# comment

text:
<p>17:18- see on <em><a href='B:730 14:6-9'>Rev 14:6-9</a></em>.</p><p><em>And the woman whom you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth</em>- "Which reigns" returns us to the immediate reality which John is watching, and the reality of the moment experienced by God's people under Gentile domination at all times. That great city is now reigning; but we have just seen how she shall come to an end. As noted on 16:19, the "great city" in its latter day sense is Babylon enthroned in Jerusalem.</p><p>As in Hezekiah’s time the Assyrians likened captivity in their land to the wonders of being in God's Kingdom, so too Babylon is likewise depicted as a fake Kingdom of God. All the&nbsp;nations flowed together unto her (<em><a href='B:300 51:44'>Jer 51:44</a></em>), as they will to the true Kingdom of God (<em><a href='B:290 2:2'>Isa 2:2</a></em>). She is called "that great city, which&nbsp;<em>reigns</em>&nbsp;(Gk. '<em>basilia</em>') over the kings of the earth" (17:18). 'Basilia' is normally used about God's Kingdom. When Jesus described His Kingdom as a tree "greater than all herbs" with "great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it" (<em><a href='B:480 4:32'>Mar 4:32</a></em>), He was actually quoting from the description of the kingdom of Babylon in Daniel 4. By doing so, He was pointing out that Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, legendary as it might be, was but a fake replica of HIsa.</p><p>When the mountains flee in <em><a href='B:730 16:10'>Rev 16:10</a></em>, Babylon loses the support base of the coalition she leads. These kings are described in <em><a href='B:730 17:18'>Rev 17:18</a></em> as the kings of the land- that promised to Abraham. And within the boundaries of that land we find seven such nations- Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. The appeal in <em><a href='B:730 14:6-8'>Rev 14:6-8</a></em> and <em><a href='B:730 18:4'>Rev 18:4</a></em> for Christian believers to “come out of her” would imply that there are believers within those nations and that there will be a major witness made to her- and it is surely highly significant that there has been a great growth in conversions in those areas in recent times This is a sure sign that we are approaching the time of the end. Sadly <em><a href='B:730 18:24'>Rev 18:24</a></em> implies that believers will be murdered in these areas in the final tribulation- and already the persecution and murder of Christian converts is in full swing there. The description of Babylon sitting upon various peoples, nations and tongues is to be connected with the same use of the phrase in <em><a href='B:730 5:9'>Rev 5:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 7:9'>Rev 7:9</a></em> to describe the world from which Christian believers are drawn out. And significantly, the same phrase is very commonly used in Daniel to describe the area ruled over by historical Babylon (<em><a href='B:340 3:4'>Dan 3:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 3:29'>Dan 3:29</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 4:1'>Dan 4:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 5:19'>Dan 5:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 6:25'>Dan 6:25</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 7:14'>Dan 7:14</a></em>).</p><p>Issue number 3 of the Islamic State magazine&nbsp;<em>Dabiq</em>&nbsp;frequently talks of the call to follow Ibrahim Abraham in making&nbsp;<em>hijrah</em>&nbsp;migration to the land promised to him: “Islam in the end of times will be more manifest in Sham::. So the best of the people on the earth in the end of times will be those who keep to the land of Ibrahim’s hijrah, which is Sham” Majmu’ul-Fatawa. Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) also said, “So he informed that the best of the people on the earth are those who keep to the land of Ibrahim’s hijrah, in contrast to those who pass through it or leave it. The land that Ibrahim made hijrah to is Sham::. the land of Ibrahim’s hijrah::. And the land of Ibrahim’s hijrah, has been made for us equal to the land of our Prophet’s hijrah. The best people on earth will be those who keep to the land of Ibrahim’s hijrah”. Note how the theology of these jihadists effectively replaces the land of Saudi Arabia and the city of Mecca with that of the Levant, the territory promised to Abraham; and Mecca is replaced in their focus by Jerusalem. With Saudi Arabia now supporting the Western coalition against the jihadists, such a shift in emphasis isn’t surprising. But it means that all is being prepared for the last days- for the Bible prophecies focus upon the domination of the land of Israel and Jerusalem in particular. It’s significant that the Caliph of the Islamic State Caliphate is referred to by his followers as Caliph Ibrahim / Abraham; the idea is that the faithful will follow him in migrating from their homelands to the land promised to him- which is the very same&nbsp;<em>eretz</em>&nbsp;which is the focus of the Bible’s latter day prophecies, and which is to be dominated by an antiChrist figure and his beast.</p>


text:
<p>18:1&nbsp;<em>After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lit with his glory</em>- Perhaps representing the Lord Jesus. The scene of the land lightened with glory recalls <em><a href='B:330 43:2'>Eze 43:2</a></em>, a prophecy of how the Kingdom could have been established at the return from exile. The essence of that prophecy will be fulfilled at the Lord's return, although it seems not the details. The visions of Revelation are not chronological; here we revert to how the destruction of Babylon spoken of in chapter 17 comes about, and the implications for believers. John indeed sees "another angel", but this is not to say that the Angel represents someone different to what Angels represented.</p>


text:
<p>18:2&nbsp;<em>And he cried with a mighty voice, saying: Fallen Fallen is Babylon the great, and has become a habitation of demons, a refuge of every unclean spirit, and a refuge of every unclean and hateful bird</em>- The Babylon section in Revelation is full of allusion to the Old Testament. "Babylon" can be understood as referring to Judaism, to Israel, to the oppressors of God's people under the Roman Empire, and to a latter day Babylon which is the capital of the beast system, and which I suggest refers to radical Islam dominating the earth / land promised to Abraham. The commentary seeks to bring out these various applications. Babylon has not yet "fallen" because those within her are urged to come out from within her (:4); her fall is announced in order that she might repent, according to <em><a href='B:300 51:8'>Jer 51:8</a></em>: "Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: wail for her; take her balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed". But from God's perspective, she had already fallen. The later call to quit Babylon (:4) is made because she refuses this amazingly gracious invitation to repent: "We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: therefore forsake her" (<em><a href='B:300 51:9'>Jer 51:9</a></em>). "Great Babylon" refers specifically to the city of Babylon, which I suggested on <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em> refers to Jerusalem as the capital of the beast, and place of leadership of the woman known as Babylon, the charismatic leader of the beast system, antiChrist.</p><p>There is the assumption by many that all the O:T. prophecies about ‘Babylon’ were fulfilled in the overrunning of Babylon by the Medes. However, there are many details of those prophecies which didn’t have a total fulfilment. It could be argued from this that there must be a literal rebuilding of Babylon and the complete fulfilment of the judgment prophecies against her. However, there are plenty of connections between Babylon and Jerusalem (see on <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em>), and this is the "great city" which shall be judged, where also our Lord was crucified.</p><p>The Old Testament judgments upon Babylon were that she would become inhabited by wild, unclean animals: "Therefore the wild animals of the desert with the wolves shall dwell there, and the ostriches shall dwell therein:::&nbsp; a dwelling place for jackals" (<em><a href='B:300 50:39'>Jer 50:39</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 51:37'>Jer 51:37</a></em>). These animals were thought to be connected with unclean spirits and demons. Because Babylon had become a cage and "hold" AV or prison for demons and unclean spirits and birds, so she would be punished by being inhabited by wild animals thought to be demon possessed. The Greek terms translated "refuge" in NEV carry the ideas of a prison and cage. Babylon will not let its people out once they are in; and that is what has happened in many cities overrun by the jihadists. A similar idea is used of how the latter day antiChrist, Gog, the chief prince, will be a "guard" s:w. "prison" to a group of ten nations who seek to attack and desolate Israel (<em><a href='B:330 38:7'>Eze 38:7</a></em>). This is just what Babylon does.</p>


text:
<p>18:3- see on <em><a href='B:730 17:18'>Rev 17:18</a></em>.</p><p><em>For by the wine of the anger of her fornication all the nations are fallen-&nbsp;</em>The "anger" in view is surely the anger of the judgment wrath of God against her "fornication". The "all nations" are the kings of the earth / land associated with the Babylon confederacy have already at this point begun to drink of that cup which was given to Babylon earlier. Their identity with her (for "he that is joined to a harlot is one flesh" with her) means that Babylon's "fall" is their fall.</p><p>Note that being given a cup of wine to drink is a double symbol- of condemnation and also "the cup of blessing". Hence at the breaking of bread we are to review the two possible outcomes of our being given that cup- blessing or condemnation.</p><p><em>For the kings of the earth had committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich by the power of her greed-&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>The "all nations" are here defined as the kings of the earth / land promised to Abraham. Not every nation on planet earth will be part of 'Babylon'. They grew rich by her prostitution for Babylon is a whore presumably in that wealth was given to her for her services, and her greed and love of opulence means that the commercial sector within the earth / land becomes rich. We are therefore to imagine this latter day entity as being immensely wealthy. Such a situation would probably require the financial collapse of the West and some Middle Eastern Islamic entity becoming fantastically wealthy as a result.</p><p>The first century applications would refer to the extreme wealth of the Jewish system based in Jerusalem. The Pharisees "were covetous" (<em><a href='B:490 16:14'>Luk 16:14</a></em>), as Babylon was greedy. And Rome likewise. It would have seemed that Rome was invincible, economically and politically unshakeable, admired by the whole world. And yet it was to be brought down by Divine judgment:&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p>18:4&nbsp;<em>And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: Come out of her My people</em>- A final appeal to those living within the territory of this latter day entity. According to previous teaching in Revelation, this group would likely be Israeli Christians, Jews who have turned to Christ in the very last days. They would be under great pressure from the Islamic state governing them to convert to Islam, and they are being urged not to. "Come out" would therefore refer to a spiritual separation, as geographically they would have no place to run to. However it could be that those who respond to this call to "come out" will have a miraculous way of literal exit opened to them, perhaps by the Lord snatching away those who in their hearts say "Yes" to this invitation. This would be the moment of 1 Thessalonians 4, where those who are alive at the Lord's coming are literally snatched away to meet Him at His coming.</p><p>The first century application would be to the Christians fleeing out of the surrounded Jerusalem, in accordance with the Lord's command to flee to the mountains (<em><a href='B:470 24:16'>Mat 24:16</a></em>). This would further suggest that the "Babylon" in view here in Jerusalem. See on 16:19.</p><p><em>Lest you take part in her sins, and partake of her plagues</em>- Here "sins" is put for 'judgment for sins'. Sin is its own judgment. We cannot sin and psychologically assume that in the future, somehow that sin will not be judged. Sin is its judgment right now. Lot's witness completed, he was told to leave Sodom "lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city" (<em><a href='B:10 19:15'>Gen 19:15</a></em> - alluded to here in <em><a href='B:730 18:4'>Rev 18:4</a></em>). Babylon is directly equated with Sodom in <em><a href='B:290 13:19'>Isa 13:19</a></em> and <em><a href='B:300 50:40'>Jer 50:40</a></em>. Babylon geographically and culturally represents the jihadist neighbours of Israel in our last days- and therefore it is not surprising that related neighbouring nations like Edom, Moab and Ammon are also paralleled with Sodom (<em><a href='B:300 49:18'>Jer 49:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:430 2:9'>Zep 2:9</a></em>). This continues a long-standing Biblical theme that the curses on apostate Israel are the same as those on her enemies- thus Sodom is representative of both Jews and the beast coalition:&nbsp;Jerusalem is the city which is spiritually called Sodom (<em><a href='B:730 11:8'>Rev 11:8</a></em>). The language of Sodom is clearly applied to Jerusalem in the Old Testament (<em><a href='B:50 29:23'>Deu 29:23</a></em>; <em><a href='B:50 32:32'>Deu 32:32</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 1:10'>Isa 1:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 3:9'>Isa 3:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 23:14'>Jer 23:14</a></em>). Latter day Babylon is to be punished as Sodom (<em><a href='B:290 13:19'>Isa 13:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 50:40'>Jer 50:40</a></em>). And so we can understand why at this point in Revelation, the judgment of Babylon is framed in terms of Sodom, because Babylon is to be enthroned in Jerusalem (see on <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em>). And will meet a similar destruction.</p><table><tr><td></p><h4>Babylon (in Rev:)</td><td>Sodom</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"I will shew unto you the judgment of the great whore" (Babylon); <em><a href='B:730 17:2'>Rev 17:2</a></em></td><td>Cp. God showing Abraham the judgment of Sodom.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The beast supporting Babylon "was and is not and shall ascend" <em><a href='B:730 17:8'>Rev 17:8</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>Sodom and surrounding cities were strong, then overrun by Abraham, then revived.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Her sins have reached unto Heaven,&nbsp;God has remembered her iniquities"&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:5'>Rev 18:5</a></em></td><td>"The cry of Sodom::. is great because their sin is very grievous&nbsp;:::the cry of it is come unto me" (<em><a href='B:10 18:20-21'>Gen 18:20-21</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"She has glorified herself, and lived&nbsp;deliciously"<em><a href='B:730 18:7'>Rev 18:7</a></em></td><td>"Pride::. fullness of bread" (<em><a href='B:330 16:49'>Eze 16:49</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Utterly burned with fire" <em><a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a></em></td><td>'Sodom' = 'burning'.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Her plagues::. death::. and famine" <em><a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a></em></td><td>"He overthrew all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground" (cp. "famine" <em><a href='B:10 19:25'>Gen 19:25</a></em>).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"The great city::. great Babylon" <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em></td><td>The city of Sodom:&nbsp;<br/>&nbsp;</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"There fell upon men a great hail out&nbsp;&nbsp; of heaven" (<em><a href='B:730 16:21'>Rev 16:21</a></em>)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>"The Lord rained upon Sodom:::&nbsp; brimstone and fire from the Lord&nbsp;out of heaven" (<em><a href='B:10 19:24'>Gen 19:24</a></em>).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"They shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment” (<em><a href='B:730 18:9-10'>Rev 18:9-10</a></em>)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>Abraham standing far away and seeing the smoke of Sodom’s&nbsp;burning indicates that the surrounding kings did likewise (<em><a href='B:10 19:28'>Gen 19:28</a></em>).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Merchants suffered through&nbsp;Babylon’s fall (<em><a href='B:730 18:11-19'>Rev 18:11-19</a></em>)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>Sodom was a trading centre (<em><a href='B:490 17:28'>Luk 17:28</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>" :::a great millstone cast into the sea&nbsp;:::thus with violence shall::. Babylon:. be found no more at all" (<em><a href='B:730 18:21'>Rev 18:21</a></em>)</td><td>Sodom now appears to be submerged in the Dead Sea, to be found no more.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Her smoke rose up" (<em><a href='B:730 19:3'>Rev 19:3</a></em>)</td><td>"Sodom::. the land of the plain::. the smoke of the country went up”&nbsp;(<em><a href='B:10 19:28'>Gen 19:28</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr></table><p>As the Jews were called to leave literal Babylon (<em><a href='B:450 2:6-7'>Zec 2:6-7</a></em>) and Lot was called out of Sodom, so Jews and true believers will be encouraged to come out from Babylon of the last days. The prosperity of Sodom and Babylon made God's people disinclined to leave them. And the opulence of Babylon, and the way she is as a cage (see on :2), will make it all the more difficult for the latter day believers to come out of the Babylon system.</h4><p>And so the apostate amongst God's people will share in Babylon's judgment. And for all of us, if we are not separate from this world now, we will not be separated from them when the judgments fall. Those who don't come out from Babylon will share her judgments. There are strong parallels between Babylon and Jerusalem; and they are deeper than simply because the beast / Babylon will capture Jerusalem and enthrone themselves there. Jerusalem is judged as Babylon because in spiritual essence, they were no different. Zion lost her children and also her husband whilst still a young woman (<em><a href='B:290 49:21'>Isa 49:21</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 54:6'>Isa 54:6</a></em>), just as Babylon would (<em><a href='B:290 47:9'>Isa 47:9</a></em>). Each street of Jerusalem was named after an idol, just as was the case in Babylon (<em><a href='B:300 11:13'>Jer 11:13</a></em>)- and thus Jerusalem shared Babylon’s judgment. Apostate Israel were always treated like the surrounding Gentile world in the time of their judgments (<em><a href='B:300 4:7'>Jer 4:7</a></em>). Israel worshipped the Babylonian gods, and so they were sent along with Bel their idol to Babylon, where their hearts were. And so they were&nbsp;“Condemned with the world::.". Likewise in the ‘judgment day’ of AD70, the ‘rejected’ Jews were sent back into Egypt as slaves. Their condemnation was expressed in terms of an undoing of the redemption from the world which they once experienced.</p>


text:
<p>18:5&nbsp;<em>For her sins have reached even to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities</em>- The language of the Amalekites, the tower of Babel and Sodom. All these are used as historical foretastes of the last days, and they all involve who are now the Islamic peoples of the Middle East. Jerusalem will become the capital of the beast within the earth / land. Perhaps they will seek to build some mosque complex there, the abomination that brings desolation to the temple mount, just as the tower of Babel was built. But like the Amalekites, who were also dwellers in the earth / land promised to Abraham, this gross iniquity will reach a measure beyond which God will dramatically intervene. They were allowed to dwell in the earth / land until a point when their sin was "full" and then God would drive them out of the land and let Israel dwell there again once their tribulation ended (<em><a href='B:10 15:16'>Gen 15:16</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>18:6&nbsp;<em>Give to her even as she gave, and repay her double according to her deeds. In the cup in which she mixed, mix for her a double portion</em>- This appears a stronger judgment than for historical Babylon: "As she has done, do unto her" (<em><a href='B:300 50:15'>Jer 50:15</a></em>):&nbsp;This is to be doubled. Earlier the cup was to be given to her but not diluted (<em><a href='B:730 14:10'>Rev 14:10</a></em>); now it is to be double filled. This increase in the judgments upon Babylon is because she repeatedly ignored repeated offers of healing and forgiveness. As noted on <em><a href='B:730 17:4'>Rev 17:4</a></em>, the cup of fornication Babylon drunk and offered to others was in fact&nbsp;the cup of her condemnation. She was quite literally drinking condemnation to herself, just as the rejected within the household do (<em><a href='B:530 11:29'>1Co 11:29</a></em>). If we enquire to whom this command is addressed, we return to the address to "My people" of :4, who are asked to not only come out of Babylon, but to participate in judging her. The prophecies about the fall of Babylon in <em><a href='B:300 50:1-46'>Jer 50:1-46</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 51:1-64'>Jer 51:1-64</a></em> repeatedly state that it is a revived, repentant Judah which shall judge Babylon. This has yet to be fulfilled, as they were disobedient to God's intended program for them at the time of the restoration.</p><p>And yet as explained on <em><a href='B:730 17:16'>Rev 17:16</a></em>, the destruction of Babylon is at the hands of her ten kings.</p><p>It would appear from this that there must be two stages in Babylon's judgment: -&nbsp;<br/>1)&nbsp;The jihadist armies attacking her in Jerusalem:&nbsp;They are themselves largely destroyed whilst doing thIsa:&nbsp;<br/>2)&nbsp; The saints and Jews complete the judgment, possibly directing some of the repentant Islamist peoples, giving some of the spoils to them.</p>


text:
<p>18:7&nbsp;<em>As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says: I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see</em>- The image of "luxury" continues the allusions&nbsp;to Sodom in :5 and :9. This all suggests that the latter day Babylon will achieve a striking level of opulence. It's debatable whether Israel's Islamic neighbours have reached such a state at the present time.</p><p>The chief sin of all pagan empires consists in their assertion that their power and their authority derive exclusively from themselves, that they are their own masters, recognizing no superior law. Old Testament prophecies about the sudden destruction of literal Babylon are the basis for the words of Revelation about latter day Babylon. Yet they were never literally fulfilled to completion. They will come finally true in the judgments upon the Babylon system of the beast. Consider:</p><table><tr><td></p><h4>“You who are given to pleasures, that dwells carelessly, that says in your heart, I am, and none else beside me: I shall not sit a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children” (<em><a href='B:290 47:8'>Isa 47:8</a></em>)</td><td>“How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously… for she has said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (<em><a href='B:730 18:7'>Rev 18:7</a></em>).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“But these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood” (<em><a href='B:290 47:9'>Isa 47:9</a></em>)</td><td>“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning” (<em><a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up” (<em><a href='B:290 47:13'>Isa 47:13</a></em>)</td><td>“For by your sorceries…” (<em><a href='B:730 18:23'>Rev 18:23</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr></table><p>Therefore we conclude that the Babylon of Revelation is presented as the reincarnation of the Babylon of Jeremiah and Isaiah, literal Babylon, which awaits her full punishment. This conclusion is strengthened once it is appreciated how the harlot Babylon of Revelation 17, loud, gaudy, decked with jewellery and painted face, is replete with reference to Semiramis, the goddess / mother of Nimrod, and one of the patron gods of literal Babylon.</h4><p>Her refusal to accept she is a widow speaks of someone in denial. The dragon is cast down from 'heaven' by direct Divine intervention in chapter 12, and yet goes into the wilderness to furiously persecute the woman. It seems there will be direct judgment from God against Babylon, in order to appeal for her to repent, in the spirit of "take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed" (<em><a href='B:300 51:8'>Jer 51:8</a></em>). Truly God does not willingly afflict, but in judgment remembers mercy, and His ultimate aim of achieving His glory. Thus a tenth part of the city falls first (<em><a href='B:730 11:13'>Rev 11:13</a></em>) before Babylon completely falls (<em><a href='B:730 18:4'>Rev 18:4</a></em>). She is given the chance of repentance, but instead goes into denial about her loss and real status. This is the idea behind her insistence that she has not been widowed, and is a queen- when she has fallen from power.</p>


text:
<p>18:8&nbsp;<em>Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death and mourning and famine-&nbsp;</em>The Philistines, clearly typical of Israel's present Arab neighbours, will also die from severe famine in the last days (<em><a href='B:290 14:30'>Isa 14:30</a></em>). This may well be due to the weaponry used to inflict this upon Israel&nbsp;being used by the Islamists against themselves:&nbsp;Babylon's famine coming "in one day" would suggest something along these lines - how else can a famine be suddenly created in a day? Famine coming in a day also speaks of modern 'just in time' supply networks and transport, which once interrupted can bring an area to food bankruptcy very suddenly. Earlier than our own age, this would have been impossible. But we can also understand this strange language of famine in a day by proposing that the meaning of time is collapsed around the Lord's return. This would enable all the latter day prophecies to come true, but not in real time as we know it. Babylon is to be punished with famine in one day; yet famine is a process (<em><a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a></em>). In one day her judgments come, and yet also in one hour (<em><a href='B:730 18:10'>Rev 18:10</a></em>). Surely&nbsp;the lesson is that time is compressed. The events around Christ's return were prefigured by those at the time of Joshua's conquest of the land. Some of the records of his campaigns require a huge amount to have been achieved by his soldiers within around 36 hours. The comment that so much was achieved "at one time" (<em><a href='B:60 10:42'>Jos 10:42</a></em>) may hint at a compression of time to enable it. "The sun stood still" may well be intended to teach that the meaning of time was collapsed by God, rather than that the sun literally stood still (<em><a href='B:60 10:12-13'>Jos 10:12-13</a></em>). And the sun standing still over Gibeon is mentioned in <em><a href='B:290 28:21'>Isa 28:21</a></em> as typical of the time when Yahweh will do "His strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act" in the last days. The same may be true when the shadow went back for Hezekiah. The movement of the planets need not have been altered; the meaning of time was simply suspended. <em><a href='B:730 8:12'>Rev 8:12</a></em>, also speaking of the last days, says that “the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise”. Could this mean that one day and one night last only two thirds of their usual length, whilst the judgments of the fourth Angel are poured out upon the land? I would suggest that the Lord had in mind the suspension of time when he asked that "the hour might pass from him" in Gethsemane (<em><a href='B:480 14:35'>Mar 14:35</a></em>); rather than asking to escape the cross in this request, he was perhaps asking for it all to happen in only a moment of real time.</p><p><em>And she shall be completely burned with fire. For strong is the Lord God who judges her</em>- This is the judgment for whores. Babylon is literal Jerusalem where she is enthroned (see on 16:19). The punishment by fire in Jerusalem would then make good sense of the Lord's idea that Gehenna- the always burning fire near Jerusalem- is to be used to destroy all God's enemies of all ages. They will share in the condemnation of the world they so loved in their lives. The burning was Sodom's judgment; and we have seen on :4 that Babylon is Sodom is Jerusalem.</p>


text:
<p>18:9&nbsp;<em>And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall weep and wail over her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning</em>- Alluding to Abraham watching the smoke of Sodom's burning (see on :5 and :7). These kings of the land are those who also played a part in her judgment, who hated the whore (see on 17:16). But their hearts are still with her, lamenting with the grief of those who wistfully keep thinking of what could have been. But as noted on :10, the reference may not be to the actual "kings", the horns of the beast; but to the commercial leaders of the surrounding world who are associated with the princes of the earth (:23).</p><p>Isaiah 34 describes the judgments of "all nations" around Israel, notably "upon Idumea", in language which is clearly alluded to in the later prophecies of Babylon's doom in Revelation (<em><a href='B:290 34:9-10'>Isa 34:9-10</a></em> = <em><a href='B:730 14:11'>Rev 14:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 17:16'>Rev 17:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:9'>Rev 18:9</a></em>; v:11=<em><a href='B:290 14:23'>Isa 14:23</a></em>). Indeed, all God's prophecies against Israel's enemies have marked points of contact with each other. Thus the prophecies against Tyre in Isaiah 23 are shot through with links with those against Babylon in Revelation; and "as at the report (prophecy) concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre"(<em><a href='B:290 23:5'>Isa 23:5</a></em>). <em><a href='B:290 14:3'>Isa 14:3</a></em> says that Babylon treated Israel like the Egyptians did; they too gave them "sorrow::. fear, and::. hard bondage wherein (Israel) wast made to serve”. Because of these similarities in how they treated and will treat God's people, their judgments will be similar. Yet a number of these nations, notably Egypt and Tyre, are described as being judged and destroyed by Babylon (e:g. <em><a href='B:330 26:7'>Eze 26:7</a></em>). However, there is good reason to think that Babylon's own judgment will be at the hands of nations like these, who come under her umbrella during their invasion of Israel. The resolution of this apparent contradiction lies in the prophecies concerning the Islamist powers destroying each other in the final conflict, thus fulfilling all these prophecies concerning their judging of each other.</p>


text:
<p>18:10&nbsp;<em>Standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city For in one hour does your judgment come</em>- Their deep grief stands in contradistinction from the Heavenly rejoicing at Babylon's fall (:20). They are her sympathizers and are not brought to repentance by her fall. They fear that her torment shall come upon them. They retreat from her, just as the animals and birds scuttle away from under the falling tree of Babylon. They praise Babylon's strength and glory after she has fallen. They are not themselves in Babylon, but have benefitted from her through commerce, as the rest of the chapter makes clear. They would therefore refer to the commercial leaders of the 'sea' around the 'earth'; the Gentile nations who became enriched by Babylon's wealth and demand for delicacies. Surely Western commercial leaders are within this group. They are stunned by how quickly the whole system fell apart, in one hour. Her "torment" however has been going on throughout the three and a half years of the tribulation; for the two witnesses tormented those who dwelt in the land (<em><a href='B:730 11:10'>Rev 11:10</a></em> s:w:), leading to such rejoicing when they are killed at the end of the tribulation. That torment was a foretaste of the final torment of condemnation spoken of so often (<em><a href='B:730 14:10'>Rev 14:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 20:10'>Rev 20:10</a></em> etc:). Again we can perceive that the torment was in order to give Babylon and the beast a chance of repentance by showing them ahead of time what Divine judgment would look like for them unless they repented.</p><p>The destruction of the city is a sudden thing. The phrase “in one hour” occurs three times in Revelation 18. This destruction is like that of Sodom and Gomorrah- in a moment, by Divine intervention through fire, sulphur etc. This is not how Rome came to an end, indeed Rome as a city did not really come to an end; and literal Babylon was not physically destroyed “in one hour” in 536 BC. The predicted fall of Babylon must therefore be in our last days, referring to the destruction in a moment of the city which has become the capital of the beast- Jerusalem.</p>


text:
<p>18:11&nbsp;<em>Standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city For in one hour does your judgment come</em>- See on :10. Their fear of sharing in her torment is a major theme.</p><p>The apostate religious system called "Babylon" in Revelation is evidently presented in the language of Solomon - at the time his kingdom was apparently flourishing:&nbsp;&nbsp;<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 Kings&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Revelation<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:14'>1Ki 10:14</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 13:17-18'>Rev 13:17-18</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:23'>1Ki 10:23</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:11-12'>Rev 18:11-12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:15'>Rev 18:15</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 11:1-2'>1Ki 11:1-2</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 17:1-2'>Rev 17:1-2</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:22'>1Ki 10:22</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:17'>Rev 18:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:19'>Rev 18:19</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:23'>1Ki 10:23</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:3'>Rev 18:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:17'>Rev 18:17</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:21-22'>1Ki 10:21-22</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:12'>Rev 18:12</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:11'>1Ki 10:11</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:12'>Rev 18:12</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:22'>1Ki 10:22</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:12'>Rev 18:12</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:10'>1Ki 10:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:110 10:25'>1Ki 10:25</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:13'>Rev 18:13</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:23'>1Ki 10:23</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:3'>Rev 18:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:9'>Rev 18:9</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 10:28'>1Ki 10:28</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:12'>Rev 18:12</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 9:22'>1Ki 9:22</a></em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 18:13'>Rev 18:13</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:110 11:1'>1Ki 11:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:110 11:5'>1Ki 11:5</a></em> (Solomon influenced&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 2:20'>Rev 2:20</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:110 16:31'>1Ki 16:31</a></em><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;by Zidonian idolatry)<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:140 9:15'>2Ch 9:15</a></em> (666)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 13:18'>Rev 13:18</a></em></p><p>This serves to cement the connection between Babylon and Jerusalem, especially the Jerusalem temple. In the first century, it was Judaism which was the great satan / adversary and devil / false accuser of the Christians. The temptation was always to give in to the Judaist campaign and return to Judaism. Paul, Peter and John are full of this theme in their letters. But here that system is described in the worst possible terms.</p>


text:
<p>18:12&nbsp;<em>Merchandise of gold and silver and precious stone and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet and all kinds of scented wood, and every vessel of ivory and every vessel made of most precious wood and of brass and iron and marble</em>- These are the materials associated with Solomon's kingdom and temple, and the materials of the tabernacle and temple cult. We see too a reference to how the High Priest Caiaphas was dressed, also with "purple" (<em><a href='B:490 16:19'>Luk 16:19</a></em>), likewise in vain appearance. It was the religious clothing of Israel in <em><a href='B:330 16:10'>Eze 16:10</a></em>. Throughout these descriptions we see allusions to the Jewish high priesthood. The whole verse clearly alludes to the glory of Tyre in Ezekiel 27. These various layers of allusion serve to build up the overall picture- an appearance of Judaistic religiosity which is thoroughly carnal and pagan. Judaism was indeed the first century Babylon; see on :11.</p><p>The latter day Babylon will therefore seek to quickly build a kingdom and worship system which apes that of Israel and the temple cult- hence the gross blasphemy and abomination on the temple mount which calls for desolation.</p>


text:
<p>18:13&nbsp;<em>And cinnamon and spice and incense and ointment and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep and horses and chariots and slaves and the souls of men-&nbsp;</em>As noted on :12, all these things are associated with Solomon's temple and Kingdom, and the materials of the tabernacle and temple cult. It would have been a great comfort to those under pressure from the Jewish satan in the first century to see God's perspective on that evil system. The latter day application is to an Islamist paradise, more exotic than the citadels of the Gulf states, established in Jerusalem, with distinct religious overtones. And all to be destroyed even quicker than it was established.</p><p>Slaves in the first century were seen as mere bodies owned by their masters or mistresses. Hence <em><a href='B:730 18:13'>Rev 18:13</a></em> describes slaves as&nbsp;<em>somata</em>, bodies. They were seen as both the economic and sexual property of those who owned them. It seems Paul had this in mind when he spoke of how we have one master, Christ, and our bodies are indeed not our own- but they are His, to be used according to His wishes. For many slaves, this would’ve meant running the risk of death or flogging. And yet despite this radical demand, Christianity spread rapidly amongst the huge slave population of the first century world.</p>


text:
<p>18:14&nbsp;<em>And the fruits which your soul lusted after are gone from you, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous are lost to you, never to be found again</em>&nbsp;- The prophecy has multiple applications; to Jerusalem of the first century; to Rome; and to the restored Babylon of the last days. The reference is to Israel lusting after the fruits of Egypt, and Adam and Eve lusting for the forbidden fruit in Eden. Their sin will be enshrined and manifested in this final system of evil and lust as never before- all under the guise of the strictest possible interpretation of Islam. Just as Judaism did the same in Jerusalem in the first century, under the front of careful obedience to the Law of Moses.</p>


text:
<p>18:15&nbsp;<em>The merchants of these things who were made rich by her shall stand far away, for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning-&nbsp;</em>This category are not consumed in her judgments; they have come out of her in response to flee Babylon&nbsp;<em>lest</em>&nbsp;they partake in "her torment", just as Lot's wife did; and yet they are equally on her side, with her in spirit, just as materialistic, as Lot's wife was. Or, as suggested on :10, these merchants are those outside of the earth / land, the likes of Western European businessmen, who became wealthy by serving the huge demand for luxury goods which arises from the dominance of the beast. Perhaps the words of lament are as it were put in their mouths, so we realize the nature of Babylon's existence. In fact in Revelation we know little about the apocalyptic Babylon until we read the laments over her after she is destroyed. They are clearly not believers nor are they fully repentant; for their weeping over her fall contrasts with Heaven's rejoicing at it (:20).</p><p>We need to note that the same word for "made rich" is used in the opening letters for how there are some in the church of the last days who are likewise "made rich" and thereby turn away from Christ (<em><a href='B:730 3:17'>Rev 3:17</a></em>). Even true Christians will be caught up in the attraction of making quick bucks for the sake of a nominal acceptance of the beast system.</p>


text:
<p>18:16 - see on <em><a href='B:730 17:18'>Rev 17:18</a></em>.</p><p><em>Saying: Woe, woe, the great city She that was dressed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stone and pearl-&nbsp;</em>"Fine linen" would be very relevant to the application of 'Babylon' to apostate Judaism in the first century, with the precious stones referring to the High Priestly breastplate. The items in which Babylon trades are therefore presented in terms of the opulence of Solomon's Israelitish Kingdom. Appearance of spirituality can be deeply obnoxious to God; Isaiah had predicted that He saw Jerusalem as Sodom, the virgin of Israel as a whore (<em><a href='B:290 1:9'>Isa 1:9</a></em>). And that language is definitely used here. An appearance of&nbsp;spirituality is no guarantee of acceptance with God; it may actually be obnoxious to Him.</p><p>The image of fine linen and wealth recalls to our minds images of wealthy sheikhs walking around Islamic citadels in the Gulf states. But the entity briefly created by Babylon in Jerusalem will outstrip them all. The white linen of jihadist religious leaders is an image mixed here with that of obscene wealth, and a pretension to the Jewish high priesthood. The precious stones, scarlet etc. are all associated with the tabernacle system. This is also a false system of worship. The picture exactly fits Islamist supremacy. We note the revival of gold and precious stones as effective currency in the areas now under the control of Islamic fundamentalists in the area around Israel.</p><p>And yet pearls refer to the true believers (<em><a href='B:730 21:21'>Rev 21:21</a></em>). The believers are dressed in white linen, symbolizing righteousness (<em><a href='B:730 19:8'>Rev 19:8</a></em>). The suggestion therefore is that Babylon is quasi-religious and appears highly moral, when actually it is morally delinquent. This is exactly what we see in Jihadist Islamism. There is clear reference to the Jewish priesthood, and the description also connects with the white clothing of Islamic religious leaders. But they are a fake kingdom of God, their leaders are fake saints, and their leader is the anti-Christ.</p>


text:
<p><em><a href='B:730 18:17'>Rev 18:17</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For in an hour so many great riches are laid waste. And every shipmaster and everyone that sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living at sea, stood far away</em>- Despite having seen direct Divine intervention, throughout the three and a half years of "torment" upon the earth dwellers from the miracles of the two witnesses (<em><a href='B:730 11:9-10'>Rev 11:9-10</a></em>), and now Babylon's final destruction, these commercial people are so materialistic that they do not repent. All they can think about is how much they have lost, and how tragic it is that such material wealth is now "laid waste". This is the power of materialism. It has destroyed so much faith in so many people, and we are to therefore be the more aware of its insidious power.</p>


text:
<p>18:18&nbsp;<em>And cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying: What city is like the great city?-&nbsp;</em>They are connected with faithful Abraham observing Sodom's burning; but although the great city is no more, they speak in the present tense as though it is still existing. This is a reflection of their grief at how much has been lost, both to them and in general terms. This is how stubbornly materialistic they are.</p>


text:
<p>18:19&nbsp;<em>And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and mourning, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her expense For in one hour she is made desolate</em>- This casting of dust on the head is sometimes (as with the Ninevites), but not always, associated with repentance. It may be significant that there is no apparent record of the destruction of these merchants. Are we to hope that they repented? Perhaps the idea is that they have the possibility to do so. As noted earlier, their observing of the smoke of Babylon's judgment connects them with faithful Abraham, watching the judgment of Sodom. The vagueness as to whether this refers to repentance or not is perhaps because this is yet unknown- for these people have freewill, and shall make their own decision regarding repentance after Babylon's judgment. But their weeping contrasts with the rejoicing of the believers (:20). Their particular weeping for their now redundant fleets of ships speaks of how their economies were tied in to servicing Babylon with luxury goods; and now that was suddenly, in an hour, no more. Their whole economic structure was useless. And despite all the evidence of Divine involvement and all the evidence of His visible involvement in this earth again, they could only see the immediate and the material, what was right before their eyes. And tragically that is how the majority of people are today.</p>


text:
<p>18:20- see on <em><a href='B:500 7:24'>Joh 7:24</a></em>.</p><h4><em>Rejoice over her, you heaven, and you saints, and you apostles, and you prophets. For God has judged your judgment on her</em>- All the surrounding nations did to Israel shall be done to them. This explains the links between the seals the judgments on Israel at the hands of their neighbours in the last days and the trumpets and vials, which speak of similar judgments coming upon Israel's enemies within the land / earth promised to Abraham. The saints may be Israel (<em><a href='B:340 7:25'>Dan 7:25</a></em>); the prophets would be the two witnesses of chapter 11. The "heaven" would refer to the Heavenly, Angelic representatives of those who were killed and tormented by the beast during her three and a half year domination of the earth / land; for John had seen them in his visions of the heavenly throne room, and now he sees them rejoicing. What the beast did during his brief domination is now done to him. So the saints and Christians in view are particularly those who endured that.</h4>


