Job 21:1-34
God happens to be the only ultimate Judge. One person dies after a good life, and another dies after a bitter life, but that has little to do with God's judgment of them. All go to the grave and are eaten by worms. But the word "worms" in the Bible (KJB) always symbolizes sin and evil. Isaiah 66:24; Psalm 22:6; Mark 9:44, 46, 48. Job had become saved by God's grace and that meant that when he died he would go to a place called Paradise in the earth, and there he would wait until Jesus came and preached the gospel to him and the other Old Testament saints. At that time, Job and all the Old Testament saints, would believe the gospel, be cleansed of all their sin and evil by the blood of Jesus, be translated to heaven forever, and be separated from all sin and evil forever. Ephesians 4:7-10. The Church age saints will be translated to heaven at the Rapture of the Church. I Thessalonians 4:13-18. The Tribulation saints will be translated to heaven at the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ. Revelation 20:4.
But all those who have not been saved by grace will still retain the filthy "worms" of their sin and evil when they physically die. Because God cannot accept their sin and evil into heaven, He will temporarily consign their soiled souls and spirits to one of three places of punishment following their physical deaths according to how they lived their lives. Revelation 20:13. But even in these places of punishment, they will still retain the good and living image of God that He put into them when He created them. Genesis 1:27; Genesis 1:31; Luke 17:20-21.
God can never lose anything He has ever created. Ecclesiastes 3:14; Romans 11:36. For this reason, God has devised a plan to recover and recreate His good and living images from every human soul trapped within those hellish places. In order to do this, God must reawaken their faith that He put into them when He created them in His image. One day at the end of the world, God will appear to His living images in all humans within the regions of the dead as prophesied in Isaiah 45:21-24 and in Philippians 2:9-11. God will reawaken their faith by the majesty of His appearance, and they will worship Him as "the Lamb" who has saved them. Romans 12:3; Revelation 5:13. In the end of the world, God will resurrect all of His living images from the regions of the dead, cleanse them of all their sin and evil by the use of His consuming fire, and recreate His living images as righteous humans to live on His recreated earth. I Corinthians 3:11-15; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 21:1-5. Christ will consign the dead parts of these humans, which are totally evil, to the lake of fire forever. Revelation 20:11-15.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Commentary on the Book of Job part thirty eight
Job 21:1-34
In Job 21:1-5, Job informed his friends that he intended to speak the truth to them that he had learned by direct observation of life even though he knew that they would continue to mock him. Job implied that his friends only spoke about how they imagined life should be and not about how life really was. Job pointed out to his friends that they imagined that his problem was with his fellow man, that he had somehow wronged them, but Job knew that his real problem was with his spiritual relationship with God. Job then proclaimed that he intended to tell his friends the simple truth which should astonish them and cause them to be quiet.
In Job 21:6-14, Job spoke the simple, observational truth that the wicked often prosper in life, and often even find some happiness. Job's friends, being deists and materialists, had concluded that Job must be suffering because he was wicked. In their minds, physical suffering provided proof that one had to be wicked.
In Job 21:15, Job reasoned to his friends that if physical suffering and reward were all there was to life, then why believe in God at all and pray to Him if He punishes only in this life and does not forgive, and if He often allows the wicked to prosper until their deaths without any punishment? If only a deist God exists, then why not ignore Him if He largely ignores humans?
In Job 21:16-26, God gave Job a revelation about the destiny of the totally wicked. Job understood from God that no goodness whatsoever exists within the life of the totally wicked, and therefore, they can teach him nothing. By Job's phrase, " the candle of the wicked put out," Job demonstrated that he understood from God that He will punish the totally wicked with a spiritual death which will follow their physical deaths. The word "candle" symbolized their inner light or spirit, but the dark, totally evil part of their spirit will be "put out;" that is, separated from God forever. The totally wicked are as useless as stubble and chaff which the wind blows away forever. God's children know that they belong to God because He punishes them for their correction, and He rewards them for their good works. But the totally wicked will experience the eternal wrath of God after their physical deaths.
