The Study Watchtower, "Article 39", Week of November 21 to 27, 2022, Is your name in the "book of life"?, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 39», November 21-27, 2022, Is your name in the “book of life”?, Answers.

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

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

Jehovah has been writing a book for a long time, which is called on many occasions as "a book to remember", "the book of life" "The scroll of life", and in it contains a list of names of people faithful.

It is certainly encouraging to know that Jehovah values ​​everything we do in order to worship him in the right way. However, the words of Malachi 3:16 should prompt us to wonder if our name will be written in Jehovah's book of remembrance. Because it will only be if we try that our works, words and thoughts are something that Jehovah wants to remember.

Jehovah has been writing a special book for thousands of years that contains a list of names and the list begins with Abel. and throughout history, Jehovah has added names to that book and it already contains millions, so right now, we also have to make an effort to have that privilege of also being on that list.

This book has been written since the foundation of the world and when he used the expression world, it does not refer to the very beginning of the first men, Adam and Eve, but rather that it refers to people who can be redeemed from sin, therefore it is understood that the first to appear in this book of life is the righteous Abel.

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

It contains the names of all who worship Jehovah with fear or deep respect, and who love his name and so that our name will be there if we cultivate a close and personal relationship with Jehovah based on the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.

They are the names of all those people who worship Jehovah and have honor and due respect for him and who love his name and have the hope of eternal life, and they are also written in those who have heavenly hope. And what we must do is cultivate a close and personal relationship with Jehovah, of course, based on the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ.

And we know this because, for example, in John 3:16 it says that he who shows faith in his son has eternal life, so a key is cultivating this close friendship with Jehovah towards the sacrifice of Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION

It is seen that it is not a recent book, many different eras are seen because of the clothing, so it has been written for many centuries.

And it is seen how Jehovah himself is the one who recognizes those who willingly serve him and is the one who writes that name. 

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?

The fact that we have achieved that our name is written in the "Book of Life" does not mean that it ensures eternal life or that we will live forever, since the names that are written in this book can be erased. Because in a symbolic way Jehovah wrote them with a pencil, So according to our works It will depend if Jehovah writes it permanently.

Well, not necessarily, since Jehovah precisely said to Moses in Exodus 32:33 I will erase from my book whoever has sinned against me, this means that if our name is written it is erased right now as if Jehovah had written it with a pencil, that is why we have to ensure through our conduct that it is written until Jehovah writes it in a way that it is not erased forever.

When I was preparing this paragraph, I was thinking that when we write a letter with pencil we can erase it very easily, but when we do it with ink, it can no longer be erased. So we find the answer here, in Exodus 3233 where Jehovah told Moses I will erase from my book, whoever has sinned against me. But, nevertheless, here, in Revelation 3:5, it is mentioned that our name, if it can be written in the book of life, says, to the one who overcomes and also here it is mentioned that Jehovah will recognize us and also this one we will to be before Los Angeles, so here we have to make sure that our name is written in ink so that we can have eternal life.

And everything depends on remaining faithful, evident to Jehovah, because first Corinthians 10:12 reminds us that whoever thinks he is standing, we must take care not to fall, today our name may be written.

Well, we have to make sure that our name is written in that book, hence the importance, as already mentioned. Yes, it depends on each one of us, if we want it to be written in pencil or in ink. Of course we want it to be written in ink, because it is difficult to erase

3, 4. b) What will we see in this article and in the next?

In this article and in the next one we will see the answers to the following questions: What does the Bible say about those who have their names written in the book of life and about those who do not? When will they receive life? eternal those who have their name written there? What about those who died without having the opportunity to meet Jehovah? And yes, is it possible that their names are written in this book?

WHAT NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK?

5, 6. (a) According to Philippians 4:3, whose names are written in the book of life? 

There are five groups of people who have the possibility of writing their names in the book of life. The first group is made up of those who have been selected to reign with Christ in heaven, since Philippians 4:3 mentions that they already have their names written in the book of life. However, so that their names are not erased from this symbolic book they must remain faithful to Jehovah

Well according to this verse then, the first group is those who have been selected to reign with Christ in heaven.

In their case it will be when they receive their final seal, which is before their death or before the great tribulation breaks out.