text:
<p>18:21&nbsp;<em>And a strong angel took up a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying: Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall never be found again</em>- Jeremiah's prophecies about Babylon had been cast into the Euphrates tied to a stone (<em><a href='B:300 51:63'>Jer 51:63</a></em>). But this is the fate of Babylon. There is a parallel between the word of prophecy, and Babylon; so sure is it of fulfilment.</p><p>The same judgment is for those who make little ones stumble (<em><a href='B:470 18:6'>Mat 18:6</a></em>). Such behaviour is the same as Babylon's obvious apostasy. The Lord taught that the believer who makes his brother stumble should have a millstone hung around his neck and be cast into the sea (<em><a href='B:490 17:2'>Luk 17:2</a></em>). This is exactly Babylon's judgment (<em><a href='B:730 18:21'>Rev 18:21</a></em>). The unloving in the ecclesia will be treated like the unloving world whose spirit they share. The rejected will weep and gnash their teeth (<em><a href='B:470 25:30'>Mat 25:30</a></em>)- and be sent back into the Babylon-world, where they are also weeping and angry (<em><a href='B:730 18:15'>Rev 18:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:19'>Rev 18:19</a></em>). As the tree of Babylon will be cut down, so will the rejected be (<em><a href='B:340 4:14'>Dan 4:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 4:23'>Dan 4:23</a></em> = <em><a href='B:470 7:19'>Mat 7:19</a></em>). As Babylon is burnt with fire (<em><a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a></em>), and indeed the whole 'world' too (<em><a href='B:680 3:10'>2Pe 3:10</a></em>), so will the rejected be (<em><a href='B:470 13:40'>Mat 13:40</a></em> etc:). It seems the rejected saints will share the judgements of Satan, the beast, the antiChrist. Thus Babylon has a millstone tied around her neck and she is thrown into the sea (<em><a href='B:730 18:21'>Rev 18:21</a></em>), just as the judgement of the rejected saints is described (<em><a href='B:470 18:6'>Mat 18:6</a></em>). They will be ground to powder by the stone of Christ (<em><a href='B:470 21:44'>Mat 21:44</a></em>), just as he will fall on the nations of the Babylon confederacy and grind them to powder (<em><a href='B:340 2:34'>Dan 2:34</a></em>). The Lord will appoint his unwatchful servant a place of condemnation "with the unbelievers" (<em><a href='B:490 12:46'>Luk 12:46</a></em>). This is understandable once we appreciate the idea that there are only two Kingdoms, God's and Satan's. The unworthy were effectively in Satan's Kingdom, therefore they will suffer the judgement that is prepared for it. Therefore we&nbsp;<em>must</em>&nbsp;separate from Babylon, Satan's Kingdom, or else we will receive her judgements (<em><a href='B:730 18:4'>Rev 18:4</a></em>). Likewise the condemnation of the apostate in Israel is very often described in the language of the judgements on the surrounding kingdoms (e:g. <em><a href='B:360 1:5'>Joe 1:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:360 1:10-12'>Joe 1:10-12</a></em> = <em><a href='B:290 16:10'>Isa 16:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:330 16:37-39'>Eze 16:37-39</a></em> = <em><a href='B:730 17:16'>Rev 17:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 16:9'>Jer 16:9</a></em> = <em><a href='B:730 18:23'>Rev 18:23</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 49:4'>Jer 49:4</a></em> = <em><a href='B:300 31:22'>Jer 31:22</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 51:27'>Jer 51:27</a></em> = <em><a href='B:360 1:4'>Joe 1:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:360 2:1'>Joe 2:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 50:13'>Jer 50:13</a></em> =&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 19:8'>Rev 19:8</a></em>). The cup of judgement that Israel will drink will be given to the Arab nations who have afflicted her (<em><a href='B:290 51:23'>Isa 51:23</a></em>). This is all the principle of <em><a href='B:730 18:6'>Rev 18:6</a></em>; as the latter day Babylon does to natural and spiritual Israel, so it will be done to her. Apostate Israel are often described as if they are their neighbours- they share the same judgements, because they have effectively sold their birthright. Israel "sat::. as the Arabian in the wilderness" (<em><a href='B:300 3:2'>Jer 3:2</a></em>). Judah would be punished along with Egypt, Moab and Ammon, the circumcised with the uncircumcised (<em><a href='B:300 9:25-26'>Jer 9:25-26</a></em>). Thus <em><a href='B:520 9:8'>Rom 9:8</a></em> describes faithless Israel as "the children of the flesh", with allusion to Arab Ishmael; and <em><a href='B:550 4:23'>Gal 4:23</a></em> likewise. The early chapters of Romans reason that both Jew and Gentile receive the same judgment, because both have sinned. The judgements on the nations are all described in similar language, whatever time or place they were in. Thus&nbsp;Babylon’s judgement in Revelation 18 is based on the judgement of Egypt as recorded in <em><a href='B:330 32:4-10'>Eze 32:4-10</a></em>, and Egypt's judgement of <em><a href='B:330 29:4'>Eze 29:4</a></em> is that of Gog in <em><a href='B:330 38:4'>Eze 38:4</a></em>. The whole description of Egypt's judgments in Ezekiel 29 is also full of links with those in store for Israel:&nbsp;<em>They</em>&nbsp;will cry unto Yahweh in their affliction (<em><a href='B:290 19:20'>Isa 19:20</a></em>), just as Israel did when Egypt persecuted them (<em><a href='B:20 2:23'>Exo 2:23</a></em>; <em><a href='B:20 14:10'>Exo 14:10</a></em>). There are so many examples of thIsa. Surely the point is that fundamentally, all the nations of the world, in whatever time and place, are all fundamentally the same Kingdom of Satan, and will suffer the same destruction by the Kingdom of God. Likewise the Kingdom of God to which we belong is not limited by time or geography.</p><p>When God described Nineveh as a “great city”, the very fact of its size elicited a desire to spare it. And of course we meet the same phrase in Revelation, where a condemned Babylon is described as a “great city”. This was not God gleefully preparing to destroy a huge city. He surely had Nineveh in mind when He inspired those words. This was, and will be, a God whose very heart is touched by the tragedy of sinners having to be punished, and who is open to a change of purpose if they will repent. Thus the latter day appeal to “Come out of her”, whether we understand ‘Babylon’ as false religion, the Moslem world, the world of sinners or whoever, is rooted in God’s spirit of passionate love towards Nineveh. As Jonah “cried” against Nineveh, so God ‘cries’ against Babylon (<em><a href='B:730 18:2'>Rev 18:2</a></em>). We who make that appeal in these last days should be reflecting here on earth the mind of God in Heaven; not merely pronouncing doom and gloom against ‘Babylon’, but warning them of God’s stated intentions towards them&nbsp;<em>with a heart that bleeds for them and seeks their repentance.</em></p><p>The writer of Psalms 137, sitting angry and frustrated by a Babylonian riverside, with his guitar hanging on a willow branch, being jeered (“tormented” <em><a href='B:230 137:3'>Psa 137:3</a></em> RVmg:)&nbsp; by the victorious Babylonian soldiers who had led him away captive… he felt&nbsp;<em>so</em>&nbsp;angry with them. Especially when they tried to make him sing one of the temple songs (“sing us one of the songs of Zion”). And, as a bitter man does, his mind went from one hurt to another. He remembered how when Babylon had invaded, the Edomites hadn’t helped their Hebrew brethren (<em><a href='B:380 1:11-12'>Oba 1:11-12</a></em>). They had egged on the Babylonian soldiers in ripping down the temple, shouting in a chorus? “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation”. And so in anger and bitterness this Jew prays with tears, as he remembered Zion, “O daughter of Babylon… happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock” (:8,9 RV). God read those angry words as a prayer, and in some sense they will have their fulfilment:&nbsp; For these words are picked up in <em><a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 18:21'>Rev 18:21</a></em> and applied to what will finally happen to Babylon. Her spiritual children will be dashed against the rock of Christ, the stone of <em><a href='B:340 2:44'>Dan 2:44</a></em>, at His return. He will dash in pieces the Babylon-led people that oppose Him.</p>


text:
<p>18:22&nbsp;<em>And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute players and trumpeters shall never be heard again in you, and no craftsman of whatever craft shall ever be found again in you, and the voice of a mill shall never be heard again in you</em>- An allusion to Solomon's temple, confirming the religious nature of 'Babylon'. This fits the first century application to Judaism, and to a latter day application to Jihadist Islam, which claims to be the true Judaism. Craftsmen and creative people of all sorts will have been brought to Babylon, enthroned in Jerusalem, both to build it and continue servicing it. Mills were operated by slaves; those Jews and Christians being abused by this latter day Egypt / Babylon. But that shall be no more.</p>


text:
<p>18:23&nbsp;<em>The light of a lamp shall never shine again in you, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall never be heard again in you-</em>&nbsp;The Old Testament basis for this is not simply the judgments upon Babylon, but also those upon Jerusalem at the hand of Babylon (<em><a href='B:300 7:34'>Jer 7:34</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 16:9'>Jer 16:9</a></em>). For latter day Babylon shall be built in Jerusalem; see on <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em>. So it is appropriate also that what Babylon did to Jerusalem shall be done to her. This all suggests that Babylon shall desolate and judge Jerusalem in the latter days and then in turn be judged for doing so. Jerusalem will fall to her enemies, as <em><a href='B:450 14:1-21'>Zec 14:1-21</a></em> and the Lord's Olivet Prophecy clearly require.</p><p>The contrast is with how the Lord Himself will be the eternal light of Jerusalem, the city of God (<em><a href='B:730 22:5'>Rev 22:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 60:19-20'>Isa 60:19-20</a></em>). A new Jerusalem shall come down from God out of Heaven to replace the burnt ruins of the Babylon system there.</p><p><em>For your merchants were the princes of the earth; and with your sorcery were all the nations deceived</em>- All the princes of the earth / land were influenced by her wine, making them drunk with a fanaticism against Israel and true Christians. This radical jihadist propaganda was accepted by the merchants because it made them wealthy by serving the demands of Babylon. We can therefore see the West accepting her sorcery to some extent, for purely economic motives. Although the ten horns / kings of the land are to be destroyed, they are here associated with the "merchants", those not within Babylon itself, but serving her.</p>


text:
<p>18:24&nbsp;<em>And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth</em>- No one religious system is guilty for the blood of every martyr over time. The more sensible reference is to the blood of the believers slain in the earth / land promised to Abraham, during the latter day tribulation. "The nations" in view are those within the earth / land of Babylon's dominion: "At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembles, and the cry is heard among the nations" (<em><a href='B:300 50:46'>Jer 50:46</a></em>). The nations in view are those of the earth / land. The deaths of all Jews and true Christians in the earth / land during the tribulation is the direct responsibility of the Babylon system.</p><p>The reference is also to Judaism and Jerusalem, in whom was found the blood of the faithful (<em><a href='B:300 2:34'>Jer 2:34</a></em>). In the first century context, it is Jerusalem-based Judaism which is in view. But in the last days, it is Babylon-Jerusalem, in that the whore of Babylon and her beast makes its blasphemous capital in Jerusalem.</p>


text:
<p>19:1&nbsp;<em>After these things I heard what seemed to be a great voice of a great crowd in heaven, saying: Hallelujah Salvation and glory and power, belong to our God</em>- John is seeing the Angelic representatives of the believers in his vision of the heavenly throne room. This is the same "great crowd" of <em><a href='B:730 7:9'>Rev 7:9</a></em> (s:w:), those who had endured the tribulation of the beast's domination. But the lives of believers are hid with Christ in God; the Lord is in the bosom of the Father. Therefore those 'in Heaven' don't refer to the departed souls of believers, but rather to the believers who are in heavenly places in Christ. This is a common NT theme. By contrast, the earth dwellers of Revelation are those who suffer the latter day judgments. The believers are here spoken of as praising God because the literal articulation of salvation in Christ is now clearly about to be revealed. It could be that the whole metaphor of believers 'in Heaven' is used in Revelation because it is their guardian Angels who are in view, who represent them before God, individually and as collectives, of ecclesias and groups throughout history at particular points and circumstances.</p>


text:
<p>19:2&nbsp;<em>For true and righteous are His judgments-&nbsp;</em>The awful loss of life and gross destruction is recognized by them as not only necessary but righteous. For we have noted how often the Babylon system was given the chance to repent.</p><p><em>For He has judged the great prostitute, she that corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged the blood of His servants shed by her</em>- It's hard to imagine any single entity corrupting literally the whole planet, right into the jungles of Amazonia and onto every island of the Pacific. The more natural interpretation is that the earth refers to the land, a more limited area of the planet's surface- the land promised to Abraham. The behaviours of the whore are either throughout all history, or at a more limited period of time. That period of time is more naturally, within the context of Revelation, the last days. The kings of the earth / land who were influenced by the whore would then refer to the kings of the land area promised to Abraham, influenced by the wine of her jihadist teaching.</p><p>"He has avenged the blood of His servants" shows that the cry of those persecuted in the last days within the land of Abraham (<em><a href='B:730 6:10'>Rev 6:10</a></em>) has now been answered.</p>


text:
<p>19:3&nbsp;<em>And a second time they said: Hallelujah And her smoke goes up for ever and ever</em>- The impression is of a sacrifice being offered, although the allusion is to the rising smoke of Sodom. Even in the destruction of the wicked, God is glorified. His judgments are a way of glorifying the principles of His Name, and not the lashing out of an offended Deity. The "great crowd" are as it were watching this, and thus are to be connected with faithful Abraham watching the smoke of Sodom arising.</p>


text:
<p>19:4&nbsp;<em>And the twenty four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God that sits on the throne, saying: Amen. Hallelujah</em>- See on :1. The Angels join in with the same praise which their human charges are also making. Thus believers and Angels are presented in parallel. For the Angels in Heaven represent believers on earth. It is in this sense, in a practical, mechanical sense, if you like, that truly, man is not alone, but God is with us. But now at this juncture, Angels and believers are united together in praise by the resurrection.</p>


text:
<p>19:5&nbsp;<em>And a voice came from the throne, saying: Give praise to our God all you His servants, you that fear Him, the small and the great</em>- We have just read of the elders, living creatures and the "great crowd in heaven" doing just thIsa. This appears therefore to be an appeal to others, on earth, to do what the Angels of Heaven are doing. This is a theme of Revelation- that those who believe are in league with the Heavenly Angels, who are fellow servants with them. Or it could be that again, Revelation is simply not chronological, but a kaleidoscope of images. We would then have explained here in :5 how the situation in :1 praising God came about.</p>


text:
<p>19:6- see on <em><a href='B:730 6:9'>Rev 6:9</a></em>.</p><p><em>And I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great crowd, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying: Hallelujah For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns-&nbsp;</em>This is surely the crowd of :1, referring to the believers. But their voice is mixed with the voice of waters and thunders, the voice of God, which speaks of the intensest manifestation of God through the Angels. Again the impression is given of believers and Angels united, their sounds and voices mingling together as they see the end coming which they both so earnestly desire. God of course reigns now, so their praise that "He reigns" is therefore a re-statement of what they already believed in their mortal lives, but with so much more power and insight. And this will be so true of much of our talking and praising in the Kingdom age.</p>


text:
<p>19:7&nbsp;<em>Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb comes, and his wife has made herself ready</em>- The collapse of time around the Lord's return means that it is unwise and impossible to construct chronologies of events around His coming. But the decorum of the symbol here means that the judgment of God's enemies slightly precedes the marriage of the Lamb; His wife is now described as putting on her wedding clothes (:8), and the invitation of guests (:9). But some texts read "Has come".</p><p>If this voice includes that of those who endured the beast's domination and abuse during the tribulation (see on :1), how can they refer to the Lamb's wife as if this is an entity separate from themselves? Perhaps they now behold the resurrection of all the faithful from history, and realize that the bride has now been fully assembled. Or again, we should just not let such chronological issues disturb us; for this is apocalyptic, a merger of various images, and not a timeline of events.</p><p>We note that the bride makes&nbsp;<em>herself</em>&nbsp;ready, but with the gift of fine linen clothes of imputed righteousness (:8). Her part in all this is to believe in the imputation of His righteousness and white garments to us in Christ.</p>


text:
<p>19:8&nbsp;<em>And it was given to her that she should dress herself in fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints</em>- In contrast with how Babylon likewise was dressed in "fine linen" (see on <em><a href='B:730 18:16'>Rev 18:16</a></em>). The suggestion therefore is that Babylon is quasi-religious and appears highly moral, when actually it is morally delinquent. This is exactly what we see in Jihadist Islamism. There is clear reference to the Jewish priesthood, and the description also connects with the white clothing of Islamic religious leaders. The fine linen is given to her- it speaks of imputed righteousness (see on :7). The “righteous acts” of the saints will be publicly arrayed before all (<em><a href='B:730 19:8'>Rev 19:8</a></em>)- by none other than the Lord. All their good ‘acts’ will be revealed to all. And yet that righteousness is what they are clothed with by Christ- perhaps suggesting that their good deeds will be presented in a heightened form, as imputed righteousness, which would explain why the righteous will be shocked that the Lord could speak so highly of them (“When saw we thee…?”). But the work of God, the action He requires, is to believe in His imputation of righteousness (<em><a href='B:500 6:29'>Joh 6:29</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>19:9&nbsp;<em>And he said to me: Write, Blessed are they that are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb-&nbsp;</em>See on :7. There seems a difference in category between those destroyed by judgments, the Lamb's wife, and the invited guests. Presumably the guests are those who are not believers but are not destroyed in the judgments; and these are now invited to participate in the Lamb's wedding. And who amongst those who survive Armageddon would not attend? This may speak of the conversion of the remaining population of planet earth.</p><p><em>And he said to me: These are the true words of God</em>- This recalls how in <em><a href='B:500 19:35'>Joh 19:35</a></em> John struggles to get over the utter truth of the words. This is all so wonderfully true.</p>


text:
<h4>19:10&nbsp;<em>And I fell down before his feet to worship him, and he said to me: You must not do that I am a fellow-servant with you, and with your brothers that hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy</em>- The Angels are right now serving the same Lord we do; our work for Him is done in invisible partnership with them. The preaching or testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, says <em><a href='B:730 19:10'>Rev 19:10</a></em>. I understand this to mean that our testimony to Jesus is in the spirit of the Old Testament prophets. For <em><a href='B:730 22:6'>Rev 22:6</a></em> associates the God of the holy prophets a phrase referring to the Old Testament prophets in <em><a href='B:490 1:70'>Luk 1:70</a></em> with the same God who is with us in our witnessing to Christ. And <em><a href='B:730 18:20'>Rev 18:20</a></em> speaks of those prophets rejoicing in the last day together with all preachers of the Gospel. This is why incidents from the lives and teaching of the Old Testament prophets are repeatedly alluded to in the New Testament and applied to all of us. <em><a href='B:660 5:10'>Jas 5:10</a></em> puts it bluntly- the prophets are to be taken by us as our examples. Jeremiah was warned: "Be not dismayed of&nbsp;<em>them</em>, lest I dismay&nbsp;<em>you</em>" (<em><a href='B:300 1:17'>Jer 1:17</a></em> RV). This is alluded to by the Lord when He tells us that if we are ashamed of Him and His words, then He will be ashamed of us (<em><a href='B:490 9:26'>Luk 9:26</a></em>). The connection surely indicates that the Old Testament prophets and the spirit of their commissioning is intended to apply to us today in our fulfilling of the great commission. Thus the prophets become our pattern for witness; they are our “brethren the prophets” (<em><a href='B:730 22:9'>Rev 22:9</a></em>). And so an understanding of them becomes programmatic for our witness today. Our audience, the world in which we live, is in essence that in which the prophets lived. Isaiah was up against the attitude that “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die” (<em><a href='B:290 22:13'>Isa 22:13</a></em>)- and Paul quotes that passage as relevant for all Christians who hold the hope of resurrection amidst a world that does not (<em><a href='B:530 15:32'>1Co 15:32</a></em>).</h4><p>The Angel had made prophecies, and John felt that this was something so wonderful that it separated him from the Angel. But John like us was bearing “the testimony of Jesus” (<em><a href='B:730 1:9'>Rev 1:9</a></em>). The same essential spirit which was in the prophets is in all those who in&nbsp;<em>their</em>&nbsp;spirit or attitude bear the witness of Jesus. Hence the prophesying Angel encourages John not to worship him, but rather to recognize that he is John’s “fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book”, i:e. all believers (<em><a href='B:730 22:9'>Rev 22:9</a></em>). And again, this was radical stuff for the initial audience of the Apocalypse. They were being told that they had the prophets as their brethren, and on account of their spirit / attitude of bearing the testimony of Jesus, the same spirit which was in the prophets was in them. The very act of bearing witness to Jesus in our spirit / disposition is in fact to have the same spirit in us which was in the prophets and was the basis of their prophetic witness. This makes the prophets our “brethren”, not distant white faced ‘saints’:&nbsp;See on <em><a href='B:470 8:22'>Mat 8:22</a></em>.</p>


text:
<p>19:11&nbsp;<em>And I saw the heaven open-&nbsp;</em>This introduces the seven final visions. One of the keys to understanding Revelation is to realize that it is structured as a series of visions based around the number seven. It must also be understood that as with many Old Testament prophecies, the book of Revelation is not strictly chronological in its fulfilment. Sometimes we read something which is actually the final picture, and then we read how this situation came about. At other times, we find a series of visions give us as it were 'snapshots' of different aspects of the same process. The seven final visions are introduced by the rubric "And I saw::.". It is my suggestion that they each show different aspects of the process of setting up the Kingdom. All references are to Revelation unless otherwise stated. The thoughtful student of the final chapters of Revelation will realize that there are difficulties in 'fitting in' the usual view of the Millennium as a thousand year reign with the information presented there. The suggestion is made in these notes on chapter 20 that the "thousand years" simply means 'a very long time', and refers to eternity. This solves the problem that a rebellion at the end of the 'Millennium' would contradict <em><a href='B:290 9:7'>Isa 9:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 60:18'>Isa 60:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 3:17'>Jer 3:17</a></em> and other passages which teach that "they shall learn war no more" after the Kingdom is established. The wrath of God is finished when the seven&nbsp;<em>last</em>&nbsp;plagues are poured out (<em><a href='B:730 15:1'>Rev 15:1</a></em> RV), at the Lord's return, i:e. at the&nbsp;<em>beginning</em>&nbsp;of the 'Millennium'. At the coming of Christ, the powers represented by the dragon and beast are defeated and chained up. The dead are raised and judged. The rejected join the dragon in the 'bottomless pit', an area on the borders of the land of promise, i:e. the initial geographical extent of the Kingdom:&nbsp; Here they are restrained, but once the Kingdom is established, perhaps after a period of 7 years or so, they 'attack' the land of Israel, where the Kingdom of God has been established. They are then destroyed. The Kingdom then continues eternally. The descriptions of a judgment seat in these final chapters are all related to the same judgment seat, i:e. that when Christ returns. The OT prophecies of a 'Millennium' with mortal people in it either apply to the setting up period of the Kingdom, or they are to be read in a more figurative way.</p><p><em>And beheld a white horse, and he that sat thereon was called Faithful and True</em>- A clear reference to the Lord Jesus, who will now bring about the true, faithful fulfilment of God's promises (<em><a href='B:730 3:14'>Rev 3:14</a></em>). He was "the faithful witness / martyr" (<em><a href='B:730 1:5'>Rev 1:5</a></em>) in that He suffered at the hands of a beast system, and can thus especially identify with those believers slain by the beast in the final tribulation. John has been allowed a peek into the heavenly throne room. But now heaven itself opens, and the Lord Jesus emerges from there to return to earth.</p><p><em>And in righteousness he judges and makes war</em>- The same presentation of the Lord Jesus as both a warrior and a bridegroom are found in <em><a href='B:230 45:3-6'>Psa 45:3-6</a></em>. There He is pictured as going forth to make war in all His glory for the sake of "truth, humility and righteousness" (<em><a href='B:230 45:4'>Psa 45:4</a></em>). There is a powerful juxtaposition of ideas here- He goes forth in glory on behalf of humility. It is the humble believers who will have been persecuted and slain, and now the Lord of humility goes forth in all His glory for their sakes.</p>


text:
<p>19:12&nbsp;<em>And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems-&nbsp;</em>The seemingly invincible beast with his seven diadems now seems so puny compared to the Lord.</p><p><em>And he has a name written which no one knows but him</em>- We likewise will have a unique name known / appreciated only by us (2:17). No-one can enter into the Lord's personal sense of resurrection and reward; there will always be an unreachable, untouchable element in Him throughout eternity. Surely this makes our relationship with Him the more appealing.</p>


text:
<p>19:13- see on <em><a href='B:650 12:24'>Heb 12:24</a></em>.</p><p><em>And he is dressed in a garment sprinkled with blood-&nbsp;</em>This alludes to Joseph’s blood drenched coat and <em><a href='B:290 63:2'>Isa 63:2</a></em>; the basis upon which the Lord executes judgment is that He died for us, and His garments were literally blood sprinkled at the crucifixion. He Himself said that His qualification as judge is because He is "son of man".</p><p><em>And his name is called The Word of God</em>- John reminds us of this title for the Lord because in His actions at the time of judgment and establishment of the Kingdom on earth, He will be the full manifestation of God's word, a word which shall then come to its final climax. Note that "the word&nbsp;<em>logos</em>&nbsp;of God" is a title of the Lord Jesus. So many misunderstand <em><a href='B:500 1:1-3'>Joh 1:1-3</a></em> by failing to realize thIsa. That word is God, etc:; but it is a&nbsp;<em>title</em>&nbsp;of the Lord, His "Name", rather than he Himself personally.</p>


text:
<p>19:14- see on <em><a href='B:470 24:28'>Mat 24:28</a></em>.</p><p><em>And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses</em>- Remember that the Lord returns to earth with the Angels, and not alone. However the armies in Heaven also refer to the faithful, who are presented as with God, their lives hid with Christ in Him who is in the bosom of the Father. John has seen them represented by Angels in his visions of the heavenly court room.</p><p><em>Clothed in fine linen, white and pure</em>- In contradistinction to the white clothes of the jihadist sheikhs of <em><a href='B:730 18:16'>Rev 18:16</a></em>, whose white linen was not pure but mixed with all the trappings of materialism.</p>


text:
<p><em><a href='B:730 19:15'>Rev 19:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And out of his mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it he should strike down the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron</em>- The language of the Lord Jesus at His return (<em><a href='B:230 2:9'>Psa 2:9</a></em>); and yet it has already been quoted in Revelation about how we shall do the same (<em><a href='B:730 2:27'>Rev 2:27</a></em>). See on <em><a href='B:730 12:5'>Rev 12:5</a></em>. All that is true of the Lord Jesus personally shall be true of us who are in and with Him.</p><p><em>And He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the anger of God</em>- Anyone doing this would have red clothes, spattered with red grape juice. The connection is with His appearance at the crucifixion; see on :13. The cross was "the judgment of this world", and now that judgment is articulated. He judges because He went through the tribulation of the cross.</p>


text:
<p>19:16<em>&nbsp;And he has on his garment and on his thigh a name written</em>- A reference to His sword, through which He has become Lord of all human lords and kings (<em><a href='B:230 45:3'>Psa 45:3</a></em>)? The allusion is to the way in which names were inscribed on the hilts of swords. His thigh is therefore put for the sword which is on His thigh. For He is presented here as a horseman.</p><p><em>King of kings and Lord of lords</em>- As with many aspects of teaching and language, it is often difficult for us to appreciate how radically revolutionary they were in the first century context; and in essence they should lose none of their radicalness with us. David Bosch observes: "Christians confessed Jesus as Lord of all lords- the most revolutionary political demonstration imaginable in the Roman Empire". Philip Yancey likewise: "As the church spread throughout the Roman empire, its followers took up the slogan "Christ is Lord", a direct affront to Roman authorities who required all citizens to take the oath 'Caesar the state is Lord'". It hurt, it cost, to recognize Him as Lord. And so it should with us. Men and women died for this; and we likewise give our lives in response to that very same knowledge. There is a tendency, which the Lord Himself brought to our attention, of calling Him Lord but not doing what He says. To know Him as Lord in truth is axiomatically to be obedient to Him (<em><a href='B:490 6:46'>Luk 6:46</a></em>). The reality of the Lordship of Jesus is used in Revelation (<em><a href='B:730 19:12'>Rev 19:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 19:16'>Rev 19:16</a></em>) to encourage the brethren to continue fearless in their witness despite persecution. Jesus is Lord of the kings of the earth; He has control over the world; therefore, no human power can harm us without His express permission and purpose. The exhortation of Psalms 110 is powerful: because Jesus is now seated at the Father's right hand, His people offer themselves as freewill offerings in this, the day of His power. They are arrayed in “holy attire" because&nbsp;<em>He</em>&nbsp;has been made the Priest after the order of Melchizedek- they share in the work which His exaltation has enabled (<em><a href='B:230 110:1'>Psa 110:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 110:3-4'>Psa 110:3-4</a></em> RVmg:).</p>


text:
<p>19:17&nbsp;<em>And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying-&nbsp;</em>The Angel represents someone or some body of persons standing within the sun of the Lord Jesus, the sun of righteousness which has now arisen. The appeal is made on His behalf by some others- maybe us, or natural Israel, appealing to the nations who have survived Armageddon.</p><p><em>To all the birds that fly in mid heaven</em>- I have suggested on :9 that the guests invited to the marriage are not the same as the Lamb's wife, and these guests refer to the unbelievers in the world who are not destroyed in the judgments upon the world. They are here described as in mid heaven, between earth and heaven. The "earth" dwellers are judged; those "in Heaven" are the believers, their lives hid with Christ in Him who is in the bosom of the Father. Those in between these groups would then appropriately refer to unbelievers who have not heard the Gospel and who are spared the latter day judgments upon the earth. But now they are invited to take their place at the Lord's table.</p><p><em>Come, be gathered together</em>- I have suggested above that the birds could refer to the Gentile nations now invited to the marriage supper as guests. But birds of prey being gathered together is the language of <em><a href='B:330 39:17-20'>Eze 39:17-20</a></em>, where they are invited to assist in the destruction of the ten nations led by Gog who come up against Israel.</p><p><em>To the great supper of God</em>- This Messianic banquet is prefigured in the breaking of bread. We should invite unbelievers there, just as unbelievers are invited to the ultimate banquet (see on :9 and :17). To exclude people from it is serious indeed. It is a means of witness and invitation to participation.</p>


text:
<p>19:18&nbsp;<em>Eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bondservant and small and great</em>- "Small and great" is the same language used about those who accepted the mark of the latter day beast in <em><a href='B:730 13:16'>Rev 13:16</a></em>. The allusion is clearly to the similar scene in Ezekiel 39, where the victims in view are the Islamic host of Israel's neighbours led by "Gog". These are the same group who are pictured in Revelation as the kings of the land promised to Abraham, who come forth to dominate God's people and land in the last days. The emphasis upon "flesh" suggests this is to be viewed as a sacrifice- the great sacrifice which Yahweh has in the Muslim territories of "Edom" (<em><a href='B:290 34:6'>Isa 34:6</a></em>). The connection with the marriage supper of the lamb (:9) is perhaps in that the believers have their supper, as the Lamb's wife, and those who are not judged to destruction are invited to theirs as wedding guests but not as the bride; or it could be that these are in fact aspects of the same supper. The Messianic banquet is therefore an open table to those not yet believers, in order for them to come to faith. The Lord's table should be used in the same way today, for it is a foretaste of the Messianic banquet of the last day.</p><p>The kings refer to the kings of the earth / land who have given their allegiance to the beast / Babylon. Those invited to eat their flesh are clearly a different category to those who have been slain, and I suggest they refer to the unbelievers left on planet earth who have not yet sided with Christ and yet are not part of the Babylon system.</p>


text:
<p>19:19&nbsp;<em>And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army</em>- We have already had several visions of the total destruction of the beast; this may be another one, going back to explain how the blessed situation spoken of earlier in this chapter has been achieved. Or it could be that Babylon has been destroyed, but the beast apparently still exists; just as the dragon loses power in chapter 12 but re-emerges in the form of the other beasts. It could be that her capital city is destroyed but the wider system still exists. Or it could be that such a reading is still too much within space-time constructs, and it seems these dimensions will be somewhat collapsed in the events around the Lord's coming, making chronological sequences of events worthless to predict.</p><p>The horns on the beast are “the kings of the earth”, but these kings and the beast arise out of the earth and the sea the nations around the earth; and in line with Daniel 7, this is the land promised to Abraham. The connection with 2 Chronicles 20 and the other references to Israel's neighbouring enemies 'gathering together' invites us to see the beast as a primarily Arab organization:&nbsp;If there is a detailed allusion here to the 2 Chronicles 20 scenario, Jehoshaphat (against whom the opposing kings initially gathered together) would represent Jesus, and Jehoshaphat's army would tally with the resurrected saints:&nbsp;&nbsp; In this case, the final onslaught will be after the return of Jesus. We saw this in chapters 11 and 12; the dragon is cast out of political power, but with just a short time left, goes forth to make war with the woman. In passing, note the differentiation between the leaders in this conflict and their armies:&nbsp; "The kings of the earth, and their armies::. him that sat on the horse (Jesus) and against his army". This would suggest a specific hatred of the Lord Jesus which is separate from, although in addition to, their antipathy towards Israel and the Christian believers:&nbsp;It may also be possible to see in the separation between "the kings of the earth, and their armies" a certain degree of coercion, or difference of motivation, between leaders and people.</p><p>Christ goes out to make war (:11), and the Beast and his armies go out to make war against Him- head on conflict. We have gone back in time, as it were, to have another vision of the final conflict, although this has been presented in various ways in earlier visions. This is war with Christ- He is already crowned, <em><a href='B:730 19:12'>Rev 19:12</a></em>. Likewise the invasion of <em><a href='B:330 38:1-23'>Eze 38:1-23</a></em>/9 is after Christ's return, when Israel dwell safely, and we have the <em><a href='B:230 2:1-12'>Psa 2:1-12</a></em> scenario of the Lord enthroned in Jerusalem being attacked by armies. Perhaps the revived beast wants to recapture Babylon-Jerusalem from Him after it has been destroyed (see on <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em>). In this case, we see the limited value of visible miracles; they will have seen plenty of them, but are so blinded by materialism that they wish to still defy the Divine and attempt to recapture Jerusalem.</p><p>The beast, the kings of the earth and their armies 'gather together' to fight against Christ. This may be the gathering of <em><a href='B:730 16:13-14'>Rev 16:13-14</a></em>; they are gathered together by the power of the false miracles despite all the evidence of true miracles before their eyes. Thus v. 20 mentions how "the false prophet that wrought miracles before the beast" is captured with the beast- the scene of <em><a href='B:730 16:14'>Rev 16:14</a></em>.</p>


text:
<p>19:20- see on :19 and <em><a href='B:730 13:17'>Rev 13:17</a></em>.</p><p><em>And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet, who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur</em>- There are many connections between Revelation and John's Gospel. These miracles are imitations of the miracles of Christ, for which John uses the same phrase (<em><a href='B:500 2:11'>Joh 2:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 2:18'>Joh 2:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 3:2'>Joh 3:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 4:54'>Joh 4:54</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 6:2'>Joh 6:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 6:14'>Joh 6:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 6:30'>Joh 6:30</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 7:31'>Joh 7:31</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 9:16'>Joh 9:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 10:41'>Joh 10:41</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 11:47'>Joh 11:47</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 12:18'>Joh 12:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 12:37'>Joh 12:37</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 20:30'>Joh 20:30</a></em>). Thus the false prophet is an anti-Christ, a fake Christ with fake power and fake validation. Despite the presence of Divine miracles at the time, as there have been for three and a half years from the two witnesses of chapter 11, people believe what they want to believe. Visible miracles are not conclusive nor bound to elicit true faith; as our Pentecostal friends need to take note.</p><h4>The destruction of the beast by fire is Babylon's destruction too by the same method; it is that spoken of in <em><a href='B:340 7:11'>Dan 7:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 30:30'>Isa 30:30</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 30:33'>Isa 30:33</a></em>. The beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire. This is the lake of <em><a href='B:730 20:14-15'>Rev 20:14-15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:8'>Rev 21:8</a></em> - where the unworthy one time believers are thrown. Thus the punishment of the rejected and that of the world is the same; and therefore there must be a separation&nbsp;<em>now</em>, lest we be "condemned with the world" (<em><a href='B:530 11:29'>1Co 11:29</a></em>):&nbsp;"Burning with brimstone" / sulphur recalls Sodom- where the unworthy believers shared the same fate as the 'world' around them. Lot's wife was turned into salt, as was the surrounding country (<em><a href='B:490 17:29'>Luk 17:29</a></em>). "The lake of fire" will be in the presence of Christ (<em><a href='B:730 14:10'>Rev 14:10</a></em>)- not underground. "Cast alive" suggests torture; cp. <em><a href='B:730 14:10'>Rev 14:10</a></em> "tormented". Others are simply killed outright by Christ's word of command (<em><a href='B:730 20:15'>Rev 20:15</a></em>). This would suggest that even among the unresponsible there are degrees of punishment. Casting into a pit and fire as punishment compares with Babylon's persecution of Daniel and his friends. What Babylon does to others shall be done to it. Note too how the Assyrian is described in <em><a href='B:290 30:31-33'>Isa 30:31-33</a></em> as being thrown into a lake of fire- just as the future beast will be (<em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em>). See on <em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em>.</h4>


text:
<p>19:21&nbsp;<em>Slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse</em>- The Lord's destructive power will involve words of command rather than He literally, personally slaying the wicked. We need not therefore imagine us personally killing the members of the beast system. And we have noted several times that their destruction is largely at the hands of each other. Even the coming down of fire and sulphur may be due to their own nuclear weaponry backfiring upon them. The "all men" whose flesh is to be eaten by those in mid-heaven, the Gentile world, are the remaining followers of the beast and false prophet. This eating by fowls is equated with burning in the lake of fire, or Gehenna (<em><a href='B:730 19:20-21'>Rev 19:20-21</a></em>). Several passages in Jeremiah associate the mauling of carcases by fowls with destruction in Gehenna. This creates the image of the beast being ravaged by the 'fowls' of either natural Israel (as they represented in David's speech to Goliath) or the nations once confederate with 'Babylon', as they seem to represent in Daniel.</p>


text:
<p>20:1&nbsp;<em>I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand-&nbsp;</em>If Scripture interprets Scripture, then this has to have connection with the Angel who descends and opens the bottomless pit in Revelation 9. This Angel unleashes locusts who bring terrible destruction upon the earth / land for five months, and the Angel morphs into a leader called Abaddon. The Angel may therefore refer to a literal Angel of Heaven who represents an individual upon earth; for all upon earth, good and bad, have Angelic representation in the court of Heaven. The same scene is before us here in chapter 20; an Angel binds and then releases the dragon for "a little time" (<em><a href='B:730 20:3'>Rev 20:3</a></em>), the "five months" of Revelation 9. In my notes on Revelation 9, I have tried to demonstrate that the situation envisaged there suggests an Islamic outpouring of fury upon the earth / land in the very last days. Revelation is not strictly chronological; it is apocalyptic, not a chronological timeline progressing from beginning to end. Our European, linear thinking minds yearn for such tidy chronological progression and we tend to seek to force prophecy into such a structure. But we are dealing with Hebrew, Semitic thought- and moreover, the apocalyptic genre. The various visions refer back to each other, explaining in more detail how the various earlier pictures are arrived at. The events of Revelation 9 refer clearly enough to the events of the last days, at the Lord's second coming; and not to events at the end of a Millennium.</p>


