Bible Strands
Revelation 20:15
And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative voice of the apocalyptic vision, describing the final disposition of the dead after Death and Hades have been cast into the lake of fire (v. 14). This is the last judgment: the book of life is opened and every person is accounted for.
The words — εὑρέθη (heurethē), "was found," aorist passive, carries the sense of being discovered in a search — the verse hinges on whether one is found in the book, not on what one did.
The thread — The binary of acceptance and rejection recurs in John 3:36 (believes in the Son / rejects the Son), and the fire imagery echoes Matthew 13:50 and Matthew 25:41.
Why it lands — The verse offers no middle ground: a name is present or absent, and the consequence is total. It asks the reader to determine which side of that line they stand on.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Cross-references
- John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
- Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- 1 John 5:11 And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
- John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Acts 4:12 Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
- John 3:18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
- Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
- Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?
- Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.