Blotters in Heaven? (Part 1 of 2) - The Preacher's Diary

1. Of Blotters and Erasers

Blotters … in those days of the fountain pen, which you first dipped into the ink pot before writing, blotters were classic absorbent papers that every writer or school child had on their desk for soaking up excess ink so that it didn’t smear the page or blur the text. Somebody reading this must have used them, because that was not a century ago. There were also erasers, and still are. They wiped out the error. It is reported by several sources that Heaven has blotters, not for mopping up ink but for wiping out texts that degenerate into stains on the holy page. We shall return to this.

2. Distractive Celebrations

In Luke 10, Jesus had sent out His disciples on an inductive outreach mission. They returned with fantastic reports, “even” of devils subjected in the name of their Master; notorious devils that hitherto had defied prayers and other acts of piety suddenly cringing at their voice (v.17). Any leader would have started a celebration at such dignifying complimentary news, but for Jesus, not yet, until He had sounded a warning intended to put priorities in their proper places. He said to them, “Notwithstanding in this REJOICE NOT, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (v.20). There was something of which to “rejoice not,” and something else better deserving of their joy at that time.

In effect, Jesus was saying that,

i) There is a book in Heaven, or a record up there of Heaven’s ambassadors on earthly mission;

ii) At that moment, the names of those disciples were in that Book up there at Headquarters;

iii) Good as their mission and success stories were, sustaining their names in that Book should have been their priority;

iv) Some celebrations could be subtly distracting, even when they are a celebration of victories over stubborn devils or other celebrations of triumphs accomplished in the mighty name of the Lord;

v) Some celebrations could be misplaced even when the celebrants are certified servants of the Lord, eminent folks such as the chosen disciples of Jesus. In other words, the character or spiritual status of the celebrant(s) does not in itself mean heaven’s validation of the celebration, because someone can celebrate on earth without knowing that their name is missing from the Book in Heaven. According to Revelation 3:1, one can sustain a mighty name on earth that no longer reflects heavenly reality;

vi) The fact that a celebration is staged in the name of the Lord does not mean that the Lord approves of it. Jesus did not condemn their religious celebration, but He did not commend it either;

vii) From God’s eternity perspective, some earthly celebrations are misplaced, noble and spiritual though they might seem. From Jesus’ remarks, we may judge that, as far as Heaven was concerned, that post-mission celebration of the disciples was their party, not the Lord’s. If God were in it, Jesus would not have negated it with “rejoice not”;

viii) If it is true that God is not in some seeming Christ-ward parties, which some might even boldly bring before the Master, then what a waste of energy, funds, and other resources lavishly invested – ostensibly in the name of the Lord;

ix) A people can be so distracted with mighty victories as not to notice little deviations of eternal implications; they can become so successful in earthly achievements as no more to sense Heavenly concerns;

x) An entire community of eminent religious folks, although specially ‘called’ and ordained by the Master Himself, while being apparently active for God, can be tragically distracted yet, sadly, never know it. Thank God for the ‘Outsider’ voice that quickly called their attention to their subtle deviation before they had drifted beyond help.

3. The Book

It may be further implied from Jesus’ prompt cautions that the List of which He spoke was exclusive; that it was not a general list of everyone on earth. It was a special list that, at that time, included the names of all twelve disciples. Only after sounding that weighty warning is it reported that “Jesus rejoiced in spirit” (v. 21).

In Revelation 3:5, a shocking dimension is added to the matter of that Book in heaven, with details about title, authorship, contents, enlistment criteria, and so on. That passage simply says, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.” According to the Living Bible, “I will not erase his name from the Book of Life….” In other words, it is a Book open to continuous updates. Note the following book details:

Book title: Book of Life;
Author (the One from whom the texts in the Book derive, Who has the right to add to or delete from it, is the Speaker in the verse): the Lord Jesus Christ;
Publisher and copyright owner: God;
Place of publication: Heaven;
Date of publication: Eternity;
Contents: names – the names of overcomers on the earth, i.e., heroes of God;
Theme: battles and triumphs of life;
Qualification for enlistment in the Book: overcoming;
Depository: Heaven.