text:
<p>20:2&nbsp;<em>And he laid hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan-&nbsp;</em>This description is found only in <em><a href='B:730 12:9'>Rev 12:9</a></em>, where this entity is cast out of 'Heaven', i:e. a place of power and rulership, at the time of the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth at Christ's second coming (<em><a href='B:730 12:10'>Rev 12:10</a></em>). This is precisely the picture here- that when the thousand years the Kingdom is established AV "fulfilled", then the dragon is bound and then released for a short time. At the time of the second coming of Christ, this dragon / serpent / evil / satan entity has "but a short time" (<em><a href='B:730 12:12'>Rev 12:12</a></em>). This is the "little time" which the dragon is released for in 20:3. Revelation 12 has left us with the dragon deposed from power but about to get madly furious for a little time. Now Revelation 20 is explaining the details; that final mad fury of the dragon is in fact precisely under Angelic control. And that will be a great comfort to those who live through that period of the dragon's madness; things are not at all out of control, he has been bound and now briefly released by the Angels of Heaven. If we ask&nbsp;<em>why</em>&nbsp;it has to be this way- perhaps we are to conclude that the releasing was in order&nbsp;to give the dragon an opportunity to repent. Because throughout Revelation, we encounter this amazing hallmark of Divine activity with even the most desperately evil of men and systems: He wishes to give them every chance of repentance. But in this case, the dragon abuses it, and meets his rightful end in total destruction.<br/><em><br/>And bound him</em>- The chaining of the devil/ dragon/ serpent in 20:2 probably refers more to the binding of the manifestation of sin in the political devil/ dragon/ beast/ serpent of <em><a href='B:730 12:7'>Rev 12:7</a></em> than to abstract sin. Revelation is a message from the Lord Jesus. He had earlier spoken of binding and burning the sons of the Devil at His return (<em><a href='B:470 13:38-39'>Mat 13:38-39</a></em>). He uses the same words here- the Devil will be bound and burned. But that binding and burning envisaged in Matthew 13 clearly speaks of events at His return, and not at the end of a Millennium. The Lord uses the same figure of ‘binding’ to describe how the condemned&nbsp;<em>people</em>&nbsp;at the final judgment will be ‘bound hand and foot’ by the Angels and then destroyed (<em><a href='B:470 22:13'>Mat 22:13</a></em>)- at His return, not at the end of a Millennium. Notice that Satan’s deceit of the nations and all of his powers were totally in control of God (<em><a href='B:730 20:2-3'>Rev 20:2-3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 20:7'>Rev 20:7</a></em>). Satan is not a free agent to act as he wishes, without regard for God. <em><a href='B:730 20:1-3'>Rev 20:1-3</a></em> is surely based upon <em><a href='B:290 24:21-22'>Isa 24:21-22</a></em>, which prophesied that the kings of the earth / land will be gathered together, imprisoned in a pit and punished. It is these very human “kings of the earth” who are described in the more figurative language of Revelation as “Satan”. Isaiah 24 is talking about the time of the Lord's return to earth, and not any scene at the end of a Millennium.</p><p>The idea of shutting up in the abyss is taken from <em><a href='B:290 24:22-23'>Isa 24:22-23</a></em>: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days, they shall be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." The context refers to the events of the Lord's coming, and not 1,000 years after it.</p><p><em>For a thousand years</em>- Most numbers in Revelation are symbolic, so it seems unwise to think that this number is literal. I have earlier, elsewhere argued for a literal Millennium, but closer reflection on Revelation 20 has led me to question that view. Because the allusions to other parts of Revelation and other Scripture all speak of these events happening at the Lord's return to earth, not to anything at the end of a 1,000 year period. Further, the Bible was written&nbsp;<em>for&nbsp;</em>us and not directly&nbsp;<em>to</em>&nbsp;us; it was written&nbsp;<em>to&nbsp;</em>its primary audience and in their language. The Jewish audience first receiving this message would have understood the "thousand years" as a reference to the eternal Kingdom of God on earth, and not to a limited Millennial reign of Messiah for 1,000 years. See too my comments on :5&nbsp;<em>The first resurrection</em>, which happens when the "thousand years" are "ended", or as the Greek better means, 'established'. This is a stubborn problem of interpretation for those who hold the traditional Millennial reign view. The figure of 1,000 may be connected with the size of the Most Holy Place, 10 x 10 x 10 cubits, which is alluded to in the description of the new Jerusalem: “The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal” (<em><a href='B:730 21:16'>Rev 21:16</a></em>).</p><p>I suggest that here again we have an example of Scripture alluding to contemporary incorrect ideas and deconstructing them. The Jews until about 150 B:C. believed that Messiah would return and establish His Kingdom on earth. But influenced by their humiliation under the Romans, they came to believe that the world was too evil for Messiah to return to, and that it required a 1000 year period of purification by the Jews before Messiah could return. Slavonic Enoch 22–23, which has been dated at around 50 A:D:, stated this specifically. Revelation was therefore written with this idea current in the surrounding Jewish world. I suggest that this incorrect view is being alluded to and deconstructed, by stating that Messiah will come at the&nbsp;<em>beginning</em>&nbsp;of the 1000 years and ‘purify’ the earth forcibly by figuratively ‘chaining’ Satan. Thus Messiah is to come and purify the earth Himself, rather than the Jews having to purify the earth for 1000 years before Messiah could come.</p><p>The following difficulties with the classical view of a Millennial reign are taken from Harry Whittaker:</p><p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The prophecies of lasting peace in the kingdom of Christ are quite explicit: “they shall learn war no more”.<br/>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Also, there is to be lasting godliness: “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart” (<em><a href='B:300 3:17'>Jer 3:17</a></em>). “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders” (<em><a href='B:290 60:18'>Isa 60:18</a></em>). “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end” (<em><a href='B:290 9:7'>Isa 9:7</a></em>).<br/>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rebellion against immortals is so palpably silly. By comparison modern nuclear armament, which every Bible reader can see to be a lunatic policy, has calm reason on its side. For, armed with the big bombs, there is always a thin chance that you will devastate the other half of the world before it does the same to you. But for nations, who have had a thousand years’ experience of divine power and immortality, to calculate that their puny strength can win against God presupposes a mental deterioration to kindergarten level during the millennium.<br/>(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The practical problem insists on obtruding itself - where will these rebel nations get their weapons from? Swords will have all been turned into ploughshares.<br/>(e)&nbsp;&nbsp; “He must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet” (<em><a href='B:530 15:25'>1Co 15:25</a></em>). The words imply a steady progress towards complete godliness. The idea of a great boil-up of rebellion at the end is surely most difficult to reconcile with thIsa.<br/>(f)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A massive rebellion at the end of a thousand years would stamp the reign of Christ as a failure. To think that the end of all his efforts in teaching, guidance, personal influence and benign rule (to say nothing of the immortal aid of men like Moses and Paul) is to be “We will not have this man to reign over us” - this is just incredible to any who settle down to consider it seriously. Jesus accomplished his work as Prophet, Sacrifice and High Priest perfectly. Can anyone be happy that his work as king is to end in failure? - for can a long, long reign which ends in turbulent rebellion be reckoned as a success?<br/>(g)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A rebellion such as is described in Revelation 20 does not arise in five minutes. Even a triviality like the Suez episode in 1957 called for weeks of detailed organization, which could not be kept secret from the rest of the world. Nevertheless one is asked to believe that Christ and his immortals will know nothing at all of this mighty Gog-Magog uprising until it bursts upon the world. The only alternative seems to be that, knowing all that is being secretly concocted, they will pretend to ignore it, so that the rebels may be lured to their own destruction. Would any reader be happy about the morality of such a proceeding?<br/>(h)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is sometimes postulated that if the visible authority of Christ were to be withdrawn for a time, then - human nature being what it is - rebellion would be almost certain to ensue within a short while. But does Scripture speak of any such withdrawal of the Messiah’s authority? This seems to have been invented specially to cope with a big difficulty. On the other hand, Isaiah is explicit that “thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light” (<em><a href='B:290 60:20'>Isa 60:20</a></em>).<br/>(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The coincidence of the names Gog and Magog in Revelation 20 with that of the leader of the great confederacy of Ezekiel 38 does not seem to have been given its proper weight. With any other Bible problem such a coincidence would shout for the two to be equated with each other. Then may it not be said that any interpretation which does line up these two prophecies as having the same fulfilment has a much stronger claim to acceptance than one which severs all connection between them and instead inserts a gap of a thousand years? or is “Interpret Scripture by Scripture” to stand as a sound principle everywhere except in Revelation 20?<br/>(j)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 15:1'>Rev 15:1</a></em> R:V. The Vials are described as “the seven plagues which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God." The logical conclusion from these words is that the judgement of the Gog-Magog rebellion takes place before the outpouring of the Vials is concluded.<br/>(k) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Has the difficulty ever been properly faced that this amazing rising against all that is good and beneficent is spoken of in Scripture in one place only? Are Christadelphians to copy Mormons, “Jehovah’s Witnesses” and such, in their disreputable habit of confidently basing major beliefs on one passage of Scripture? Have we, the people of the Book, not yet learned the elementary lesson of mistrust in our own powers of Bible interpretation? We believe what we believe about our “First Principles” not because of one text of Scripture but because of the massive over-all testimony of many passages. Shall we then go back on this thoroughly sound attitude here, and this, concerning verses in the Book of Revelation, of all places, the book about the interpretation of which there is less room for dogmatism than any other in the Bible?</p><p>To these I would add the fact that <em><a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a></em> says that death shall be no more. The passage in <em><a href='B:730 21:1-27'>Rev 21:1-27</a></em> is full of reference to descriptions of the establishment of the Kingdom at Christ's return, when the bridge meets the bridegroom (<em><a href='B:730 21:2'>Rev 21:2</a></em>). If death itself ends when the bride and groom meet at the Lord's return, then this settles the issue. There will be no more concept of death after that. It cannot be that there will be no more death if a mortal population still exists. Death is ended by death being thrown into the lake of fire here in chapter 20. This is the same as death being no more.</p><p>As to what <em><a href='B:730 20:4'>Rev 20:4</a></em> does not mean, in terms of those who wrest it to support the idea of a cosmic satan literally existing; see my comments in&nbsp;<em>The Real Devil</em>.</p>


text:
<p>20:3&nbsp;<em>And threw him into the abyss-&nbsp;</em>The same word as in <em><a href='B:490 8:31'>Luk 8:31</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 8:33'>Luk 8:33</a></em>, where the demons ask Christ not to send them into the abyss; the parallel record says that they asked not to be sent out of the land of Israel (<em><a href='B:480 5:10'>Mar 5:10</a></em>). Also <em><a href='B:520 10:7'>Rom 10:7</a></em> uses the abyss as a term for the lands beyond Israel (it is referring to <em><a href='B:50 30:13'>Deu 30:13</a></em>). The beast that comes out of the abyss comes out of the sea (<em><a href='B:730 11:7'>Rev 11:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 13:1'>Rev 13:1</a></em>). It seems that the geographical area outside Israel from where the beast comes (i:e. the Arab world?) is where it is returned to for punishment. I have suggested in commentary on chapter 9 that the abyss may refer to a distinct geographical area in or on the edge of the earth / land promised to Abraham.</p><p><em>And shut it</em>- The same word is used of how the door is shut around the faithful believers with whom Christ rejoices at His return (<em><a href='B:470 25:10'>Mat 25:10</a></em>). There is a brief, appropriate period of intimacy between Christ and His people, during which the dragon cannot do anything.</p><p><em>And sealed it over him</em>- The same word is used about how the final seven thunders of calamity upon the earth / land are "sealed" (<em><a href='B:730 10:4'>Rev 10:4</a></em>). This seems to refer to a brief period in between the Lord's return and when He resumes dealing with the dragon system.</p><p><em>That he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished</em>- Loosed a little season once eternity (the "1000 years") is established. The same word translated "finished" is translated to accomplish; to establish, build up (<em><a href='B:490 22:37'>Luk 22:37</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 5:16'>Gal 5:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:660 2:8'>Jas 2:8</a></em>; LXX: <em><a href='B:80 3:18'>Rth 3:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 55:11'>Isa 55:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 4:30'>Dan 4:30</a></em>). Consider the usage of the word elsewhere:</p><p>-&nbsp; <em><a href='B:490 22:37'>Luk 22:37</a></em>: “This that is written must yet be accomplished in me."</p><p>- <em><a href='B:550 5:16'>Gal 5:16</a></em>: “Walk ye in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."</p><p>- <em><a href='B:660 2:8'>Jas 2:8</a></em>: “If ye fulfil the royal law ::. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye shall do well."</p><p>- <em><a href='B:520 2:27'>Rom 2:27</a></em>: “And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee who ::. dost transgress the law?”</p><p>- <em><a href='B:80 3:18'>Rth 3:18</a></em>: “the man (Boaz) will not be in rest until he have finished (i:e. accomplished, achieved) the thing this day."</p><p>- <em><a href='B:290 55:11'>Isa 55:11</a></em>: “My word ::. shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please."</p><p>- <em><a href='B:340 4:30'>Dan 4:30</a></em>: “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built”.</p><p><em>After this he must be released for a little time-&nbsp;</em>Gk. "loosed" (AV), which connects with the theme throughout Revelation of the loosing of the seals and various judgments which are required before the scroll of the book of life is fully unsealed / loosed (<em><a href='B:730 5:5'>Rev 5:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 9:14-15'>Rev 9:14-15</a></em>). This loosing is required for the scroll of life to be fully opened; it refers to the time of the Lord's return and not the end of a Millennium after His return.</p><p>The Lord spoke in parables so that Israel would be deceived and therefore would not come to salvation (<em><a href='B:480 4:12'>Mar 4:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 8:10'>Luk 8:10</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:510 28:26'>Act 28:26</a></em>). This fact is hard to get round for those who feel God isn't responsible for deception. Isaiah spoke likewise (<em><a href='B:290 6:9-10'>Isa 6:9-10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 29:10-11'>Isa 29:10-11</a></em>). The Angels will work in such a way as to allow the world to be deceived at this time (<em><a href='B:730 20:3'>Rev 20:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 20:8'>Rev 20:8</a></em>).</p><p>The "little time" is that of <em><a href='B:730 6:11'>Rev 6:11</a></em> and <em><a href='B:730 12:12'>Rev 12:12</a></em> - the time of persecution just before the Lord's return at the end of the three and a half year tribulation:&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p>20:4&nbsp;<em>I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed</em>- Surely this must be connected with the promise made to the disciples in identical language- about their reigning at the beginning of God's Kingdom on earth (<em><a href='B:470 19:28'>Mat 19:28</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 22:30'>Luk 22:30</a></em>), at "the regeneration", when the Son of Man likewise takes His throne in glory in Jerusalem, "in my Kingdom".</p><p><em>Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands</em>- This is replete with reference to earlier descriptions in Revelation of those persecuted and slain during the great tribulation just prior to the Lord's return.</p><p><em>They came to life</em>- The group in view, the disciples and those who perished during the great tribulation, are resurrected separately. We have seen this implied in notes on <em><a href='B:730 11:12'>Rev 11:12</a></em> and <em><a href='B:730 12:5'>Rev 12:5</a></em>.<br/>&nbsp;</p><h4>20:4&nbsp;<em>Then I saw thrones-&nbsp;</em>Saints sitting on thrones is <em><a href='B:340 7:22'>Dan 7:22</a></em>; the throne of the beast is cast down, and judgment thrones given to the faithful.</h4><p><em>And seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed</em>- “And judgement was given unto them" (AV). This is <em><a href='B:340 7:22'>Dan 7:22</a></em>: “And judgement was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom”. This is clearly at the start of the Kingdom, at Christ's return, when the beast enemy of Israel is destroyed. This would also be the time of <em><a href='B:230 122:5-8'>Psa 122:5-8</a></em>: “For there (in Jerusalem) are set thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David ::. Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces. For my brothers and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within you”.</p><p><em>Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years-&nbsp;</em>The jihadist State will be a strictly religious entity, keen to take the predictions and commands of the Koran and Hadith as literally as possible. Their crucifixions of their enemies are in strict obedience to passages like Sura 5:36: “The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified… Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom”. And the jihadists likewise are careful to obey the commands to behead enemies: “When you encounter the unbelievers on the battlefield, strike off their heads until you have crushed them completely; then bind the prisoners tightly,” (Sura 47). The UK&nbsp;<em>Daily Mail&nbsp;</em>reported of ISIS: “They lined the streets with the decapitated heads of police and soldiers”:&nbsp;Beheading is now a well-known method used by the jihadists, popularized by their videos of beheading Western hostages. We note that it is the fate of those who do not worship the beast or accept his mark in <em><a href='B:730 20:4'>Rev 20:4</a></em>. Apologists claim that the Koran doesn’t support these beheadings; but it does. &nbsp;<em>Sura</em>&nbsp;8:12 says that beheading can be used in order to psychologically terrify the non-Moslems: "I will cast dread into the hearts of the unbelievers. Strike off their heads, then, and strike off all of their fingertips<em>”. Sura</em>&nbsp;47:3 is similar: "When you encounter the unbelievers on the battlefield, strike off their heads”. Beheading is justified in some of the hadith on the basis that Muhammad ordered the beheading of 700 Jews in Medina for allegedly plotting against him. It is therefore to be used specifically against God’s people. Until recently, it seemed impossible that such a method of death would be literally used- but it is now becoming known worldwide that it is indeed being practiced and gloried in within the entity that is taking over the land promised to Abraham. It must be noted that Islam is the only major world religion today that legitimizes beheadings.</p><p><em><a href='B:730 20:4'>Rev 20:4</a></em> says that there will be a special blessing for those who were beheaded for the sake of Jesus, and this involved them in not worshipping the beast or receiving his mark. The short term fulfilment of this was in the beast as the Roman empire. But the Roman Empire only beheaded&nbsp;<em>citizens</em>&nbsp;(e:g. Paul); non-citizens were killed in other ways, e:g. by crucifixion, throwing to wild beasts. Mentioning beheading was therefore purposeful. The text could more easily have said ‘martyred’ or ‘killed’. The blessing in view, in the first century application, was therefore particularly for Roman citizens who refused to accept the faith of their own empire, for the sake of Christ. The climax of all Bible prophecy, however, is not in history; it is in the literal coming of Christ to earth. In the last days, therefore, <em><a href='B:730 20:4'>Rev 20:4</a></em> must have its final and ultimate fulfilment. But the incipient fulfilment in the days of Rome guides us towards understanding that final fulfilment. I suggest therefore that this class of latter day martyrs refers specifically to those who are citizens within the area controlled by the latter day entity known as the beast. Those who do not submit to its rulership will be beheaded. And we are already seeing that happening in the area, with roads lined with heads. And we see the jihadists forcing Christians and Yezidis to convert to Islam, or to face the sword- quite literally, in beheading. They stated themselves in July 2014: “We offer them three choices: Islam; the&nbsp;<em>dhimma</em>&nbsp;contract—involving payment of&nbsp;<em>jizya</em>; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword”. The blessing of <em><a href='B:730 20:4'>Rev 20:4</a></em> is for those who endure this for the sake of Christ and witnessing His word in Christ to them. "The word of God" refers to the preaching of the word; the word is designed by its very nature to be preached.</p><p>It could be that it is those who perished during the tribulation who now sit on thrones of judgment to judge those who persecuted them, some of whom died during the tribulation, but are now raised to face judgment and the second death.</p>


text:
<p>20:5&nbsp;<em>The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended</em>- This could refer to the rest of the believers throughout history; or, as suggested on :4 and :13, to the members of the beast system who died during the tribulation who are now raised to be judged by those whom they slew. We must note that all of Revelation is specifically about events in the earth / land promised to Abraham, and much of it is specifically about those who live and die during the three and a half year tribulation there.</p><p>They are raised when the Kingdom, "the thousand years", is 'established' or as the word is translated misleadingly, in most versions, "ended". The Kingdom is "ended" in the sense that it is established. I have shown on :3 above that this Greek word certainly bears the translation "established" or "set up". When the Kingdom is established, the dead are raised; and there will be a period in which the Lord is with them, whilst the dragon is restrained in the abyss.</p><p><em>This is the first resurrection</em>- The resurrection of the dead, specifically those killed during the tribulation, is when the thousand years are established "ended" is the first resurrection. This is a decided difficulty for those holding the traditional view that there are two resurrections, one at the start and one at the end of the Millennium. For here it is stated clearly that the first resurrection is when the 1,000 years are "ended". I suggest there is little option but to recognize that "ended" is an unhelpful translation, and the sense is rather "established, set up" rather than "ended". The text never speaks of a 'second resurrection':&nbsp;<em>Protos</em>, "first", admittedly&nbsp;<em>sometimes</em>&nbsp;implies the first of a series, but it can also mean 'the one big and essential thing'; as in "seek&nbsp;<em>first</em>&nbsp;the Kingdom". It could even be argued that the usage of&nbsp;<em>protos</em>&nbsp;suggests there is no other resurrection to be thought of at all The only other Bible verse which speaks of two resurrections is in <em><a href='B:500 5:29'>Joh 5:29</a></em>, where the Lord speaks of a resurrection to life- perhaps the "first resurrection" and a resurrection&nbsp;<em>at that same time</em>&nbsp;of the unworthy "to death", spoken of here in Revelation as "the second death".</p>


text:
<p>20:6&nbsp;<em>Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power</em>- The "second death" could refer to those who die in this life responsible to God, having not responded to Him; are resurrected and judged at Christ's return; and then are punished with death, the second death they will have experienced. But the specific reference here is to the members of the beast system who die during the tribulation and are raised to judgment by those whom they killed, judging on the Lord's behalf. The "first resurrection" is that which happens when the 1,000 years are "ended" or, as I suggest it should be translated, "established". The promise not to be hurt by the second death is made to believers of our age (<em><a href='B:730 2:11'>Rev 2:11</a></em>)- it occurs at the judgment when Christ returns, not at the end of a Millennium. The second death is symbolized as a lake of fire, into which the dragon is also cast and thus destroyed permanently (<em><a href='B:730 20:14'>Rev 20:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:8'>Rev 21:8</a></em>). This second death will in fact be the destruction of death itself, as there shall be no more death after death itself is destroyed (<em><a href='B:730 20:14'>Rev 20:14</a></em>). Yet the second death is threatened to those of this age who do not respond to the Gospel after hearing it (<em><a href='B:730 2:11'>Rev 2:11</a></em>). This second death will happen at Christ's return, for that is when we shall be judged, and not at the end of a 1,000 year period. The rejected go away into figurative fire and destruction- at the Lord's return. Not at some point 1,000 years after that.</p>


text:
<p>20:7&nbsp;<em>And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be released from his prison</em>-&nbsp; He was "captured" (19:20) and imprisoned, just as Babylon had been a cage or hold / prison for others (see on <em><a href='B:730 18:2'>Rev 18:2</a></em>). Again, "finished" should be translated "established". Satan is released from the abyss as outlined in <em><a href='B:730 9:1-21'>Rev 9:1-21</a></em> - which clearly refers to the events of the second coming. See on <em><a href='B:730 20:1'>Rev 20:1</a></em> and <em><a href='B:730 20:2'>Rev 20:2</a></em>.</p><p>This overall sequence of judgment on the kings of the earth, gathering them into a pit, shutting them up, then their revival and final destruction and then the unchallenged, eternal reign of Christ is the same sequence as in <em><a href='B:290 24:20-23'>Isa 24:20-23</a></em>. Very significantly, Psalms 2 has a similar picture, of Christ ruling amidst his enemies, "the kings of the earth / land" (cp. <em><a href='B:730 19:19'>Rev 19:19</a></em>), who then decide to cast away the cords with which Christ has bound them (<em><a href='B:230 2:3'>Psa 2:3</a></em>). This is exactly the scene of Revelation 20; the enchained remnants of the first invasion, along with the rejected saints, being loosed from their chains and surrounding Jerusalem. Interestingly, Psalms 2 describes them throwing off their chains, whilst Revelation 20 says that their chains of condemnation are loosed. Presumably this means that they try a rebellion against the Lord Jesus which he 'lets' succeed. The language of <em><a href='B:730 19:15-18'>Rev 19:15-18</a></em> combines allusions to both Psalms 2 and also Ezekiel 38 - as if to imply that they both prophecy of the same invasion, i:e. that after Christ has returned.</p>


text:
<p>20:8&nbsp;<em>And shall come to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog-</em>&nbsp;The similarities with Ezekiel 38/9 are so strong; an unsuccessful invasion of God's land when His people are in "peace and safety" (a phrase elsewhere used about the Kingdom), and destruction by fire. According to the usual view of Revelation 20, this similarity means absolutely nothing. This cannot be correct exposition. There must be a connection; surely this must refer to the same invasion? It would be the scenario of Psalms 2, where the nations of the land come against the Lord and His people in Jerusalem, after the type of the Assyrians surrounding Hezekiah in Jerusalem. Gog in Ezekiel 38 refers to an individual, not a nation. Is this man Gog to lead an attack against Jerusalem at the beginning&nbsp;<em>and&nbsp;</em>end of a 1,000 year reign?</p><p><em>"</em>Shall come to" should be as AV: "Shall go out"- implying the bottomless pit is a geographical area? Satan deceives the "nations" but <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em> says that when the Kingdom is established, there will be no more sea, no more nations. Therefore this must be appropriate to the beginning of the Kingdom. During the setting up period, the nations come up to worship Christ, as often prophesied in the O:T:;&nbsp;however, they are described as entering into the city (<em><a href='B:730 21:24-27'>Rev 21:24-27</a></em>), i:e. attaining immortality through their faith and obedience. The dragon "will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth/ land" (RSV). The Gog / Magog invasion comes from those dwelling in the "isles" (<em><a href='B:330 39:6'>Eze 39:6</a></em>); but this Greek phrase often means Gentile areas on the borders of the land (<em><a href='B:290 41:5'>Isa 41:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 47:4'>Jer 47:4</a></em>; and "the isles" in Ezekiel refer to lands bordering the land of promise). Abraham was from the sides of the land of Israel (<em><a href='B:290 41:8-9'>Isa 41:8-9</a></em>), the margins of the land of promise- from where the final invasion will come. There is triple emphasis on his deception (:3,8,10). He continues the work of the false prophet, after the false prophet is put into the lake of fire. The dragon carries on his work; the false prophet is Babylon (<em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em>), who also deceived (<em><a href='B:730 18:23'>Rev 18:23</a></em>). The bottomless pit, where the rebellion comes from, is therefore at the borders of the land. The Kingdom of God is fundamentally based upon the land of Israel.</p><p>The dragon was a deceiver back in <em><a href='B:730 12:9'>Rev 12:9</a></em>, and still is, as Jezebel in the early church deceived (<em><a href='B:730 2:20'>Rev 2:20</a></em>). The dragon of chapter 12 is cast down at Christ's return; the description of the dragon being cast into the pit is an amplification of thIsa. When the dragon is thrown down in chapter 12, he persecutes those of the land (natural Israel?) and the sea (the nations?) for "a short time" (<em><a href='B:730 12:12'>Rev 12:12</a></em>)- the "little season" of <em><a href='B:730 20:3'>Rev 20:3</a></em>? The dragon is cast out of heaven in <em><a href='B:730 12:9'>Rev 12:9</a></em> - meaning that he is thrown out of the 'heavens' of the land of Israel (or the temple specifically), into the earth / world:&nbsp;</p><table><tr><td></p><h4>Revelation 12</td><td>Revelation 20</td><td>Comment</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The dragon persecutes the woman for 3½ years</td><td></td><td>The tribulation before Christ's coming</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Thrown out of the temple / land of Israel (heaven) to the earth / rest of the world</td><td>Dragon cast to the abyss</td><td>Christ comes to throw the man of sin out of his place in 'heaven' (2 Thessalonians 2)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>There for a while until he realizes he has a short time</td><td>Chained</td><td>Setting up of the Kingdom</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Makes war with the saints for another 3½ years, replicating the holocaust, also involving suffering for the sea (nations) and the land-dwellers (natural Israel?)</td><td>Makes war with the saints; aims&nbsp;for Jerusalem.</td><td>Rebellion; the invasion of Ezekiel 38 and maybe Joel 3; the desire for the temple in Joel 3 would then be another similarity between the rebellion and the invasion prior to Christ's return.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Destroyed by fire</td><td>The Ezekiel 38/39 invasion is destroyed in two stages; five sixths are destroyed first, then the final sixth- by fire.</td><td></td></tr></table><p><em>To gather them together to the war. The number of them is as the sand of the sea</em>- They are gathered to "<em>the</em>&nbsp;battle" (RV)- the final battle which the OT prophets so often mention. They are a false seed of Abraham, as the sand of the sea. Jihadists claim to be the true seed of Abraham, and Jews and Christians are the false seed.</h4>


text:
<p>20:9&nbsp;<em>And they went over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and fire came down out of heaven and devoured them</em>- They compass Jerusalem- s:w. <em><a href='B:490 21:20'>Luk 21:20</a></em>. As they did during the invasion of the earth / land promised to Abraham prior to Christ's coming, so they will do in this re-enactment of it. The rejected saints and defeated jihadist armies will make the rebellion of <em><a href='B:730 20:9'>Rev 20:9</a></em>. This will connect with the rebellion of Korah and his company of rejects against the encampment of God and His faithful people- which was also destroyed by fire. The lake of fire / bottomless pit / second death all seem to be parallel. This final, futile attack is spoken of briefly in <em><a href='B:730 12:17'>Rev 12:17</a></em>; see note there about the parallels between Revelation 12, 20. This is the scenario of Psalms 2, where the Lord is enthroned in Zion and then attacked; and of Ezekiel 38, where Gog comes down in an unsuccessful invasion against an Israel already enjoying the Kingdom conditions of dwelling without bars and gates and at peace.</p>


text:
<p>20:10&nbsp;<em>And the Devil that deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where are also the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever</em>- The dragon is in the abyss and deceives the nations which are there. The devil will deceive during the rebellion as it did in the period of the tribulation before the Lord's return (<em><a href='B:730 12:9'>Rev 12:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 13:14'>Rev 13:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 13:18'>Rev 13:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em>). The devil is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet already&nbsp;<em>are</em>. This suggests that their punishment lasts until the Kingdom is established, and until the "little season" of the rebellion is finished; the "short time" of desperate persecution of the woman after the dragon has been cast out of heaven / power in <em><a href='B:730 12:12'>Rev 12:12</a></em>. Thus it would seem that the punishment of the wicked and rebels is to exist for some time into the Kingdom age. A number of passages tend to agree with thIsa. The righteous will go forth from the borders of the promised land and look at their carcasses (<em><a href='B:290 66:1-24'>Isa 66:1-24</a></em>). The rejected saints go to the same place (<em><a href='B:730 20:15'>Rev 20:15</a></em>), condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11). The devil and beast will be cast to the lake of fire (<em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 20:10'>Rev 20:10</a></em>), as will all the rejected (<em><a href='B:730 20:15'>Rev 20:15</a></em>); they will go to the same place. As Satan is bound (<em><a href='B:730 20:2'>Rev 20:2</a></em>), so will the rejected be (<em><a href='B:470 13:30'>Mat 13:30</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 22:13'>Mat 22:13</a></em>). This will be the antitype of Zedekiah being bound in condemnation (<em><a href='B:300 52:11'>Jer 52:11</a></em>).</p><p>The beast and false prophet have a specific destruction promised them- the lake of fire which is the second death (:14). If death is their destruction, then they cannot be consciously tormented for ever. "Torment" translates a Greek word which simply means "pain", and does not of itself imply eternal torment. Their destruction will be in "the lake of fire", which is a specific geographic location upon earth, probably Gehenna just outside the Jerusalem which they have tried to recapture. But all the earth shall be filled with God's glory throughout the Kingdom's eternity, so it is inconceivable that this is a literal description. The "forever and ever" translates&nbsp;<em>aion</em>which can mean a period of limited duration, an 'age' which has an end. That age would then refer to the age in existence until the Kingdom of God is fully established on earth. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and so He will not be tormenting people for ever; note that the word "hell" doesn't occur here. "Day and night" invites comparison with the fact that there shall be no night in the Kingdom of God (<em><a href='B:730 22:5'>Rev 22:5</a></em>); perhaps this is mentioned as if to say: 'Their torment will indeed be painful and constant, every day and night of the old age /&nbsp;<em>aion</em>, until the Kingdom of God is fully established on earth and there shall be no more night'.</p>


text:
<p>20:11- see on <em><a href='B:650 2:3'>Heb 2:3</a></em>.</p><p><em>And I saw a great white throne and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them</em>- <em><a href='B:730 20:11'>Rev 20:11</a></em> is amplified / repeated in <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em>. This is about the judgment at the second coming, not the end of the 'Millennium'. Earth and heaven fleeing away (cp. <em><a href='B:730 6:14'>Rev 6:14</a></em>) refers to the passing of the old human system. "There was no place found for them" alludes to <em><a href='B:340 2:35'>Dan 2:35</a></em> about the beast system being destroyed at Christ's second coming, not the end of the 'Millennium'. This is surely the new heaven and earth of <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em>; that of <em><a href='B:290 65:17'>Isa 65:17</a></em> and <em><a href='B:680 3:13'>2Pe 3:13</a></em>, which will be established at Christ's return.</p><p>The fleeing away refers to how along with the beast's remnants, the rejected believers will slink away from the Lord's presence (<em><a href='B:690 2:24'>1Jn 2:24</a></em> Gk:). The whole heaven and earth of this present world will likewise flee away from the face of the enthroned Christ (<em><a href='B:730 20:11'>Rev 20:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 2:21'>Isa 2:21</a></em>). Fleeing away is a characteristic of both the unworthy and also the world which they loved. In some sense the world will come before the judgment seat of Christ to be rejected (<em><a href='B:340 7:9-14'>Dan 7:9-14</a></em>).</p><p>The great white throne judgment must refer to a judgment at the end of the 1,000 years if we follow the classical Millennial reign view. But Harry Whittaker points out some of the serious problems with this:</p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<p> 1:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The earlier visions in this set of seven certainly concern events at the beginning of the Millennium. It would be strange if this series is so broken up that a gap of a thousand years is to be read between the fulfilment of some and of the rest.<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 2:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 20:11'>Rev 20:11</a></em>: “I saw ::. him that sat on the throne, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away." The heaven and earth, which flee away, must be the old human order (compare <em><a href='B:730 6:14'>Rev 6:14</a></em>). Is there much point in such a description if this judgement takes place a thousand years after the earth and heaven fled away?<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 3:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “…and there was no place found for them” is a phrase quarried out of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (<em><a href='B:340 2:35'>Dan 2:35</a></em>). Again the words suggest the work of Messiah in destroying the kingdoms of men. There is little relevance to the end of Messiah’s kingdom.<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 4:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em>: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth." <em><a href='B:290 65:17'>Isa 65:17</a></em> and <em><a href='B:680 3:13'>2Pe 3:13</a></em> are equally emphatic that this is the setting up of the kingdom of Christ.<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 5:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The allusions in ch. <em><a href='B:730 21:2'>Rev 21:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:9'>Rev 21:9</a></em> to “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” are difficult to harmonize with a time when all are redeemed. It is impossible to believe that the Bride waits a thousand years for union with her Lord. This new Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”. The symbolism requires reference to “the marriage supper of the Lamb” at the time of his coming. The context of <em><a href='B:730 19:7-9'>Rev 19:7-9</a></em> puts this conclusion beyond argument.<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 6:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20:12: “and the books were opened: and another book ::. which is the book of life." These are unmistakable allusions to <em><a href='B:340 7:10'>Dan 7:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a></em>. Would anyone argue for an application of these passages to the end of the Millennium?<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 7:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 21:3: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." This is a very slightly modified quotation of <em><a href='B:330 37:26'>Eze 37:26</a></em> b, 27, the time of reference of which is again unmistakable.<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 8:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The description of the New Jerusalem includes this: “the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour unto it ::. they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it” (<em><a href='B:730 21:24'>Rev 21:24</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:26'>Rev 21:26</a></em>). Will there be “nations” and “kings of the earth” when Christ’s reign has been concluded?<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 9:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The same passage has a long series of undeniable allusions to <em><a href='B:290 60:1-22'>Isa 60:1-22</a></em>: “The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it ::. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there” - these are two examples but the whole of ch. <em><a href='B:730 21:22-27'>Rev 21:22-27</a></em> should be studied. Again, the question has an easy answer: What epoch does Isaiah’s prophecy describe? Then what does <em><a href='B:730 21:22-27'>Rev 21:22-27</a></em> refer to?<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 10:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A similar argument can be based on Isaiah 65. Without direct quotation, no less than eight points of contact can be traced between the second half of that chapter and the first eight verses of Revelation 21. So it is reasonable to assume that the two Scriptures are about the same thing. What is Isaiah 65 about?<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 11:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ch. 22:2: “And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." So at the time spoken of there will be nations to be healed</p>


text:
<p>20:12&nbsp;<em>And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works</em>- The opening of the books is that of <em><a href='B:340 7:10'>Dan 7:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a></em>, which concern the start of the Kingdom age, not the end of some 'Millennium'.</p><p><em>Another book was opened, which is the book of life-&nbsp;</em>The scroll of life is only opened once all the seals are loosed. These seals all refer to events leading up to the Lord's return. The book does not remain sealed until 1,000 years after His return. The reference is to the judgment seat at the Lord's return.</p><p><em>Judged out of the things which were written in the books</em>- When Christ opens the books of His people (<em><a href='B:730 20:12'>Rev 20:12</a></em>; as if each saint has a book written about him recording his life), He does this through discussing with our guardian the details of our life. Perhaps the Angels with have literal books with them; we pointed out earlier that the Angels do seem to use their facility for reading and writing.</p><p>The judgment seat is described as if literal books are written each day we live, and these will be opened and considered by God at the last day, in order to decide whether to give us the reward of the Kingdom or not. When we survey the total of God’s revelation, it is evident that this is not to be taken literally. There will be a judgment, the result of which will be proportionate to the way we have lived our daily lives. But God (through the Lord Jesus) will not need to weigh up evidence. The books were written before the world began in the sense that God knew then who would be in His Kingdom. It is almost impossible to suggest that there will be literal scrolls unrolled. The idea of scrolls was no doubt used because it would have been understandable by those who were first inspired with God’s word. Yet this is how God reveals the judgment to us; in human terms which we are capable of understanding. We are not explicitly told that there will not be literal scrolls, or that God will not need to weigh up evidence to decide whether we will be in the Kingdom. Moses (<em><a href='B:20 32:32'>Exo 32:32</a></em>) and Nehemiah (<em><a href='B:160 13:14'>Neh 13:14</a></em>) perhaps saw the judgment in this literal sense, but this does not mean that there will be actual scrolls unrolled.</p><p>But there is another possibility. As suggested on :4 and :13,14, the resurrection and judgment here may refer to the beast's members who died during the tribulation. They are judged against what they did to those whose names are in the book of life; and it is those whom they killed, whose names are in that book and who are now alive, who judge them, according to what is written in the other book concerning what they did during the tribulation.</p>