Well, we see how the anointed Christians who have been selected to reign with Christ Jesus in heaven are, they are the ones who are already written in the book of life but that does not mean that their names cannot be erased they have to continue being faithful.

5, 6. (b) When will their names be permanently written?

Well, that will happen just before their death or before the great tribulation breaks out, there they will permanently receive their name in the book.

Their names will be permanently written 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.

In fact that is what we read in Revelation 7:3 where it speaks of a final sealing for these anointed Christians they must be faithful until that moment just before the great tribulation breaks out and at that moment their name will be written permanently.

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?

In the course of 1000 years, our Lord Jesus Christ will shepherd them and guide them to springs of water of life, and those who follow his guidance will finally be considered faithful to Jehovah, since now they will have their names permanently written in the book of the life.

Yes, it will be after Armageddon, rather as Revelation says, the lamb will be Jesus. During the 1000 years he is going to shepherd and guide to the springs of the waters of life, all these people, the great crowd. Then, those who remain faithful to Jehovah during those years will finally be able to have their name permanently written.

The members of the great crowd, if their names are written there in the book, but in pencil, until the thousand years have passed, they will not be put in ink.

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

Those who do not have their names written in the book of life are made up of the third group, who are known as "the goats" and they will be destroyed at Armageddon without any right to resurrection.

Jesus Christ to Jehovah speak of what they consider to be goats. And very clearly Matthew 25:46 says that they will go and will not have the benefit of eternal life, instead, they will go to eternal destruction.

Here it is said that they are the goats, that they are going to be destroyed at Armageddon, but also here, in the lower part, it is mentioned that those who sin against the Holy Spirit will also receive eternal destruction. These texts of Matthew 25:46 of second Thessalonians 1:9 and of Matthew 12:32, make it very clear that eternal destruction and eternal punishment are mentioned, which indicates that the goats will not resurrect or those who sin against the spirit .

And also all those who sin against the holy spirit because they received that type of punishment and we see it reflected in Matthew 12:32 where it says that any sin that is committed can be forgiven but as for the one who speaks against the holy spirit it will not go away to forgive neither in this system nor in the one to come, that is, all those who sin against the holy spirit will not have this life.

THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO RESURRECT

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

These two groups that will be resurrected on earth are the "just" and the "unjust" and they differ because the "just" are those who faithfully served Jehovah during their lives. And the “unrighteous” are the people who did not serve Jehovah before they died.

Yes, they are the ones that are mentioned right now in the reading of Acts 24:15 that are the just and the unjust, it makes them different, that the just are those who faithfully served Jehovah during their lives, and the unjust are the people who did not they served Jehovah during before they died. So, most of the cases their conduct was even far from God's fair standards.

And since both are going to be resurrected, of course, the question of whether these two groups have their names written in the book of life comes to mind. 

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).

Because to Jehovah all of them are alive.” And some of the resurrected will have the honor of being "princes throughout the earth"

Yes, because they precisely had the privilege of having their names written in the book of life before they died and according to what Luke 20:38 says, Jehovah is not a god of the dead, but of the living. Therefore said servants of God are still in the memory of Jehovah.

Yes, in Psalm 45:16 he is talking about how they are going to be princes throughout the Earth.

But what is certain is that their names will not be written in ink in that book yet but will be written, so to speak, in pencil and it will still take a while for that to happen.

If the two groups are compared with people who want to live in another country and to live in another country they have to adjust to the norms of that country, then both the resurrected and those who pass through Armageddon will have to follow the norms of the new scrolls. that will take place after Armageddon.

It must be a great honor when the Psalmist here tells him that your children will be named princes, that is, they will be named by Jehovah, then it will be a great honor to think that their heavenly father has appointed them princes to direct them to the brothers in the New Earth. .

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

The unjust will need a lot of help. Before they died, some of them did very bad and 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.

If they will have to learn Jehovah's fair rules to live according to what he asks of them.

And in the article asking the readers in paragraph 10 what was quoted, I really liked the illustration you mentioned because it made the comparison that the just are like foreigners who receive a work or resident visa that gives them certain rights and liberties in the country, but instead the unjust are like foreigners who receive a temporary or tourist visa so in order for them to continue living in the country they have to demonstrate that they meet the requirements and in the very near future the just are going to teach them these requirements to them.

And in order to achieve that, Jehovah is going to organize the largest teaching campaign in the world, it will be a privilege to participate in this campaign.

