The name of David F. Kies is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. A small diamond is etched beside it to indicate that he died in battle. But it is a mistake, for Kies is very much alive. He's living in Wisconsin with his wife and five children.

David F. Kies did fight in Vietnam and was seriously injured in combat near Saigon. He and his partner were on night patrol when they stepped on a mine. His buddy died immediately; Kies lost both of his legs but survived. He was reported as dead because of an error in some paperwork.

Mistakes like that can happen on military records, but in the most important record, the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 21:27), there are no errors. The names of those who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior from sin are written in that book, and they are secure forever (John 10:28; Revelation 3:5). There is another side to this fact, however—a very sobering reality. The day is coming when those whose names are not found in that eternal record book will be "cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15).

Is your name in the Lamb's Book of Life? Have you trusted in Jesus? If you have, you can be sure that you'll never be condemned. God makes no mistakes.  —Dave Egner  — David C. Egner