In Job 21:1-5, Job informed his friends that he intended to speak the truth to them that he had learned by direct observation of life even though he knew that they would continue to mock him. Job implied that his friends only spoke about how they imagined life should be and not about how life really was. Job pointed out to his friends that they imagined that his problem was with his fellow man, that he had somehow wronged them, but Job knew that his real problem was with his spiritual relationship with God. Job then proclaimed that he intended to tell his friends the simple truth which should astonish them and cause them to be quiet.
In Job 21:6-14, Job spoke the simple, observational truth that the wicked often prosper in life, and often even find some happiness. Job's friends, being deists and materialists, had concluded that Job must be suffering because he was wicked. In their minds, physical suffering provided proof that one had to be wicked.
In Job 21:15, Job reasoned to his friends that if physical suffering and reward were all there was to life, then why believe in God at all and pray to Him if He punishes only in this life and does not forgive, and if He often allows the wicked to prosper until their deaths without any punishment? If only a deist God exists, then why not ignore Him if He largely ignores humans?
In Job 21:16-26, God gave Job a revelation about the destiny of the totally wicked. Job understood from God that no goodness whatsoever exists within the life of the totally wicked, and therefore, they can teach him nothing. By Job's phrase, " the candle of the wicked put out," Job demonstrated that he understood from God that He will punish the totally wicked with a spiritual death which will follow their physical deaths. The word "candle" symbolized their inner light or spirit, but the dark, totally evil part of their spirit will be "put out;" that is, separated from God forever. The totally wicked are as useless as stubble and chaff which the wind blows away forever. God's children know that they belong to God because He punishes them for their correction, and He rewards them for their good works. But the totally wicked will experience the eternal wrath of God after their physical deaths.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Commentary on the Book of Job part thirty seven
Job 20:1-29
But even though God must consign the souls and spirits of unrepentant sinners to one of three hellish places following their physical deaths because sin and evil still clings to, and soils, the pure image of God that He created them to be, nevertheless, God still loves His image in man, and He will never relinquish everlasting control of that good image to the Devil. Should the Devil ever gain everlasting control over God's image in man, then he would win his war against God because He would prove that God's Love can fail. But, praise be to God, Christ has tasted death for every man, has destroyed all the works of the Devil, and has gained control of the keys of Hell and Death. Hebrews 2:8-9; I John 3:8; Revelation 1:17-18.
God can never lose permanent control over any of His creations, including mankind. Ecclesiastes 3:14. Although the Devil has gained temporary control over unrepentant sinners, God, through the finished work of His Son, has completely broken the Devil's hold on the image of God that He created in man, and God will eventually recover and recreate all that He has lost to the Devil. God is secretly using even the Devil to prove that His Love can never fail. Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 21:5.
At the beginning of the Tribulation period, God will reactivate the faith in Him that lies dormant in God's image in every unrepentant sinner on the earth, under the earth, and in the sea in a tremendous worship service as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. At that time, all the images of God in all unrepentant sinners will recognize Christ as their Savior of their own free will because of their reactivated faith that God put into them. They will become so overwhelmed by the awesome majesty of their vision of God that they will not be able to resist choosing to love and worship God again. Humans sometimes experience this same effect when they cannot help but choose to fall in love with someone. Revelation 5:13; Romans 12:3; John 11:25.
At the end of the millennial reign of Christ, God will raise all of His recovered, living images in mankind from all of the regions of the dead, imbue them with everlasting life, and recreate them to live on His recreated earth. John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 21:1-5. All of the leftover deadness in man, which was solely the work of the Devil, God will raise to stand before Him to be judged for their evil works and be cast into an eternal lake of fire along with Hell and Death itself. This will be the second death which is the destruction of the first death. I Corinthians 15:22; I Corinthians 15:26. God will probably also destroy the Sea in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:1.
But even though God must consign the souls and spirits of unrepentant sinners to one of three hellish places following their physical deaths because sin and evil still clings to, and soils, the pure image of God that He created them to be, nevertheless, God still loves His image in man, and He will never relinquish everlasting control of that good image to the Devil. Should the Devil ever gain everlasting control over God's image in man, then he would win his war against God because He would prove that God's Love can fail. But, praise be to God, Christ has tasted death for every man, has destroyed all the works of the Devil, and has gained control of the keys of Hell and Death. Hebrews 2:8-9; I John 3:8; Revelation 1:17-18.