In this paragraph we also identify the enormous love of Jehovah, mercy and forgiveness that they have, with this relationship there will be many who did bad things in fact their name is not written in the book of life as has already been commented, however Jehovah He will give them the opportunity to learn, he will give them the opportunity that with this great world program they can get to know him and that resurrection of the unjust will be for them to live forever.

We have seen that the first group that is written in the book are the anointed ones who have been chosen to rule with Jesus in heaven but have to remain faithful until the end.

And there are also the righteous, who are the ones who worshiped Jehovah and died faithful, and the great crowd, who are the ones who survived the great tribulation.

In addition, the unjust who will be resurrected who also did not serve Jehovah had even done bad things, then they will be given the opportunity to have their names written in life when they are resurrected.

12. a) Who will teach the unjust? 

Those who will teach the unjust will be those of the great crowd and the resurrected just, since the unjust who want their name to be written in the book of life will have to become friends with Jehovah and dedicate their lives to him.

12.b) What will happen to those who refuse to put into practice what they have learned?

Yes, it is true, they will have the opportunity to study and learn from Jehovah. But they will have to decide if they want to accept this great help, since if they refuse and do not accept it, they will be eliminated by Jehovah.

Isaiah 60:18 says some very beautiful words, it says that violence will no longer be heard in your land or destruction, something that we do not see today.

Isaiah 65:20 clarifies when they will be eliminated because in the previous paragraphs we speak of a 1000-year government of Jesus Christ, then it means that these people have 1000 years to change or be criminals during those 1000 years will they have their chance? because Isaiah 60:25 says that even if they are 100 years old they will be eliminated, Jehovah will not allow there to be evil in the world again.

Well here in Isaiah 65:20 it mentions, there will no longer be babies that live only a few days or an old man who does not complete his days in his old age. Because whoever dies at 100 years of age is considered a simple boy and the sinner will be cursed, even if he is 100 years old, then this means that those who are not applying what we learn in the Bible, says that we will be eliminated, even if they are still 100 years old. So how important is truth, no matter how long we have served Jehovah, the important thing is that we will be a good man before Jehovah so that our name is written in that book of life.

Isaiah 11:9. Jehovah is not going to allow that again there will be violence or bad things in the new world, so we are given a little more security that Jesus and Jehovah will be protecting us. Then those who absolutely do not want to change. And if they are being given this opportunity, they will then be receiving what they deserve or their punishment. 

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? 

Before we believed that Jesus was referring to the things that the resurrected would do after coming back to life, that is to say that after resurrecting some would do good things, but others would do bad things.

13, 14. (b) What detail should we pay attention to when reading these words?

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.

This way of understanding this verse, the truth is, is more logical because, as I already know, he also mentioned the conditions that will prevail in that new world and, as this paragraph mentions, people in the world are not going to be allowed to do bad things, things that harm others. others, so it does not refer to what they will do in the future but what they did before they died.

Before we believed that the resurrected would be judged by what they would do after resurrecting and now we see that this is not the case, that it is based on what they did before they died.

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

The righteous, that is, those who did good things before they died, will receive "a resurrection of life" because their names will already be written in the book of life.

If they have a record of loyalty, which is what remains intact, because when they die, their sins are erased. But the record remains there, then, precisely for this reason, they have a resurrection of life, although they have to continue being faithful, since they are resurrected so that their names will not be erased.

The loyalty that they showed throughout their lives allowed them to be inscribed in this book of life, but when they are resurrected, they will also have to show permanent loyalty so that their name is maintained and has not been erased.

And it is very interesting that now the two resurrections, both the one that Jesus spoke of in John 5:29 and the one mentioned in Acts 24:15 refer to the same type of resurrection, we are talking about the same thing about what is fair when they rise and the unjust when they rise after Armageddon.

16. What is the “resurrection judgment”?

It is the resurrection of people whose sins were not blotted out and who had no record of loyalty, so their names are not written in the book of life. Therefore, the resurrection of the unjust mentioned in Acts 24:15, where these Unjust will be judged, in the sense of being evaluated to determine if their names will deserve to be written in the book of life after the reign of a thousand years.