text:
<p>20:13&nbsp;<em>And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and every man was judged according to their works</em>- But <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em> says that in the new heaven and earth, there is no more sea. If <em><a href='B:730 20:13'>Rev 20:13</a></em> refers to the end of the Millennium, then <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em> must likewise. But the coming of a new heaven and earth is a figure repeatedly used about the establishment of the Kingdom at the Lord's return. And <em><a href='B:730 21:2'>Rev 21:2</a></em> says that this is the time when the bride meets her husband, the Lord Jesus. This is at the Lord's return, and not 1,000 years later.</p><p>The sea giving up the dead doesn't refer to dead bodies floating upwards; the sea refers to the nations under the beast's dominion (<em><a href='B:730 17:5'>Rev 17:5</a></em>), which gave power to the beast and upon which it sat (see on <em><a href='B:730 13:1'>Rev 13:1</a></em>). The sea in this sense won't exist after the Kingdom is established (<em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em>); therefore this refers to the judgment at Christ's return and not at the end of a thousand year period. Is the bottomless pit to be equated with the lake of fire? A place of punishment? The rebels are punished and then those who survive (i:e. those deserving more punishment) are sent back to this area, where they are punished for a long time, day and night for ever (<em><a href='B:730 20:10'>Rev 20:10</a></em>). But there will be no day and night as such in the Kingdom (<em><a href='B:730 21:25'>Rev 21:25</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 22:5'>Rev 22:5</a></em>). Therefore we must take this description of their punishment figuratively.</p><p>It could be that this giving up of the dead by "the sea" refers to how those who participated in the abuse of Israel and the believers during the tribulation will not escape final judgment; they will be resurrected and judged for what they did, and destroyed with the second death. This would explain why this is a judgment for "works", when works in that sense are irrelevant to those saved by grace. This group will be raised to answer for their evil works during the tribulation, and then be punished with the second death.</p>


text:
<p>20:14&nbsp;<em>And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire</em>- The destruction of death is paralleled with the second death, which occurs at the judgment (<em><a href='B:730 21:8'>Rev 21:8</a></em>), when Christ comes. The second death can't happen twice, at the&nbsp;start&nbsp;<em>and</em>&nbsp;end of the 'Millennium'. What is in view here is events at the Lord's return and the establishment of the Kingdom, not at the end of some 1000 year period. Death, sorrow etc. (<em><a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a></em>) are destroyed for&nbsp;<em>us</em>, the believers; this is believer-centric language. Likewise "men" in <em><a href='B:730 21:3'>Rev 21:3</a></em> refers to the believers, not all human beings then alive (some will still be enduring punishment).</p>


text:
<p>20:15&nbsp;<em>And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire</em>- The idea of being found written in a book is common in the narratives of the restoration, which looked forward to the final restoration of the Kingdom. Only those "found written" in the genealogies could be Levites in the re-established Kingdom (<em><a href='B:160 7:5'>Neh 7:5</a></em>); those corrupted by their time in Babylon were excluded. And specifically it is those Jews who spiritually survive the final tribulation, the time of trouble in Israel such as never was, who are found written in the book and delivered (<em><a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a></em>). It is those written in that book who will not have worshipped the beast during the final three and a half year tribulation (<em><a href='B:730 13:8'>Rev 13:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 17:8'>Rev 17:8</a></em>). Some will tragically have had their names removed from that book (<em><a href='B:730 3:5'>Rev 3:5</a></em>). Again, the purview of the teaching in this chapter is specifically about the believers and unbelievers in the earth / land promised to Abraham during the tribulation period.</p>


text:
<p>21:1&nbsp;<em>And I saw a new heaven and a new earth</em>:&nbsp;<em>For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away</em>- This is the situation presented in 2 Peter 3. The present system "heaven and earth" passes away at the Lord's return, and is replaced by the new one of the Kingdom age. I emphasize this because Revelation 21 is about the situation at the time of the Lord's return- and not some point 1,000 years after it. This means that the statement that "death shall be no more" (:4) is true at this point- of the Lord's return to earth and establishment of the Kingdom. If death is truly "no more" in the new system "heaven and earth", then there can be no 'mortal population' during the next 1,000 years. In other words, the theory of a Millennial reign needs to be radically re-thought, because as it popularly stands it is simply contrary to the text of Scripture.</p><p><em>And the sea was no more</em>- "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (<em><a href='B:290 57:20'>Isa 57:20</a></em>). The sea refers to nations in <em><a href='B:730 17:15'>Rev 17:15</a></em>, and as noted on <em><a href='B:730 13:1'>Rev 13:1</a></em>, to the nations immediately surrounding the earth / land promised to Abraham who gave power to the beast and Babylon system. We read later in chapter 21 of how the nations enter into the new Jerusalem- the unbelieving, ignorant world at the time of the Lord's return are given the opportunity to come enter into the city of God, where there is only a new Israel, and no national differences. So this would be explaining how the situation where there is "no more sea" / nations came about. However it may be that the point of contrast is with the fact that in the Kingdom age, the source of water will not be the sea and its role in the water cycle, but rather the water which emerges from Zion (<em><a href='B:730 22:1'>Rev 22:1</a></em>). The book of Revelation also seeks to subtly undermine the commonly accepted views of evil, by showing that all the beasts, dragons, demons imaginable are in fact not radical, free-ranging evil as many imagined both then and now, but rather under God's very tight control; they are playing their role within His purpose, all leading towards the final end when sin and evil will be no more on earth. "The sea" was feared by the first century world, as being the source of monsters and evil. Rather than trying to argue that actually, that's nonsense- <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em> instead teaches that whatever our beliefs are about "the sea", it will ultimately be no more when Christ returns.</p><p>The language of this whole section in <em><a href='B:730 21:1-8'>Rev 21:1-8</a></em> connects with <em><a href='B:290 65:1-25'>Isa 65:1-25</a></em>, concerning the establishment of the Kingdom, not after the Millennium. Heaven and earth pass away, the former (Gk:&nbsp;<em>proton</em>) things pass (:4)- the things that were once first place now pass. In <em><a href='B:730 20:13'>Rev 20:13</a></em>, the sea gives up the dead; and this is applied to the 'end of the Millennium' by those who believe in a Millennial reign. But here in <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em>, "the sea" no longer exists at the start of the Lord's reign- for it is at this time that the bride meets the groom, and the Kingdom is established. Hence <em><a href='B:730 20:13'>Rev 20:13</a></em> must be interpreted as referring to some time around Christ's return; see my notes on chapter 20.</p><h4>Revelation of the situation after the Millennium would surely be inappropriate, if not impossible, for us to receive in this dispensation:&nbsp;The context of Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 is set in chapter 20. The earth and heaven flee away when Christ sits on the throne, "and there was found no place for them" (<em><a href='B:730 20:11'>Rev 20:11</a></em>). This is almost quoting <em><a href='B:340 2:35'>Dan 2:35</a></em> concerning the establishment of the Kingdom, not the end of a 1000 year period. In place of this heaven and earth, a new heaven and earth appear in <em><a href='B:730 21:1'>Rev 21:1</a></em>. This is the language of <em><a href='B:290 65:17'>Isa 65:17</a></em> and <em><a href='B:680 3:13'>2Pe 3:13</a></em> concerning the second coming:&nbsp;In this context, John sees "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (<em><a href='B:730 21:2'>Rev 21:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:9'>Rev 21:9</a></em>):&nbsp;The church is only a bride at the time of the second coming, seeing she marries Christ at the marriage supper:&nbsp;At this time, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death", sorrow etc. (<em><a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a></em>):&nbsp;&nbsp; The church will not be afflicted by these things during the Millennium; this must refer to Christ's return. Likewise the gift of the water of life (<em><a href='B:730 21:6'>Rev 21:6</a></em>) is at the judgment at the second coming:&nbsp;The idea of former things (e:g. death, tears) passing away in 21:4 is one of many connections in Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 with Isaiah's prophecies of the second coming (<em><a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a></em> = <em><a href='B:290 60:20'>Isa 60:20</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 65:19'>Isa 65:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:25'>Rev 21:25</a></em> = <em><a href='B:290 60:11'>Isa 60:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 60:20'>Isa 60:20</a></em>):&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 21:7'>Rev 21:7</a></em> speaks of the time when the faithful believer will receive his inheritance:&nbsp;This surely refers to the judgment at the second coming (<em><a href='B:470 25:34'>Mat 25:34</a></em>):&nbsp;Revelation 22 has a number of connections with Revelation 21 which would indicate that we are to see Revelation 22 as also referring to the start, rather than the end, of the Millennium (e:g. <em><a href='B:730 22:14'>Rev 22:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:27'>Rev 21:27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 2:7'>Rev 2:7</a></em>):&nbsp;"The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (<em><a href='B:730 22:2'>Rev 22:2</a></em>) is another obvious example:&nbsp; "They shall reign for ever and ever" (<em><a href='B:730 22:5'>Rev 22:5</a></em>) is the language of <em><a href='B:340 7:18'>Dan 7:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 7:27'>Dan 7:27</a></em> concerning the judgment at Christ's return:&nbsp;</h4>


text:
<p>21:2&nbsp;<em>And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God</em>- see on <em><a href='B:590 4:14'>1Th 4:14</a></em>. The whole prophetic metanarrative of the Bible is in many ways a tale of two cities- Babylon and Jerusalem. There are times when Babylon masquerades as Zion- a false city of God with a false Messiah leading her. Babylon / Babel was a city built to reach&nbsp;<em>unto</em>&nbsp;Heaven, in contrast to the true city of God which&nbsp;<em>comes down&nbsp;</em>from Heaven (<em><a href='B:10 11:4'>Gen 11:4</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:730 21:2'>Rev 21:2</a></em>). And there are times when Zion in her apostasy has appeared as Babylon. But in the final conflict of the last days, these two cities will be literally pitted against each other. Natural Jerusalem will be where Babylon makes her throne (see on <em><a href='B:730 16:19'>Rev 16:19</a></em>) and will be destroyed by fire and sulphur; but then the new Jerusalem comes down upon her ruins. It was in Babylon where Nimrod first built the tower of Babel, the first organized rebellion against God; and it was there that God first entered into open judgment of flesh and humanity&nbsp;<em>en masse</em>. And it is here likewise that His purpose with sin and His true people will likewise be fulfilled. Babylon was also called Su-anna, “the holy city”. Yet “the holy city” is Jerusalem, thus making Babylon a fake Zion, although she is briefly built on the site of Zion. Herodotus says the city was square, just as new Jerusalem. We have shown elsewhere that the events of the Babylonian invasion are typical of the last days. That invasion was “the time of Israel’s trouble” (<em><a href='B:300 11:12'>Jer 11:12</a></em>), clearly typical of Jacob’s latter day “time of trouble”.</p><p><em>Made ready as a bride-&nbsp;</em>"The bride" is married at the marriage supper (19:7-9)- not at the end of the Millennium. Therefore this is about the setting up of the Kingdom at Christ's return. The marriage supper of the lamb is at the Lord's return, not 1,000 years after it. The same words are used in <em><a href='B:730 19:7'>Rev 19:7</a></em> about the preparation of the bride. Therefore this vision, during which it is declared that death has ended (:4), is at the Lord's return. The destruction of death is spoken of in chapter 20 as being when the 1,000 years are established mistranslated with the sense of "expired". Yet here in chapter 21, death ends at the time of the marriage of the lamb. There is thus no place for any theories of a 'mortal population' in the Kingdom of God. In the 1st century application, John&nbsp;the Baptists attempted to prepare s:w. "made ready" the bride, but this failed in that Israel crucified her Messiah (<em><a href='B:490 1:17'>Luk 1:17</a></em> s:w:). The marriage supper, the Kingdom, has been "prepared" from the beginning of the world (<em><a href='B:470 22:4'>Mat 22:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 25:34'>Mat 25:34</a></em>;) and through the Lord's death (<em><a href='B:500 14:2-3'>Joh 14:2-3</a></em>). It is the bride who is not ready. The implication is surely that once the bride is "prepared / made ready", then the marriage supper begins. The preparation of the bride is through the baptism of the last converts, and the spiritual preparation of those who are baptized.</p><p>The adornment or making read is surely of good works and spiritual fruits, by which we adorn the teaching of the Gospel (<em><a href='B:630 2:10'>Tit 2:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:670 3:5'>1Pe 3:5</a></em>). In this we see the significance of works. The Lord will marry us because we are His beloved, of His sovereign choice. But in response, we adorn ourselves as best we can for Him who has so loved us. And yet the greatest adornment is the white garments of imputed righteousness which are given to us (see on 19:8).</p>


text:
<p>21:3- see on <em><a href='B:500 1:14'>Joh 1:14</a></em>.</p><p><em>And I heard a great voice out of the throne, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them</em>- This is stating the same wondrous truth three times. God shall indeed live with us on earth. Heaven shall come to earth. This is all an allusion to <em><a href='B:330 37:26-27'>Eze 37:26-27</a></em>, concerning the time of Christ's return. If God lives with us at Christ's return, how will He be shielded from the 'mortal' population? This problem disappears if the 1000 years is seen as a description of the Kingdom itself. Seeing God's face was what motivated Job, and John seems to allude to it as the final consolation in 1 John 4.</p><p>"The tabernacle of God", being God's people;&nbsp;He being our God; God living and walking with us, is all evidently alluding to <em><a href='B:30 26:11-12'>Lev 26:11-12</a></em> and <em><a href='B:20 29:45-46'>Exo 29:45-46</a></em> concerning the ultimate blessings of the covenant after Israel's final repentance. The shadowy fulfilment they have had in the past through God's manifestation in an Angel doesn't mean that these promises can and must only be fulfilled by some form of God manifestation:&nbsp;Surely <em><a href='B:730 21:3'>Rev 21:3</a></em> is saying that at the second coming the principle of God manifestation will change in that God will personally be with His people. Because we have so far lived under the paradigm of God manifestation, let's not think that it's not possible for God to personally be with us:&nbsp;Let's really try to be broad-minded enough to take this on board:&nbsp;</p><p>The other references to "God himself" are to Yahweh personally, rather than to Christ:&nbsp; <em><a href='B:290 45:18'>Isa 45:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 5:37'>Joh 5:37</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 16:27'>Joh 16:27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 5:18-19'>2Co 5:18-19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 1:5'>Eph 1:5</a></em>:&nbsp; Indeed, those N:T. references seem to point a difference between "God himself" and Christ:&nbsp;So isn't it lack of spiritual vision- perhaps even of faith - that makes us wriggle against the idea of God Himself, in person, living with us?&nbsp;The idea of God Himself dwelling with men in the tabernacle (temple) of the new city of Jerusalem is a clear reference to <em><a href='B:330 48:35'>Eze 48:35</a></em>, which says that the name of Jerusalem in the Millennium will be "Yahweh is there". These ideas doubtless also have reference to Yahweh's promise to David to build an eternal house for Yahweh's Name:&nbsp;This verse seems to teach that God Himself, in person, will descend to earth with Christ:&nbsp;This might sound altogether too incredible:&nbsp; But think about the idea:&nbsp;The King Himself (= God) comes to see the guests at the wedding of His Son (= Jesus; <em><a href='B:470 22:11'>Mat 22:11</a></em>). "God himself" here either means God Himself or God manifest in Christ:&nbsp;"God himself shall be with them" seems to me an odd way of describing Christ's second coming. God will "be their God”. I would just about be willing to concede that this might apply to God manifest in Christ - but for one significant fact:&nbsp;this <em><a href='B:730 21:3'>Rev 21:3</a></em> is packed with O:T. allusions which explicitly refer to God the Father:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><em>And be their God-&nbsp;</em>God promised Abraham that through Christ, His seed, blessing would come on people from all nations, with the result that God would be the God of Abraham's multitudinous seed: "To be a God unto::. your seed::. I will be their God" (<em><a href='B:10 17:7-8'>Gen 17:7-8</a></em>):&nbsp;The seed is Christ, and the "God" is Yahweh:&nbsp;Let's not confuse them:&nbsp;Now in <em><a href='B:730 21:3'>Rev 21:3</a></em> this fundamental promise is alluded to; God Himself will be our God then; we will see Him and have a personal relationship with Him:&nbsp;This would mean that this idea of personally being with God is a fundamental part of the Gospel preached to Abraham:&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p>21:4- see on <em><a href='B:470 25:37-40'>Mat 25:37-40</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 20:14'>Rev 20:14</a></em>.</p><p><em>And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes-&nbsp;</em>The same word is used in <em><a href='B:510 3:19'>Act 3:19</a></em> concerning sin being blotted out at Christ's return. The tears are for our sins (sorrow likewise is connected with sin in Isaiah 53). Will we have an emotional breakdown straight after the judgment? The accepted will feel so certain of this that they will almost argue with the Lord Jesus at the day of judgment that he hasn't made the right decision concerning them (<em><a href='B:470 25:37-40'>Mat 25:37-40</a></em>). It's only a highly convicted man who would dare do that. Thus the Father will have to comfort the faithful in the aftermath of the judgment, wiping away the tears which will&nbsp;<em>then</em>&nbsp;(see context) be in our eyes, and give us special help to realize that our sinful past has now finally been overcome. We will be like the labourers in the parable who walk away from judgment clutching their penny, thinking "I really shouldn't have thIsa. I didn't work for a day, and this is a day's pay". Therefore if we honestly, genuinely feel that we won't be in the Kingdom, well, this is how in some ways the faithful will all feel.</p><p>The tears that will be wiped from our eyes are those associated with "the former things" of this life, and also the emotion associated with our acceptance. But it can't be that it means we will never have the emotion of sadness ever again. For God is made sad, grieved at His heart, even now. And we are to share&nbsp;<em>His</em>&nbsp;nature. Consider for a moment the&nbsp;<em>emotion</em>&nbsp;which we will feel after being granted Divine nature. Malachi says we will be like stalled animals, who are fed, fattened, kept in small dark pens to be killed… who then suddenly break out into the daylight, and go prancing away through the meadows. This will be our leap of joy and taste of true freedom. Yet the Father will have to comfort the faithful in the aftermath of the judgment, wiping away the tears which will&nbsp;<em>then</em>&nbsp;(see context) be in our eyes, and give us special help to realize that our sinful past has now finally been overcome.</p><p><em>And death shall be no more</em>- The end of death is portrayed in Revelation 20 as death being thrown into the lake of fire, which is also the second death. The second death is for those rejected at the judgment at Christ's return. Their punishment with death is therefore the end of death; there will be no more death after that because the curse of death upon Adam's race will be ended. There is no possibility therefore for a 'mortal population' after these things. If there is to be no more crying or pain after the Lord's return, we are scarcely to imagine that there will be exactly these things at some supposed 'second judgment' and 'second condemnation' 1,000 years later.</p><p><em><a href='B:530 15:54-55'>1Co 15:54-55</a></em> likewise speak of the end of death: "But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to fulfilment the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?". The quotation is from <em><a href='B:290 25:8'>Isa 25:8</a></em>, which concerns events at Christ's return- not at the end of the 1,000 years. The end of death will therefore come at the resurrection- when Christ returns. And that is what is being taught here in Revelation 20, 21.</p><p><em>Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more-</em>&nbsp;The Greek for "pain" specifically refers to labour pains. This is all the language of the curse on Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. It fits into a theme of paradise being restored. But labour pains are also used with regard to the experience of the believers during the tribulation. As ever in Revelation, there is especial relevance to the believers who are persecuted and die during the final tribulation in the earth / land promised to Abraham. It is they who have experienced death, sorrow and labour pains.</p><p><em>The first things are passed away</em>- The parallel is with the passing away of the first heaven and earth (:1). The 'heaven and earth' is therefore a figure for "the former things":&nbsp;<em>Former things</em>::. &nbsp;Defined in <em><a href='B:290 48:3-5'>Isa 48:3-5</a></em> as God's prediction "from the beginning" that Israel would sin and be judged by Him with exile. When we read that the "former things" will no longer be remembered, and that both God and man will "remember not the former things" (<em><a href='B:290 43:18'>Isa 43:18</a></em>), perhaps the same reference is in view. <em><a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a></em> predicts that in the Kingdom age, there will be no more tears because "the former things are passed away", literally, 'they are behind'. That may appear obvious, a needless statement of a truism- that past things are past. But the suggestion is that then we will totally realize that our sins are behind us, as God has cast them behind His back. The connection between tears, sorrow and "former things" is a powerful psychological insight into the human condition- sorrow, tears, depression etc. are all connected with our awareness (however subconscious) of human sin, both our own and of others. When we finally grasp that all sin is indeed behind us, then there is the basis for a life without tears. And that is at least theoretically possible even now, if only we will see our sins and perceive them as God does- as past. But we must of course deal with the sins of others in that same way. God's emphasis in Isaiah is that He has "declared" the former things from the start. All our sins in one sense were known to God from the beginning, and He knew how to deal with them.</p><p>God (this is important) made Joseph forget all his "toil", his mental sufferings (<em><a href='B:10 41:51'>Gen 41:51</a></em>). This was a miracle; no amount of steel-willed suppression of his past could have made Joseph paper over all the pain. But God did a psychological miracle upon him. Has God done the same to Christ now in His glory, as He will to us one day soon (<em><a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a></em>)? Yet the Lord will be factually aware of His sacrifice and the associated pain. God presumably did not obliterate Joseph's memory cells, but He made him "forget" the pain. This is surely what God has done to Christ, and what He will do to us: take away the pain on a psychological level whilst still leaving a factual awareness. Is it too much to suggest that even now, God is ready and willing to do something like this?</p>


text:
<p>21:5&nbsp;<em>And he that sits on the throne said: Behold I make all things new. And he said: Write For these words are faithful and true-&nbsp;</em>All things will be made new at the Lord’s coming, and yet those in whom the new creation is worked out already have all things made new in their spiritual experience (<em><a href='B:540 5:17-18'>2Co 5:17-18</a></em>):&nbsp;</p><p>The utter literality of all this was emphasized to John, when he was told:&nbsp;"Write For these words are true and faithful". The almost fantastical description of God Himself wiping away all the tears that are in (Gk:) the eyes of men::. this really is true and faithful:&nbsp;It could be that the wonder of the idea of meeting God in person::. boggled John's mind to the point he wondered whether he really was intended to write this down, doubting whether all this could be really true. And he exactly represents our feelings.</p>


text:
<p>21:6&nbsp;<em>And he said to me: They have come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life</em>- We, now, take the water of life (<em><a href='B:730 22:17'>Rev 22:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 4:14'>Joh 4:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 10:8'>Mat 10:8</a></em>). The picture surely is that at this time, we receive literal immortality. It speaks of the Lord's return and not the end of some point 1,000 years afterwards. It is at this time, when we receive immortality, drinking the water of life, that death itself ends. So there will be no 'mortal population' after that. And yet as John's gospel stresses, we can right now drink of that water of life; we can receive the gift of the spirit, of the Lord's mind and thinking, of His life; so that we can begin to live now the kind of life which we shall eternally live. And the Greek tenses could imply that throughout eternity we are continually given, in an ongoing sense, to drink of this water of life. It is life as He has it, and not just the one-time gift of immortality.</p><p>The "freely" giving of the water of life recalls the river Pison in the garden of Eden, which means 'freely flowing'. There are allusions galore to Eden through the final visions of Revelation- for Eden shall be restored and the curse lifted.</p>


text:
<p>21:7&nbsp;<em>He that overcomes shall inherit these things</em>- The letters to the churches begin Revelation by repeatedly promising that "he that overcomes" will be recompensed at Christ's return- no suggestion is made that the recompense will be 1,000 years after His return (<em><a href='B:730 2:7'>Rev 2:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 2:11'>Rev 2:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 2:17'>Rev 2:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 2:26'>Rev 2:26</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 3:5'>Rev 3:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 3:12'>Rev 3:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 3:21'>Rev 3:21</a></em>). The Greek word translated "overcomes" occurs nowhere else. The reference here is therefore to the time of Christ's return; and it is at this time that death will be ended (:4), i:e. cast into the lake of fire. If death itself is destroyed at the Lord's return, there cannot be any mortal population during a supposed 1000 year reign which commences at His return.</p><p><em>And I will be his God and he shall be my son</em>- An application of the promise to David about Messiah to each one of us who is in Christ. The wonder of our eternal living will be that we shall relate to the Father as the Lord Jesus did. The prospect offered to us is very much in terms of&nbsp;<em>relationship</em>&nbsp;with the Father and Son, without being disturbed by personal sin and the possibility of sinning; rather than a presentation of a literal picture of a physical, materially optimal existence.</p>


text:
<p>21:8&nbsp;<em>But for the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur; which is the second death</em>- The language of murder, fornication, lying, sorcery and idolatry has all been used in Revelation of the beast / Babylon system and their various associated acts such as the false prophet. It is they who shall be destroyed in the second death; implying that they shall be raised to judgment even if they died during the tribulation. I have suggested in chapter 20 that the descriptions of resurrection, judgment by those who they killed, and destruction in the second death all refer specifically to this category.</p><p>These people are those of <em><a href='B:730 20:15'>Rev 20:15</a></em>, those of <em><a href='B:730 22:15'>Rev 22:15</a></em> who are placed (geographically?) outside the encampment of the people of God in Jerusalem, perhaps to be literally burnt in Gehenna outside the city.</p><h4>But just as apparently 'petty' sins by secular judgment are juxtaposed alongside apparently 'major' ones in Paul's writings, so here, the "fearful and unbelieving" are categorized alongside the abusive members of the beast system. Those who won't believe the good news of salvation in Jesus are in the same category as those society would characterize as serious sinners, the abusive members of the beast system. But before God, they all have the same final end. Note that the disciples, whose names are on the foundations of the new Jerusalem, were once both fearful and unbelieving (<em><a href='B:480 4:40'>Mar 4:40</a></em>). Indeed they are described as "unbelieving" several times (<em><a href='B:470 17:17'>Mat 17:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 20:27'>Joh 20:27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:630 1:15'>Tit 1:15</a></em>). The point is that those who were once like those outside the city are in fact the foundations of the city.</h4><p>And yet the language used here is also used about the behaviour of some within the church. The same words are used about believers in <em><a href='B:530 5:9'>1Co 5:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 5:11'>1Co 5:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 12:16'>Heb 12:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 13:4'>Heb 13:4</a></em>. It means that in essence this is how God sees some in the ecclesias. I wonder how many of them will have literally done those things. Surely it is more reasonable to suppose that this is how their other deeds and attitudes were counted in God's sight. Or does it show that far more people than we expect will be classed as responsible to judgment? And it's noteworthy that those who won't believe are in the same category as these more 'awful' sinners. For we are either saved or rejected, there is no third road nor category:&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p>21:9&nbsp;<em>And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spoke with me, saying: Come here, I will show you the bride-&nbsp;</em>We are introduced to the idea of seven last plagues, and thus an expectation is set up that we shall now see some awful catastrophes poured out on earth. Instead, we have a vision of the bride and her Kingdom glory. I suggest this is purposeful; we are being shown that the Lord's focus is upon the salvation of His people. The punishment of the wicked is incidental to that, and not something He at all revels in. Perhaps the idea is that the final attack against Jerusalem is made whilst the Lord and His bride are within it. And His focus is upon enjoying the beauty of His bride rather than the necessary destruction of the invaders through those seven last plagues. Maybe the seven last plagues, like the seven thunders, are potentially prepared but do not actually happen; see on <em><a href='B:730 10:4'>Rev 10:4</a></em>.</p>


text:
<p>21:10&nbsp;<em>And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high</em>- The 'height' of the mountain likely refers more to its glory than its literal altitude. Zion and / or the mount of Olives was the great and high mountain in the Jewish thought in which Revelation is presented. And Acts 1 and Zechariah 14 envisage the Lord Jesus returning to that mountain. The exact chronology of events need not concern us; not only will the meaning / experience of time likely be changed, but the chronology must to some extent be open, because the repentance of various groups will be possible. The final outworking of events will take that into account.</p><p><em>And showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God</em>- Literal Jerusalem as the capital of Babylon will be destroyed; a new Jerusalem will literally come down to replace it. But this is not a pile of new stones, but more essentially the glorified believers, who as explained on <em><a href='B:590 4:14'>1Th 4:14</a></em> come as it were with the Lord Jesus at this stage.</p>


text:
<p>21:11&nbsp;<em>Having the glory of God. Her light was like a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal</em>- Jasper appears in various colours, representative of the varying individual beauties of the believers, refracting the Lord's light in unique and beautiful to Him ways. The Hebrew idea of 'jasper' is 'polishing', and it is that process which is underway in our lives at this moment.</p>


text:
<p>21:12&nbsp;<em>She had a wall great and high, having twelve gates; and at the gates were twelve angels, and the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel written thereon-&nbsp;</em>The 12 gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem are identified with 12 Angels, whereon are written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. This suggests that the tribes of Israel are reflective of the situation in Heaven, where there are Angels representing each tribe. This identity between heavenly Angels and the believers they represent on earth is a common theme in Revelation. This connection between Angels and Israel is commonly found in the Old Testament. <em><a href='B:340 8:24'>Dan 8:24</a></em> speaks of Israel as “the people of the saints” (RVmg:), although v. 13 speaks of “the saint” (RV “holy one”) as an Angel. <em><a href='B:90 17:45'>1Sa 17:45</a></em> parallels the Angelic hosts, and the hosts of Israel’s armies; they were to follow where the host of God went, just as David’s army had to follow the sound of the cherubim “marching” over the mulberry bushes (<em><a href='B:130 14:15'>1Ch 14:15</a></em>). And whilst we follow where we are led, we are identified with our Angels to the extent that what is done to us is done to them. To defy the armies of Israel was thus to defy the armies of Heaven (<em><a href='B:90 17:45'>1Sa 17:45</a></em>). Thus the four faces of the Angel cherubim were reflected in the four standards of the camp of Israel; the people were intended to “keep in step with the Spirit”, following where they went, as they had done in the wilderness years. They were to walk “each one straight before him” (<em><a href='B:290 57:2'>Isa 57:2</a></em> RVmg:), as each of the cherubim went straight ahead (<em><a href='B:330 1:12'>Eze 1:12</a></em>). And we too are to follow where our Angel potentially enables us to go. The Angel went in to Jericho to take the city; and the Israelites went “straight” ahead, following the Angel, and thus took the city (<em><a href='B:60 5:13-14'>Jos 5:13-14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:60 6:20'>Jos 6:20</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>21:13&nbsp;<em>On the east were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates and on the west three gates</em>- What is the significance of this order? It is not a circular view, i:e. not clockwise nor anticlockwise. Perhaps it is in conscious difference to the order of the gates of the city as given in <em><a href='B:330 48:31-34'>Eze 48:31-34</a></em>, which goes north- east- south- west, i:e. in a clockwise direction, starting from where the hands of the clock would naturally begin, i:e. at the north. The many differences highlighted with the Ezekiel temple visions seem in order to make the point that contrary to Jewish expectation, that temple would not be literally built at the Lord's return. The new Jerusalem will be altogether beyond such literalism.</p><p>The square nature of the city (:16) is perhaps to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is open to all peoples from all quarters; and the unbelieving nations who were not destroyed along with Babylon will now equally be able to enter God's Kingdom.</p>


text:
<p>21:14&nbsp;<em>The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb</em>- Those men were so weak in their lifetimes, but out of such weakness were made strong. John must have been shocked to see his own name there. We can assume that the device to replace Judas with Matthias in <em><a href='B:510 1:26'>Act 1:26</a></em> was therefore eternally accepted. The tragedy is that the name of Judas could have been there, but it was removed, just as names can be deleted from the book of life.</p>


text:
<p>21:15&nbsp;<em>And he that spoke with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city and the gates of it, and the wall of it</em>- The allusion is clearly to the measurements of the new temple given in Ezekiel 40-48. But the details and dimensions are so different, and those emphasized differences see on :13 climax in the statement that there is "no temple" in the new Jerusalem (:22). It all seems designed to underscore the point that the temple of Ezekiel's prophecy is&nbsp;<em>not&nbsp;</em>going to be built at the Lord's return. It was a potential, conditional prophecy of what could have been at the restoration from Babylon, which the Jews failed to actualize.</p><p>It's worth reflecting on the significance of how the same words for "reed" and "measure" are used in <em><a href='B:730 11:1'>Rev 11:1</a></em>, where John is bidden measure the temple with a reed. But there is no record of him doing so. Now, an Angel does make the measurements, not just with a "reed" but with a "golden reed", the gold maybe speaking of faith brought to completion. Perhaps John represented the lack of faith and obedience which precluded the Lord's Kingdom coming in the first century. Likewise it was a lack of faith which precluded the building of the temple which Ezekiel had seen measured out with a reed. Hence the difference in reeds- the one in <em><a href='B:730 21:15'>Rev 21:15</a></em> is a&nbsp;<em>golden&nbsp;</em>reed, speaking of faith.</p>


text:
<p>21:16&nbsp;<em>And the city is laid out as a square, its length is as great as its breadth, and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia</em>- This is clearly not to be taken literally. And so one wonders why the insistence on reading 'one thousand years' as a literal measurement in this very same section of Revelation.</p><p><em>The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal</em>- As were the dimensions of the most Holy, and of Babylon, which was rebuilt briefly on the site of Jerusalem. The perfect congruence of the design reflects how in this life, each of the component parts is being brought into perfect symmetry with the others. This would be one explanation for the inter-personal friction which so many have experienced as a result of their Christian walk. In the bigger picture, this was all necessary to make us fit together so perfectly in eternity.</p><p>The square nature of the city (twice emphasized) is perhaps to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is open to all peoples from all quarters; and the unbelieving nations who were not destroyed along with Babylon will now equally be able to enter God's Kingdom.</p>


text:
<p>21:17&nbsp;<em>And he measured the wall of it, one hundred and forty four cubits</em>- Again, numbers are not to be taken literally. The idea is clearly of 12 x 12, the foundations of Jacob's twelve sons mixed with those of the twelve apostles, maybe speaking of the perfect fusion of Jew and Gentile.</p><p><em>The measurement of a man, which is also an angel's measurement</em>- The parallel between men and Angels would suggest that now the believers have become as Angels (<em><a href='B:490 20:35-36'>Luk 20:35-36</a></em>). This would suggest a reference to the time of the Lord's return, when there will be this change from humanity to immortality and Angelic nature. John has seen Angels representing believers in the heavenly throne room, and now they are united.</p>


text:
<p>21:18&nbsp;<em>And the building of the wall was of jasper</em>- Why a wall? It can hardly be for protection. Perhaps there will eternally be a sense of separation between light and darkness, saved and unsaved, which we do well to be aware of now too.</p><p><em>And the city was pure gold, like pure glass</em>- See on :21&nbsp;<em>pure gold</em>. Glass was not totally transparent in John's day, but he saw glass as if it were transparent, and had the impression this was in fact transparent gold (:21). Yet gold by its nature cannot be transparent. In these paradoxes we have reflected the wonder of the whole thing. The city of God, the Kingdom of God, is transparent- it is&nbsp;<em>open</em>. The gold, the wonderful reality which by its nature is closed and dense, is also amazingly open and transparent. For a theme of these visions is that the unbelieving world those not destroyed during the last judgments are invited to come in to the Kingdom, to the community of believers, the Jerusalem which is above which has now been revealed on earth. The gates are open day and night, the wall is there- but transparent; the city itself is the ultimate image of openness. The bride and the Lord Jesus are urging the nations to come into it. No longer do the 12 tribes of Israel define membership- the symbolism of 12 x 12 gives the impression of an innumerably greater openness. The spirit of that openness is to be seen in us today.</p>


text:
<p>21:19&nbsp;<em>The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones</em>- The allusion is to the temple in Jerusalem, whose precious stones had made John and the other disciples so awestruck (<em><a href='B:480 13:1'>Mar 13:1</a></em>). That was all to be replaced by a spiritual temple. Instead of the names of donors and other leading lights within Judaism engraved on the precious stones, now the names of the humble disciples are to be written. As the bride was adorned (:2), so the same figure is used here. The adornment is surely of good works and spiritual fruits, by which we adorn the teaching of the Gospel (<em><a href='B:630 2:10'>Tit 2:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:670 3:5'>1Pe 3:5</a></em>).</p><p><em>The first foundation was jasper. The second, sapphire. The third, chalcedony. The fourth, emerald</em>- See on :20.</p>


text:
<p>21:20&nbsp;<em>The fifth, sardonyx. The sixth, sardius. The seventh, chrysolite. The eighth, beryl. The ninth, topaz. The tenth, chrysoprase. The eleventh, jacinth. The twelfth, amethyst</em>- The stones echo the spirit of the High Priest's breastplate. Within the city, therefore, is the heart of the High Priest. The thinking, spirit and heartbeat of Jesus is the all-consuming characteristic of the community within those walls, as it should be of us today.</p>


text:
<p>21:21- see on <em><a href='B:470 7:6'>Mat 7:6</a></em>.</p><p><em>And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each of the separate gates was of one pearl</em>- The gates are open constantly (:25), and even if shut, the glory passing through the pearl would have given the effect of the pearl being transparent. This fits with the otherwise strange image of transparent gold (see on :18). The gates are open; but why are there gates, therefore, and why are they effectively transparent? It is in order to teach something to the nations who witness Christ's return. They must recognize that there is indeed a wall and gate to be passed through, but it is effectively open and transparent to them, such is the Lord's will that they should enter in.</p><p><em>And the street of the city was pure gold, as if it were transparent glass-&nbsp;</em>Gold cannot by nature be transparent. John is struggling in words to convey what he saw and the impressions which arose. As with the language of demons, we have an example here of how the Bible uses human language and at times records things from the limited perspective of observers on earth.</p>