God can never lose permanent control over any of His creations, including mankind. Ecclesiastes 3:14. Although the Devil has gained temporary control over unrepentant sinners, God, through the finished work of His Son, has completely broken the Devil's hold on the image of God that He created in man, and God will eventually recover and recreate all that He has lost to the Devil. God is secretly using even the Devil to prove that His Love can never fail. Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 21:5.
At the beginning of the Tribulation period, God will reactivate the faith in Him that lies dormant in God's image in every unrepentant sinner on the earth, under the earth, and in the sea in a tremendous worship service as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. At that time, all the images of God in all unrepentant sinners will recognize Christ as their Savior of their own free will because of their reactivated faith that God put into them. They will become so overwhelmed by the awesome majesty of their vision of God that they will not be able to resist choosing to love and worship God again. Humans sometimes experience this same effect when they cannot help but choose to fall in love with someone. Revelation 5:13; Romans 12:3; John 11:25.
At the end of the millennial reign of Christ, God will raise all of His recovered, living images in mankind from all of the regions of the dead, imbue them with everlasting life, and recreate them to live on His recreated earth. John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 21:1-5. All of the leftover deadness in man, which was solely the work of the Devil, God will raise to stand before Him to be judged for their evil works and be cast into an eternal lake of fire along with Hell and Death itself. This will be the second death which is the destruction of the first death. I Corinthians 15:22; I Corinthians 15:26. God will probably also destroy the Sea in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:1.
Commentary on the Book of Job part thirty six
Job 20:1-29
In this chapter, Zophar launched into a diatribe against wicked and violent men. In his harangue, Zophar did not mention Job. Since Zophar knew that Job was not violent, the purpose of his tirade remains unclear. Perhaps, Zophar thought Job had done violence to the truth.
Zophar's conclusions about that which happens to violent criminals turned out to be only partly true. Zophar believed that even though criminals can be intelligent and talented, their time on earth will be short because good people will usually put an end to them. While Zophar may have been right by saying that sometimes good people put an end to criminals either in battle or by use of the law, quite often good people fail in their battles with criminals. In fact, much of history has been about how tyrants, who are nothing but leaders of criminal gangs, have often taken control of entire communities, and even whole nations, gain power over the law and the police, and commit any cruel terrors against the people that they desire with impunity.
Since the image of God in every person has been infected with the darkness of evil, then Zophar, like many people, began to sense within his inner being that some form of punishment must await the violent person following physical death. Like Zophar did in verse 26, many people, even without reading the Bible, get an intuitive sense, which comes from God, that places of dreadful darkness and fiery hell await the violent person after this life.
The Bible informs us that three such places of punishment in fact exist. Revelation 20:13 reveals that God consigns the dead, who are always unrepentant sinners, to one of three places of punishment called the Sea, Death, and Hell. While God alone retains the sole power of judgment, one could speculate that God consigns good people who never repented to the place of least punishment called the Sea. God consigns the grossly immoral to the place of utter darkness called Death, and the cruel and violent to the fiery Hell.
Preachers are not wrong when they preach to unrepentant sinners that they will go to hell if they do not repent of their sins and trust in Jesus to save them. While Hell is certainly far worse than Death which is far worse than the Sea, nevertheless, all three are hellish places devoid of any love or mercy.
In this chapter, Zophar launched into a diatribe against wicked and violent men. In his harangue, Zophar did not mention Job. Since Zophar knew that Job was not violent, the purpose of his tirade remains unclear. Perhaps, Zophar thought Job had done violence to the truth.
Zophar's conclusions about that which happens to violent criminals turned out to be only partly true. Zophar believed that even though criminals can be intelligent and talented, their time on earth will be short because good people will usually put an end to them. While Zophar may have been right by saying that sometimes good people put an end to criminals either in battle or by use of the law, quite often good people fail in their battles with criminals. In fact, much of history has been about how tyrants, who are nothing but leaders of criminal gangs, have often taken control of entire communities, and even whole nations, gain power over the law and the police, and commit any cruel terrors against the people that they desire with impunity.
