Daniel 7:10

God's books.

"The books were opened."

I. GOD HAS BOOKS .

1 . The book of remembrance.

2 . The book of life. St. Paul refers to those "whose names are written in the book of life" ( Philippians 4:3 ; see also Exodus 32:33 ; Revelation 3:5 ). God preserves a record of the heirs of eternal life. He knows them, if men do not. He takes note of them individually; their names are written. The world is redeemed, not in the mass, but individually. Each one of us either has or has not his name written down in the "book of lift.." The most important question for each to ask is whether his name is there.

3 . The book of the future. The future is known to God, and the course of providence and redemption by which he will work out his purposes of righteousness and mercy is determined ( Revelation 5:1 ). Sudden changes surprise us, but they were anticipated by God. There is no chance, but an overruling wisdom fixes the great landmarks of the future.

II. GOD 'S BOOKS ARE SEALED .

1 . The book of remembrance is sealed. We have no present visible proof that Got notes our trouble, our fidelity, or our sin. We may forget our past, and it will lie hidden and silent.

2 . The book of life is sealed.

3 . The book of the future is sealed. Prophecy has extracted a few pages. But the great volume will only be unrolled as it is accomplished. It is best that we should not know the future, as we only have sufficient strength to bear the burden of the present ( Matthew 6:34 ). It is best also because we can learn to walk humbly and trustfully, while we resign the future to the care of our Father in heaven ( Matthew 6:32 ).

III. GOD 'S BOOKS WILL BE OPENED . The judgment-day will be first of all a day of revelation. The decrees of reward and punishment will follow the opening of God's books.

1 . The record of our conduct will be brought to light. Forgotten deeds will be remembered, and the truth of character made clear ( 1 Corinthians 14:25 ). Hidden sin will be revealed. Unrecognized merit will be honoured.

2 . The roll of the redeemed will be read. Not one of God's people will be forgotten. Christ will own the humblest of his followers.

3 . The purposes of God concerning the future will declare themselves. The book of the future is unrolled by degrees as time passes. But its most momentous contents will be those which will be made clear when the great facts of the unseen world are first brought to light. Then God's purposes with mankind will be understood as we on earth can never comprehend them.