And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Parallel translations
- WEB If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
- KJV And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
- NKJV And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
- NASB And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
- NLT And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Anyone whose name is not in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire. Final destiny hinges on belonging to the Lamb.
Overview
The verse soberly states the outcome for those outside the book of life, underscoring the seriousness of eternal judgment. The book of life belongs to the Lamb who was slain (13:8; 21:27), so inclusion is bound to Christ and his redeeming work. This urgent warning calls every reader to find refuge in him while there is time.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- John 3:36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
- Matt 13:50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Acts 4:12Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
- 1 Jn 5:11–12And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
- Matt 25:41Then 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.
- John 14:6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Rev 19:20But 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.
- Heb 2:3how 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,
- Rev 20:12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
- John 3:18–19Whoever 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.
- Heb 12:25See 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?
- Mark 16:16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
- Mark 9:43–48If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
- Matt 13:42And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 20:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.