Since the image of God in every person has been infected with the darkness of evil, then Zophar, like many people, began to sense within his inner being that some form of punishment must await the violent person following physical death. Like Zophar did in verse 26, many people, even without reading the Bible, get an intuitive sense, which comes from God, that places of dreadful darkness and fiery hell await the violent person after this life.
The Bible informs us that three such places of punishment in fact exist. Revelation 20:13 reveals that God consigns the dead, who are always unrepentant sinners, to one of three places of punishment called the Sea, Death, and Hell. While God alone retains the sole power of judgment, one could speculate that God consigns good people who never repented to the place of least punishment called the Sea. God consigns the grossly immoral to the place of utter darkness called Death, and the cruel and violent to the fiery Hell.
Preachers are not wrong when they preach to unrepentant sinners that they will go to hell if they do not repent of their sins and trust in Jesus to save them. While Hell is certainly far worse than Death which is far worse than the Sea, nevertheless, all three are hellish places devoid of any love or mercy.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
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.
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.
Monday, April 15, 2019
Commentary on the Book of Job part thirty four
Job 19:1-29
In Job 19:1-5, Job complained again that his putative friends were not helping him; they were actually condemning him and persecuting him. Job's implied message to them was that true friends comfort and help each other in times of crisis. Job's friends only wanted to condemn him for being wicked. In verse four, Job wondered why his friends were so concerned about his errors; that is his sins, when he alone would have to bear them and take responsibility for them. In verse five, Job rebuked his friends for their self-righteous attitude towards him. While Job's friends condemned his sins, they magnified themselves because they pretended they had no sins.
In Job 19:6-22, Job began to doubt that he had some special relationship with God, and he wondered if his friends were not right in their assessment of his situation. After all, if he were so special with God, then why had God trapped him in such a terrible state of suffering. Job cried out to God, but He gave him no judgment about why He had so afflicted him. God blocked Job's escape and gave him only darkness for an answer. God had taken absolutely everything from Job but his life which seemed to Job to equal absolute nothingness. Job felt that God had destroyed him, taken away all his hope, directed His wrath towards him, and even treated him like one of His demonic enemies. Job felt that God had gone to war with him, and He had alienated him from his family, friends, and even his servants. Even children hated him. His wife would not talk to him even about their children. Job felt like his body had been reduced to starvation, and he barely clung to life "with the skin of his teeth."
Job began to beg for at least some pity from someone, anyone. Job would have welcomed any faint feelings for him of any kind, but there was absolutely nothing for him. Everyone seemed to become God to Job but only with a desire to persecute him. Everyone seemed to Job to desire that even the little glimmer of life that he had left should die and bother them no more. Job had reached the absolute depth of his despair and hopelessness. But in his utter devastation, Job had forgotten that he still retained the faith that God had given him when God had him say, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him..." Job 13:15.
In Job 19:1-5, Job complained again that his putative friends were not helping him; they were actually condemning him and persecuting him. Job's implied message to them was that true friends comfort and help each other in times of crisis. Job's friends only wanted to condemn him for being wicked. In verse four, Job wondered why his friends were so concerned about his errors; that is his sins, when he alone would have to bear them and take responsibility for them. In verse five, Job rebuked his friends for their self-righteous attitude towards him. While Job's friends condemned his sins, they magnified themselves because they pretended they had no sins.
In Job 19:6-22, Job began to doubt that he had some special relationship with God, and he wondered if his friends were not right in their assessment of his situation. After all, if he were so special with God, then why had God trapped him in such a terrible state of suffering. Job cried out to God, but He gave him no judgment about why He had so afflicted him. God blocked Job's escape and gave him only darkness for an answer. God had taken absolutely everything from Job but his life which seemed to Job to equal absolute nothingness. Job felt that God had destroyed him, taken away all his hope, directed His wrath towards him, and even treated him like one of His demonic enemies. Job felt that God had gone to war with him, and He had alienated him from his family, friends, and even his servants. Even children hated him. His wife would not talk to him even about their children. Job felt like his body had been reduced to starvation, and he barely clung to life "with the skin of his teeth."
