“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:” (Job 19:25)
Job had a revelation of the Messiah. He lived almost 2,000 years after the fall of man. The Bible tells us he was a righteous man. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1) He followed the Law before Moses was given the Law.
Nowhere in Job do we find that God spoke to Job before he was tested. Job was just doing all he knew to do right and to keep his children straight. “And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.” (Job 1:5) When he was tested, Job knew he’d done all he could to obey God. He didn’t know why he was suffering so much. In those days it was believed that if one led a good life, only good things would happen, and one wasn’t punished by God. But if one sinned, one would suffer punishment from God. This was evident by what Job’s friends told him over and over trying to convince him to confess and repent of his wrongs, accusing him of lying and hiding his sin. (Job 18;20)
And even today many people believe that one can be righteous by just being good. But the Truth is that we cannot be good. Even if we try to do everything we should, we will not be acceptable to God because we are sinful man. God doesn’t accept any sacrifices tainted with earthly sin. The Father has revealed to us that there’s only one way to be righteous and that is through and in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus and His holy sacrifice. This is the new covenant that Jesus ratified. In Job’s day, they did good works and made sacrifices. Job had a revelation of Jesus, of redemption through Him and His return to earth. (Job 19:25)
God’s promised to mankind happened over 2,000 years after Job when Jesus was resurrected, and our redemption was completed. In the meantime, those like Job who lived their lives as best as was possible, doing good, making sacrifices and waiting for the redemption, waited for their Redeemer to free them. They were held captive in death. They couldn’t go to heaven. But because of their righteousness in those days, they were in a place waiting for their Redeemer. And Jesus went and preached the Gospel to them where they waited. “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the spirit.” (1Peter 4:6) Jesus triumphed over death and over all principalities, rulers and wickedness taking those who were held captive to heaven. (Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 4:8) “Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.” (Psalms 68:18)
In case you missed it, we were the rebellious in Psalms 68:18. Paul is so direct in telling us who we were before we came to Christ. “ And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) But Jesus... “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
We don’t have to try to be good. We are reborn of God with a divine nature who do good, not because we are trying, but because it’s our God given nature to do so. Our good works do not come from us, but from the nature that comes from God. Again, we see how it’s all God. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1John 5:4-5) We have overcome this rebellious and sinful world system because we believe on Jesus.
Job had a revelation of his Redeemer standing on this earth. Jesus will return to earth and set His feet on earth to defeat every rebellion and enemy. He will triumphally reign on earth a thousand years and fulfill every promise to mankind, the Jews and creation. This is prophesied in Zechariah and seen by John fulfilled in Revelation 19:11-21 and Revelation 20:4.
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