text:
<p>21:22&nbsp;<em>And I saw no temple therein. For the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple of it</em>- This seems almost purposefully intended to teach that the temple outlined in Ezekiel 40-48 will not be built at the Lord's return. See on :13. The dimensions of the city, measured by a reed as was used in Ezekiel's vision, are specifically different from those in Ezekiel's temple vision. I suggest Ezekiel 40-48 was command rather than prediction; it was what could have been if the returned exiles had built it. Revelation was given in the first century, at the time when Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. This was no small tragedy for Jews and Judaism. Revelation's message is that Jerusalem and the temple are not necessary in the new order of things; there will be a new Jerusalem, comprised of the believers; and no need in any case for a temple.</p><p>In John's Gospel, the Lord states that He is the temple / tabernacle which was to be taken down in His death and rebuilt in His resurrection. Our abiding in Him is therefore abiding within the temple; for He has prepared for us an abiding place in that spiritual house through His death (<em><a href='B:500 14:1-2'>Joh 14:1-2</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>21:23&nbsp;<em>And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it</em>- The sun and moon were created partly in order to give a sense of time and seasons, not least the Jewish feasts. Grasping God's view of time means that we will see the Kingdom as immortality, not everlasting life. The eternity of our future existence is not the big theme of the Bible; it is "God manifestation, not human salvation", in the words of John Thomas. The process of eternity, the life and Kingdom of God, is already going on now; the tree of life&nbsp;<em>is</em>&nbsp;now (not 'will be'; Greek tenses are precise) in the midst of the paradise of God, at least from God's perspective (<em><a href='B:730 2:7'>Rev 2:7</a></em>). We will have no need of the sun, for the light of God's glory will replace our concept of time (<em><a href='B:730 21:23'>Rev 21:23</a></em>). Indeed, "the time of the end" can be read as "the end of time" (<em><a href='B:340 12:4'>Dan 12:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 12:9'>Dan 12:9</a></em>). There will be "time (Gk:&nbsp;<em>chronos</em>, the idea of time) no longer" (<em><a href='B:730 10:6'>Rev 10:6</a></em>). The image of Daniel 2 is destroyed together by the Lord's return; each metal in some sense exists at his coming. Rather than meaning that each of those empires must have an end time revival, this may be teaching that the whole concept of human history and time will be ground to powder by the advent of the Kingdom. One day, when we are then with the Lord, will be like a thousand years (<em><a href='B:680 3:8'>2Pe 3:8</a></em>)- there will be no comparison between our present view of time and what will then be. The ploughman shall overtake the reaper (<em><a href='B:370 9:13'>Amo 9:13</a></em>)- which may refer to the collapsing of time, rather than just being a figure of fecundity. Before people pray, they will be heard (<em><a href='B:290 65:24'>Isa 65:24</a></em> - although this is our present prayer experience too, <em><a href='B:470 6:8'>Mat 6:8</a></em>). Our focus should therefore be more on the&nbsp;<em>quality</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>nature</em>&nbsp;of the Kingdom life, rather than the mere eternity of it.</p><p><em>For the glory of God did light it, and the lamp of it is the Lamb</em>- This seems to imply their physical presence. There was no 'candlestick' Gk:- no temple and temple furniture was necessary. This was radical reasoning for the first century Jewish audience, dominated as they were by the temple cult.</p>


text:
<p>21:24&nbsp;<em>And the nations shall walk by the light of it, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it</em>- Revelation 20 has described a period of time when the dragon is chained. It could be that during this period, a chance is given to the nations outside of the earth / land promised to Abraham, which is the focus of&nbsp;Revelation and Bible prophecy. And they respond by realizing that indeed their wealth and glory is nothing (:26), and come up to Jerusalem in repentance of their materialism, where they are invited to the Lord's table. See on <em><a href='B:730 19:18'>Rev 19:18</a></em>. The previous kings of the earth / land had supported Babylon / the beast and were now no more. But they will be replaced by leaders who bring their glory to the Lamb rather than to Babylon.</p><p>God dwells in light (<em><a href='B:610 6:16'>1Ti 6:16</a></em>), and this new city will have light from God, through Christ (<em><a href='B:730 21:11'>Rev 21:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:23'>Rev 21:23</a></em>;&nbsp; <em><a href='B:730 22:5'>Rev 22:5</a></em>)- because Yahweh Himself will be there:&nbsp;Perhaps some of the intensity of that light will spread out to the surrounding world, so that the nations call Jerusalem the place where Yahweh is (<em><a href='B:330 48:35'>Eze 48:35</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>21:25&nbsp;<em>The gates of it shall in no way be shut by day (for there shall be no night there)</em>- Representing the tribes of Israel (:12). They will be continually open to Gentiles entering in and joining with them. There would be no more Jewish exclusivity of the type which troubled the believing community at the time Revelation was given. There will finally be nothing and nobody untouched by the light of the Lord Jesus. And yet John's gospel presents the Lord as the total light of our lives now; in this sense we can live the eternal life now.</p>


text:
<p>21:26&nbsp;<em>And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it</em>- The idea of entering the city (:27) which represents the Kingdom of God is found in the Lord's teaching of the camel passing through the needle gate in order for a rich man to enter the Kingdom. There is the same message here- the wealth and glory of the world must be sacrificed in order to enter in. See on :24.</p>


text:
<p>21:27&nbsp;<em>There shall in no way enter into it anything unclean, or he that makes an abomination and a lie, but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life</em>- As noted earlier, there is an intended contrast between the descriptions of the city in Revelation 21, 22 seem to contradict those given in Ezekiel 40-48 :</p><table><tr><td></p><h4>Revelation</td><td>Ezekiel</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:730 21:27'>Rev 21:27</a></em> Only those in the book&nbsp;of life can enter</td><td><em><a href='B:330 45:6'>Eze 45:6</a></em> the city is for natural Israel (<em><a href='B:450 8:5'>Zec 8:5</a></em> - children play in the streets). <em><a href='B:330 44:11'>Eze 44:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:330 46:9'>Eze 46:9</a></em> ordinary mortals enter it.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:730 21:25'>Rev 21:25</a></em> City gates never shut</td><td><em><a href='B:330 44:1'>Eze 44:1</a></em>&nbsp;Gates shut at times</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:730 22:5'>Rev 22:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 21:23'>Rev 21:23</a></em> Glory of God is the light, eclipsing sun and&nbsp;moon</td><td><em><a href='B:330 45:17'>Eze 45:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:330 46:1'>Eze 46:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:330 46:3'>Eze 46:3</a></em> Moon shines in the city</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:730 22:14'>Rev 22:14</a></em> those who enter the city&nbsp;&nbsp; eat the tree of life</td><td>mortal priests inside&nbsp;the city</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:730 21:22'>Rev 21:22</a></em> no temple in the city</td><td>a temple in the city</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The true temple has already&nbsp;been sprinkled by Christ's blood:&nbsp;</td><td><em><a href='B:330 45:20'>Eze 45:20</a></em> This temple needs regular cleansing ("so shall ye&nbsp;reconcile the house")&nbsp;by sprinkling of blood.</td><td></td></tr></table><p>These are just some of the many disparities, yet both cities are said to be built on a great mountain. The language bids us look back to Ezekiel's temple- and realize that it is&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;going to be built at the Lord's return. Such literalism will be far out of place once the Kingdom is established in all its glory.</h4>


text:
<p>22:1- see on <em><a href='B:500 1:14'>Joh 1:14</a></em>.</p><p><em>And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb</em>- The throne of God and Jesus will be in Jerusalem. The river of life proceeds from there. Whilst I fail to see a doctrine of a Millennial reign taught in Revelation, it's clear that after Babylon is destroyed and Christ and the saints are enthroned in Jerusalem, there is a period of time during which the surviving mortals have the opportunity to identify themselves with the Kingdom and be immortalized. The water of life thus flows out to them, and they are urged to drink freely of it, thereby finding immortality. Likewise the tree of eternal life offers its fruits to them in :2; all they have to do is take it. And both the Lord Jesus and us His bride urge the peoples to come into the city of God, through the gates into the city of eternal life (:17). It may be that in order to eat of the tree of life they must first "wash their robes", undergoing a kind of baptism experience (:14). There may be some literal element of fulfilment of the prophecy that a fountain will be opened in Jerusalem where sin can be cleansed (<em><a href='B:450 13:1'>Zec 13:1</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>22:2- see on <em><a href='B:520 5:12'>Rom 5:12</a></em>.</p><p><em>In the midst of the street thereof. And on both sides of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations</em>- The righteous man is right now like "a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does (in this work of preaching?) shall prosper" (<em><a href='B:230 1:3'>Psa 1:3</a></em>). These words are quoted in <em><a href='B:730 22:2'>Rev 22:2</a></em> concerning our holding out of life to the mortal population at the Lord's return. The conclusion? If we witness now we are living the Kingdom life now, and therefore we will be perpetuated in that time.</p><p>Revelation 21, 22 seem to describe a "wood of trees of life" (<em><a href='B:730 22:2'>Rev 22:2</a></em> - A:V. 'tree' must be wrong because the 'tree' is on either side of the river), watered by the river of life proceeding from the mountain of "the throne of God and of the Lamb". There was a mountain in Eden, seeing there were four "headstreams" there, and it seems fitting to suggest that God's throne was on this same mountain before the fall. So whilst the picture is of Eden restored, there are differences- there will be a whole forest of trees of life, and no liar will be within the restored paradise, i:e. there will be no serpent, no possibility of sinning. Which means paradise indeed.</p><p>"The healing of the nations" suggests a process of time after the Lord's return during which the nations are healed, perhaps physically from the effects of the judgments, and spiritually.</p>


text:
<p>22:3- see on <em><a href='B:730 21:27'>Rev 21:27</a></em>.</p><p><em>And there shall be no curse any more, and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein, and his servants shall serve him-&nbsp;</em>The final chapters of Revelation so often parallel God and “the lamb" (e:g. <em><a href='B:730 22:3'>Rev 22:3</a></em>). The Father was so deeply united with the Son in His time of sacrificial offering. See on <em><a href='B:500 19:19'>Joh 19:19</a></em>. The descriptions of the new city of Jerusalem in the prophets and Revelation can be better understood once it is appreciated that Eden will literally be restored in that area. <em><a href='B:450 14:8-11'>Zec 14:8-11</a></em> lays the basis for the descriptions of the city in Revelation, and includes the main elements of Eden- "living waters" ('Hiddekel') going out from&nbsp;a "Lifted up" mountain in Jerusalem, with "no more curse" there, v:11 (the phrase "no more utter destruction" is translated like this when it is quoted in <em><a href='B:730 22:3'>Rev 22:3</a></em>).</p>


text:
<p>22:4&nbsp;<em>They shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads-&nbsp;</em>The reference seems to be to God Himself. Throughout Revelation 21, 22 there is a distinction made between God and "the Lamb". This further suggests that the references to "God himself" are&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;to God manifestation in the Lamb, but to Yahweh Himself:&nbsp;"They shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads" indicates that "His face" and "His name" refer to the same being:&nbsp;The Name which will be in our foreheads will be that of Yahweh, the Father, not Christ (<em><a href='B:730 3:12'>Rev 3:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 14:1'>Rev 14:1</a></em>):&nbsp;Therefore it is&nbsp;<em>His</em>&nbsp;face which we will see:&nbsp;Of course there is&nbsp;<em>some</em>&nbsp;reference here to 'seeing' in the sense of understanding, which is how we see the Father now:&nbsp;&nbsp; But then our fuller mental comprehension of the Father will be reflected in our physical vision of Him:&nbsp; <em><a href='B:290 25:6-9'>Isa 25:6-9</a></em> speaks of how God's people will enjoy a feast in Jerusalem at the Lord's return, the veil will be withdrawn from their eyes, all tears will be wiped away, and then "It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God::. this is Yahweh". There is a&nbsp;parallel between physically seeing God and having the veil of our present incomprehension removed. The fuller understanding which we will then have will be reflected in our literal seeing of God.</p><p>The seeing of God's face is parallel with having His Name or personality in our heads, in the centre of our minds. This is what will make the physical seeing of His face appropriate.</p>


text:
<p>22:5&nbsp;<em>There shall be night no more, so they do not need the light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun; for the Lord God shall give them light</em>- The candle, symbol of God's word (<em><a href='B:230 119:105'>Psa 119:105</a></em>) will no longer be needed by the faithful, because "the Lord God shall give them light". Our personal, direct contact with God will replace the ministry of the Bible and indeed all God's manifestations and communications as we now have experienced them. Personally seeing God's face means that we need no other form of illumination.</p>


text:
<p>22:6- see on <em><a href='B:300 23:18'>Jer 23:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 23:22'>Jer 23:22</a></em>.</p><p><em>And he said to me: These words are faithful and true</em>- It seems the Angel sensed John's struggle to accept the reality of it all. See on <em><a href='B:730 21:5'>Rev 21:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Write</em></p><p><em>And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place</em>- Perhaps this continues the theme noted in :5; that now we shall be face to face with God, there is no need for any more manifestation of Him to us through things like His word. His Spirit was in the prophets, but now the God whose Spirit that was- is with us face to face.</p><p><em>His servants</em>- We are given the same simple title in :3. We will eternally serve Him, and so we have begun the eternal life now, in so far as we serve Him now. The present experience of the eternal life is a major theme in John's writings.</p>


text:
<p>22:7&nbsp;<em>And behold, I come quickly</em>- These words would be appropriate to the Lord Jesus, so we assume that He spoke them; or that the Angel so intensely represented the Lord that he could appropriately say them. The Lord's quick or soon coming could refer to the suddenness of His coming, implying the need for constant readiness for it on our part. Or the idea may indeed be that He is coming "soon", in that all believers are to live as if the second coming is imminent. And the Lord could have come "soon" after John's time, had Israel repented. The Olivet prophecy and many New Testament references certainly support that possibility. But because of the unreadiness of the bride, the lack of repentance in Israel and lack of spiritual fruit in the church, that coming has been delayed to our days.</p><p><em>Blessed is he that keeps the words of the prophecy of this book</em>- The book is hardly a list of commandments, and this particular section of Revelation is a description of the awesome destiny awaiting God's people by grace. So the reference is not really to 'keeping' in the sense of keeping commandments; nor can 'keep' be twisted to mean 'keep the right interpretation of:::'. Perhaps the idea is that blessed is he who believes these wonderful things and keeps the reality of them far further than merely seeing the vision, being visually awed, and then slipping back into the humdrum of the mediocre religious life.</p>


text:
<p>22:8&nbsp;<em>And I John am he that heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things</em>- The "these things" don't therefore refer to the entire vision, but to what John saw prior to falling before the Angel. Presumably the reference is to the amazing vision of eternity in 22:1-5. Faced with these eternal realities, our natural response should be to fall down and worship.</p>


text:
<p>22:9&nbsp;<em>And he said to me: You must not do that I am a fellow-servant with you, and with your brothers the prophets, and with those that keep the words of this book. Worship God<br/></em>- This shows that the Angel was a prophet. This title does not only mean one who foretells future events, but in Biblical usage refers more to one who ministers the word of God under inspiration; the Angel was therefore responsible for inspiring the Bible like the prophets (Old and New Testament ones) were. Note too how the Lord describes the Angels as “servants” (<em><a href='B:470 22:13'>Mat 22:13</a></em>), using the common description of the prophets as Jehovah’s servants- as if He saw a close connection between Angels and prophets. See on <em><a href='B:540 3:6'>2Co 3:6</a></em>.</p>


text:
<p>22:10&nbsp;<em>Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book. For the time is at hand</em>- The implication would be that the interpretation of Revelation would be sealed until the time for fulfilment was at hand. Daniel was told the same about his prophecies (<em><a href='B:340 12:9'>Dan 12:9</a></em>). This fits with much other Bible teaching, to the effect that prophecy will be understood at the very end of time, just before its final fulfilment in the Lord's return. The flagship verse concerning the opening of our eyes to latter day prophecy must be <em><a href='B:340 12:4'>Dan 12:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 12:10'>Dan 12:10</a></em>: "Shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro (an idiom often used concerning response to God's word: <em><a href='B:230 119:32'>Psa 119:32</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 119:60'>Psa 119:60</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 147:15'>Psa 147:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:370 8:11-12'>Amo 8:11-12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:420 2:2'>Hab 2:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:600 3:1'>2Th 3:1</a></em> Gk:), and knowledge (of Daniel's prophecies) shall be increased::. many shall be purified, and made white, and tried (in the tribulation); but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand". This is all in the context of the Angel rejecting Daniel's plea for insight into his own prophecies. All he was told was that they would be fulfilled in the far distant future, but he was comforted with the thought that the faithful at that time would understand. That the fulfilment of all the latter day prophecies will be understood fully in the very last days is implied in <em><a href='B:300 23:20'>Jer 23:20</a></em>: "In the latter days you shall understand it perfectly". The "it" refers to "the intents of God's heart" revealed in His prophetic word. It is no accident that the Apocalypse ends with&nbsp;words which clearly allude to the closing words of Daniel. John falls at the Angel's feet, as Daniel did. The Angel then says: "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of&nbsp;<em>this</em>&nbsp;book (unlike Daniel's, which was sealed): for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still (cp. "the wicked shall do wickedly")". The implication is that the book is sealed for those who are a long way from the time of fulfilment; hence John must not seal the prophecy&nbsp;<em>because</em>&nbsp;its fulfilment is near. Thus <em><a href='B:340 12:4'>Dan 12:4</a></em> LXX reads: "Seal the book until the time of its accomplishment"-&nbsp;<em>then</em>&nbsp;it will be unsealed and the meaning become apparent. The primary application of Revelation is to the events of AD70; the implication is that the righteous understood the pattern of events then because of this book. There is a repeated stress throughout the NT epistles on the need to understand and get true knowledge (<em><a href='B:670 3:7'>1Pe 3:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 1:2-6'>2Pe 1:2-6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 1:8'>2Pe 1:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 1:16'>2Pe 1:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 2:20'>2Pe 2:20</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 3:18'>2Pe 3:18</a></em>), perhaps with special reference to Scripture like the Olivet prophecy and Revelation; likewise <em><a href='B:610 3:1'>1Ti 3:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 3:16'>1Ti 3:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 4:1-2'>1Ti 4:1-2</a></em> encourage Bible study in the 'last days' leading up to AD70. The need for understanding and study at that time is reflected in our last days. Paul told the Thessalonians (in the context of AD70) that he didn't need to tell them about the times and seasons because they already understood the prophecies so well- but they needed rather to make sure that their lifestyle was appropriate to their understanding (<em><a href='B:590 5:1-5'>1Th 5:1-5</a></em>). The situation in AD70 is a type of the true "last days". Therefore the understanding of Revelation will not be sealed just before its second and major fulfilment in the second coming of Christ. In the same way as Daniel's prophecies will be opened to us in the&nbsp;last days, so must the book of Revelation, because the understanding of Revelation is so bound up with the meaning of Daniel. "None of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand" suggests that this true understanding of prophecy motivates the faithful remnant in holding on to a righteous lifestyle. Time and again Israel are condemned because their lack of&nbsp;<em>understanding</em>&nbsp;of the prophecies led them into sinful behaviour (<em><a href='B:50 32:29'>Deu 32:29</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 94:8'>Psa 94:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 44:18'>Isa 44:18</a></em>).</p><p>As to the time being "at hand", see on :7.</p>


text:
<p>22:11&nbsp;<em>He that is unrighteous, let him continue to do unrighteousness, and he that is filthy, let him remain filthy, and he that is righteous, let him continue to do righteousness, and he that is holy, let him remain holy</em>- This verse appears to be stating the obvious and axiomatic, but probably the idea is that God will confirm people in the way they wish to go. Seeing the reference is to the time of the very end (:10), the idea may also be that once the Lord comes, we cannot change our ways. Now is the time to do that. We will as it were be frozen as we are.</p>


text:
<p>22:12- see on <em><a href='B:470 26:70'>Mat 26:70</a></em>.</p><p><em>Behold, I come suddenly</em>- See on :7.</p><p><em>And my reward is with me</em>- The reward has been prepared for us in Heaven (<em><a href='B:470 5:12'>Mat 5:12</a></em>). In this sense the new Jerusalem descends from Heaven- to us.</p><p><em>To repay everyone for what he has done-&nbsp;</em>Gk. 'according as his works shall be'. It will be in our last days that Israel's blindness starts to be cured, thanks to a Word-based revival, led by the Elijah ministry. Solomon's prayer stated that when Israel properly repented, God would then "render unto every man according unto all his ways" (<em><a href='B:140 6:30'>2Ch 6:30</a></em>). Our Lord here definitely applied these words to the work of His second coming. His allusion to Solomon's prayer should be proof enough that the time of His full apocalypse is related to the time of Israel's repentance. The "everyone" in view is not only the believers; the phrase 'according to works' is found in <em><a href='B:730 18:6'>Rev 18:6</a></em> about the judgments upon Babylon according as their works have been. We noted on <em><a href='B:730 20:13'>Rev 20:13</a></em> that the judgment according to works may specifically be a reference to the judgment of those who persecuted the believers during the tribulation. For the believers are not judged according to their works in that salvation is not on the basis of works, although it is also true that our works will have eternal consequence.</p>


text:
<p>22:13&nbsp;<em>I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end</em>- The Lord Jesus is appropriating to Himself the titles of His Father, as used in <em><a href='B:290 41:4'>Isa 41:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 44:6'>Isa 44:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 48:12'>Isa 48:12</a></em>. Those statements that God is "the first and with the last" are all in the context of assuring a doubting Judah that really, God has saved them. We sense from the encouragement to John to really record all this, and the repeated reminders that these words are true and faithful, that the Lord's people will struggle to grasp the wonderful truth of all thIsa. Right through the process, from our foreknowledge at the beginning to the "last things" of our final salvation- He will have been in the process.</p>


text:
<p>22:14- see on <em><a href='B:480 10:25'>Mar 10:25</a></em>.</p><p><em>Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to eat of the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city</em>- The reference may be to baptism, and belief in the efficacy of that washing. On this basis we will have the “right” to the tree of life (<em><a href='B:730 22:14'>Rev 22:14</a></em>); yet our salvation is by pure grace alone. We are "meet" to be partakers of the inheritance, we walk worthy of the Lord Jesus unto all pleasing of him (<em><a href='B:580 1:10-12'>Col 1:10-12</a></em>), the labourers receive the penny of salvation, that which is their right&nbsp;(<em><a href='B:470 20:14'>Mat 20:14</a></em>). We are either seen as absolutely perfect, or totally wicked, due to God's imputation of righteousness or evil to us (<em><a href='B:230 37:37'>Psa 37:37</a></em>). There is no third way.</p><p>This parallels the city and Eden by equating having "right to the tree of life" with entering "in through the gates into the city". <em><a href='B:730 22:3'>Rev 22:3</a></em> tells us that the throne of God will be in "it" - i:e. the wood of life (not the river- see context), as in Eden God's throne was in the garden, which garden was presumably a wood of trees and little else ("of every tree of the garden::." -other plants are not mentioned), in the same way as the new Eden is composed solely of trees of life. The invitation "of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat" is mirrored in "take the water&nbsp;(lit. take from the stream) of life freely" - the stream being that of Eden. <em><a href='B:730 21:27'>Rev 21:27</a></em>&nbsp;stresses&nbsp;that no serpent -"whatever works abomination or makes a lie"- will enter the new Eden as it did before. The midst of the new Garden will be the throne of Christ, who in every way will then be the tree of life and knowledge. This will be paradise restored, but without the possibility of sinning. Paradise indeed.</p>


text:
<p>22:15&nbsp;<em>Outside it</em>- We all worry as to whether we shall be left outside the Kingdom. This description of those outside is helpful in this regard. All are urged to enter, the gates are open constantly, the Spirit and bride both urging entrance, the water of eternal life can be drunk freely, a whole forest of trees of life offer their eternal fruit to all regularly, the wall around the city is transparent. Only those who don't want to be there will not be.</p><p><em>Are the dogs</em>- One subtext of these visions is the criticism of Judaism and legalism. "Dogs" are elsewhere used to represent those who teach circumcision and who return to the Jewish law (<em><a href='B:570 3:2'>Phi 3:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 2:22'>2Pe 2:22</a></em>).</p><p><em>And the sorcerers</em>- Literally, poisoners. All these categories of the condemned have one thing in common- they entice others into sin and damage others, after the pattern of the serpent in Eden. The message is that paradise will be restored but with the major difference that there will no more be tempters and enticers to sin:&nbsp;<em>Pharmakeus</em>&nbsp;could perhaps dynamically be translated as 'drug pushers'. But the reference is to how the system of the beast and Babylon is guilty of all these things, spreading her sorceries, fornication, idolatry and lies to all the peoples in the earth / land during the tribulation.</p><p><em>Idolaters</em>- Those who worship images, and Revelation has much to say about those who worship the image of the latter day beast.</p><p><em>Lovers and practisers of falsehood-&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>Those who love and create lies. Given all the allusions to paradise restored, this must refer to the serpent in Eden.</p>


text:
<p>22:16&nbsp;<em>I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star</em>- This statement of the obvious seems to be another example of how the utter reality of these things is being emphasized. This is not fantasy or wild dreaming, there is an eternal truth to this message of the Kingdom. And the message is to be shared with "the churches", initially the seven representative churches of chapters 1-3.</p><h4>The Lord is both the offspring of Jesse and David, and also "the root of Jesse" (<em><a href='B:290 11:1'>Isa 11:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 11:10'>Isa 11:10</a></em>). This is another way of saying that He is the alpha and omega of all things. All this wonderful plan was planned for us from the beginning and shall come to fulfilment. Barnes helpfully comments: "Not the root in the sense that David sprang from him, as a tree does from a root, but in the sense that he was the “root-shoot” of David, or that he himself sprang from him, as a sprout starts up from a decayed and fallen tree - as of the oak, the willow, the chestnut, etc. The meaning then is, not that he was the ancestor of David, or that David sprang from him, but that he was the offspring of David, according to the promise in the Scripture, that the Messiah should be descended from him. No argument, then, can be derived from this passage in proof of the pre-existence, or the divinity of Christ".</h4>


text:
<p>22:17&nbsp;<em>And the Spirit and the bride say: Come And he that hears, let him say: Come</em>- The whole spirit of the Lord Jesus is to invite others to come and share His salvation. He that hears will say to others "Come". This refers to the redeemed community and the Lord Jesus urging the survivors of Babylon's judgments to come within the city of salvation. Those who 'hear', i:e. believe, will invite others to 'come', in the spirit of <em><a href='B:450 8:21'>Zec 8:21</a></em>. There is a wonderful theme in these last visions of urging others to accept the great salvation presented. The water of life can be freely drunk, the gates of the city are open constantly, and the Spirit "the Lord the Spirit", the Lord Jesus and us the bride urge others to enter. In the immediate context of this chapter, the reference would be to the mortal nations who survive Armageddon who are urged to enter the Kingdom which has been established in Jerusalem.</p><p><em>And he that is thirsty, let him come. Let him that desires take the water of life freely</em>- The 'free' nature of the gift of eternal life fits into the general impression given in these visions that the community of salvation is so utterly and easily open to all, and the only qualification is that we 'desire' to be there; that we are those who 'thirst' for the water of eternal life. This goes back to the Lord's opening teaching in the Sermon on the Mount; that salvation is freely available quite simply for those who really want it. Our desire to 'be there' should therefore be the passion of our heart, our defining emotion and wish. And we shall be satisfied.</p>


text:
<p>22:18&nbsp;<em>I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, that if anyone shall add to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book</em>- The reference is not to the whole Bible, it is specifically to the words of the prophecy of the Apocalypse. The only other time the Greek text talks about 'adding things' is in <em><a href='B:510 15:28'>Act 15:28</a></em> where we read of the tendency to add things to salvation by faith alone. I have suggested that the language of the New Jerusalem and the open temple is all to be understood in the first century context in which it was given. For the admission of non-Jews to a largely Jewish Christian community was a live issue. The picture presented here is of an eternal salvation where literal Jerusalem and its temple are surpassed by the reality of the Kingdom, and the 12 tribes of Israel are no longer to be understood literally. So I suggest with that background, the idea here is that the great salvation just presented is available to all, freely. And anyone who adds conditions to that shall be excluded from it; and likewise any who detract from the vision by not believing it. For the fearful and unbelieving are listed in Revelation alongside the whores and sorcerers who shall remain outside the new Jerusalem.</p><p>Yet the plagues written in the book have specific reference to latter judgments upon the Jews and upon the supporters of the beast in the earth / land promised to Abraham during the three and a half year final tribulation. Islam adds to the prophecies through claiming that the Koran and Hadith were given after the time of Revelation; and first century Judaism added to God's book by elevating their laws and traditions to effectively the same status as the words of God un the Bible.</p>


text:
<p>22:19&nbsp;<em>And if anyone shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and out of the holy city, which are written of in this book</em>- That disobeying the law of God is effectively adding to it was clearly brought home to Israel: "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (<em><a href='B:50 12:32'>Deu 12:32</a></em>). The command to Joshua to "observe to do according to all the law::. turn not from it to the right hand or to the left" (<em><a href='B:60 1:7'>Jos 1:7</a></em>) is probably reiterating the command not to add ("to the right") or subtract ("to the left") from the law. <em><a href='B:730 22:18-19'>Rev 22:18-19</a></em> is based on these passages.</p><p>Only those once written in the book of life can have their names taken out of it. The idea of taking away therefore refers to believers who fall away. In the last days especially, as the tribulation unfolds, it will be tempting for believers to downgrade the book of Revelation, and not to accept the plain teaching about the need for separation from the beast, even if it nets death and persecution. There will be a particular temptation then to "take away" from this book:&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p>22:20&nbsp;<em>He who testifies these things says: Yes. I come quickly. Amen</em>- See on :7. This could mean that the return of the Lord was all set up and possible in the first century, but was delayed due to human failure to meet the required conditions. It could equally mean that He will come suddenly, unexpectedly for many; and the key characteristic of the faithful is that we should be ready for His coming.</p><p><em>Come Lord Jesus</em>- There is little point in praying for His coming if it is set for a date set in stone that cannot be altered. The calendar date of His coming is therefore not set; because it depends upon our prayers.</p>


text:
<p>22:21&nbsp;<em>The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Amen</em>- Given the awesome eternal future prepared, it is appropriate we are reminded that this is all by absolute grace. Yet "grace" often carries with it the idea of the gift of the Spirit, and this is a major theme in John's writings. He wishes all readers to accept that gift, the presence and power of the Lord Jesus with us; which is the essence of life now just as it shall be of the life eternal. &nbsp;</p><h4>&nbsp;</h4>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There was a man in the land of Uz-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Later scripture assumes that Job was a real historical person (<a href='B:330 14:14'>Eze 14:14</a>; <a href='B:660 5:11'>Jas 5:11</a>), although the entire book is poetry, and clearly isn't to be taken as real time recording of words spoken. It is a drama, concluding with a thunderstorm approaching and the revelation of God Himself. "The whole is divided into&nbsp;three&nbsp;parts—the prologue, poem proper, and epilogue. The&nbsp;poem,&nbsp;into three— (1) The dispute of Job and his three friends; (2) The address of Elihu; (3) The address of God. There are&nbsp;three series in the controversy, and in the same order. The epilogue also is threefold; Job's justification, reconciliation with his friends, restoration".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As will be noted further on this chapter, it would seem he lived in patriarchal times. This would explain why there is no reference to the exodus from Egypt, which is to be found in nearly all subsequent scripture apart from Job. Uz appears to be the relative of Abraham of <a href='B:10 22:21'>Gen 22:21</a>. But much of scripture was rewritten under inspiration at the time of the restoration and also in Hezekiah's time. This explains why ancient Hebrew terms are used along with later Hebrew, with copious connections to the restoration prophecies of later Isaiah. And as noted on :7, there is allusion to Persian concepts too- appropriate if the book was reapplied to the Jews in Persia. Judah and Israel in captivity were struggling with the questions raised in the drama of Job; Job and his children become representative of God's people. His children suffered because of their sins. Job as the righteous remnant also suffered, but was restored. This speaks of the restoration from exile possible for Judah and Israel. They for the most part refused it. But the key was for the faithful remnant to appreciate that they too had sinned, as Job did, even though they were pleasing to God. All was under God's control; the book deconstructs the popular views of evil, a satan being, and suffering being a direct consequence of personal sin. This was required for the exiles. We note that Job is not presented as a Jew, but one of the surrounding peoples related to Abraham. The hero is not strongly Jewish and is presented without genealogy; and that was a lesson for the exiles too, for the prophetic intention was that Jews and Gentiles would repent and form a multiethnic people of God in the restored Kingdom. The name of Yahweh is likewise not mentioned until Yahweh is revealed at the very end of the book. They had effectively forgotten His Name in exile, in real spiritual terms; but through their sufferings and repentance, His Name would be revealed to them at the end.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Whose name was Job-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He appears to be the "Jobab" of 1 Chronicles 5, indeed the LXX states he is this person. "Job" may come from an Arabic word meaning 'repentance'; and that really is the appeal of the book, for the repentance of God's people, especially the exiles, so that God's saving purpose might be brought forward. The problem of suffering is secondary to this theme of the book.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That man was blameless-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> God's opinion of Job was that he was "blameless". But as the drama progresses, Bildad argues that if Job were in fact "blameless" then God would not cast him away (<a href='B:220 8:20'>Job 8:20</a> s:w:). Job absorbs this reasoning, and confesses that he is not "blameless" (<a href='B:220 9:20-21'>Job 9:20-21</a> s:w:), and yet he is driven to the conclusion that the "blameless" and sinner are "destroyed together" by God (<a href='B:220 9:22'>Job 9:22</a> s:w:). It's quite possible that in depression and periods of suffering, we can come to have a lower view of ourselves than that which God has of us; just as at other times we can have a higher view of ourselves spiritually than we ought to. There is true guilt, the guilt which we should take, and false guilt. And Job seems to have picked up the false guilt thrown upon him by Bildad. We too need to learn this difference between false and true guilt.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And upright-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> God's opinion of Job was that he was "upright". But as the drama progresses, the friends argue that if Job were in fact "upright" then God would not be afflicting him (<a href='B:220 4:7'>Job 4:7</a>; <a href='B:220 8:6'>Job 8:6</a> s:w:). Job absorbs this reasoning, and confesses that he is not "upright" and therefore cannot find God (<a href='B:220 23:7-8'>Job 23:7-8</a> s:w:). As discussed above, he absorbs false guilt and becomes influenced by the guilt placed upon him by his religion and "friends" amongst the "sons of God".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And one who feared God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> A true son of Abraham and Joseph (s:w. <a href='B:10 22:12'>Gen 22:12</a>; <a href='B:10 42:18'>Gen 42:18</a>). It seems Job lived in the patriarchal age. The phrase is also used about the righteous remnant amongst the captives in Babylon / Persia, for whom this book was apparently rewritten to comfort them (<a href='B:290 50:10'>Isa 50:10</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And turned away from the evil-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job begins the book by being described as a man who shunned [the Hebrew word is also translated “to be without” and “to reject”] ra, “evil”. Michel understands ra here to refer to ‘the evil one’, the Canaanite god of evil, whom Job disbelieved and rejected (W:L. Michel, Job in the Light of Northwest Semitic (Rome: Bible Institute Press, 1987) Vol. 1 p. 29). One of the many themes in Job is the deconstruction of the 'satan' myths of the time, many of which are alive and well today. See on <a href='B:220 3:8'>Job 3:8</a>. Job was aware that he had indeed "turned away from evil" and feared God; it was those things, rather than the traditional wisdom of the friends, which he came to see was the true "understanding" (<a href='B:220 28:28'>Job 28:28</a> s:w:). The phrase is also used about the righteous remnant amongst the captives in Babylon / Persia, for whom this book was apparently rewritten to comfort them (<a href='B:290 59:15'>Isa 59:15</a>). See on <a href='B:230 34:14'>Psa 34:14</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There were born to him seven sons and three daughters-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Having ten children may invite us to connect Job with the ten tribe kingdom of Israel; their sufferings in captivity, along with those of Judah, elicited the kinds of questions discussed in the book of Job.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys and a very great household-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The lack of reference to horses would indicate that Job lived in patriarchal times, before horses were introduced to the Middle East from Asia. The huge number of camels suggests he lived near the desert, which corroborates with the reference to marauding Arab bands (:15) and a desert wind coming upon the tents (:19). This kind of internal harmony within the Biblical record is to me the greatest evidence of its veracity.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>So that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Job was the “greatest of all the men of the east” (<a href='B:220 1:3'>Job 1:3</a>), the Hebrew implying the eldest, the most senior. The friends were older than Job, and take pleasure in reminding him of the wisdom of the ‘elders’. He had risen above his place, got too great too quick, and therefore they were intent on proving to him that actually he was not so great, he had sinned, and they by their supposed wisdom and understanding were really greater than him. And they bent their theology, their guesswork as to his possible sins, to that subconscious end- of justifying themselves and pulling Job down beneath them by their interpretations of his misfortunes. What this indicates is that during their period of ‘friendship’ previously, they had nursed unconscious feelings of jealousy against him. The lesson for us is to re-examine our friendships, our loyalties, to see if they carry the same feature; a desire to ‘be in with’ the popular and the successful, to catch some reflected glory. The conversion of Job led him to understand the fickleness of his friends, and to pray for them in it.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Seven times a year they had these feasts "on their day" (Heb:), i:e. their birthday (<a href='B:220 3:1'>Job 3:1</a>). They each had their own houses, admittedly on the edge of the desert (:19) and were not tent dwellers.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It was so, when the days of their feasting had come to an end, that Job sent and sanctified them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Perhaps the idea is that he sent for them and sanctified them.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And rose up early in the morning-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The characteristic of Abraham; Job is presented as Abraham's seed.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There were 10 children, and he offered seven times / year (:4), meaning he offered 70 sacrifices / year for them all. He is presented as carefully and generously obedient to Divine principles of sacrifice, although all those sacrifices didn't save his children from a judgment which (we can infer) they deserved. We see developing the picture of God's people being judged by their neighbours for their sins, despite their receipt of great blessing from God and the existence of a righteous remnant amongst them, represented by Job. For Judah went into captivity because of their feasting (<a href='B:290 5:12'>Isa 5:12</a> s:w:).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The same phrase used by his wife when she urged Job to renounce God (<a href='B:220 2:9'>Job 2:9</a>). It would seem that the family had indeed done this. The sons or children (s:w:) of Israel did indeed sin and therefore went into exile (s:w. <a href='B:290 1:4'>Isa 1:4</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Job did so continually-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Continually" is Heb. 'all the days', i:e. the birthdays of the sons (:4 cp. <a href='B:220 3:1'>Job 3:1</a>). There is good reason, linguistically and theologically, to think that the events of Job occurred early in spiritual history (compare the mentions of "Jobab" and some of the friends in 1 Chronicles 5). There are also many links with the early chapters of Genesis. We should therefore see Satan's description of himself as being in the context of <a href='B:10 4:12-14'>Gen 4:12-14</a>, where Cain is made a wanderer in the earth because of his bitter jealousy against his righteous brother. So the satan may have been another believer who was in some sense 'out of fellowship', represented by an Angel before the court of heaven, who still came to the gatherings of the believers to express his envy of Job. The reference to the sons of God coming together in worship before a priest or altar comes straight after the record of Job's children holding rather riotous birthday parties (1:4). "All the days", each day they did this, Job offered sacrifice for them; but then "there was a day" when the sons of God came to keep a feast to Yahweh. It seems that we are led to connect the keeping of days. It could be that the sons of God were in fact Job's children. They came together to party and kill their fatted calves, and then they came together to kill their sacrifices; like Corinth, they mixed the table of the Lord with the table of their own pleasure.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>LXX adds "offered sacrifices for them, according to their number, and one calf for a sin-offering for their souls", as if they really had sinned.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Sanctified them- Job prayed God would forgive his children in case they sinned. The friends mocked this in <a href='B:220 5:4'>Job 5:4</a>; <a href='B:220 8:4'>Job 8:4</a>; <a href='B:220 17:5'>Job 17:5</a>; <a href='B:220 20:10'>Job 20:10</a>, saying that the children of the foolish die for their own sins, whereas, by implication, Job had figured that his prayers and sacrifices could gain them forgiveness. Yet in the end, Yahweh stated that Job had understood Him and His principles right, whereas the friends hadn’t.</p>