While that verse answers some questions, it raises a few more, as shall be presently explored.

i) “He that overcometh”

The verse reveals that the Heavenly Book is essentially a list of overcomers on the earth, but overcomers of what? While we wonder what the answer could be to that question, at least the verse implicitly speaks about things to overcome or things that were overcome, by those whose names make the list. In other words, the ‘things’ of the related battles were not things to tolerate or things merely to contend with, but things to permanently confront and defeat – things to overcome or otherwise be overcome by; strong forces capable of throwing a person down and disqualifying them from the noble List. The battles implied were not something to be taken lightly, because of their eternal implications for destiny. They were battles that carried grave consequences, where losing was not an option. The general picture is one of intentional opposing forces determined to prevail over one and ruin one’s chances of making the Heavenly list. Woe unto the one who is not even aware that they are up against such determined foes.

Back to the original question: overcome what? The preceding verse provides the answer: “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” In other words, the things to overcome in the daily battles are impurities of life seeking to ‘defile’ one’s garment; things that make it hard to maintain a constant “walk with me,” according to Jesus. We cannot here compile an exhaustive list of all the things that defile, and they differ in form from person to person, but some of them are listed in the Scriptures, as we shall soon find out.

Note that the tense of the verb “overcometh” is not past or future but the simple present. More modern translations make it clear: “He who overcomes…” which implies continuing victory in a continuing battle against relentless opponents determined to disqualify one from the heavenly list; an ongoing battle where yesterday’s victory does not atone for today’s losses, and the prospect of a future victory does not excuse today’s disasters. In other words, one must overcome in a ‘continuous present tense’ sense in the universal battle with everyone at their respective fronts, each one facing a different expression of the same enemy.

ii) The Remnants

Like reeking messy lumps of public adult poopoo on a beautiful dress at a party, putting reasonable people off from someone soiled by it, defilement puts God off, so that someone willingly wallowing in it cannot “walk with” Him, because they have become unworthy. According to the verse, they are “few” that overcome the defilements, who “have not defiled their garments.” They are a minority, determined to keep their garments clean despite the overwhelming and antagonistic culture of defilements in which they find themselves. They are a mocked few, resolved not to join the common rot that even many members of their Sardis Church are part of. Unlike the majority who have been overcome by that society and culture of desecrations, the “few” would not sin merely to give excuses for defilements. Often scorned and mocked as ‘extremists’ and ‘fools’ by their peers at church, at work, at school, at home, they have maintained their worthy walk with the Master along the narrow pathway (Matthew 7:13-14). The remnants – the few.

iii) He

When that letter to an entire church says, “HE that overcometh,” it places the emphasis on “he”; on the individual in that collective church-community. Everyone shall be judged individually, rather than based on their group virtues or vices. Everyone will answer for themselves. Their environment of overwhelming pollutions will be no excuse. One could not say, “I was defiled because I lived in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” None would blame their defilement on their context, or on the majority that were a bad example. The Book does not list groups but individuals; it lists names of persons, not churches.

iv) The Protocol List

Like Revelation 3:5, the point is re-emphasised in Revelation 21:27, that “there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Mark those items. In other words, what admits anyone into Heaven will be that list, that Book. You do not usually board a plane if your name is not on the flight manifest – the list. Heaven also has a protocol list of those it is expecting, based on the victorious management of their garments in a most untoward world. Exclusion from that list is caused by defilements allowed upon oneself as well as by abominations ‘caused’ or brought upon others. In other words, keeping clean, in this context, also means not making oneself the instrument of another person’s defilement; not making one’s meat another’s stumbling block (1 Corinthians 8:10). Matthew 18:7 is clear on this: “Woe unto the world because of offences … woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” To be the cause of another’s stumbling often attracts a woe upon the agent (Matthew 26:24).

From The Preacher’s diary,

June 17, 2026.