archangel and that he was the first created thing. Furthermore, they have their own translation of the Scriptures which have been altered to fit their personal beliefs. A good example of this is in John 1:1 which states that "the Word was a God". Notice that the "a" in that phrase does not exist in the Greek and it turns the Messiah into one of many gods rather than the Almighty Himself. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that salvation and eternal life is a reward for doing good works which include being baptized and in good standing with Jehovah's Witnesses, accepting their unique doctrines, and following a program of works (such as door-to-door evangelism).

This page is under construction. My apologies for any misspellings, repeated text, missing references, etc. Please visit again later for a more complete treatment of this topic.