text:
<h4> Now it happened on the day when the sons of God-</h4><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> “Sons of God” can refer to God's people (<a href='B:520 8:14'>Rom 8:14</a>; <a href='B:540 6:17-18'>2Co 6:17-18</a>; <a href='B:690 3:7'>1Jn 3:7</a>). Angels do not bring false accusations against believers “before the Lord” (<a href='B:680 2:11'>2Pe 2:11</a>) It cannot be conclusively proved that Satan was a son of God - he “came among them”:&nbsp; The “sons of God”- the believers at that time- presented themselves before a priest or angel, perhaps at a religious feast. Someone there, maybe one of the worshippers, reflected that it was not surprising that Job was such a strong believer, seeing that God had so richly blessed him. God gave that person the power to afflict Job, to demonstrate that Job’s love of God was not proportionate to the blessings God had given him. Maybe the Satan was composed of Job’s three “friends” - they are rebuked at the end of the book (notice that “satan” is not rebuked by name). They were these "sons of God" who heard the reasoning of the satan, and they take over from the satan after he disappears from the story at the end of Job 2. The satan morphs into the friends. Their discussions with Job indicate that they had their doubts as to his integrity and suspected that his faith was now weak because God had taken away the blessings from him - “But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest: it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled:::who ever perished (which it looked as though Job was going to), being innocent?” Eliphaz pointed out (<a href='B:220 4:5'>Job 4:5</a>; <a href='B:220 4:7'>Job 4:7</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Came to present themselves before Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Before Yahweh" doesn't mean 'in Heaven'; the phrase is often used bout appearing before Yahweh's representatives such as priests or Angels. The angel which led Israel through the wilderness was called “the Lord” because it carried God’s name (<a href='B:20 23:20-21'>Exo 23:20-21</a>), but it was not God himself in person (<a href='B:20 33:20'>Exo 33:20</a> cp. :12). Similarly, priests represent God (<a href='B:140 19:6'>2Ch 19:6</a>) and to come before them was to come “before the Lord” (<a href='B:50 19:17'>Deu 19:17</a>). Cain “went out from the presence of the Lord” (<a href='B:10 4:16'>Gen 4:16</a>) - not out of heaven but probably away from the presence of the angel - cherubim. Jesus was presented as a baby “before the Lord” (<a href='B:490 2:22'>Luk 2:22</a>)- i:e. before the priest. How can Satan be in heaven and also on the earth in Job’s time when, according to popular belief, he was thrown out at the time of Adam, or in 1914, according to the “Watchtower”? There cannot be sin or rebellion against God in heaven (<a href='B:230 5:4-5'>Psa 5:4-5</a>; <a href='B:420 1:13'>Hab 1:13</a>; <a href='B:470 6:10'>Mat 6:10</a>; <a href='B:230 103:19-21'>Psa 103:19-21</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That Satan also came among them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Even if the “satan” (adversary) to Job was an angel, there is no reason to think it was sinful. An angel asked Abraham to offer Isaac to find out exactly how obedient Abraham would be, hence he said, “Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (<a href='B:10 22:12'>Gen 22:12</a>). Similarly the angel which guided Israel out of Egypt, “led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no” (<a href='B:50 8:2'>Deu 8:2</a>). God himself knows all things, but the angels bring problems into the lives of their charges in order to see how they will respond. It may be possible to understand Job’s satan like this. Remember that an evidently righteous angel was called a “satan” in <a href='B:40 22:22'>Num 22:22</a>. Much has been made of the fact that in Job 1 and in <a href='B:450 3:1-2'>Zec 3:1-2</a> we read of ha satan, the adversary. In Hebrew as in English, the definite article is significant. If I refer to myself as a personal, specific individual / being, I say "Duncan". To speak of "the Duncan" would be a description of a function, more than a reference to my personal name. Sitting at a restaurant table, you might call out: "Waiter!", intending a specific individual. You'd only speak of "the waiter" when describing his function- e:g. "The waiter served me badly". Hebrew and English operate in the same way here. So when we read in Job 1 and Zechariah 3 of the &nbsp;satan, ha satan, we're not reading of 'A specific person whose personal proper name is 'Satan''. Rather we're reading of a person who functioned as a satan or adversary. Dianne Bergant makes the point: "The word 'satan' appears with an article indicating that here the word is a title or description and not a proper name" (Dianne Bergant, Job, Ecclesiastes (Wilmington: Michael Glazier, 1982) p. 27). In other words, 'the satan' isn't the personal name of a personal being called Satan. It's a description of the function of a character, as an adversary. Note that the man Haman is called ho diabolos in <a href='B:190 7:4'>Est 7:4</a> LXX. The Russian literary analyst Vladimir Propp has shown that all stories, folklore etc. of that time contained characters with a set function- there was the hero, the companion, the friends / bystanders, and the adversary (Vladimir Propp, Theory And History Of Folklore, ed. Anatoly Liberman (Minneapolis: University Of Minnesota Press, 1984); Morphology Of The Folktale (Austin: University Of Texas Press, 1968). ). Whilst I accept that Job was a historical character, the way the book is written in such structured Hebrew poetry shows for sure that the events were 'written up' in story / ballad form. And so when the initial readership encountered "the adversary", ha satan, they wouldn't have thought of him as a cosmic being of evil. The presence of someone functioning as "the adversary" would've been quite normal to them. If we follow through the argument of the book, the logical answer of Job to the friends' allegations would have been "I'm suffering because Satan has it in for me! He's doing this, not God!". For the friends were reasoning that God was bringing such affliction into Job's life because Job was a sinner. The fact Job doesn't make this obvious retort indicates to me that "the Satan" wasn't understood by either Job nor the friends as a personal supernatural being of evil.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It must be noted that the satan never occurs again, under that name. The real adversary of Job was his " friends" ; and in God's final judgment, it is they who are condemned, not 'satan'. It is therefore reasonable to see a connection between the satan and the 'friends' of Job; they too walked to and fro in the earth in order to come to him, as it seems satan did at the beginning. And we pause here for another lesson. The great satan / adversary of Job turned out to be those he thought were his friends in the ecclesia. And so it has been, time and again, in our experience: our sorest trials often come from the words of our brethren. Without underestimating the physical affliction of Job, his real adversary was his brethren. Rather than bemoaning his physical affliction, he commented how his friends had become his satans (<a href='B:220 19:19'>Job 19:19</a>) And so with the Lord Jesus, whom Job so accurately typified. Again, without minimizing the material agony of His flesh, the essential piercing was from His rejection at the hands of those He died for. For other reasons to connect the satan with the friends, see on <a href='B:220 6:19'>Job 6:19</a>; <a href='B:220 8:6'>Job 8:6</a>; <a href='B:220 12:6'>Job 12:6</a>; <a href='B:220 19:28'>Job 19:28</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But the "Sons of God" of <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a> are interpreted as Angels in <a href='B:220 38:7'>Job 38:7</a>. There is nothing in itself wrong with an Angel being called a satan- we have examples of this in <a href='B:40 22:22'>Num 22:22</a> and <a href='B:130 21:1'>1Ch 21:1</a>. We know that Angels can't sin: and yet they are limited in knowledge (e:g. <a href='B:470 24:36'>Mat 24:36</a>). An Angel commented that now he knew that Abraham feared God, after he had seen his willingness to offer Isaac (<a href='B:10 22:12'>Gen 22:12</a>); Israel's guardian Angel lead them through the wilderness in order to learn about Israel's spirituality (<a href='B:50 8:2-3'>Deu 8:2-3</a>). God Himself, of course, already knew the hearts of men. The sons of God coming before Yahweh suggests a scene in the court of Heaven, similar to that of <a href='B:140 18:19-21'>2Ch 18:19-21</a>, where the Angels appear before Yahweh to discuss the case of Ahab, and then one Angel is empowered by God to carry out his suggestion:&nbsp; Those Angels represented God's people on earth; this is why the interpretation of the Satan can equally apply to both the people of God at the time, gathering before a priest; and to their representative Angels gathered before the throne of God in the court of Heaven. Satan going out from the presence of Yahweh, empowered by Him to afflict Job, would correspond with other references to Angels 'going out' from God's presence to execute what had been agreed in the heavenly assembly (<a href='B:230 37:36'>Psa 37:36</a>; <a href='B:230 81:5'>Psa 81:5</a>; <a href='B:450 2:3'>Zec 2:3</a>; <a href='B:450 5:5'>Zec 5:5</a>; <a href='B:490 22:22'>Luk 22:22</a>; <a href='B:650 1:14'>Heb 1:14</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In the same way as the earthly tabernacle was a pattern of the Heavenly system (<a href='B:650 9:24'>Heb 9:24</a>), so it would appear that each of us has an Angelic representative in Heaven, appearing before the presence of God’s glory in what we are invited to see as the court of Heaven. Angels can also represent a whole group – e:g:, an ecclesia (<a href='B:730 1:20'>Rev 1:20</a>). So closely identified with their charges are these Angels, that they themselves are rebuked (e:g. <a href='B:730 2:5'>Rev 2:5</a>) – not that they sinned, of course, but because they represented those ecclesias in the Heavenly court.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Satan describes himself as going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it (1:7)- using exactly the language of <a href='B:450 1:11'>Zec 1:11</a> concerning the Angels. The way that the satan smote Job with a skin disease (<a href='B:220 2:7'>Job 2:7</a>) would suggest that he was not only a mere man; accepting an Angel-satan solves this problem. No unaided man could have brought a skin disease upon Job. If the satan refers to a righteous Angel, it is likewise easier to understand why all the problems which the satan brought are described as God bringing them (especially as Job may have conceived of God in terms of an Angel). It is also understandable why there is no rebuke of the satan at the end. For other connections between the satan and Angels, see on <a href='B:220 1:14'>Job 1:14</a>; <a href='B:220 1:16'>Job 1:16</a>; <a href='B:220 1:19'>Job 1:19</a>; <a href='B:220 4:5'>Job 4:5</a>; <a href='B:220 5:7'>Job 5:7</a>; <a href='B:220 6:9-10'>Job 6:9-10</a>; <a href='B:220 14:3'>Job 14:3</a>; <a href='B:220 16:9'>Job 16:9</a>; <a href='B:220 19:8'>Job 19:8</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It has been correctly observed that we don’t read of ‘Satan’ after the prologue to Job. Instead we read only of God bringing the afflictions into Job’s life. But the friends, and Job himself, struggle to explain those afflictions in terms of the current ideas in the surrounding world. This may not be immediately evident, because the Hebrew of Job is notoriously hard to translate. But closer attention to the text reveals that there is repeated mention of the various beings and forces of evil which were thought to be in competition with God. It seems that the story of Job originated very early in Biblical history, in the times of the patriarchs. And yet the book has many connections with the latter half of Isaiah – just take a glance down the marginal cross references in Job, and see how often the later chapters of Isaiah are referenced. My suggestion is that the book was rewritten and edited [under Divine inspiration] during the captivity in Babylon, as a message especially relevant for the Jewish exiles as they struggled with the temptation to accept Babylonian mythological explanations of evil. This would explain the allusions to both early Canaanite and later Babylonian views of the ‘Satan’ figure. And we recall from <a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a> how Israel’s God was at pains to remind the exiles of His omnipotence, that He is the only God and source of power in creation, and that both good and disaster, light and darkness, are ultimately His creation; and the surrounding Gentile myths about these things were totally wrong. This is in fact the theme of the book of Job. Susan Garrett points out how Babylonian views of a dualistic cosmos, with God creating good and the ‘Satan’ figure creating evil, began to influence Jewish thought. She shares my view that the purpose of the book of Job was to counter this: “The story of Job checked an escalation in the power and authority that were ascribed to the Satan–figure, by the repeated and unambiguous assertions in Job 1-2 that Satan had obtained the authority to test Job from none other than God” (Susan Garrett, The Temptations of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998) p. 49).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The references to ‘Satan’–like beings and related myths in the book of Job is in order to ultimately deconstruct them as false, and to re-iterate the utter omnipotence of Yahweh as the only source of power, the only God. And this of course we would expect from an Old Testament, God–inspired book. It’s been suggested by literary critics that the prologue which mentions Satan (1 and 2) and epilogue (<a href='B:220 42:7-17'>Job 42:7-17</a>) were likely written before the poetic discourses – they appear to be “an Israelite revision of an older Canaanite or Edomite epic poem expressing their views on the age–old problem of evil” (Douglas Wingeier, What About the Devil? A Study of Satan in the Bible and Christian Tradition (Nashville: Abingdon, 2006) p. 15. More documentation of this is to be found in The Interpreter’s Bible, ed. George Buttrick, (Nashville: Abingdon, 1954) Vol. 3 pp. 878,879). Thus those ideas are alluded to and deconstructed – God is presented as all powerful, and the ‘Satan’ beliefs as untrue.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh said to Satan, Where have you come from? Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There is no implication that he was doing anything sinful. <a href='B:450 1:11'>Zec 1:11</a> implies that this is a Hebraism for observing. The references to 'wandering about on the face of the earth' have great similarities with the language used to describe the Persian empire's spies, called "The King's Eye"- a kind of agent of the King who wandered around picking up information and reporting back to him. But of course, "The King's Eye" was on the King's side and not working against him! (More documentation of this in Rivkah Kluger, The Satan Of The Old Testament (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1967). This view is confirmed in other research by Harry Torczyner, The Book Of Job (Jerusalem: Kiryat-Sefer, 1981) pp. 38-45. Note that Torczyner also interprets the Satan as being in God's service, and not in opposition to Him: "The figure and role of the Satan derives from the Persian secret service::. We now understand that there are in God's service, as in that of any earthly king, secret roving officials, who go and come and report to him on the doings of his subjects"). Satan's walking / running "to and fro in the earth / land" and reporting back to God about an individual is thus very much taken from the Persian idea of the King's "evil eye", "the eye of the King", a kind of agent provocateur, a secret police-type agent, travelling around the Kingdom and reporting back to the King about suspect individuals. It also has an evident connection with the Zechariah passages which speaks of the Angels in the time of the exile and restoration from Persia "running to and fro in the earth" on God's behalf (<a href='B:450 1:10-11'>Zec 1:10-11</a>; <a href='B:450 4:10'>Zec 4:10</a>). The implication of course was that God and His Angels, and not the Persian King and his agents, were the ones really in control of the land. It's maybe significant that the Septuagint translates "going to and fro" in <a href='B:220 1:7'>Job 1:7</a> with the word peripatei- and we find the same word in <a href='B:670 5:8'>1Pe 5:8</a> about the adversary of the early Christians 'going about' seeking them- a reference to the agents of the Roman and Jewish systems. I have elsewhere demonstrated that much of the Hebrew Bible was rewritten [under Divine inspiration] in Babylon, to bring out relevant issues for the Jewish exiles in Babylon. This includes the book of Job. It can be understood as an allegory- Job, the suffering servant of the Lord, becomes a type of Israel, the suffering servant of Isaiah's later prophecies. There are many links between Isaiah's prophecies and Job- a glance down the margin of most reference Bibles will indicate that. Just as the returning exiles faced 'satans' in the form of local Arabic opposition, so did Job. The <a href='B:450 3:1-2'>Zec 3:1-2</a> passage uses the word 'satan' to describe this opposition to the returned exiles. Note that both Zechariah 3 and Job 1 use the idea of a Heavenly court. As God put a fence around Job (<a href='B:220 1:10'>Job 1:10</a>), so He was a "wall of fire" to the returning exiles (<a href='B:450 2:5'>Zec 2:5</a>). And his final triumph and restoration, by God's grace, was intended as a prototype for Judah in captivity. J:B. Russell mentions a Babylonian document consisting of a dialogue between a sufferer and his friend (J:B. Russell, The Devil (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1977) p. 87). Perhaps the re-writing of the book of Job during Judah's captivity in Babylon was intended as a counter to this, explaining Yahweh's perspective on suffering.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Eliphaz reminds Job that the wicked of Noah's time were destroyed by a flood, implying that the sudden calamities of Job's life were like the flood, thus equating him with the world at Noah's time. Jude, Daniel, Peter and the Lord Jesus all interpret that world as representing apostate Jewry in the first century, destroyed by the " flood" of AD70. It is therefore interesting that <a href='B:670 5:8-9'>1Pe 5:8-9</a>, concerning the Jewish devil walking around seeking to draw away Christians, is quoting the Septuagint of <a href='B:220 1:7'>Job 1:7</a>, suggesting Job's satan is also to be linked with the Jewish satan:&nbsp;Job's satan was perhaps not simply a sceptical worshipper who had these questions and was represented by an Angel in the court of heaven; but also an Angel wanting for himself to find out more about Job, not understanding how a man with all the blessings Job had could sincerely worship God. God therefore gave this Angel the power needed to try Job to see whether this was the case. The idea of an Angel being called a satan (adversary) is familiar to us in <a href='B:40 22:22'>Num 22:22</a> where the Angel stood in the way of Balaam for an adversary. The fact the Angel brought the trials would explain why all through the book the trials are credited to God. Satan coming "from going back and forth in the earth" (<a href='B:220 1:7'>Job 1:7</a>) would connect with the descriptions of the Angels being God's eyes going to and fro in the earth (<a href='B:450 1:11'>Zec 1:11</a>). <a href='B:220 1:16'>Job 1:16</a> describing God sending a flame of fire to minister one of the trials is understood in the Angel context when one recalls that He "makes His ministers a flaming fire" (<a href='B:230 104:4'>Psa 104:4</a>). The series of "messengers" who come to Job announcing the trials (<a href='B:220 1:14'>Job 1:14</a>) may possibly also be Angels, or Angels controlling human messengers on earth. Job associates his trials with God's eyes being upon him (e. g. <a href='B:220 7:8'>Job 7:8</a>) and we have seen that the eyes of God seems to be a synonym for the Angels.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh said to Satan, Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is none like him in the land, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Notice that Satan had to get power from God (<a href='B:220 2:3-6'>Job 2:3-6</a>); he had none in his own right, indeed, God brought Job to Satan’s notice (1:8). Job comments about God being the source of his sufferings: “If it be not he, who then is it?” (<a href='B:220 9:24'>Job 9:24</a> RV). Job didn’t believe anyone apart from God was responsible.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>God knew what the satan Angel's response would be to His question. Thus God guides an Angel to think about a believer- or person- in order to further that Angel's spiritual education. This is still necessary, despite them having "had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" previously. The knowledge of good and evil which the Angels have is exactly the same as we have- "the man is become as one of us,&nbsp; to know good and evil" the Angels lamented in Eden (<a href='B:10 3:22'>Gen 3:22</a>). Despite our experience of life, we appreciate pitiably little how God works through evil. Some can scarcely comprehend it, especially if they have no knowledge of the Truth. Yet by nature they have some dull concept of it- and it is this dim concept which the Angels possessed in Eden, which was shared with us by Adam's eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Thus we can understand why the Angels need to be educated like this.</p><h4>The tragedy was that those taken into captivity weren't reformed by their sufferings, and now their children likewise refused to "take it to heart" and repent (<a href='B:290 42:25'>Isa 42:25</a> s:w:). Here we have another connection between Isaiah and Job, the book which appears to have been rewritten for the exiles with Job as representative of both the exiles and the righteous servant. "Have you considered My servant::." (<a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>) is the same phrase in <a href='B:290 42:25'>Isa 42:25</a> "take it to heart". The book of Job was therefore written as a way of appealing for the repentance of the exiles and for them to contextualize their own sufferings.</h4>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The returned exiles refused to serve God for nothing (s:w. <a href='B:460 1:10'>Mal 1:10</a>). But the final investigation of the book of Job revealed that Job was prepared to serve God for nothing, just because He was God and he was His servant; and not because he expected any reward or material advantage. Job is therefore set up to the exiles as the embodiment and personification of who they should have become. But they refused to respond. The sufferings which came upon Judah were to reveal whether they would serve God for nothing; and <a href='B:460 1:10'>Mal 1:10</a> makes it clear they didn't.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Haven’t You made a hedge around him and around his family, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "blessed the works of his hands, and multiplied his cattle upon the land?"- an allusion to the promises of blessing and multiplication of Abraham's seed, of whom Job was presented as being representative. In <a href='B:220 10:11-12'>Job 10:11-12</a> Job complains "Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and Thy visitation hath preserved My spirit". "Fenced" is the same word as "hedge" when satan complains that God has made a hedge about Job (<a href='B:220 1:10'>Job 1:10</a>). Job appears to be aware of the conversation between the satan and the Lord. It therefore makes sense to understand that the gathering of the sons of God and 'satan' was a gathering of the people of God, including the friends and Job, and the conversation was heard by all. Job is therefore saying that actually the only hedge or fence he has is his own physical body. Job seems to be saying 'You say&nbsp; I'm hedged about with blessings. But now the only hedge I've got is this sick body. The only help you give me now is to give me my spirit to keep me alive, only so you can torment me more'. Understandable, if faulty, reasoning in Job's situation.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will renounce You to Your face-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on <a href='B:220 30:24'>Job 30:24</a>. The same phrase for putting forth the hand is used of how God put forth His hand against Judah and sent them into exile (<a href='B:330 10:7'>Eze 10:7</a>; <a href='B:330 14:13'>Eze 14:13</a>). The 'touching' of Job uses the word used of the 'touching' of Judah by their invaders and abusers (<a href='B:290 8:8'>Isa 8:8</a>; <a href='B:300 4:10'>Jer 4:10</a>; <a href='B:300 12:14'>Jer 12:14</a>; <a href='B:330 7:12'>Eze 7:12</a>). And it is used of how the suffering servant of <a href='B:290 53:4'>Isa 53:4</a> was considered "stricken" or 'touched' by God after the pattern of Job. That suffering servant represented the faithful remnant at the restoration, and then when they ultimately failed to be as intended, it was all more fully reapplied to the Lord Jesus. Several times the friends refer to how Job has been touched by God; the parallels between the Satan and the friends will be noted throughout the book. The Satan clearly influenced the friends to think likewise, and they effectively become the Satan. And it is therefore they and not 'Satan' who are rebuked at the end of the book.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t put forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on <a href='B:290 37:36'>Isa 37:36</a>, where an Angel likewise goes forth from Yahweh. I have suggested above that the Satan refers to both one or some amongst the "sons of God", perhaps the friends; and also to the Angel who represented them in the heavenly throne room. For there is no indication that anything Satan did was sinful; Angels don't sin. Satan never actually says or does anything wrong; he simply makes the observation that there may well be a relationship between Job's service of God and the material blessing which God has given him. He is them empowered by God to bring calamities into Job's life. Time and again is it stressed, really stressed, that God brought the problems upon Job, not satan independently (<a href='B:220 1:12'>Job 1:12</a>; <a href='B:220 1:16'>Job 1:16</a>; <a href='B:220 2:3'>Job 2:3</a>; <a href='B:220 2:10'>Job 2:10</a>; <a href='B:220 6:4'>Job 6:4</a>; <a href='B:220 8:4'>Job 8:4</a>; <a href='B:220 19:21'>Job 19:21</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The going forth from the presence of Yahweh continues the allusion to the court of Heaven, which is implied by the sons of God, the Angels representing their charges on earth, coming before God. The ‘Satan’ figure is not in itself evil, but could refer to an Angel [a ‘good’ one, as I submit there are no ‘sinful’ Angels], or an Angel representative of a fellow worshipper on earth. The debates in Heaven between the Angels, the will of God as articulated there, is then reflected and carried out on earth – rather like how in Daniel 1-6 we have events on earth described in historical terms, and then we are given an insight into what’s been going on in Heaven in Daniel 7-12. Yet the court / legal language continues throughout the book – e:g. Job is “perfect”, i:e. legally blameless. Job appeals for ‘witnesses’ (<a href='B:220 9:33-35'>Job 9:33-35</a>; <a href='B:220 16:18-22'>Job 16:18-22</a>; <a href='B:220 19:20-27'>Job 19:20-27</a>), an advocate in Heaven (<a href='B:220 9:33'>Job 9:33</a>), denies his guilt and demands a legal list of his sins (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a>), he wishes for God to come to trial (<a href='B:220 9:3'>Job 9:3</a>), and thus Job is described as a man who has taken out a ‘case’ with God (<a href='B:220 23:4'>Job 23:4</a>; <a href='B:220 40:2'>Job 40:2</a>). Job 29-31 is effectively Job’s declaration of legal innocence and an appeal to God to hear his case more sympathetically (<a href='B:220 31:35'>Job 31:35</a>). And of course God pronounces a final legal verdict at the very end (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>), in response to Job’s earlier plea: “Sleeplessly I wait for His reply” (<a href='B:220 16:22'>Job 16:22</a>). It’s as if the whole experience of Job was [at least partly] in order to test out the Canaanite theories of ‘Satan’, suffering and evil in the court of Heaven; and also the various theories which arose to explain Judah's captivity in Babylon. The friends represent the traditional views of evil, and often make reference to the myths of their day about ‘Satan’ figures. They speak as if they are the final court – Eliphaz speaks of how the judges and elders of their day, the “holy ones”, had concluded Job was guilty, and that they, the friends, were right: “To which of the holy ones will you appeal [legal language]?::. we have [legally] examined this, and it [Job’s guilt] is true” (<a href='B:220 5:1'>Job 5:1</a>; <a href='B:220 5:27'>Job 5:27</a>). This is of great comfort to those who feel misjudged by man – above them in Heaven the ultimate Heavenly court is considering our case, and that is all that matters. Job perhaps perceived this, even though the vision of the court of Heaven in chapters 1 and 2 was presumably unknown to him as he endured his sufferings; for in response to the friends’ wrong judgment of him, he comments that “God covers the faces of the judges of the earth” (<a href='B:220 9:24'>Job 9:24</a>). The final summing up speeches from both God and Job simply emphasize the omnipotence of God; how ultimately He has been the adversary to Job, and there is no room in the cosmos of His creation for any other power, especially any of the various personal ‘Satan’ figures believed in by the worlds of both Canaan and Babylon. The heavenly court of “sons of God” is paralleled with all the stars in <a href='B:220 38:7'>Job 38:7</a>. Bear in mind that the stars were understood as pagan deities. The whole pagan understanding of the cosmos is being deconstructed. The stars are paralleled with the Angelic sons of God who are all totally under God’s control; they are His Heavenly court.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The legal language of the book of Job has far reaching implications. We have noted the many connections between Job and the latter part of Isaiah, where again there is the impression of ‘God in the dock’, a cosmic trial of truth. The gods of the nations are invited to present their best cases, to demonstrate their reality against the claims of Yahweh, Israel’s God, to be the only true God. In this trial, the suffering servant is the witness used by God. And this in turn is the basis for the same lawsuit motif in the Gospel of John, where the witness is the Lord Jesus as the suffering servant, and by extension all those in Him (3). Indeed there appear to be seven witnesses in John: John the Baptist (<a href='B:500 1:7'>Joh 1:7</a>), Jesus Himself (<a href='B:500 3:11'>Joh 3:11</a>), the Samaritan woman (<a href='B:500 4:39'>Joh 4:39</a>), God Himself (<a href='B:500 5:32'>Joh 5:32</a>), the miracles (<a href='B:500 5:36'>Joh 5:36</a>), the Old Testament (<a href='B:500 5:39'>Joh 5:39</a>) and the crowd (<a href='B:500 12:17'>Joh 12:17</a>). John presents the cross as the decisive verdict, linking back to a similar verdict pronounced in Isaiah, which in turn has as its basis the final verdict of Yahweh in support of Job against the beliefs of the friends in the various ‘Satan’ gods of Canaan and Babylonia.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Usually Job went and offered sin offerings for his children after these parties. But the disaster came exactly whilst they were partying. This would invite us to see this as judgment upon them, looking ahead to the judgment of the children ["sons"] of Israel.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> that there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys feeding beside them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> A malak came with news of the calamities brought by the satan (Angel). It would be understandable if that malak should have been translated 'Angel' seeing there is so much other Angelic language in this area. See on <a href='B:220 1:6-7'>Job 1:6-7</a>. We see again a connection to the work of a Satan Angel.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> and the Sabeans attacked and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The Sabeans are literally 'those of Sheba'. The same word is used by Job when he reflects upon the disaster at the hands of "the troops of Tema::. the companies of Sheba" (see on <a href='B:220 6:19'>Job 6:19</a>). It seems therefore that there were people from Tema involved. And Eliphaz was from Teman (<a href='B:220 2:11'>Job 2:11</a>). Again we have a hint that these Sabeans and associated Temanites were somehow involved with the Temanite "friend" of Job, Eliphaz. The friends were in some form the Satan. In the restoration context, all the people of Sheba would repent and come to Zion (<a href='B:290 60:6'>Isa 60:6</a> s:w:). The former enemies of God's people were to repent and join them.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And I alone have escaped to tell you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It has been suggested that the prologue to Job is in fact a literary device to place theological problems before us, e:g. of the relationship between service of God and receipt of blessing, and sin and suffering. But we must remember that later Scripture takes the experiences of Job as literal, and Job himself as a real historical person. However, it is not impossible that the account of the conversation between God and the satan was not a literal occurrence, but simply a way of setting up the problems which the historical narrative then addresses. It's worth meditating on this one. The three different messengers come and tell Job of the various disasters and conclude with the same rubric "and I alone have escaped to tell you". This is surely a theatrical presentation rather than a literal transcription of actual speech which historically occurred; my friend Steve Cook has suggested, quoting Jewish sources, that Job may well be the very earliest extant theatrical drama script of ancient literature. Job being drama would explain why the book is written as poetry. This approach also assists us in understanding how Job was told by a messenger that his sons had all died, and then at the end of the book he appears to be given his sons back again. If the messenger wasn't telling the truth, but was just part of the plot, the mechanism to present the theological problem, then this is understandable. The use of "the satan" would therefore not be referring to any cosmic being, but rather to a role. It has been observed: “In biblical sources the Hebrew term the satan describes an adversarial role. It is not the name of a particular character” (Elaine Pagels, The Origin of Satan (New York: Random House, 1996) p. 39). And again: "[ha-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>satan] is not the personal name Satan but a role specification meaning “the accuser/adversary/doubter”" (N:C. Habel, The Book of Job (London: S:C:M:, 1985) p:89). The 'satan' or adversary was not therefore necessarily sinful: “As he first appears in the Hebrew Bible, Satan is not necessarily evil, much less opposed to God. On the contrary, he appears in the book of Numbers and in Job as one of God’s obedient servants" (Pagels, op cit. p. 39). He is “subject to God’s control and was used by God to accomplish his purposes::. [there is] a pronounced emphasis on his subordination” to God (S:H:T. Page, “Satan: God’s Servant” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society; Sept. 2007 Vol. 50 No. 3 p. 449).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Sabeans of 1:15 were probably the descendants of Sheba, Abraham's grandson (<a href='B:10 25:1-3'>Gen 25:1-3</a>). For his children to grow into a separate tribe, the events of Job must have happened some generations before the Law was given.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, The fire of God has fallen from the sky-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :13,19, this is the language of judgment. Job's children were indeed guilty of serious sin, and all Job's animal sacrifices couldn't save them from that judgment. At the end of the book, the friends are also liable to Divine judgment, but are saved not by sacrifice or ritual but by prayer. This all looks forward to the failure of Mosaic ritual to save; whereas a righteous mediator, the Lord Jesus, is the One who can save. See on :20.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "The servants" is "shepherds" in LXX and GNB. Destruction of the sheep and shepherds is language elsewhere used about the suffering of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians. Job's sons were killed by wind and fire- both of which are associated with Angelic manifestation (:16,19). See on <a href='B:220 1:6-7'>Job 1:6-7</a>. It was the "servants" who were 'smitten with the edge of the sword' at the Babylon invasion (s:w. <a href='B:300 21:7'>Jer 21:7</a>). Again we see how the book of Job discusses the very issues which were facing the exiles in Babylon as they reflected upon these same tragedies.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> While he was still speaking, there came also another and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "The Chaldeans" confirms that Job is being set up as representative of the exiles in Chaldea who had lost their families to the Babylonian / Chaldean invaders. See on :16; <a href='B:220 19:9'>Job 19:9</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> While he was still speaking, there came also another and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again as noted on :13, the disaster came exactly whilst they were partying. This would invite us to see this as judgment upon them, looking ahead to the judgment of the children ["sons"] of Israel.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Struck" is the same word as "touch" in :11. This was the hand of God 'touching' Job as Satan had requested. A wind which struck four corners of a house at the same time was a whirlwind, associated with Divine judgment and theophany.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground and worshiped-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His robe, as the head of the family, was likely of religious significance; a kind of priestly robe. And he realizes now that all such ritual has failed to save- as noted on :16. The shaved Job again becomes a picture of the shaved Judah after the Babylonian invasion (<a href='B:300 7:29'>Jer 7:29</a> s:w:), and of the suffering servant who was "sheared", s:w. "shaved" (<a href='B:290 53:7'>Isa 53:7</a>). The response to this shaving was to "worship" and not charge God wrongly, a lesson not learnt by the exiles, who wrongly charged God over it all (as Ezekiel 18 makes clear).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He said, Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be the name of Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The 'taking away' is the term used of Judah's taking away into captivity (<a href='B:300 20:5'>Jer 20:5</a>). God gave Judah a king in His anger, and took him away at the time of Zedekiah and the captivity (<a href='B:350 13:11'>Hos 13:11</a> s:w:). The raft of questions and mental struggles elicited by all this are those which the drama of Job will now discuss and debate. We note that Job immediately sees 'God in all this'. It wasn't that Yahweh gave, and Satan took away. God took away as well as gave. Without his family and wealth, Job feels naked- as if he is now ready to go into the grave. But it was with that now naked man that God would work, and He does likewise with men today.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In all this, Job did not sin-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job's reaction at this point was wonderful. He didn't sin in this respect; but he is later led to understand that he has indeed sinned and he accepts the call to repentance of <a href='B:220 33:27'>Job 33:27</a>. But the appeal for Job to repent and his final acceptance of it could also lead us to interpret this as meaning that Job did not consider he had sinned, when in fact he had. He would then become again representative of Judah; "Behold I will plead with you, because you say, I have not sinned" (<a href='B:300 2:35'>Jer 2:35</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Nor charge God with wrongdoing- This is legal language, as if Job did not put God in the dock and accuse Him wrongly. The idea of Israel as it were taking a court case against God recurs in the prophets. Job was their example and they largely failed to follow it.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again it happened on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Before Yahweh" doesn't at all have to mean this happened in Heaven itself. The phrase is used of how men come before Yahweh here on earth. Note how Job addresses the friends in <a href='B:220 13:7'>Job 13:7</a> LXX "Do ye not speak before the Lord::.". This is another hint that the friends were represented by the Satan figure of the prologue, who likewise appeared "before the Lord". Satan came amongst them, but influenced them to accept his viewpoint; or even spoke for them, until they became effectively the Satan. See on <a href='B:220 13:21'>Job 13:21</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh said to Satan, Where have you come from? Satan answered Yahweh and said, From going back and forth in the land, and from walking up and down in it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See the extensive discussion on <a href='B:220 1:7'>Job 1:7</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Later Job complains to God "what is man, that Thou dost magnify him? and that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon him? (lit. 'consider him')" (<a href='B:220 7:17'>Job 7:17</a>). Thus Job sees God- whom he probably conceived of as an Angel- as considering him, whilst we are told earlier that satan / the adversary was told to do this. A human satan considering Job would not in itself have brought the trials, for no one human could have done all the things done to Job; and Job would not have complained so bitterly about a human being considering him.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For there is none like him in the land, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on <a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>. The connection with Isaiah is to <a href='B:290 59:15'>Isa 59:15</a> "Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey". "He who departs from evil" is the term used about Job (s:w. <a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>; <a href='B:220 2:3'>Job 2:3</a>); and he too became a "prey" to evil. Job represents not only the exiles, but the righteous remnant amongst them who departed from evil but suffered all the same.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He still maintains his integrity-</p><h4> Job uses this word about himself in <a href='B:220 27:6'>Job 27:6</a>. Again we have the impression that he had been present at these discussions between the Satan and God; and the view of the Satan was in fact the view now of the friends, who effectively acted as the Satan figure who had influenced their thinking. His argument against the friends, that he did maintain his integrity still, was effectively arguing back against this position of the Satan. "Hold fast" or "maintain" is the appeal of the prophets to the exiles (s:w. <a href='B:290 27:5'>Isa 27:5</a>; <a href='B:290 35:3'>Isa 35:3</a>; <a href='B:290 56:4'>Isa 56:4</a>). But sadly there were none who really followed Job's example at that time. None maintained or took hold of Yahweh's righteousness (<a href='B:290 64:7'>Isa 64:7</a> s:w:).</h4><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Although you incited Me against him, to ruin him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is not really a rebuke; for the Satan is carefully portrayed as not actually sinning. Because God did in fact "ruin him". This 'inciting' of God reveals the sensitivity of God to human desires to understand and their wish that He would act. This is exactly what happens in our wrestlings in prayer with God. If God agrees, He "performs the counsel (advice) of His messenger" (Angels; <a href='B:290 44:26'>Isa 44:26</a>). That is in a restoration context- to encourage the early readership of Job to understand that God can be moved to respond:&nbsp; The Hebrew for "incite" means to prick or stimulate, s:w. "persuade"- God can be moved or provoked to action, He is sensitive to our struggles with 'the problem of evil' and His actions upon earth, just as much as human beings can provoke Him to anger.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Without cause-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job repeats this in <a href='B:220 9:17'>Job 9:17</a>. Again we have the impression that he had been present at these discussions between the Satan and God; and the view of the Satan was in fact the view now of the friends, who effectively acted as the Satan figure who had influenced their thinking. And the point is established- that suffering can come on individuals "without cause". Yet the friends spend their speeches guessing at what the cause was in Job's case. In the restoration context, the suffering servant likewise suffered "without cause" (s:w. <a href='B:290 52:3'>Isa 52:3</a>; <a href='B:290 52:5'>Isa 52:5</a>). That figure was clearly based upon Job, and speaks of the righteous remnant at the restoration, and finally of the Lord Jesus who was their embodiment. Jeremiah laments that he too had suffered at that time "without cause" (<a href='B:310 3:52'>Lam 3:52</a> s:w:); failing to perceive the lessons of the book of Job, just as we can whenever we complain that we suffer "without cause". The reality of course was that the judgments upon Judah had not been "without cause" (<a href='B:330 14:23'>Eze 14:23</a> s:w:). And Job finally comes to realize that although he is right before God by grace, he too is a sinner and there was "cause" in his sufferings.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Satan answered Yahweh and said, Skin for skin-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea may be that Job was willing to accept the loss of the skin of his children, as it were in exchange for his own skin being saved. But 'Skin for skin' is a human expression- maybe based on trading one animal skin for another. It is appropriate to a human being on earth; and yet as explained on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>, the human Satan had a representative Angel in Heaven who also used this phrase in reporting the man's thinking before God. This reflects the degree to which God is aware of our language and perceptions.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is the basis of the Lord's words "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul / life?" (<a href='B:470 16:26'>Mat 16:26</a>), even if he possesses the whole world, as the mega wealthy Job appeared to. We note that He quotes the words of the Satan with approval; again confirming the impression that the 'Satan' figure is not essentially sinful. Just as the serpent in Eden was an animal making observations, however wrongly; and sin entered the world not by the serpent but through Adam (<a href='B:520 5:12'>Rom 5:12</a>). The serpent was part of a "very good" creation and was a-moral.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But put forth Your hand now-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Satan asks God: "Put forth Your hand". The hand of God is an Angelic phrase. God agrees- "he is in your hand" (:6). Thus Satan's hand is God's hand, which in practice was articulated through an Angel. Job seems to emphasize the place of God's hand in bringing his trials- <a href='B:220 2:5-6'>Job 2:5-6</a>; <a href='B:220 2:10'>Job 2:10</a>; <a href='B:220 6:9'>Job 6:9</a>; <a href='B:220 10:7'>Job 10:7</a>; <a href='B:220 13:21'>Job 13:21</a>; <a href='B:220 19:21'>Job 19:21</a>; <a href='B:220 27:11'>Job 27:11</a> AVmg; 28:9. Job in <a href='B:220 12:9'>Job 12:9</a> feels that in the same way as God's hand had created the natural creation- and the Angels did this- so that same Angelic hand was upon him for evil. "By His Spirit (God makes His Angels spirits) He hath garnished the Heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent" (<a href='B:220 26:13'>Job 26:13</a>). Thus Job associates God's Spirit with His hand, which is Satan's hand. It seems far more fitting that this hand and spirit should be Angelic rather than human. For no one human being could bring these sufferings upon Job. The human Satan, the fellow worshipper, was reflected in an Angel in the court of Heaven. Again, it was Angelic work that formed the Heavens. Job recognized that his trials came from the hand of God, but knew that His hand would not kill him- "with Thy strong hand Thou opposest Thyself against me::. howbeit He will not stretch out His hand to (bring me to) the grave" (<a href='B:220 30:21'>Job 30:21</a>; <a href='B:220 30:24'>Job 30:24</a> AV). This was exactly the brief given to satan- to try Job, but "preserve his life". The hand of God creating evil (<a href='B:220 2:10-11'>Job 2:10-11</a>) must surely refer to God's "Angels of evil" (<a href='B:230 78:49'>Psa 78:49</a>) rather than to man- in the restoration context, the people and Cyrus had to be taught that no one except God (including human satans!) created evil (<a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce You to Your face-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In <a href='B:220 2:4-6'>Job 2:4-6</a> we have the ‘Satan’ commenting that Job’s flesh and skin need to be harmed; but in <a href='B:220 19:26'>Job 19:26</a> we have Job stating his faith that even though God destroys his flesh and skin, yet God shall ultimately save him. See on <a href='B:220 16:14'>Job 16:14</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :5. In the restoration context, this was to be understood as the promise that no matter how God's people suffered, Israel would be preserved.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> So Satan went forth from the presence of Yahweh, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Isaiah's description of Israel as "from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness::. but wounds, and bruises and putrifying sores" (<a href='B:290 1:6'>Isa 1:6</a>) is couched in this picture of Job. As if Job represents apostate Israel, although personally innocent; in the spirit of the Lord Jesus. These types of wounds made them ritually unclean. In Isaiah’s first context, the suffering servant was King Hezekiah. Yet all Israel were to see themselves as ‘in’ him, as spiritual Israel are to see themselves as in Christ. “He was oppressed”, as Israel at that time were being “oppressed” by Assyria. As they were covered in wounds and spiritual sickness (<a href='B:290 1:5-6'>Isa 1:5-6</a>), so the suffering servant bore their diseases and rose again in salvation victory. Significantly, Isaiah 40-53 speak of the one servant, whereas Isaiah 54-66 speak of the “servants” who fulfill in principle the work of the singular servant. The suffering servant, based upon Job, was a people embodied in the future Lord Jesus.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The word for "potsherd", a piece of broken earthenware, is used repeatedly about Judah in exile (<a href='B:290 30:14'>Isa 30:14</a>; <a href='B:290 45:9'>Isa 45:9</a>; <a href='B:300 19:1'>Jer 19:1</a>; <a href='B:310 4:2'>Lam 4:2</a>; <a href='B:330 23:34'>Eze 23:34</a>). Job is presented as their representative.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And he sat among the ashes-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Another similarity with Abraham, whose seed Job is presented as being (<a href='B:10 18:27'>Gen 18:27</a>). The epilogue and prologue to Job are evidently related. Job begins sitting in dust and ashes and ends repenting in dust and ashes (<a href='B:220 2:8'>Job 2:8</a>; <a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>). The silence of the friends at the opening of the book is matched by the silence after God has finally spoken (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). Job intercedes for his children (<a href='B:220 1:5'>Job 1:5</a>) and ends up interceding for his friends. Job begins with the description of being the Lord’s servant; and the book concludes on the same note (<a href='B:220 42:7-8'>Job 42:7-8</a>). The question of course is: ‘So what’s the equivalent of the ‘Satan’ figure in the epilogue?’. The omission is intended and obvious. Ultimately the answer is the essence of the whole book: the ‘Satan’, the adversary, is none other than God Himself, in His love.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then his wife said to him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Jewish thinking came to be influenced by Babylonian ideas of a dualistic cosmos, split between God and some 'Satan' figure. The book of Job is a corrective to this, in that it teaches that evil comes from God, and any Satan figure is under His total control. Yet a mere skim reading of the prologue to Job has led some to the very opposite conclusion. Significantly, the apostate Jewish writing The Testament Of Job completely twists the intent of the Biblical record, and adds into it the common misconceptions concerning Satan- e:g. it claims of Job's wife: "Satan followed her along the road, walking stealthily, and leading her astray::. [Job warns her] 'Do you not see Satan standing behind you and unsettling your reasoning?'" (23:11; 26:6). These classical images of 'Satan' have to be added in to the Biblical record- because they are simply not there in the Biblical text. These ideas of women being easily influenced by a cosmic Satan figure are thereby deconstructed here; Job's wife is presented just as a real woman, making observations which many secular people would make.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Renounce" or "curse" is a word with two meanings; it can also be translated 'bless'. So she may also have been quipping that blessing God, as Job has done so far in the narrative, all the same leads to death.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The LXX at this point adds a lot more detail, which is very much the language of Lamentations concerning the Jews after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem: "And when much time had passed, his wife said to him, How long wilt thou hold out, saying, Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance? for, behold, thy memorial is abolished from the earth, even thy sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows; and thou thyself sittest down to spend the nights in the open air among the corruption of worms, and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labours and my pangs which now beset me: but say some word against the Lord, and die".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women would speak-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "The foolish" is the term used by the restoration prophets for the unfaithful in Israel; and her perspective is therefore set up as the wrong model which they were following (<a href='B:300 17:11'>Jer 17:11</a>; <a href='B:330 13:3'>Eze 13:3</a>):&nbsp;What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The hand of God creating evil (<a href='B:220 2:10-11'>Job 2:10-11</a>) must surely refer to God's "Angels of evil" (<a href='B:230 78:49'>Psa 78:49</a>) rather than to man- Cyrus had to be taught that no one except God (including human satans!) created evil (<a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a>). See on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>; <a href='B:220 26:13'>Job 26:13</a>; <a href='B:220 30:21'>Job 30:21</a>. The major theme of the book of Job is that God brought the problems into Job’s life and that eventually they made him a more righteous person (<a href='B:220 2:10'>Job 2:10</a>; <a href='B:220 16:11'>Job 16:11</a>; <a href='B:220 19:21'>Job 19:21</a>; <a href='B:220 23:16'>Job 23:16</a>; <a href='B:220 42:11'>Job 42:11</a>). Notice that Job did not believe that only good things came from God; he nowhere complains about Satan bringing the problems. Job realized that his sufferings had made him come to know God in practice rather than just in theory - “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee” (<a href='B:220 42:5'>Job 42:5</a>). Seeing that problems make us more righteous people if we respond correctly to them (<a href='B:650 12:5-11'>Heb 12:5-11</a>), why would a sinful, wicked being, who wants to turn us away from God, bring these things into our lives, when actually they only make us more righteous and closer to God?I have pointed out that Job all through rejects the ideas promoted by the friends, the view of traditional wisdom (especially emphasized by Bildad, <a href='B:220 8:8-10'>Job 8:8-10</a>), that various supernatural ‘Satan’ monsters and figures were responsible for his experiences. Job began by saying that we receive both good and evil from God’s hand (<a href='B:220 2:10'>Job 2:10</a> cp. <a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a>). And he ends saying the same – that the Lord brought the trouble upon him (<a href='B:220 42:11'>Job 42:11</a>). He repeatedly sees God as the source of all his affliction. Hence God can say that Job has spoken about Him that which is right (<a href='B:220 42:8'>Job 42:8</a>). But Job came to realize the massive practical extent of what he had previously known in theory, what he had “by the hearing of the ear”. Now his eye saw / perceived that truly no plan of God can be thwarted, by any of the various ‘Satan’ monsters imagined by men (<a href='B:220 42:2'>Job 42:2</a>). We too may say that we believe in the omnipotence of God; but such a belief requires us to throw out all beliefs in supernatural Satan figures. And that’s not a merely intellectual exercise; to see the tragedies and cruelties of our lives as being ultimately from God and under His control is something which shakes us to the core. See on <a href='B:220 41:1'>Job 41:1</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I have suggested earlier that the friends were influenced by the Satan figure and effectively became the Satan to Job. They "came" to him just as the evil "came" to him.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> These people are traceable in the records of the patriarchs, again suggesting an early date for the historical Job. Eliphaz and Tema are associated with the Idumeans, the people of Esau (<a href='B:10 36:4'>Gen 36:4</a>); Shuah was one of Abraham's children by Keturah.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And they made an appointment together-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> They were the "sons of God" who came together on set occasions "before Yahweh" (<a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>); so it seems that such meetings were not uncommon for them, and perhaps they came together as it were for an extraordinary meeting, or perhaps the dialogues presented occurred at their next regular meeting.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>To come to sympathize with him and to comfort him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on <a href='B:220 19:12-14'>Job 19:12-14</a>; <a href='B:220 2:11'>Job 2:11</a> the friends came "to mourn with him and to comfort him" , although Job said he turned to them for comfort in vain (<a href='B:220 16:2'>Job 16:2</a>). The Hebrew here in 2:11 is identical to that in <a href='B:230 69:20'>Psa 69:20</a>, describing Christ looking in vain for comforters:&nbsp;Job was the prototype of Isaiah's suffering servant and thereby a type of the Lord Jesus. "Comfort" is the word Job finally uses when he says he 'repents' (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>). Perhaps their aim from the start was to lead him to the repentance they wrongly imagined he must make for the sins which they mistakenly thought lay behind his sufferings.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> When they lifted up their eyes from a distance and didn’t recognize him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The friends "knew him not" as the Jews also did not recognize the suffering servant because of the great physical torment (<a href='B:290 52:14'>Isa 52:14</a>; <a href='B:290 53:3'>Isa 53:3</a>). Like those who crucified Christ "they sat down" watching him; "and sitting down they watched him there".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They raised their voices and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The descriptions of the elders of Zion sitting on the ground in mourning for Jerusalem in <a href='B:310 2:10'>Lam 2:10</a> recalls the friends mourning for Job- thus associating both them and Job with a condemned Israel.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great- This great grief was intended to represent "the day of grief and of desperate sorrow" that was to come upon a condemned Judah (s:w. <a href='B:290 17:11'>Isa 17:11</a>; <a href='B:300 15:18'>Jer 15:18</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job although righteous was representative of a condemned Israel, whose "days" were likewise "cursed" (s:w. <a href='B:290 65:20'>Isa 65:20</a>). This is the essence of the representative nature of the work of the Lord Jesus, the suffering servant who description took Job as its prototype. He was ultimately innocent and yet representative of a cursed people, and like Job, through His intercession for sinners He could bring salvation for them.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job responded-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea of 'response' is yet another indication that Job was present at the dialogue between God and the Satan.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Let the day perish in which I was born, the night in which it was said, ‘There is a boy conceived’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Heb. 'the night which said:::'. He personifies darkness as a being, and sees himself as having been born out of that darkness. A great theme of the book of Job is that God brings light out of darkness, and is in control of the darkness; see on :4.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Let that day be darkness. Don’t let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job sees a chasmic difference between light and darkness; but the end of the book reveals the truth specifically taught to the exiles in <a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a>, that both light and darkness were from God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes black the day terrify it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> An allusion to the blackness caused by the desert sandstorms called "khamsin", which appeared to turn day into thick darkness. God noted that allusion, and appears at the end of the book in such a whirlwind, to reveal the light of His grace.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As for that night, let thick darkness seize on it. Let it not rejoice among the days of the year. Let it not counted in the number of the months-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The "thick darkness" continues the allusion to the "khamsin" whirlwind sandstorm (see on :5), which brings a palpably "thick darkness".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, let that night be barren. Let no joyful voice come therein-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> More than wishing that his existence and birth would be somehow cancelled, the desire that his day of birth be "barren" would suggest "let no one be born in it". The restoration prophecies repeatedly use the word for "joyful voice" to speak of the joy which would again come from the restoration of Zion (<a href='B:290 61:7'>Isa 61:7</a>; <a href='B:290 65:14'>Isa 65:14</a>; <a href='B:300 31:7'>Jer 31:7</a> and often). The blackness of despair which Job experienced was that of the exiles, and yet it could all be turned around, as happened for Job.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job says that the friends who came to mourn with him were “ready to raise up Leviathan” – or, as it can also be translated with allusion to the friends, “to raise up their mourning” (see A:V:). They thought that Leviathan, the ‘Satan’ figure they believed was real, could be blamed. But Job continually sees God as the ultimate source of what had happened to him, and understood the whole matter in terms of ‘how can a man be just with God’ rather than ‘how can a man get Satan off his back?’. A key passage is <a href='B:220 9:24'>Job 9:24</a>: “If it be not he, who then is it?” (R:V:); or as the G:N:B. puts it: “If God didn’t do it, who did?”. After all the theories of ‘Who’s responsible for all this evil in Job’s life?’, Job concludes that the source simply has to be God – and not anyone else. See on <a href='B:220 1:1'>Job 1:1</a>; <a href='B:220 9:24'>Job 9:24</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Let the stars of its twilight be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the morning-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The stars of the morning rejoiced for joy at Israel's creation (<a href='B:220 38:7'>Job 38:7</a> s:w. :7). Job wishes this to all be somehow annulled. But God's joy in creating His people would be finally justified in His restoration of them, as happened with Job.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> because it didn’t shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Trouble" is the word used of Joseph's "trouble" (<a href='B:10 41:51'>Gen 41:51</a>). Job was failing to see that his trouble had marvellously passed away and he was totally restored. God would save Israel from their "trouble" if they repented (<a href='B:50 26:7'>Deu 26:7</a> s:w:). "Trouble" is the word used in <a href='B:290 53:11'>Isa 53:11</a> of the suffering servant's "travail of::. soul". Again, Job was the prototype for the suffering servant.</p>


