Connect Psalm 87:6 with Revelation 21:27 about the Lamb's book of life. The Two Verses Side by Side • Psalm 87:6: “The LORD will record in the register of the peoples: ‘This one was born in Zion.’ Selah” • Revelation 21:27: “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” The Common Thread: God’s Roll of the Redeemed • Both passages revolve around God’s personal record-keeping. • Psalm 87:6 celebrates people counted as citizens of Zion, God’s holy city. • Revelation 21:27 speaks of the Lamb’s Book of Life, the final registry deciding eternal entrance into the New Jerusalem. • Together they reveal one continuous biblical truth: God writes names, secures identities, and grants citizenship in His everlasting Kingdom. Psalm 87:6—A Prophetic Glimpse • Zion in this psalm points first to earthly Jerusalem and ultimately to the heavenly city (Hebrews 12:22). • “This one was born in Zion” signals spiritual rebirth; foreigners become natives by God’s decree (Isaiah 56:6-7). • The Lord Himself “records” each name—no clerical error, no omission. • The verse quietly foreshadows a future, comprehensive book where every true citizen is listed. Revelation 21:27—The Fulfillment in Glory • The Lamb’s Book of Life appears at the climax of redemptive history. • Only names found there gain access to the New Jerusalem, keeping the city perfectly pure. • The Lamb—Jesus—owns the book, tying salvation exclusively to His atoning work (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-19). • The verse completes what Psalm 87 hinted: being “born in Zion” equals having one’s name inscribed by Christ Himself. Tracing the “Book” Theme through Scripture • Exodus 32:32-33—Moses intercedes for Israel; God affirms He blots out only the guilty. • Daniel 12:1—“Everyone who is found written in the book will be delivered.” • Luke 10:20—Jesus tells the disciples to rejoice that their names are “written in heaven.” • Philippians 4:3—Paul mentions coworkers “whose names are in the book of life.” • Revelation 3:5—Overcomers will never have their names blotted out. These passages weave a single storyline: God maintains an unerring ledger of the redeemed across both testaments. Implications for Life Today • Assurance—Believers rest in God’s secure record, not personal achievement (John 10:28-29). • Identity—Heavenly citizenship supersedes earthly status; being “born in Zion” defines the core of who we are (Ephesians 2:19). • Holiness—Entrance to the holy city motivates moral purity now (1 John 3:3). • Mission—Knowing God still adds names to His book fuels evangelistic zeal (Acts 13:48). |
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