Job began to beg for at least some pity from someone, anyone. Job would have welcomed any faint feelings for him of any kind, but there was absolutely nothing for him. Everyone seemed to become God to Job but only with a desire to persecute him. Everyone seemed to Job to desire that even the little glimmer of life that he had left should die and bother them no more. Job had reached the absolute depth of his despair and hopelessness. But in his utter devastation, Job had forgotten that he still retained the faith that God had given him when God had him say, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him..." Job 13:15.
Commentary on the Book of Job part thirty three
Job 18:1-21
In Job 18:1-3, Bildad turned completely against Job and became enraged with him. Bildad became angry with Job because he had continuously rebuked him for his lack of wisdom in speaking about God. Apparently, Bildad considered himself a very wise man whose instructions should never be criticized.
In Job 18:4, Bildad attacked Job for believing that he had some special relationship with God. Born again believers are often attacked today for the same reason. Bildad's questions to Job were: Who do you think you are? Would God tear Himself apart just for you? (He did on the cross.) Do you think God would forsake the whole earth just to save you? (God loves and saves His whole creation.) You have some hutzpah to believe that you are so special with God.
In Job 18:5-21, Bildad accused Job of being wicked for believing that he was special with God. Bildad, and anyone else, can be special with God if they would only humble themselves to Him and accept Christ as their Savior. Then Bildad, just to mock Job, began to list all of the bad events that can happen to wicked people. Under the influence of the Devil, Bildad told Job that whatever light he might have would be totally extinguished. This happens to be the very hope of the Devil. Bildad predicted that Job's wickedness would witness against him, and he would trap himself in a snare. Bildad maliciously informed Job that the robber; that is the Devil, would trap Job in a burning hell forever, and all his hope would be gone. Bildad was speaking the Devil's desire. Then Bildad, knowing that all of Job's children had been killed, cruelly predicted that all of Job's posterity on earth would vanish and that Job's name would be forgotten.
At the end of His speech, Bildad accused Job of being wicked because he did not know God. Bildad actually meant that Job did not know God like Bildad thought he knew God. Bildad did not believe in a God of love, mercy, and grace so he could not believe that Job could have any kind of special relationship with Him.
In Job 18:1-3, Bildad turned completely against Job and became enraged with him. Bildad became angry with Job because he had continuously rebuked him for his lack of wisdom in speaking about God. Apparently, Bildad considered himself a very wise man whose instructions should never be criticized.
In Job 18:4, Bildad attacked Job for believing that he had some special relationship with God. Born again believers are often attacked today for the same reason. Bildad's questions to Job were: Who do you think you are? Would God tear Himself apart just for you? (He did on the cross.) Do you think God would forsake the whole earth just to save you? (God loves and saves His whole creation.) You have some hutzpah to believe that you are so special with God.
In Job 18:5-21, Bildad accused Job of being wicked for believing that he was special with God. Bildad, and anyone else, can be special with God if they would only humble themselves to Him and accept Christ as their Savior. Then Bildad, just to mock Job, began to list all of the bad events that can happen to wicked people. Under the influence of the Devil, Bildad told Job that whatever light he might have would be totally extinguished. This happens to be the very hope of the Devil. Bildad predicted that Job's wickedness would witness against him, and he would trap himself in a snare. Bildad maliciously informed Job that the robber; that is the Devil, would trap Job in a burning hell forever, and all his hope would be gone. Bildad was speaking the Devil's desire. Then Bildad, knowing that all of Job's children had been killed, cruelly predicted that all of Job's posterity on earth would vanish and that Job's name would be forgotten.
At the end of His speech, Bildad accused Job of being wicked because he did not know God. Bildad actually meant that Job did not know God like Bildad thought he knew God. Bildad did not believe in a God of love, mercy, and grace so he could not believe that Job could have any kind of special relationship with Him.
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