DAILY TEXT, Today Thursday October 17, 2024,  I will blot out of my book anyone who has sinned against me (Ex. 32:33).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2024

Thursday, October 17, 2024

I will blot out of my book him who has sinned against me (Ex. 32:33).

The names written in the book of life can be blotted out, as though Jehovah had written them in pencil for the time being. (Rev. 3:5) We must make sure that our names remain in the book until Jehovah writes them permanently, as though in ink. A group of people who have their names written in the book of life are those who have been selected to reign with Christ in heaven. According to what the apostle Paul told his fellow workers in Philippi, the names of anointed Christians—those who have been invited to rule with Christ—are already in the book of life. (Phil. 4:3) But in order for their names not to be blotted out of this symbolic book, they must remain faithful. And when they receive the final seal, either before their death or before the great tribulation breaks out, their names will be written permanently in the book. (Rev. 7:3) w22.09 15 pars. 3, 5, 6.

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

The second group is made up of the great multitude of other sheep. Are their names now written in the book of life? Yes. Will they still be there after they survive Armageddon? Yes. (Rev. 7:14) Jesus said that these sheeplike people “will go on to everlasting 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 lead them to springs of living waters.” Those who follow Christ’s lead and are ultimately counted faithful to Jehovah will have their names permanently written in the book of life. (Read Rev. 7:16, 17.)

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

The third group is the goats, who will be destroyed at Armageddon. Their names are not in the book of life. Jesus said they “will go away into everlasting destruction” (Matt. 25:46). And Paul was inspired to say that these people “will suffer the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9; 2 Pet. 2:9). The same can be said of people throughout history who have deliberately sinned against the Holy Spirit. They too receive eternal destruction, not eternal life. They clearly will not be resurrected (Matt. 12:32; Mark 3:28, 29; Heb. 6:4-6). Next, we will look in detail at two groups who will be resurrected on Earth.

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

The Bible speaks of two groups of people who will be resurrected and given the opportunity to live forever on earth: the “righteous” and the “unrighteous.” (Read Acts 24:15.) The “righteous” are those who faithfully served Jehovah during their lifetime. And the “unrighteous” are those who did not serve Jehovah before they died. In fact, in most cases, their conduct fell far short of God’s righteous standards. Since these two groups are being resurrected, does that mean their names are written in the book of life? To answer this question, let’s look at more details about these two groups separately.

Why will the “righteous” be resurrected, and what honor will some of them have? (See also the article in this magazine’s “Questions from Readers” section that discusses resurrection on Earth.)

The fourth group is the “righteous.” Before they died, their names were already written in the book of life. Were their names erased when they died? No, because they live on in Jehovah’s memory. “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all the righteous are alive.” (Luke 20:38) That means that when the righteous return to life on earth, their names will be written in the book of life—in pencil, so to speak, at first. (Luke 14:14) No doubt some of those resurrected will have the honor of being “princes over all the earth.” (Ps. 45:16)

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