DAILY TEXT, Today's Thursday, January 18, 2024, He knew what was inside the man (John 2:25).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2024

Thursday January 18, 2024

He knew what was inside man (John 2:25).

Before dying, some “unjust” people 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. Who will teach the unrighteous? Those of the great crowd and the resurrected righteous. What should the unrighteous do if they want their name to be written in the book of life? They will have to become friends of 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 unrighteous (Rev. 20:4). If anyone 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 causes any harm in the new world.​—Isa. 11:9; 60:18; 65:25. w22.09 17 paras. 11, 12.

How did we previously understand the words of Jesus that we read in John 5:29? And what detail should we pay attention to when reading these words?

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 did good things, to a resurrection of life, and those who did evil things, to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28, 29). What did Jesus mean?

We previously believed that Jesus was referring to the things that the resurrected would do after returning to life. That is, after being resurrected some would do good things, but others would do bad things. But let's notice that Jesus did not say that those who come out of the tombs 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 they did these things before they died. And that makes sense, right? After all, in the new world, no one will be allowed to do 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”?

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

The righteous, that is, those who did good things before dying, will receive “a resurrection of life” because their names will already be written in the book of life. This means that the resurrection of “those who did 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 absolved 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 righteous are resurrected, they will have to remain faithful so that their names are not erased from the book of life.

What is the “resurrection of judgment”?

What about those who did bad things before they died? Although their sins were erased 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.”c 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 abandon their previous bad behavior and dedicate their lives to Jehovah.

What will those who are resurrected on Earth have to do, and what are the “actions” mentioned in Revelation 20:12, 13?

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 opened: the scroll of life. And according to what was written in the scrolls, the dead were judged by their actions” (Rev. 20:12, 13).

By what “actions” will the resurrected be judged? Is it because of what they did before they died? No. Let us remember that they were absolved of their sins when they died. So “their actions” here cannot be the things they did before they died. Rather, these actions should 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 demonstrate faith in his sacrifice. How much more will the unjust have to do it!

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