Study From The Watchtower, Week of November 21 to 27, 2022, Is your name in the "book of life"?, Underlined Answers.

Study From The Watchtower, November 21-27, 2022, Is your name in the “book of life”?, Underlined Answers.

"Before him was written a book to remember those who fear the Lord" (MAL. 3:16).

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

1. According to Malachi 3:16, what book has Jehovah been writing, and what does it contain?

 JEHOVAH has been writing a special book containing a list of names for thousands of years. The list begins with Abel, the first faithful witness (Luke 11:50, 51). Throughout history, Jehovah has added names to that book, and it already contains millions. In the Bible, that book is called by various names: "a book to remember," the "book of life," and "the scroll of life." In this article we will call it the “book of life” (read Malachi 3:16; Rev. 3:5; 17:8).

2. What names does the book of life contain, and what can we do so that our name is written there?

2 This special book contains the names of all who worship Jehovah with fear or deep respect, and who love his name. They have the hope of receiving eternal life, either in heaven or on earth. Our name can be written in that book if we develop a close, personal relationship with Jehovah based on the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.—John 3:16, 36. Isn't it true that we all want our name to be written there?

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Jehovah writes on a scroll. 2. Happy people from different cultures and times walk together.

Throughout history, Jehovah has added names to the “book of life.” (See paragraphs 1 and 2).

3, 4. (a) If our name is now written in the book of life, does that mean that we will live forever? b) What will we see in this article and in the next one?

 3 Does having your name written in the book of life guarantee eternal life? We find the answer in Exodus 32:33, where Jehovah told Moses: “I will blot out of my book the one who has sinned against me.” That means that a).the names that are written in that book can be erased, as if Jehovah had written them in pencil for now (Rev. 3:5). We have to make sure that our name stays in the book until Jehovah writes it permanently, as if it were with ink.

4 We may ask ourselves some questions. For example, b). what does the Bible say about those who have their names written in the book of life and those who don't? When will those who have their names written there receive eternal life? What about those who died without having the opportunity to meet Jehovah? Is it possible that their names are written in this book? We will see the answer in this article and in the next one.

WHAT NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK?

5, 6. (a) According to Philippians 4:3, whose names are written in the book of life? b) When will their names be permanently written?

5 What names are written in this symbolic book? a).  answer this question, we will talk about five groups of people. Some of these groups are written in the book of life, and some are not.

6 The first group is made up of those who have been selected to reign with Christ in heaven. Are their names already written in the book of life? Yes. According to what the Apostle Paul told his co-workers in Philippi, the names of anointed Christians—that is, those who have been invited to rule with Christ—are already in the book of life (see Philippians 4:3 ). But, so that their names are not erased from this symbolic book, they must continue to be faithful. b). And, when they receive the final seal, either before their death or before the great tribulation breaks out, their names will be permanently written in the book (Rev. 7:3).

7. How does Revelation 7:16, 17 help us know when the great crowd of other sheep will have their names permanently written in the book of life?

7 The second group is made up of the great crowd of other sheep. Are their names now written in the book of life? Yes. Will they still be there after surviving Armageddon? Yes (Rev. 7:14). Jesus said that these people, who are like sheep, "shall go away to eternal life" (Matt. 25:46). But those who survive Armageddon will not immediately receive eternal life. Their names will be written in the book of life in pencil, so to speak. During the Thousand Year Reign, Jesus "will shepherd them and guide them to springs of the waters of life." Those who follow Christ's leading and are ultimately deemed faithful to Jehovah will have their names permanently written in the book of life.—Read Revelation 7:16, 17.

8. Who does not have their names written in the book of life, and what will happen to them?

8 The third group is made up of the goats, which will be destroyed at Armageddon. Their names are not on the libro of life Jesus said that they "will go into everlasting destruction" (Matt. 25:46). And Paul was inspired to say that these people "suffer the judicial penalty of everlasting destruction" (2 Thess. 1:9; 2 Pet. 2:9). The same can be said of people throughout history who have purposefully sinned against the holy spirit. They too receive eternal destruction, not eternal life. It is clear that they will not be resurrected (Matt. 12:32; Mark 3:28, 29; Heb. 6:4-6). Next, we will take a closer look at two groups that will be resurrected on Earth.

THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO RESURRECT

9. Which two groups will be resurrected on Earth, and what makes them different? (Acts 24:15).

9 The Bible speaks of two groups of people who will be resurrected and have the chance to live forever on earth: the “just” and the “unjust” (see Acts 24:15). The “righteous” are those who faithfully served Jehovah during his lifetime. And the “unrighteous” are the people who did not serve Jehovah before they died. What's more, in most cases, their conduct fell far short of God's righteous standards. Since these two groups are going to be resurrected, does that mean that their names are written in the book of life? To answer this question, let's take a closer look at these two groups separately.

10. Why will the “righteous” be resurrected, and what honor will some of them have? (See also in this magazine the article in the section "Questions from readers" that talks about the resurrection on Earth).

10 The fourth group are the “righteous”. Before they died, they already had their names written in the book of life. Were their names erased when they died? No, because they are still alive in the memory of Jehovah. "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because to him they are all alive" (Luke 20:38). This means that when the righteous return to live on Earth, their names will be written in the book of life. Of course, at first in pencil, so to speak (Luc. 14:14). No doubt some of the resurrected will have the honor of being "princes throughout all the earth" (Ps. 45:16).