text:
<h4> Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?-</h4><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This whole depressive lament is more or less repeated by Jeremiah when in depression (<a href='B:300 20:17-18'>Jer 20:17-18</a>). We can learn from that how we should turn to Biblical precedent and example even in the darkest times of depression. But further, we see how Job's experiences are again understood as the prototype for those of the righteous remnant at the time of Judah's sufferings at the hands of the Babylonians.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should nurse?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job in the nadir of depression wishes that his mother had not placed him as her newborn child on her knees, nor offered her breast to him.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For now should I have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> If Job had died as a newborn, he felt he would have "slept". He clearly understood death as unconsciousness, which shows that even in those early days, there was a clear understanding of death amongst the believers. For almost everyone else had ideas of an immortal soul consciously surviving death. But his whole argument is that death is unconsciousness.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> with kings and counsellors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is rather similar to the description of Babylon's king coming to the grave with "all the kings of the nations" in Isaiah 14. The depressed Jews in exile likewise saw their destiny beyond the grave as being identical with that of their Babylonian oppressors.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Their houses could refer to their burial tombs.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants who never saw light-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The description of Miriam in <a href='B:40 12:12'>Num 12:12</a> LXX is quoting from <a href='B:220 3:16'>Job 3:16</a> LXX; as if both Job and Miriam represented apostate Israel.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There the wicked cease from troubling. There the weary are at rest-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> <a href='B:290 57:20'>Isa 57:20</a> identifies Job's troubled and 'not at rest' experience with that of the suffering, apostate Jews of the exile: "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There the prisoners are at ease together. They don’t hear the voice of the taskmaster-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job in his depression feels as Israel suffering in Egypt (<a href='B:20 3:7'>Exo 3:7</a>; <a href='B:20 5:6'>Exo 5:6</a>; <a href='B:20 5:13'>Exo 5:13</a>), considering that death was the only way out of the misery of hearing the "voice of the taskmaster". But he fails to see that out of that misery they were redeemed and restored to their land. This is alluded to when attention is drawn to how God's creations "hear not the voice, the shouts and curses of the driver" (<a href='B:220 39:7'>Job 39:7</a>). God's people didn't have to "hear" the voice of the taskmaster; there was a way of redemption offered.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The small and the great are there. The servant is free from his master-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job was a master, but he now felt as a servant who wished to be free. Whose servant was he? Surely God's. Job even yearned to be free of God, a feeling he later expresses. But he never attempts to cut the ties totally; for he knows that by the nature of things, he can't. And he is later to be taught that those ties that bind were nothing less than God's love and saving grace.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Why is light given-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job recognizes that the light is a gift from God, and will be brought to realize throughout the book, and especially in the speeches of God and Elihu at the end, that the darkness likewise is a gift from Him. And this was the truth which the exiles had to learn (<a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a> is addressed to them).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>To him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Hezekiah, a potential fulfilment of the suffering servant who was based upon Job, was likewise given life when he was "bitter in soul" (<a href='B:290 38:15'>Isa 38:15</a>; <a href='B:290 38:17'>Isa 38:17</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job's desire for death was not fulfilled. And this stood for all time as a lesson of how the ties that bind in life, the sense of being hedged up and tied down in an unbearable position, are in fact the ties and cords of Divine love.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This was in Job's imagination. For nobody surely commits suicide with joy, and a final fear of death is part of the human condition.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Why is light given-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :20.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>To a man whose way is hidden-</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>see on <a href='B:220 10:11-12'>Job 10:11-12</a>; <a href='B:290 40:27'>Isa 40:27</a>. "Hidden" is "obscured" / "darkened", "placed under a cloud". Finally the cloud of the whirlwind appears at the end of the book and Job finally realizes that out of that comes the light of God's glory.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Whom God has hedged in?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job is feeling confined, imprisoned, blocked in. But this was what happened to Judah in their judgment (<a href='B:350 2:6'>Hos 2:6</a>); Job although righteous was the representative of Judah.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For my sighing comes before I eat. My groanings are poured out like water-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But Job's "sighing" came to an end when he was restored. The same word is used of how the sighing of the captives in exile (<a href='B:310 1:4'>Lam 1:4</a>; <a href='B:310 1:11'>Lam 1:11</a>; <a href='B:310 1:21-22'>Lam 1:21-22</a>) would likewise end when they were restored (<a href='B:290 35:10'>Isa 35:10</a>; <a href='B:290 51:11'>Isa 51:11</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For the thing which I fear comes upon me, that of which I was afraid has happened to me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job's sufferings were a type of those of the Lord Jesus; and as for Job, so for the Lord, the sufferings of the cross were the thing which He had greatly feared all his life. Perhaps the thing which the Lord greatly feared, according to the Psalms, was feeling forsaken by God. And true enough to the Job type, this came upon Him.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I was not at ease, neither was I quiet, neither had I rest; but trouble came- There are some very evident ways in which Job spiritually grew. Here he originally says that his life previous to his afflictions had not been a life of ease; but as a result of his suffering, he realized that actually it had been "at ease" (<a href='B:220 16:12'>Job 16:12</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz appears to have been the eldest. The friends speak according to age, with Elihu as the youngest coming last. The idea was clearly that the longer you lived, the more wisdom you attained; but this is deconstructed throughout the book.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> If someone ventures to talk with you, will you be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Both Job and the friends, including Elihu, so often argue that they cannot but speak. Eliphaz is here saying that whether or not Job agrees that Elihu can talk, he can't withhold himself from speaking; indeed, he argues that nobody could stop themselves from talking. And yet all are brought to silence by God's display of majesty and answers at the end. The drama sets us all up to quip 'If only you had all remained silent as you were at the beginning, when you all sat with Job in silence!'. We can control our tongue; but all concerned seemed to think that this was just impossible, and it was part of being human to talk when provoked. But self-control is possible.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Another telling point of contact with Isaiah is found here in 4:3-5. Job had "strengthened the weak hands::. and::. the feeble knees. But now it (the weakness and feeble knees) is come upon thee, and thou faintest". This is picked up in <a href='B:290 35:3-4'>Isa 35:3-4</a>: "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful (Heb. 'hasty'- both are relevant to Job) heart, Be strong::. behold, your God will come". Thus Job is representative of the weak-hearted Jews in exile, and his final deliverance thus points forward to both their restoration and the final coming of the Lord to reestablish God's Kingdom on earth.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Your words have supported him who was falling, you have strengthened the feeble knees-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :4. The idea is that now Job himself had weak hands and feeble knees (:3,5), which needed strengthening. This makes him exactly correspond with the situation of the exiles in <a href='B:290 35:3-4'>Isa 35:3-4</a>; the good news of the gospel of restoration was to be experienced by him.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Touch" is the word used by the satan in <a href='B:220 1:11'>Job 1:11</a>; <a href='B:220 2:5'>Job 2:5</a>, where satan argues that if Job is 'touched', he will renounce God. This is more evidence that the satan was the friends, on one level. When he fades from the narrative, the friends appear as it were in his place. It may be that Job's satan Angel was the Angel representing the three friends (satans) of Job. Because of His close identification with them, the satan Angel spoke their&nbsp; thoughts as if they were his own- compare Eliphaz's thoughts here with Satan's words of <a href='B:220 1:9-10'>Job 1:9-10</a>. For the connection between the satan and an Angel, see on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Isn’t your piety your confidence?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The Hebrew can mean both "confidence" and "folly" (s:w. <a href='B:230 85:8'>Psa 85:8</a>). The friends were convinced Job was a fake because he was suffering.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Isn’t the integrity of your ways your hope?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz seems to be restating Job's convictions, that his upright ways were what his "hope" was predicated upon. But Job through his sufferings comes to "hope" only for death (<a href='B:220 6:8'>Job 6:8</a> s:w:), and feels he now has no "hope" (<a href='B:220 7:6'>Job 7:6</a>; <a href='B:220 14:19'>Job 14:19</a>; <a href='B:220 17:15'>Job 17:15</a>; <a href='B:220 19:10'>Job 19:10</a>). Bildad presses the same point as Eliphaz, suggesting that Job had only the "hope" of the hypocrite, and this "hope" would perish (<a href='B:220 8:13'>Job 8:13</a>; <a href='B:220 27:8'>Job 27:8</a>). Job had integrity, and on that basis he thought he had "hope". He suffered, and he lost that "hope", because he assumed that his sufferings meant that he was not in fact righteous. And yet he often reflects that he is righteous and is suffering unjustly. And so he is led to the realization that the "hope" of the righteous is by God's grace and not because of the "integrity of [Job's] ways". Judah in captivity likewise lost their "hope" (<a href='B:330 19:5'>Eze 19:5</a>; <a href='B:330 37:11'>Eze 37:11</a>). But the message of the restoration prophets was that "there is hope in your end" (<a href='B:300 31:17'>Jer 31:17</a>); they were prisoners or exiles in "hope" (<a href='B:450 9:12'>Zec 9:12</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Remember now, whoever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> God's opinion of Job was that he was "upright" (<a href='B:220 1:1'>Job 1:1</a> s:w:). But as the drama progresses, the friends argue that if Job were in fact "upright" then God would not be afflicting him (<a href='B:220 4:7'>Job 4:7</a>; <a href='B:220 8:6'>Job 8:6</a> s:w:). Job absorbs this reasoning, and confesses that he is not "upright" and therefore cannot find God (<a href='B:220 23:7-8'>Job 23:7-8</a> s:w:). He absorbs false guilt and becomes influenced by the guilt placed upon him by his religion and "friends" amongst the "sons of God". It's quite possible that in depression and periods of suffering, we can come to have a lower view of ourselves than that which God has of us; just as at other times we can have a higher view of ourselves spiritually than we ought to. There is true guilt, the guilt which we should take, and false guilt. And Job seems to have picked up the false guilt thrown upon him by Bildad. We too need to learn this difference between false and true guilt.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> According to what I have seen, those who plough iniquity and sow trouble, reap the same-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Although the friends are finally rebuked for not speaking rightly about God, Paul quotes these words in <a href='B:550 6:8'>Gal 6:8</a>. This shows that the spirit in the New Testament can at times quote words which may be out of context, and reapply them in a new context. The accusation that Job was reaping the result of his sowing of sin was wrong; but the principle is quoted with approval, that those who sow to the flesh will reap judgment. Eliphaz overlooked the fact that the final reaping was at the last day, and not in this life. Job was driven towards understanding and faith in a "last day" judgment setting things right; for he knew that he was not reaping judgment for some specific sin. He had been righteous- and yet was not reaping the results of it. So he has to conclude that the time of reaping cannot be in this life. And he progressively longs for the coming of that day. Eliphaz may also have in view the fact that it was whilst Job was literally ploughing that the judgment came (<a href='B:220 1:14'>Job 1:14</a>). See on :9.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> By the breath of God they perish. By the blast of His anger are they consumed-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> An allusion to the wind or spirit / breath of God coming from the wilderness and destroying Job's children. See on :8. This is all the language of the destruction of Judah by her enemies (<a href='B:290 30:33'>Isa 30:33</a>). Indeed Job's children had sinned, as had the sons [s:w:] / children of Israel. But this didn't mean that Job had personally sinned in such a way as to elicit this judgment. Job is to be understood as representing Judah in captivity. The fact their sons has been destroyed by the invaders was not in fact evidence that all of them had sinned. There was no guilt by association.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This and :11 pictures a family of lions perishing. Perhaps Job is the old lion, his wife the lioness, and the cubs are his sons.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :11. Ezekiel 19 likes Judah at the time of Babylon's invasion as being like a family of lions which died out. Again we see how the book of Job was reapplied to the situation with Judah at the time of their exile and restoration.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Now a thing was secretly brought to me; my ear received a whisper of it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is typical of the sources of truth many turn to today. A person claims they had a secret revelation, unconfirmed by anyone else, unheard by anyone else, and incapable of any peer review. The contents of the claims are also unverifiable. But that is accepted as 'truth' by many. The book of Job concludes with God appealing to that which is before the eyes of every man- His power in creation, His way in history, the logical implications of the fact the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper, which lead to the conclusion that there must be a day of judgment to come, and that God must finally be revealed openly.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :12, Eliphaz claims nobody else heard this message, all other men were asleep, and he implies that he must be believed. Simply on the basis of his say so. And so many are eager to do that, rather than lift their own eyes and hearts to the skies and seek God for what and how He is and has revealed Himself.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> fear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This language of fear and shaking bones is that used in <a href='B:230 53:5'>Psa 53:5</a> about the condemned; but Eliphaz presents this as reason to accept him as telling the truth!</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It's unclear whether Eliphaz is making this up (for how can a man living before mirrors were invented, in the darkness, knows what his hair looked like)- or whether it actually happened. But we will note on :18,21 that what he says is not completely true.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence; then I heard a voice saying-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Or, a still voice, recalling the voice heard by Elijah. Eliphaz admits he couldn't discern the form and appearance of whatever revealed truth to him. Yahweh's form appeared to Moses (s:w. <a href='B:40 12:8'>Num 12:8</a>) and indeed to all concerned in the book of Job, in His final theophany in the storm and whirlwind. That was to be the source of truth- and not the vaguely remembered, jumbled claims of a man like Eliphaz which couldn't be corroborated by his audience. The vision contrasts directly with <a href='B:50 4:12'>Deu 4:12</a>, where Israel did not see any "form" but only heard a voice, the Divine word, which they were to respond to. But Eliphaz claims he saw the "form" right before his eyes. The form seemed to be more significant to him than the content, the voice of the words.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> ‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job did justify himself more than God (<a href='B:220 32:2'>Job 32:2</a>) and this effectively was to be read as making himself more righteous than God. Here we have the essence of the problem in the book of Job- not suffering per se, but how can man be just or right with God. The answer is given at length in Romans 1-8 - by faith in God's imputation of righteousness to us, by grace. This is how man can be "pure" before God, by His forgiveness and imputation of righteousness (s:w. <a href='B:230 51:2'>Psa 51:2</a>; <a href='B:230 51:7'>Psa 51:7</a>). This question as to how to be pure before God was that asked by David, after his sin for which there was no sacrifice. And the answer was the same- to confess sin, and throw ourselves upon the grace which brings imputed righteousness to us. Job was not perfect, as he himself comes to admit; and yet he was counted righteous by God, both at the start and the end of the book. But any attempt to make ourselves righteous without this Divinely provided mechanism- is effectively to raise ourselves up above God. And that is the problem and failure of all works-based religions. The offer of being cleansed (s:w. "pure") by their maker was what the exiles were offered in the new covenant (s:w. <a href='B:300 33:8'>Jer 33:8</a>; <a href='B:330 36:25'>Eze 36:25</a>; <a href='B:330 36:33'>Eze 36:33</a>; <a href='B:330 37:23'>Eze 37:23</a>; <a href='B:460 3:3'>Mal 3:3</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, He puts no trust in His servants. He charges His angels with folly-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It can be argued that the book of Job is a dialogue concerning evil and suffering, with three popular views being represented by the three friends. These views are examined and corrected by the personal history of Job, as well as by the epilogue and prologue to the book. Eliphaz seems to be representative of the idea that Job is being hit by supernaturally controlled evil- Eliphaz speaks of a force of darkness (<a href='B:220 22:10-11'>Job 22:10-11</a>) and sinful or faulty Angels living in an unclean Heaven (<a href='B:220 4:18'>Job 4:18</a>; <a href='B:220 15:15'>Job 15:15</a>). Yet the answer to all this is that the Satan figure is under God's control, all Job's misfortunes come from God and His Angels- one of whom may have been called 'the adversary' ('Satan')- are in fact all perfectly obedient to Him and not disobedient. And finally, Eliphaz and the friends are rebuked for their various wrong understandings, with God declaring Himself supreme and ultimate sovereign. Likewise Bildad's view of Angels in <a href='B:220 25:5'>Job 25:5</a> "The stars are not pure in God's eyes" is corrected by God in <a href='B:220 38:7'>Job 38:7</a>, when He says that "the morning stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth!-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz seems to be saying that there is no way that man can ever be right with God; because, as noted on :17, he was still ignorant of the wonderful truth of imputed righteousness and justification by grace through faith. He has a very low view of human nature. Although we are indeed dust and crushed by moths as our bodies decompose, all that we posit about human nature is true of the Lord Jesus- who fully shared our nature, and yet was holy and undefiled. The Bible in fact has a far higher view of the possibilities inherent within human nature than many do today, represented as they are by the false reasoning of Eliphaz.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again, Eliphaz is wrong to assume that all men "perish forever". Job correctly reasons himself towards a belief in the resurrection of the body at the last day (<a href='B:220 19:25-27'>Job 19:25-27</a>). And God does indeed "regard" the death of His precious ones (<a href='B:230 116:15'>Psa 116:15</a>).</p>


