Question: Are the Consecrated Epiphany Campers writing their names in the earthly features of the Oath-bound Covenant as a book of life?
Answer: Yes, the Consecrated Epiphany Campers are being nourished and developed under the earthly features of the Oath-bound Covenant (Gen. 22:16-18). As true believers, they are of the Household of Faith here in the Epiphany, and are blessed with faithful Abraham, being of his pre-Millennial seed (Galatians 3: 6-9) (Romans 4: 16). All who have the same kind of faith that Abraham had will, each in his own class, have the blessed privilege, with Abraham, of blessing all the families of the earth! They trust where they cannot trace (2 Corinthians 4: 13; 5: 7) – and are therefore blessed with faithful Abraham. Though the earthly features of the Oath-bound Covenant do not give life now, it will be given them by the Keturah (New) Covenant, but it does give them a certain kind of a standing before God.
The usual meaning of names being written in the book of life is that of one’s character being inscribed into a covenant. The Consecrated Epiphany Campers are daily writing their names in the book of life in a manner similarly to that of the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, though unlike them, they do not have their names prospectively written in heaven.
Some things in this life and some things during the Mediatorial Reign of Christ will prepare the Consecrated Epiphany Campers for eternal life. In this life they must prove faithful, as the secondary earthly seed of Abraham, in their trial of faith and righteousness, if they would maintain the high position of favor offered them by the Lord. They suffer for righteousness’ sake (Matthew 5: 10-12) (Hebrews 11) (1 Peter 3: 14-17) under present conditions, and they fight the good fight of faith which helps them to lay hold on eternal life, though it will not be given to them until they come under the New Covenant.
God is now, however, through Christ dealing with them as His prospective sons. He reveals to them His secrets (Psalm 25: 14; Proverbs 3: 32); He draws near to them in fellowship (James 4: 8) (1 John 1: 3); He sanctifies them through His Truth and thus sets them free more and more from the power of sin and error (John 17: 17; 8: 32); He gives to them His holy spirit (Luke 11: 13) (1 Peter 4: 14) (1 John 3: 24) and they understand His Word (1 Corinthians 2: 9-12), which as due to be unfolded He reveals to the consecrated (Matt. 13: 10-17; 16: 17) (Luke 2: 26); He corrects and disciplines them, treating them as if they were already His sons, thus preparing them for His special service in the earthly phase of His Kingdom (Hebrews 12: 6-11) (Philippians 2: 13) (Hebrews 13: 21). As they endure their persecutions and tribulations, it may be said of them as it was said of spirit-begotten ones, that they have “a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer” (2 Thessalonians 1: 4, 5).
God is proving, testing, them to know if they love Him with all their heart and soul (Deuteronomy 13: 3). The faithful among them are not being “conformed to this world,” but are being gradually transformed by the renewing of the mind, daily bending it more and more into conformity with Christ, as they follow His steps (1 Peter 2: 21), thinking as He thought and doing as He did or what they believe He would do under the same circumstances, and thus are proving what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12: 2).
The judgment and character development the Consecrated Epiphany Campers are undergoing now has a direct bearing on their judgment, character development, and hopes for eternal life under the New Covenant. The characters they are developing now in harmony with the earthly features of the Oath-bound Covenant will be the characters they will have when they come forth from the grave in the resurrection awakening and seek to gain life under the New Covenant. And every idle (unprofitable or pernicious) word they now speak and every evil thing they now do will have to be accounted for (the bad qualities that cause such words and deeds will have to be erased from their characters) in the day of judgment (Matthew 12: 36). Those who successfully pass the harder tests of the present time will doubtless prove themselves victorious under the easier tests of the New Covenant and will be given everlasting life.