11. What will the “unrighteous” need to learn in order for their names to be written in the book of life?

11 Finally, let's talk about the fifth group: the “unjust”. Perhaps because they did not know Jehovah's laws, they did not lead a righteous life before they died. That is why their names are not written in the book of life. But, when God resurrects them, he will give them the opportunity to eventually have their names written in that book. The unjust will need a lot of help. Before they died, some of them did very bad, horrible things. So they will need to learn to live by Jehovah's righteous standards. To help all these people, the Kingdom of God will carry out the largest education program in all of human history.

12. a) Who will teach the unjust? (b) What will happen to those who refuse to put into practice what they have learned?

12 Who will teach the unjust? Those of the great crowd and the resurrected righteous. What must the unjust do if they want their name to be written in the book of life? They will have to make friends with Jehovah and dedicate their lives to him. Jesus and the anointed in their role as judges will be very attentive to the progress made by the unjust (Rev. 20:4). b). someone refuses to accept this help, he will be eliminated, even if he is 100 years old (Is. 65:20). Jehovah and Jesus can see into people's hearts, and they will make sure that no one does any harm in the new world (Is. 11:9; 60:18; 65:25; John 2:25).

THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE AND THE RESURRECTION OF JUDGMENT

13, 14. (a) How did we previously understand Jesus' words that we read at John 5:29? b) What detail should we pay attention to when reading these words?

13 Jesus also spoke of those who would be resurrected on Earth. For example, he said: "The hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out: those who have done good things, for a resurrection of life, and those who have done bad things, for a resurrection of judgment." (John 5:28, 29). What did Jesus mean?

14 a). We used to believe that Jesus was referring to the things the resurrected would do after coming back to life. That is, after being resurrected, some would do good things, but others would do bad things. b). But notice that Jesus did not say that those who come out of the graves will do good things or they will do bad things. He spoke in the past tense, because he said “those who did good things” and “those who did bad things”. This means that these things were done before they died. And that makes sense, right? After all, in the new world no one will be allowed to be doing bad things. The unjust will have done those bad things before they die. So what did Jesus mean when he spoke of "a resurrection of life" and "a resurrection of judgment"?

15. Who will receive “a resurrection of life,” and why?

15 The righteous, that is, those who did good things before they died, will receive "a resurrection of life" because their names They will already be written in the book of life. This means that the resurrection of "those who have done good things" spoken of in John 5:29 is the same as the resurrection of the "righteous" mentioned in Acts 24:15. This explanation fits with what is said in Romans 6: 7: "He who dies is acquitted of his sin." When the righteous die, their sins are blotted out, but their record of loyalty remains intact (Heb. 6:10). Of course, when the just are resurrected, they will have to remain faithful so that their names are not erased from the book of life.

16. What is the “resurrection judgment”?

16 What about those who did bad things before they died? Although their sins were blotted out at death, they had no record of loyalty. Their names are not written in the book of life. Therefore, the resurrection of “those who did evil things” is the same as the resurrection of the “unrighteous” mentioned in Acts 24:15. They will have "a resurrection of judgment."  The unrighteous will be judged in the sense that they will be evaluated (Luke 22:30). It will take time to decide who deserves to have their name written in the book of life. For this to happen, the unrighteous will have to turn from their previous misconduct and dedicate their lives to Jehovah.

17, 18. What will those resurrected on earth have to do, and what are the “deeds” mentioned at Revelation 20:12, 13?

17 Whether they have been just or unjust in the past, the resurrected will have to obey the laws of the new scrolls, which will be opened during the 1,000 years. The apostle John describes what he saw in a vision: “I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened: the scroll of life. And according to what was written in the scrolls, the dead were judged for their actions” (Rev. 20:12, 13).

18 For what “actions” will the resurrected be judged? Could it be because of what they did before they died? No. Let's remember that they were absolved of their sins when they died. So here "their actions" cannot be the things they did before they died. Rather, these actions must refer to how they respond to the teaching they will receive in the new world. Even faithful men like Noah, Samuel, David, and Daniel will have to learn about Jesus Christ and show faith in his sacrifice. How much more will the unjust have to do it!

19. How will those who reject this magnificent opportunity end up?

19 How will those who reject this magnificent opportunity end up? Revelation 20:15 tells us: "Those who were not inscribed in the book of life were thrown into the lake of fire." That's right, they will be completely destroyed forever. How important it is that we make sure that our name is written in the book of life and that it stays there!

20. What exciting work will be accomplished during the Thousand Year Reign? (See cover drawing.)

20 The Thousand Year Reign will be a very exciting period. It will carry out the largest education program ever carried out on Earth. Although it will also be a period in which the conduct of the just and the unjust will be evaluated (Is. 26:9; Acts 17:31). How will this magnificent education program be carried out? The following article will explain it to us and help us assess it.

ILLUSTRATION

In Paradise, a brother gives Bible classes to the resurrected. With the help of maps and a diagram, he explains the meaning of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream mentioned in Daniel chapter 2.

A brother participates in the great education program that will take place during the Millennium. (See paragraph 20).

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What names are written in the “book of life”?

It contains the names of all who worship Jehovah with fear or deep respect, and who love his Name.

Our name can be written in that book if we develop a close, personal relationship with Jehovah based on the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.

What is the “resurrection of life”?

It is the resurrection of “those who did good things”,

And this resurrection of John 5:29, is the same as the resurrection of the "righteous" mentioned in Acts 24:15. This explanation fits with what is said in Romans 6: 7: "He who dies is acquitted of his sin." When the righteous die, their sins are erased, but their record of loyalty remains intact.

What is the “resurrection judgment”?

It is the resurrection of the unjust and they will be judged, in the sense that they will be evaluated. It will take time to decide who deserves to have their name written in the book of life. For this to happen, the unrighteous will have to turn from their previous misconduct and dedicate their lives to Jehovah.