text:
<h4> Isn’t their tent cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom’- LXX "For he blows upon them, and they are withered"- the language of Isaiah concerning the perishing of the glory of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. These words are true for the unbelievers, but are not universally true; indeed Peter appears to allude to this verse by saying that once his tent has been taken down, yet he still has the hope of eternal life at the resurrection of the body at the last day (<a href='B:680 1:13-14'>2Pe 1:13-14</a>).</h4>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Call now; is there any who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you appeal?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz appears to believe that there are Angels or holy ones around God, but Job cannot get sympathy from any of them. This indicates that the idea of a 'court of heaven', with Angels watching events upon earth, was appreciated by these people. See on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>At that moment, there was indeed nobody who would answer Job nor hear his appeal. Job's desire for these things, for real spiritual friendship and an advocate in Heaven, grew so intense that he comes to visualize an ideal friend, who would not only appreciate his every grief, but who would offer more than commiseration. He came to long for one who would reconcile him with the righteousness of God. Naturally, he would have had in mind Abraham's promised seed. His mind was therefore being prepared to desire the coming of Messiah; in prospect, he was developing a personal understanding and appreciation of the Lord Jesus. In all this, Job is our glorious example. There can be very few who have not experienced the terror of complete spiritual isolation, longing for understanding and true appreciation, but finding none within the ecclesia whom they can turn to. As we look back from our traumas to the glorious reality of Christ's existence, so Job looked forward to it.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Resentment" is AV "fury"; and the Hebrew translated "jealousy" is also translated "zeal". The idea could be that it is God's fury and jealousy which slays the fool, as happened in the judgment of Judah and her enemies (s:w. <a href='B:290 42:13'>Isa 42:13</a>; <a href='B:290 59:17'>Isa 59:17</a>; <a href='B:330 5:13'>Eze 5:13</a>; <a href='B:330 16:38'>Eze 16:38</a>). Eliphaz sees the "fire of God" which struck Job's family as a sign that they were spiritually foolish. And he continues his allusions to Job's family in :3 and :4.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "The foolish" refers obliquely to Job, spreading out as a tree in his prosperity, and then having his "habitation" cursed. It was God through the Satan figure who apparently cursed or judged Job's habitation; but here Eliphaz says that he personally had done so. This continues to strengthen the hints that the friends were connected with the Satan and their forces may have been those which attacked his family.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job prayed God would forgive his children in case they sinned. The friends mocked this in <a href='B:220 5:4'>Job 5:4</a>; <a href='B:220 8:4'>Job 8:4</a>; <a href='B:220 17:5'>Job 17:5</a>; <a href='B:220 20:10'>Job 20:10</a>, saying that the children of the foolish die for their own sins, whereas, by implication, Job had figured that his prayers and sacrifices could gain them forgiveness. Yet in the end, Yahweh stated that Job had understood Him and His principles right, whereas the friends hadn’t. "Safety" is literally 'salvation', and Eliphaz taunts Job that those who truly seek God (:8) will indeed be saved (s:w. :11). There was none to "deliver" Job, so far as Eliphaz could see by his naked eye; but he was sure that such "deliverance" would be given to those who sought God (:19 s:w:). The exiles sought such 'salvation' or "deliverance" (s:w. <a href='B:160 9:28'>Neh 9:28</a>), but there was "not any to deliver them" (<a href='B:290 42:22'>Isa 42:22</a> s:w:). Job represents them; but as the story unfolds, we see that if they like Job were to resign their own righteousness, confess their sins and throw themselves upon God's grace- amazing restoration would come from the result of the "Chaldeans" who had devastated them as they had Job. The exiles too would be "delivered" (<a href='B:300 20:13'>Jer 20:13</a>; <a href='B:330 34:12'>Eze 34:12</a> s:w:).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> whose harvest the hungry eats up, and take it even out of the thorns. They snare gapes for their substance-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Here again Eliphaz wanders in his logic, assuming that Job's children had not shared their harvest with the hungry, nor allowed the poor to live by picking up stray grapes from their vineyards (as later required by the law of Moses). He assumes these sins must have happened, and likes to imagine that the invaders of Job's lands were disgruntled, hungry people. And many similar false suppositions are made by people today as they grapple with the problem of evil and personal suffering.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For affliction doesn’t come forth from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that affliction doesn't come about as part of natural process, like plants spring out of the dust / ground. "Dust", humanity, isn't naturally born to the kind of affliction Job had experienced- according to Eliphaz. Whereas the Genesis record appears to teach the opposite; that we live in a fallen world where indeed affliction does arise as part of natural process. Eliphaz struggled to accept this, as many do today, assuming that all suffering must be the direct result of personal sin. That is simply not true to observable fact and basic human experience.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> but man is born to trouble, as the arrows of the sons of Resheph fly upward-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Significantly, it is the friends who make allusion to the ‘Satan’ figures and gods as if they are real, whereas Job in his responses always denies their reality and sees God as the direct source of His sufferings. Bildad speaks of how Job’s troubles are to be associated with “the king of terrors” (<a href='B:220 18:14'>Job 18:14</a>); Eliphaz blames them upon the “sons of Resheph” (<a href='B:220 5:7'>Job 5:7</a>); but Job’s response is that the source of the evil in his life is ultimately from God and not any such being. Eliphaz there speaks of how man’s trouble comes “as the sons of Resheph fly upwards”. Resheph was known as “the lord of the arrow” and the Ugaritic tablets associate him with archery (William J. Fulco, The Canaanite God Resep (New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, 1976)). We would therefore be justified in reading in an ellipsis here: man’s trouble comes “as the [arrows of] the sons of Resheph fly upwards”. Job’s response is that “The arrows of the Almighty are in me” (<a href='B:220 6:4'>Job 6:4</a>), and he lament that God is an archer using him as his target for practice (<a href='B:220 7:20'>Job 7:20</a>; <a href='B:220 16:12-13'>Job 16:12-13</a>). Job refuses to accept Eliphaz’s explanation that Job is a victim of Resheph’s arrows. For Job, if God is “the Almighty” then there is no space left for Resheph. Each blow he received, each arrow strike, was from God and not Resheph.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Or we can read: "Man is born unto trouble, as the sons of the burning coal lift up to fly" (AVmg:). This would be using Angel-Cherubim language to say that it is inevitable that our Angels will bring trials into our lives.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But as for me, I would seek God. I would commit my cause to God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job did indeed seek God. But the friends assume that they can infer from the reality of Job's sufferings that therefore he didn't really seek God. This is to become a major theme in the book, so relevant to those Jews in exile who struggled with the problem of evil. Experience of suffering is not to say that therefore we have specifically personally sinned, and the sufferings of the suffering servant, who was Job and ultimately the Lord Jesus, are proof enough of that.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> who does great things that can’t be fathomed, marvellous things without number-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job was one of the earliest books of the Bible, and these words are alluded to or even quoted with affirmation by other believers (<a href='B:230 40:5'>Psa 40:5</a>; <a href='B:230 72:18'>Psa 72:18</a>; <a href='B:230 77:14'>Psa 77:14</a>; <a href='B:230 136:4'>Psa 136:4</a>). There was some truth in the words of the friends, therefore, although the problem was that they mixed aspects of truth with much wrong interpretation. But the parts which are true are shown to be so by the way the book is used in later scripture.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> who gives rain on the earth, and sends waters on the fields-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The way that God is essentially a giver, as witnessed throughout His creation, is a reason to turn to Him. That is a truth, but Eliphaz is wrong to reason that Job has not thus turned to God because Job is suffering. See on :9.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> so that He sets up on high those who are low; those who mourn are exalted to safety-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> &nbsp;The idea of setting the low up on high is definitely applied to the exiles who would repent in <a href='B:290 57:15'>Isa 57:15</a>. Those who mourned for Zion would be delivered / 'saved'. All this came true in the experience of Job, and it could have done so for the exiles had they humbled themselves as Job did.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is also quoted in <a href='B:240 3:11'>Pro 3:11</a>, which is a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ. <a href='B:240 3:13-15'>Pro 3:13-15</a> describes our Lord's successful finding of wisdom in the language of Job's unsuccessful search for it in <a href='B:220 28:16-19'>Job 28:16-19</a>, implying He found what Job and the friends did not (cp. <a href='B:520 9:31-32'>Rom 9:31-32</a>).<strong>&nbsp;</strong>As explained on :9, the 'true' elements in the friends' speeches are confirmed as true by their usage in later scripture.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands can’t perform their enterprise-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz clearly understands Job as "the crafty", as stated explicitly in <a href='B:220 15:5'>Job 15:5</a> (s:w:). As explained on :9, the true elements in the speeches of the friends are quoted in later scripture, although the friends misuse the 'truths' they held to condemn Job. This therefore is quoted with approval in <a href='B:530 1:19'>1Co 1:19</a>. Eliphaz is explaining why he thinks Job and&nbsp; his view of life have been brought to nothing, and Paul uses these words about the bringing down of legalism and the Judaists. Thus Paul read Job as representative of those who were influenced by the legalism of the Judaizers. Paul continues: "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?" (<a href='B:530 1:20'>1Co 1:20</a>). Job's constant desire to dispute with God and the friends, and the claims both he and they made to possessing wisdom, show Job was clearly in Paul's mind. "Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" he concludes, maybe thinking of the humbled Job and his friends.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried away headlong-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This too is quoted in <a href='B:530 3:19'>1Co 3:19</a>; see on :12. We note that Paul here quotes the Hebrew text and not the LXX, even though most of his quotations from the Old Testament seem to prefer the LXX over the Hebrew (Masoretic) text. It wasn't that Paul personally picked and chose which version fitted his line of thought; he was a Divinely inspired writer, and God chose to interpret His word as He knew most appropriate.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noonday as in the night-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz considers that Job was experiencing darkness at noon. And indeed he was. But in this Job looked ahead to the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He like the Lord suffered as a sinner without having personally sinned. Job was representative of sinful Israel under judgment, for to "grope at noonday" was their punishment for breaking the covenant (s:w. <a href='B:50 28:29'>Deu 28:29</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But He saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This again is directly relevant to the exiles in Babylon; if they accepted the new covenant and repented as Job did, they too would be saved "from the hand of the mighty" (s:w. <a href='B:300 31:11'>Jer 31:11</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again this was true for the exiles, "the poor", who had "the hope of Israel"- restoration and deliverance from those who had abused them as Job had been abused. Only then, in that final experience of deliverance at the restoration of the Kingdom, would injustice finally be answered. Everyone in the drama of Job, as in the world today, wanted an immediate answer and resolution of injustice. But that was not to be; it was only in the final realization of the hope of Israel that injustice would be silenced.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects! Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :9, the true parts of the friends' words are confirmed in later scripture. These ideas are alluded to in <a href='B:240 3:12'>Pro 3:12</a>; <a href='B:650 12:5'>Heb 12:5</a>; <a href='B:660 1:12'>Jas 1:12</a>. But again, whilst the friends have some truth, they misuse it; for Eliphaz wrongly assumes that Job is despising God's hand, and ought to be "happy" if he were a true believer. But the nature of suffering is not like that, and the picture is not so simple. The 'happiness' of God's people is only at the end, in the Kingdom, when all things are resolved (s:w. <a href='B:50 33:29'>Deu 33:29</a>; <a href='B:340 12:12'>Dan 12:12</a>). Or in the restoration context, when Babylon fell and God's people were restored from exile (s:w. <a href='B:230 137:8'>Psa 137:8</a>), after they had repented- for the positive effect of "chastening" is only experienced upon repentance (<a href='B:220 36:10'>Job 36:10</a> s:w:). Judah in exile didn't repent, and so they were left with the problem of having been 'chastened' apparently in vain. The friends also fail to realize that "chastening" may not necessarily be for our own personal sins; the suffering servant was 'chastened' not for his own sins, but to achieve our peace with God (<a href='B:290 53:5'>Isa 53:5</a> s:w:).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For He wounds, and binds up. He injures, and His hands make whole-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "for he causes a man to be in pain, and restores him again: he smites, and his hands heal". This is relevant to the restoration of Judah which was possible at the restoration. Judah were like Job, covered in sores, but they refused to be 'bound up' by God (<a href='B:290 1:6'>Isa 1:6</a> s:w:). At the restoration, through the promised suffering servant, this binding up was envisaged (<a href='B:290 61:1'>Isa 61:1</a>; <a href='B:330 34:16'>Eze 34:16</a> s:w:)- if they "returned to the Lord" (s:w. <a href='B:350 6:1'>Hos 6:1</a>). This is why the book of Job is really a call to repentance, and his very name is a form of the Arabic word for 'repentance'. God's ability to "make whole" and heal therefore depended upon human acceptance of it. Judah's refusal to repent precluded all this. "Make whole" is the word for "physician", and Job came to realize that his friends, his fellow worshippers, were in fact physicians of no value who could not make him whole (s:w. <a href='B:220 13:4'>Job 13:4</a>). His disillusion with the members of his religion, his brethren, led him to seek the more earnestly to God as the only one whose hands could "make whole" (s:w. "physician").</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Although elsewhere Eliphaz reveals his belief in cosmic, supernatural evil, he is driven here by his own logic to accept that the source of both injury and healing is God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He will deliver you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil shall touch you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Touch" is the word used by the satan in <a href='B:220 1:11'>Job 1:11</a>, again suggesting that Eliphaz and the friends were connected with the Satan, or were in fact the Satan. <a href='B:230 91:10'>Psa 91:10</a> seems to look back to this passage in <a href='B:220 5:19'>Job 5:19</a>: "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling". Psalms 91 is Moses' encouragement to Joshua that the destroying Angel in the wilderness would not harm him, but he would be protected by the Angels who would "keep thee in all thy ways" (<a href='B:230 91:11'>Psa 91:11</a>). Thus Moses may have seen <a href='B:220 5:19'>Job 5:19</a> to be talking about evil brought by Angels of evil (<a href='B:230 78:49'>Psa 78:49</a> shows his appreciation of these)- i:e. Job's satan Angel who brought the trials.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In famine He will redeem you from death; in war, from the power of the sword-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job's calamities may well have driven him to literal famine or lack of food. And again there appears to be an oblique reference back to the "war" upon Job's home encampment. Eliphaz therefore wrongly concludes that Job has not turned to God, or else he would be redeemed from the death that surrounded him. The phrase "redeem from death" is only used elsewhere in <a href='B:350 13:14'>Hos 13:14</a>, where again we have the hope of redemption which was placed before a suffering Judah if they repented. Although Job had not personally sinned, he was representative of his suffering, sinful people. All his struggles with the injustice of it all were because he failed to realize that; and thus the representative nature of the work of the Lord Jesus is one of the major teachings of the book.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :9, the true elements in the speeches of the friends are alluded to in later scripture, in this case in <a href='B:230 31:20'>Psa 31:20</a>. But as with many today, the friends misused what truth they held in their mistreatment and judgmental attitude towards Job. We can observe that the calamities listed by Eliphaz in :21-23 include many of the judgments which the prophets threaten upon Judah, and which were fulfilled at the Babylonian invasion (famine, war, devastation, wild animals). Job is presented as Judah's representative, and his repentance and restoration could have been theirs.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> At destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the animals of the earth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "wild beasts", as in :23. These are symbols of the enemies of Judah who devoured her (<a href='B:330 14:15'>Eze 14:15</a>). The repentant daughter of Zion could have laughed at them (Psalms 2); but she failed to follow Job's path.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For you shall be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field shall be at peace with you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The reference may be to how invaders, the wild beasts, spoiled the land by dropping stones throughout it. The idea is of peace with the natural creation as well as the invaders. This was the ultimate prophetic picture for Judah in their restored kingdom- if they repented.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> You shall know that your tent is in peace. You shall visit your fold, and shall miss nothing-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "and the provision for thy tabernacle shall not fail", perhaps connecting with how there was no provision for the temple services until the restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah. In the immediate context, Eliphaz has in view how the tents of Job were afflicted and the animals of his fold were stolen.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> You shall know also that your seed shall be great, your offspring as the grass of the earth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The way Eliphaz speaks of how Job’s seed or offspring could be many or “great</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> as the grass of the earth” suggests the people of Job’s time were familiar with the promises made to Abraham, and the concept of their being applicable to them too. Eliphaz therefore suggests that Abraham is not in fact a true seed of Abraham because the promises were not having fulfilment in him; see on :26. But those promises have their ultimate fulfilment in the future Kingdom; whereas the friends, like many today, thought that the promised Divine blessings have to be fulfilled immediately, in this life. And if they aren't, then we must have sinned. But the promised blessings were all of grace, of faith and not works; and would be fulfilled in the future.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> You shall come to your grave in a full age, like a sheaf of grain comes in its season-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This and :25 did come ultimately true for Job, and Eliphaz lived to see it, and to realize he had been wrong in his judgment of Job. The allusion is clearly to Abraham, whose seed Job was (<a href='B:10 15:15'>Gen 15:15</a>; <a href='B:10 25:8'>Gen 25:8</a>). See on :25, where Eliphaz has implied Job is not the seed of Abraham.</p>


text:
<h4> Look this, we have examined it, so it is. Hear it, and know it for your good- LXX "but do thou reflect with thyself, if thou hast done anything wrong". The friends speak as if they are the final court – Eliphaz speaks of how the judges and elders of their day, the “holy ones”, had concluded Job was guilty, and that they, the friends, were right: “To which of the holy ones will you appeal [legal language]?::. we have [legally] examined this, and it [Job’s guilt] is true” (<a href='B:220 5:1'>Job 5:1</a>; <a href='B:220 5:27'>Job 5:27</a>). But we learn by the end of the book that it is God's judgment in the court of heaven which is the only judgment worth paying attention to. This is of great comfort to those who feel misjudged by man – above them in Heaven the ultimate Heavenly court is considering our case, and that is all that matters. Job appeals for ‘witnesses’ (<a href='B:220 9:33-35'>Job 9:33-35</a>; <a href='B:220 16:18-22'>Job 16:18-22</a>; <a href='B:220 19:20-27'>Job 19:20-27</a>), an advocate in Heaven (<a href='B:220 9:33'>Job 9:33</a>), denies his guilt and demands a legal list of his sins (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a>), he wishes for God to come to trial (<a href='B:220 9:3'>Job 9:3</a>), and thus Job is described as a man who has taken out a ‘case’ with God (<a href='B:220 23:4'>Job 23:4</a>; <a href='B:220 40:2'>Job 40:2</a>). Job 29-31 is effectively Job’s declaration of legal innocence and an appeal to God to hear his case more sympathetically (<a href='B:220 31:35'>Job 31:35</a>). And of course God pronounces a final legal verdict at the very end (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>), in response to Job’s earlier plea: “Sleeplessly I wait for His reply” (<a href='B:220 16:22'>Job 16:22</a>). It’s as if the whole experience of Job was [at least partly] in order to test out the Canaanite theories of ‘Satan’, suffering and evil in the court of Heaven; and also the various theories which arose to explain Judah's captivity in Babylon. The friends represent the traditional views of evil, and often make reference to the myths of their day about ‘Satan’ figures.</h4>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Job answered-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Every time we read or hear this in the drama, we almost wish him to remain silent as the Lord did at His trial. His final silence and laying his hand upon his mouth is what the drama wishes us for him to do the longer it goes on.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Oh that my anguish were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "Oh that one would indeed weigh the wrath that is upon me". This was the feeling of the exiles; that the wrath upon Israel, the "sand of the sea" (:3), was heavier than it ought to have been. And they like Job were brought to realize their sinfulness and the lightness of their judgment, having been punished, as Ezra reflected, in fact less than their iniquities deserved (<a href='B:150 9:13'>Ezr 9:13</a>). Job looked in vain for someone to understand and evaluate his sufferings. The friends had come to him to do this, but had failed. We too may tell our life story to another person for days or weeks- but they will never quite understand. Job's disappointment with human relationships led him to throw himself finally upon God; for the only one to weigh accurately his calamity was of course God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I have noted several times Job's presentation as the seed of Abraham and allusions to the promises to Abraham. We have another one here. He considers that the promises of seed like the sand of the seas were somehow outweighed by his sufferings. He felt perhaps that he was not going to inherit the promises because of his sufferings; as if they were somehow indicative that he was not the seed of Abraham. This meant that he had yet to learn that the promises to Abraham, which were the basis of the new covenant offered to the exiles, were based upon grace; and they had their ultimate fulfilment in the restored Kingdom of God on earth and the blessing of having Yahweh as a personal God- and not in the blessings of secular life.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore have my words been rash-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Presumably Job refers to his words recorded in Job 2, 3. But he uses a situational ethic here- as if rash language is excusable because of the weight of suffering. When he finally places his hand upon his mouth, Job realizes that such rationalization of poor language use was inappropriate.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God set themselves in array against me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz blames Job's troubles upon the “sons of Resheph” (<a href='B:220 5:7'>Job 5:7</a>); but Job’s response is that the source of the evil in his life is ultimately from God and not any such being. Eliphaz there speaks of how man’s trouble comes “as the sons of Resheph fly upwards”. Resheph was known as “the lord of the arrow” and the Ugaritic tablets associate him with archery (William J. Fulco, The Canaanite God Resep (New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, 1976)). We would therefore be justified in reading in an ellipsis here: man’s trouble comes “as the [arrows of] the sons of Resheph fly upwards”. Job’s response is that “The arrows of the Almighty are in me” (<a href='B:220 6:4'>Job 6:4</a>), and he lament that God is an archer using him as his target for practice (<a href='B:220 7:20'>Job 7:20</a>; <a href='B:220 16:12-13'>Job 16:12-13</a>). Job refuses to accept Eliphaz’s explanation that Job is a victim of Resheph’s arrows. For Job, if God is “the Almighty” then there is no space left for Resheph. Each blow he received, each arrow strike, was from God and not Resheph. The "terrors" he felt in nightmares (s:w. <a href='B:220 7:14'>Job 7:14</a>) were ultimately from God. These "terrors" appear to be psychological trauma, parallel with his "spirit" being wounded by God's arrows (<a href='B:220 13:21'>Job 13:21</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over his fodder?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job fell into the trap of thinking that his terrible situation somehow allowed him to speak whatever words came into his head. Job felt he hadn’t been ‘fed’ and so he was entitled to “bray” and “low” over his misfortune (<a href='B:220 6:5'>Job 6:5</a>). Because of the weight of his sufferings, he thereby justified the fact that "Therefore have my words been rash (<a href='B:220 6:3'>Job 6:3</a>). Likewise “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit” (<a href='B:220 7:11'>Job 7:11</a>). “I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul” (<a href='B:220 10:1'>Job 10:1</a> RV). Zophar criticizes Job being “full of talk” and speaking “the multitude of words”, “for thou sayest, my doctrine is pure” (<a href='B:220 11:1-4'>Job 11:1-4</a>)- as if Job felt that because he held true doctrine he was justified in pouring out words as he did. “Why should I not be impatient?” (<a href='B:220 21:4'>Job 21:4</a> RV). “Today is my complaint bitter. My stroke is heavier than my groaning” (<a href='B:220 23:2'>Job 23:2</a>)- i:e. his complaining was due to his sufferings. “If I hold my peace, I shall give up the spirit” (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a> RVmg:). Job felt that the situation he was in forced him to use the words he did, and certainly justified it [we may well have used this reasoning ourselves when justifying the use of bad language]. But in the end, Elihu on God’s behalf rebuked him for his wrong words. And Job himself recognized: “I am vile. I will lay mine hand upon my mouth” in regret of his words (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). “Wherefore I loathe my words and repent” (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a> RVmg:). He realized his mistake: he had thought that the situation justified his words. Now he hung his head and admitted that there was no justification for speaking in the way he had. Especially in the matter of the tongue, we can so easily justify ourselves; ‘I only said / did it [or didn’t do it] because</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>’. And it is all so child-like. Once we leave off all attempts at self-justification, we will face up to our sins. See on :11,26.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can that which has no flavour be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :5, Job seems to be saying that just as you can't expect a person to eat the white of an egg without salt, so his outbursts are justifiable. But of course one can eat eggs without salt. Job at this point comes over as a spoilt child refusing any food which isn't exactly to his taste. Finally he breaks down in self-realization and repentance, realizing his words have indeed been intemperate (see on <a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>; <a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> My soul refuses to touch them. They are as loathsome food to me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As explained on :5,6, Job comes over as a spoilt child refusing any food which isn't exactly to his taste. He may be twisting the Divine command to only offer sacrifice, His "food" upon His table or altar, with salt. But Job is twisting scripture.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Oh that I might have my request, that God would grant the thing that I long for-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This desire for death, effectively suicidal, continues the pouting and egoistic attitude noted on :6,7.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> even that it would please God to crush me; that He would let loose His hand, and cut me off!-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job is careful not to speak of ending his own life, but he asks God to. Job appears to allude to the dialogue between God and Satan in the prologue, for he references the source of his sufferings as God's hand. Job was therefore aware of the dialogue; which makes sense, if the Satan figure was presenting the thoughts of the friends, who were the other "sons of God" of <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>. Job knew what they thought of him. The LXX makes the allusion to the prologue (<a href='B:220 2:6'>Job 2:6</a>) even clearer: "Let the Lord begin and wound me, but let him not utterly destroy me". This would then read as if Job doubted whether God would keep His side of the agreement made with the Satan.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Be it still my consolation, yes, let me exult throughout my unending pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea seems to be that Job longed for his death because he was comforted by the fact he had not hidden God's words; likewise he exalts in <a href='B:220 27:11'>Job 27:11</a> (s:w:) that he has not hidden God's words. Job was a prophet&nbsp;and is quoted as one in James 5. He had perhaps heard God's words from a "holy one", an Angel, and had taught them to others. By implication, he assumed that after death he would receive some credit for his righteousness. He had moved on to this from a simple desire for death. But aware of his righteousness, he reasons towards a belief in some future point of reward, as this was clearly not happening in this life. This becomes developed into a belief in a day of judgment and the final manifestation of God. And this happens ahead of time, as it were, in Yahweh's final manifestation at the end of the book; but this lead Job to resign all his own righteousness. See on :13; <a href='B:220 7:2'>Job 7:2</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> What is my strength, that I should wait further? What is my end, that I should be patient?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job is definitely impatient and justified it as he justified his rash speaking (see on :5,12). And yet the patience of Job is quoted as proverbial (<a href='B:660 5:11'>Jas 5:11</a>). This may reflect how he was accounted righteous by God, and this final status was accepted by others. Or perhaps his patience refers to his endurance in faith, despite the fact that he was impatient during that endurance. He hardly comes over as patient in his speeches, but this was maybe seen as cosmetic failure compared to his final overall endurance in faith.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His argument is that he can't be perfectly patient because that would require superhuman strength. He blames the construction of his nature for his impatience (see on :11). And finally is led to repentance for this. It's rather like an alcoholic blaming his sin on his human nature.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Isn’t it that I have no help in me, that wisdom is driven quite from me?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "Or have I not trusted in him? but help is far from me". If the LXX is correct then we see an extension of the argument developed on :10; he is confident that he has trusted in God, and yet no "help" from Him is forthcoming; and so he is driven to belief in a future day of Divine help, at some point after his death. That point becomes more developed in Job's understanding, as the day when God's appointed mediator shall stand upon the earth- the return of the Lord Jesus.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> We can limit God's plans to save others in the ecclesia by our attitude to them- even if they become atheists we are not to withdraw human friendship from them. We can make others stumble from the path to His salvation. If a brother doesn’t show pity to his fellow brother, this can make the afflicted brother “forsake the fear of the Almighty” (<a href='B:220 6:14'>Job 6:14</a> RVmg:). Or we can read with GNB "In trouble like this I need loyal friends— whether I've forsaken God or not".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> My brothers have dealt deceitfully as a brook, as the channel of brooks that pass away-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Deceitfully" is the word used about the exiles in Babylon (<a href='B:290 48:8'>Isa 48:8</a>) and how they treated their God and His servant (cp. Job). Job is as the righteous remnant, and the friends, the other "sons of God", as the apostate Jews, who could be saved by the intercession of the righteous.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> which are black by reason of the ice, in which the snow hides itself-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Black" is 'turbid'. As in winter the rivers flowed freely, so the friends had promise of help, but when the heat came, they disappeared and were nowhere to be found (:17).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In the dry season, they vanish. When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :16. In <a href='B:220 24:19'>Job 24:19</a>, Job later sees the melting of the snow waters as representing the destruction of the wicked; he comes towards the conclusions that his friends, his fellow "sons of God" of <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>, were in fact sinners. Job, the righteous remnant amongst the captives, were to pray for and save the unspiritual majority; but they had to be convinced of how far astray their brethren really were.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The caravans that travel beside them turn aside. They go up into the waste, and perish-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Caravans" and "paths" are the same word (:19). The idea is that these friends were like caravans of travellers diverting to follow tracks towards water sources but not finding the water, because they had dried up; and they perished. This is how Job came to see the friends.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The caravans of Tema looked. The companies of Sheba waited for them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He associates his deceitful brethren (:15) with the troops of Tema and the companies of Sheba which had fallen upon his cattle at Satan's behest (<a href='B:220 1:15'>Job 1:15</a>). Job knew that the friends had power over his persecutors (:24). They, Job said, had caused calamity to fall upon him, and thereby overwhelmed their one-time friend (:27 AV mg:). They thought, as Satan did, that Job's spirituality was only a sham (:28). For more evidence that the friends were the satan, see on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>. There is reason to think that Eliphaz, the leader of the friends, may have been the specific individual referred to as 'satan' in the prologue. God singles him out for especial condemnation at the end (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>). After one of Eliphaz's speeches, Job responds with what appears to be a comment upon him, rather than God: "He hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles::. he teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me (surely Job speaks here about Eliphaz, not God): he gnasheth upon me::. mine enemy (satan) sharpeneth his eyes upon me. They (the astonished friends?) have gaped upon me with their mouth, they have smitten me:::they have gathered themselves together (as the friends did to Job) against me" (<a href='B:220 16:9-11'>Job 16:9-11</a>). Eliphaz was a Temanite, from where Job's afflicters came. See on :22.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> They were distressed because they were confident. They came there, and were confounded-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "They too that trust in cities and riches shall come to shame". But see on :18.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For now you are nothing. You see a terror, and are afraid-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "But ye also have come to me without pity; so that beholding my wound ye are afraid"; GNB "You are like those streams to me, you see my fate and draw back in fear".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Did I say, ‘Give to me?’ or, ‘Offer a present for me from your substance?’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Perhaps there was the idea that Job had obtained his wealth from the friends and they were justified in seeking to take it back; see on :19.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand?’ or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I suggested on :19 that the friends themselves were involved in the work of the hand of the satan / adversary. But Job never asked them to 'stop'.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Teach me, and I will hold my peace. Cause me to understand wherein I have erred-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job's sacrifice of a truly broken spirit was worth more than thousands of apposite words. Job had dimly imagined that this would be so: "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; and cause me to understand wherein I have erred" (6:24). When Elihu did teach him and show him that he was erring by nature rather than specific sin, Job truly held his tongue: "I will lay mine hand upon my mouth::. I will not answer::. I will proceed no further" (<a href='B:220 40:4-5'>Job 40:4-5</a>; notice the threefold repetition). This is one of several examples of Job knowing the truth in abstract theory, but not appreciating it until the mixture of reflection on his trials and Elihu / Jesus, brought it home.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> How forcible are words of uprightness! But your reproof, what does it reprove?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This experience led Job to long for "words of uprightness", and thereby he came to be ready for the final revelation of God's words at the end of the book. Likewise our disillusion with human words and relationships leads us to be the more eager and ready for God's revelation. The very phrase "words of uprightness" are only found when Elihu appears and claims to speak "words of uprightness" (<a href='B:220 33:3'>Job 33:3</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Do you intend to reprove words, since the speeches of one who is desperate are as wind?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job seems to here place himself beyond reproof; as if he considers his desperation to mean that therefore whatever he says can't be reproved, because the weight of his sufferings meant that he was justified in saying anything. This is discussed and exemplified more on :5, and it is this continual self-justification which has to be humbled in God's final appearance at the end of the book.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yes, you would even cast lots for the fatherless, and make merchandise of your friend-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :19. Job had worked his way up in the world (perhaps from being an orphan, "fatherless", parallel with "your friend") without consciously seeking prosperity (<a href='B:220 1:10'>Job 1:10</a> AVmg:; <a href='B:220 8:7'>Job 8:7</a>; <a href='B:220 31:25'>Job 31:25</a>), and had shared his blessings with others; he realized at least in theory the weakness of his nature; and yet when he examined himself, he really didn't think he was too monstrous a sinner. The Lord Jesus likewise, the ultimate "suffering servant", was humanly fatherless.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Now therefore be pleased to look at me, for surely I shall not lie to your face-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It seems the friends could not look Job in the face. That may not just have been because of the awful nature of his disease, but because of a bad conscience, seeing perhaps they were behind the things which came upon Job; see on :19. This is the very picture of the suffering servant in <a href='B:290 52:14'>Isa 52:14</a>, upon whose faces men could not look.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Please rethink. Let there be no injustice. Yes, think again. My cause is righteous-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job implies they were being unjust. The issue of who was "just" or not is a major theme in Job (continued in :30). In this lies the significance of the Lord's final appearance, to convict all of their sin, and teach that only His justification of men is worth anything. All self-justification is meaningless at best, and effectively putting man above God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Is there injustice on my tongue?-</p><h4> See on :29. Job does later repent of his words and place his hand upon his mouth. But these words on another level make him a type of the Lord Jesus, the ultimate "suffering servant", who could ask "Which of you convinces me of sin?", whose words were perfect:&nbsp;Can’t my taste discern mischievous things?- This could be implying that his sufferings had not robbed him of his ability to sense right and wrong. If indeed the friends were connected with the Satan figure, and were responsible for the sufferings which came upon Job (see on :19), then he may be implying that despite his illness, he is quite aware of what is going on.</h4>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Isn’t a man forced to labour on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "Is not the life of man upon earth a state of trial?"; GNB "Human life is like forced army service, like a life of hard manual labor".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Isaiah’s prophecies of the restoration and the Kingdom are shot full of allusions back to Job. The cry that Zion’s warfare or “appointed time” is now ended (<a href='B:290 40:2'>Isa 40:2</a>) is taken straight out of <a href='B:220 7:1'>Job 7:1</a>; indeed, <a href='B:220 7:3-7'>Job 7:3-7</a> describes Job’s haggard life in the same terms as Israel in dispersion are described in Isaiah 40. The point being, that Job’s eventual re-conversion and salvation is a pattern for that of all God’s people.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Job came to recognize that every moment he existed was a trial to him, sent by his satan-Angel. Thus he complained "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?" (7:1). The Hebrew for "appointed time" is exactly the same as for "host" as in hosts of Angels. This neatly connects the idea that the exact duration of his life was controlled by God's Angel-host, as was every trial which he experienced. This would be the work of the "wonderful numberer" Angel of <a href='B:340 8:13'>Dan 8:13</a> who controls all time periods. <a href='B:220 14:13-14'>Job 14:13-14</a> says the same: "O that Thou wouldest hide me&nbsp; in the grave::. if a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come". "What is man that Thou dost magnify him? and that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon him? (lit. 'consider him')" (7:17). Thus Job sees God- whom he probably conceived of as an Angel- as considering him, whilst we are told earlier that satan was told to do this. A human satan considering Job would not in itself have brought the trials, and Job would not have complained so bitterly about a human being considering him. An Angelic satan setting his heart upon Job would account for this 'considering' alone leading to the trials. If it is argued that it is a human satan who set his heart on Job here in Job 7, then the context is hard, though not impossible, to square: "Thou dost magnify man::. Thou preserver of men" (v. 20,21). There is some hint of physical movement by 'God' which would seem applicable to the Angel too: "Thou shouldest visit him::. depart from me::. let me alone" (v. 18,19).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As a servant who earnestly desires the shadow, as a hireling who looks for his wages-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I noted on <a href='B:220 6:10'>Job 6:10</a> that Job felt that he was owed wages for his good works and teaching of God's word before his calamities began. He moves on from just wanting death to concluding that righteousness must have a reward; and if not in this life, then it must come at some point after life ends. This becomes developed into a belief in a day of judgment and the final manifestation of God. And this happens ahead of time, as it were, in Yahweh's final manifestation at the end of the book; but this lead Job to resign all his own righteousness.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> so am I made to possess months of misery, wearisome nights are appointed to me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It is unlikely that Job's period of affliction lasted more than a year or so, and yet this is the part of his life and spiritual growth that is presented to us in such detail. At times Job thinks that he is likely to die that night; here he seems to imagine death coming after "months" of such nights. This is a realistic psychological picture of a suffering man.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be gone?’ I toss and turn until the dawning of the day-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is clearly the spirit of <a href='B:50 28:67'>Deu 28:67</a> "In the morning you will say, I wish it were evening! and at evening you will say, I wish it were morning! for the fear of your heart which you shall fear and for the sight of your eyes which you shall see". Job is clearly representative of Israel in their suffering.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust. My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The crusts forming over the sores appeared as "clods of dust", driving Job to appreciate his humanity as mere dust and ashes. The disease sounds like leprosy or elephantiasis, and connects him with the suffering Judah of <a href='B:290 1:6'>Isa 1:6</a>. Worms are typically associated with the decaying of a dead body, so it was as if Job experienced a living death.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Originally, Job believed that his "hope" was predicated upon his upright ways (<a href='B:220 4:6'>Job 4:6</a>). But Job through his sufferings comes to feel he now has no "hope" (<a href='B:220 7:6'>Job 7:6</a>; <a href='B:220 14:19'>Job 14:19</a>; <a href='B:220 17:15'>Job 17:15</a>; <a href='B:220 19:10'>Job 19:10</a>). The friends suggest that Job had only the "hope" of the hypocrite, and this "hope" would perish (<a href='B:220 4:6'>Job 4:6</a>; <a href='B:220 8:13'>Job 8:13</a>; <a href='B:220 27:8'>Job 27:8</a>). Job had integrity, and on that basis he thought he had "hope". He suffered, and he lost that "hope", because he assumed that his sufferings meant that he was not in fact righteous. And yet he often reflects that he is righteous and is suffering unjustly. And so he is led to the realization that the "hope" of the righteous is by God's grace and not because of the "integrity of [Job's] ways". Judah in captivity likewise lost their "hope" (<a href='B:330 19:5'>Eze 19:5</a>; <a href='B:330 37:11'>Eze 37:11</a>). But the message of the restoration prophets was that "there is hope in your end" (<a href='B:300 31:17'>Jer 31:17</a>); they were prisoners or exiles in "hope" (<a href='B:450 9:12'>Zec 9:12</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Oh remember that my life is a breath. My eye shall no more see good-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It's unclear whether this is addressed to the friends or to God, although I suggest on :8 that it is primarily God whom he has in view. Whatever, he is asking for pity to be shown to him because he has no "good" in front of him and his life is so short. See on <a href='B:220 8:2'>Job 8:2</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The eye of him who sees me shall see me no more. Your eyes shall be on me, but I shall not be-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again it is hard to know whether Job addresses God, "Him who sees me", or the friends, "your eyes::.". He goes on to address God in :12. He thinks that because his own eye shall no longer see (:7), therefore their eyes would not see him. Job often refers to God's eyes, perhaps a reference to the Angels, who I suggested were representing the satan figure (the friends?) in the court of heaven; see on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>. But he was to be taught that God doesn't see as man sees; our vision is not His.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol shall come up no more-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> That was how he felt, although already he has hinted that there must be a day of future reward after his death; and this becomes developed into a belief in a day of judgment and the final manifestation of God (<a href='B:220 19:25-27'>Job 19:25-27</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> That is true, in that there is no disembodied existence after death, and the dead don't return to haunt where they had once lived. This belief in the mortality of man was in sharp distinction to the beliefs of the primitive people amongst whom Job lived, and such understanding of death as unconsciousness and inactivity has always been characteristic of God's true people.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Therefore I will not keep silent. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job fell into the trap of thinking that his terrible situation somehow allowed him to speak whatever words came into his head. Job felt he hadn’t been ‘fed’ and so he was entitled to “bray” and “low” over his misfortune (<a href='B:220 6:5'>Job 6:5</a>). Because of the weight of his sufferings, he thereby justified the fact that "Therefore have my words been rash (<a href='B:220 6:3'>Job 6:3</a>). Likewise “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit” (<a href='B:220 7:11'>Job 7:11</a>). “I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul” (<a href='B:220 10:1'>Job 10:1</a> RV). Zophar criticizes Job being “full of talk” and speaking “the multitude of words”, “for thou sayest, my doctrine is pure” (<a href='B:220 11:1-4'>Job 11:1-4</a>)- as if Job felt that because he held true doctrine he was justified in pouring out words as he did. “Why should I not be impatient?” (<a href='B:220 21:4'>Job 21:4</a> RV). “Today is my complaint bitter. My stroke is heavier than my groaning” (<a href='B:220 23:2'>Job 23:2</a>)- i:e. his complaining was due to his sufferings. “If I hold my peace, I shall give up the spirit” (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a> RVmg:). Job felt that the situation he was in forced him to use the words he did, and certainly justified it [we may well have used this reasoning ourselves when justifying the use of bad language]. But in the end, Elihu on God’s behalf rebuked him for his wrong words. And Job himself recognized: “I am vile. I will lay mine hand upon my mouth” in regret of his words (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). “Wherefore I loathe my words and repent” (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a> RVmg:). He realized his mistake: he had thought that the situation </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>justified his words. Now he hung his head and admitted that there was no justification for speaking in the way he had. Especially in the matter of the tongue, we can so easily justify ourselves; ‘I only said / did it [or didn’t do it] because</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>’. And it is all so child-like. Once we leave off all attempts at self-justification, we will face up to our sins. See on :20.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Am I a sea, or a sea monster, that You put a guard over me?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There are several allusions in Job to Babylonian legends concerning Marduk – indicating that the book must have been re-written in Babylon with allusion to these legends. Thus the Enuma Elish 4:139,140 speaks of how Marduk limited the waters of Tiamat, and set up a bar and watchmen so that the waters wouldn’t go further than he permitted. But this very language is applied to God in <a href='B:220 7:12'>Job 7:12</a> and <a href='B:220 38:8-11'>Job 38:8-11</a>. One of the purposes of Job was to urge Judah that Yahweh was greater than Marduk, He and not Marduk was to be Israel’s God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> When I say, ‘My bed shall comfort me. My couch shall ease my complaint’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Sleep was no way of temporary relief. If indeed he had elephantiasis as suggested on :5, then this sleeplessness and psychological disturbance was associated with that disease.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> then You scare me with dreams, and terrify me through visions-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Scare" is the word elsewhere translated 'dismay', and is used of how the exiles were urged not to be dismayed but to believe that God would indeed bring them from exile to restoration in His restored Kingdom (<a href='B:290 51:7'>Isa 51:7</a>; <a href='B:300 30:10'>Jer 30:10</a>; <a href='B:300 46:27'>Jer 46:27</a>). Job begins by being dismayed / scared (<a href='B:220 7:14'>Job 7:14</a>), but develops to not be dismayed (<a href='B:220 31:34'>Job 31:34</a> s:w:), following the example of the Lord's battle horse (<a href='B:220 39:22'>Job 39:22</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> so that my soul chooses strangling, death rather than to see my bones-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Clearly Job was suicidal although he later keeps himself in check, and instead pesters God to take his life. The agony in Job's bones looked forward to the experience of the Lord on the cross, where He saw His bones sticking out as He looked down upon them (<a href='B:230 22:17'>Psa 22:17</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I loathe my life-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is the same word as "cast away". The grace of it all was that although he wanted to cast away his life (<a href='B:220 7:16'>Job 7:16</a>; <a href='B:220 9:21'>Job 9:21</a>), just as God's people cast away His covenant (<a href='B:290 8:6'>Isa 8:6</a>; <a href='B:290 30:12'>Isa 30:12</a>; <a href='B:300 6:19'>Jer 6:19</a>), God would not cast away His people in their exile and depression (s:w. <a href='B:30 26:44'>Lev 26:44</a>), even if they cast him away. Job felt despised or cast away by God (<a href='B:220 10:14'>Job 10:14</a>) just as the exiles did, but this wasn't the case; God will not despise or cast away His servant people (<a href='B:220 36:5'>Job 36:5</a>; <a href='B:290 41:9'>Isa 41:9</a>; <a href='B:300 31:37'>Jer 31:37</a>; <a href='B:300 33:26'>Jer 33:26</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Continually, Job sees God and not any cosmic, evil 'Satan' figure as responsible for his sufferings. His momentary desire not to live forever suggests he knew that eternal life was on offer, but like the exiles, the weight of his sufferings caused him to lose interest in that hope. However we can understand him as meaning that he didn't want to live forever in this life, as he was.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> What is man, that You should magnify him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job was aware of the promises to Abraham, and he uses the same word used of how the name of Abraham and his seed would be magnified (<a href='B:10 12:2'>Gen 12:2</a>; <a href='B:10 19:19'>Gen 19:19</a>). But in his depression and suffering, he didn't want this, just as the exiles didn't. They too had to be reminded that God would magnify Himself through them (s:w. <a href='B:330 38:23'>Eze 38:23</a>; <a href='B:360 2:21'>Joe 2:21</a>; <a href='B:460 1:5'>Mal 1:5</a>) just as He finally did through Job.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That You should set Your mind on him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Hast thou considered (lit. 'set your heart upon') My servant Job::?" (<a href='B:220 2:3'>Job 2:3</a> AV) God asked satan initially. Later Job complains to God "what is man, that You should magnify him?&nbsp; that You should set Your mind on him? (lit. 'consider him')". Thus Job sees God- whom he probably conceived of as an Angel- as considering him, whilst we are told earlier that satan / the adversary was told to do this. The&nbsp;human satan considering Job would not in itself have brought the trials, the Angel representative of the Satan did;&nbsp; Job would not have complained so bitterly to God about a human being 'considering' him. See on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>.</p>


