God's Day of Judgment - Its Joyous Outcome! - Opening Othehr Scrolls

 How must these resurrectedd ones demonstrate their obedience?  Jesus himself pointed to the two great commandments, saying:  'Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with  your whole mind and with your whole strength.'  The second is this,  'You must love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:29-31) There are also Jehovah's well-estblished principles that they must follow, such as to repudiate stealing, lying, murdering, and immorality. -  1 TIMOTHY 1:8-11; REVELATTION 21:8. 

However,  John has just mentioned other scrolls that will be opened during the Millennial Reign.  (REVELATION 20:12)  What will these be?  At times,  Jehovah has given specific instructions for particular situatios.  For example, in Moses' day he provided a detailed series of laws that meant life for the Israelites if they obeyed.  (Deuteronomy 4:40; 32:45-47)  During the first century, new instructions were given to help faithful ones to follow Jehovah's principles under the Christian system of things. (Matthew 28:19, 20; John  13:34; 15:9, 10)  Now John reports that the dead are to be "judged our of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds." Evidently, then, the opening of these scrolls will publish Jehovah's detailed requiremets and commandments of those scrolls, obedient humans will be able to lengthen their days, attainign finally to everlasting life.

What an extensive campaign of theocratic educations will be needed!  In 2005, Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide were coducting, on the average, 6,061, 534 Bible studies in various locations. But during   the resurrection, countless millions of studies, based on the Bible and the new scrolls, will no doubt be conducted!  All of God's people will need to become teachers to exert themselves. Resurrected ones, as they progress, will no doubt share in this vast teaching program.  Likely, the resurrection will proceed in such a way that those who are alive mauy have the joy of welcoming  and instructing former family members and acquaintances, who, in their tur, may welcome and instruct others.  (Compare 1 C orinthians 15:19-28, 58.)  The more than six million  Witnesses of Jehovah who are alive in spreading the good truth today are laying a good foundation for the privileges  they hope to have during the resurrection. - ISAIAH 50:4; 54:13. 

With regard  to the earthly resurrection, Jesus said that "those who did good things come out to a resurrection of life, 'those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgent.'  Here "life" and "judgment" contrast with each other, showing that those resurrected ones who "practiced vile things" after being  instructed in the inspired Scriptures  and scrolls are judged to unworthy of life.  Their names will not be written in the scroll, or book of life.  (John 5:29) This would also be true of any who previously follow a faithful course  but who, for some reason, turn aside during the Thousand Year Reign.  Names can be erased.  (Exodus 32:32, 33) On the other hand, those who obediently followed the things written in the scrolls will keep their names on the writte record. the scroll of life, and continue living. For them, the resurrection will have proved to be "of life." 

Next time: God's Day of Judgment - Its Joyous Outcome! - The End of Death and Hades

From the jw.org publications