It is like an evaluation or like a life test. As mentioned to see if this test is passed, in the end, only those who come to love Jehovah and obey his rules are the ones who will continue living in the new world. The same rule for all the resurrected is the fidelity they show to Jehovah to see if they deserve that his name be written in the book of life.

This evaluation is necessary because unlike the just of the group of the just, the unjust, although their sins were erased when they died, did not have a record of loyalty.

The note tells us that before we referred to a trial as directly a sentence and now we are seeing that it is not like that, the note tells us that a biblical dictionary defines that word as a conduct test, therefore as we are seeing that trial does not entail a sentence precisely but rather an evaluation a conduct test.

It is the judgment of the people who did bad things before they died, since, although when they died their sins were erased, a record of loyalty will not be found in them, because their names are not written in the book of life. And it will take time to decide who deserves to have their name written in this book, and for this to happen the unjust will have to leave their previous misconduct and dedicate their lives to Jehovah.

In paragraph 2, the text of Isaiah 65:20 was quoted and it was said that someone who denied this help even if they were 100 years old would be eliminated. to the person perhaps a few more or less but it will be a period of time in which Jehovah will be evaluating this person to pass sentence. 

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

The resurrected will have to obey the laws of the new scrolls, which will be opened during the 1,000 years. since according to these new laws people will be judged for their actions. And these actions do not refer to the bad things they did in the past, since as we well know with death they were absolved of all their sins. But rather to the actions that they carry out after having received the teachings of the new scrolls.

Yes, brother, for regardless of whether they have been just or unjust in the past, both groups of Risen will have to obey the laws of the new scrolls that are mentioned in Revelation 20:12 and that will be opened during the 1000 year reign of Christ. .

It caught my attention here, as people say, who are examples for us. Since it is not Samuel, David and Daniel, their names are not written definitively either, so we have to apply ourselves, both to them and to us.

And the actions that the book of Revelation refers to are not the things they did before they died, rather it refers to how they are going to respond now to the teaching they are going to receive in the new world, and this applies, as already they commented, even to faithful men like Noah, Abraham, David, because they are going to have to learn about Jesus Christ and demonstrate faith in his sacrifice.

And they will be by the actions that they do after having received this teaching in the new world that is going to be given to them, then according to the actions that they do regarding these things that they have learned.

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

In Revelation 20:15 he 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.

According to apocalypse 20:15, these people will be thrown into the lake of fire, that is, they will no longer have a chance because they will be destroyed forever, so we must make sure that our name remains in the book of life. 

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

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.

And this is very exciting because there we see in the Illustration how the brother is explaining to me, undoubtedly, well, some prophecies that are mentioned in Daniel and it also makes me think, as has been mentioned, that a video that is being made about the life of Jesus, because we are also going to be able to teach them and that is something so exciting because it will be. Well, on a global scale and also from now on, we can train ourselves to preach and they are very active in preaching, to also participate in this education program.

Today we are participating in the unique work of bearing witness to the good news and in this thousand-year reign a new exciting period is about to begin in which we are going to participate in the greatest education program that has ever been carried out on earth.

And when I see this picture here, I am struck by the fact that today Jehovah is educating us in some way because he is showing us what we will have to do in the new world, so he is preparing us for a great job there.

And it's interesting to see that this brother is doing maybe a Bible class. There are 5 for each brother. So it represents a great work in the future, we believe that after Armageddon we will no longer preach. But on the contrary, there will be many, many, resurrected, who will ask us to visit, give courses, classes and explanations. So the work of preaching is going to continue, most likely, as the next article from the other week says, for the next 1000 years. So this commission is going to be the most important education program worldwide.

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”?

The anointed, those who have been chosen to rule with Jesus in heaven, the righteous, those who worshiped Jehovah, who will be resurrected on Earth, the great crowd, and those who worship Jehovah today. and they hope to live on earth.

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 just people who, before dying, were already doing the will of Jehovah, but after resurrecting, they will have to continue doing that will in order to stay alive and have their names written in that book. 

Yes, it is the resurrection of the just, that is, that is, those who did good things before dying.

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.

And they were already written down in Jehovah's book of life.

Yes, I also liked that it said that a record of loyalty is kept for those people who died serving Jehovah faithfully.

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.

People considered unjust who did not do the will of Jehovah during their life here on earth and who during the 1000 years of the reign of Jesus Christ will be evaluated with the new scrolls that will be opened at that time.