Commentary on the Book of Job part thirty five

                                    Job 19:1-29

When Job was at the point of death, then God showed up and made Job a prophet. Job prophesied that his words and his story would be written in a book for all future generations to read in order to learn more about God's relationship with humans. Job also prophesied that his words would be engraved in a rock forever. Someday, some archaeologist will dig up stone tablets with the book of Job engraved on them.

Then God gave Job a great prophecy that allowed Job to reach the pinnacle of his faith. Job prophesied that he knew his Redeemer lived and that He would someday stand on the earth as a man. This revelation was God's answer to Job's prayer for a daysman; that is, an intercessor between him and God who could make everything right between them. Job 9:33. Before this, God had only given Job a revelation that someday He would resurrect Job from his grave to live as a recreated man on the earth. Job 14:13-15. But now God had given Job a much deeper revelation that someday, because of his Redeemer, God would resurrect Job to see God Himself and to live with Him in heaven forever! In that moment of sublime revelation, Job had been saved by grace. Job 19:23-27.

Job moved from God's lesser form of salvation to God's highest form of salvation. Job had become an Old Testament saint and when he died, his soul and spirit moved into the Paradise of God located next to hell in the bowels of the earth. Ezekiel 31:16; Luke 16:23. There, Job waited with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the rest of the Old Testament saints for Jesus, the Redeemer, to come and preach to them that He had come to make them right with God by shedding His blood for them on a cross to cleanse them of all their sins, and by dying their eternal deaths in their places, He freed them to receive His righteous life by which they would be allowed to live with Him in heaven forever. When that happened, Job and all of the Old Testament saints, including the thief on the cross, joyfully accepted Christ as their Savior. Immediately following Jesus' resurrection, God resurrected them all with glorified bodies like that of Christ who took them all to heaven, with Paradise itself, to enjoy everlasting life with God in heaven forever. Matthew 27:52-53; Ephesians 4:7-10; John 11:25.

In Job 19:28-29, Job admonished his friends that they should not persecute him anymore because he had found the greatest peace with God that was possible. Job warned them that they should fear God's wrath and judgment should they continue to persecute him.