Job 3:13-15

13 For now should I have lain still [shakab] and been quiet [shaqat], I should have slept [yashen]: then had I been at rest [nuwach],

14 With kings [melek] and counsellors [ya`ats] of the earth ['erets], which built [banah] desolate places [chorbah] for themselves;

15 Or with princes [sar] that had gold [zahab], who filled [male'] their houses [bayith] with silver [keceph]: KJV-Interlinear

13 'For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest, 14 With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves; 15 Or with princes who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver. NASB

If Job had died shortly after his birth, he would never have accumulated any wealth nor would he have suffered. Of course, his suffering is in view here. He so much wants to have been able to avoid the misery he is currently going through.

Once a person dies, there are two possible destinations in the immediate afterlife. First, if a person has reached the age of accountability, and has refused to believe in Christ, then he or she goes to Torments. That is one of the four compartments in the underworld. The underworld is called Hades.

If a person has believed in Christ, or has not reached the age of accountability, then when he or she dies, their immediate destination, for Old Testament folks, was Paradise. That is another of the four compartments in the underworld.

After the Cross, Christ led all of those believers, who were in Paradise and also called captives, out of Paradise and into Heaven. Today, Paradise is empty and has been empty ever since the Cross.

After the Cross, when any believer, or any person who has not reached the age of accountability, dies, then he or she goes directly to heaven. Anyone who has not reached the age of accountability and dies, is automatically saved.

These are all temporary holding places. Torments is a miserable holding area for all unbelievers. They will all remain there until the Great White Throne, which will occur at the end of human history, at the end of the Millennium, and from there they will go into the Lake of Fire. Thus will be the end of all unbelievers, and fallen angels, and Satan.

All believers are said to be in a state of resting, when they leave this world. Our 'rest' will continue until our resurrection. For believers of our dispensation, the Church Age, our resurrection will be at the Rapture. For other dispensational believer groups, their resurrections will come at the Second Advent or at the end of the Millennium, whichever is appropriate for their group.

When anyone leaves this world, they leave everything worldly, behind. The unbeliever has a body and soul only. The body remains behind and decays, and their soul with their human life residing in it, goes on to Torments. None of their earthly possessions follow them into their afterlife.

All believers have a body, soul and spirit. Again, the body remains behind to decay, and the soul with its human life, together with the human spirit with its eternal life, go on to heaven. Still, none of our worldly possessions follow us to heaven. Every worldly possession remains behind, just as the physical body remains behind.

Job is well aware of this, and even in his great agony and misery, his thoughts are clear as to what happens to a person when they die.

As a person dying in infancy, 'rest' is his destination. If the infant had not been saved, then torments would have been the destination.

Job ventures that he would have had rest, peace, and quiet, following his death as an infant. No misery, no pain, no agony, none of the suffering he is now experiencing. All of those things would never have occurred. He would just be at peace, resting until the resurrection.

In death, he would have been in the same position as kings and princes, and people of renown. Regardless of what one accumulates or accomplishes in life, in death we are all equal with respect to our worldly wealth and status. An infant is no worse off than the richest of the rich, or the royalest of the royal. Likewise, all and greatest of the greats, all of the royalty and celebrities of history are no better off than any infant that has died without ever having the opportunity of experiencing life.

Sleep is sleep, rest is rest, and no one, no matter who they are, will sleep or rest any differently in death, than anyone else.

So, Job reasons that if he had died in infancy, then he would have been no worse off than if he had lived a thousand lives. All of his camels, all of his sheep, all of his donkeys, even all of his children, which he has lost, even his health, would have made no difference to his condition after death.

We are born into this world with nothing and we leave this world with no worldly goods. All of the gold and silver, and status that one can accumulate or accomplish mean nothing, when a person has crossed over the line from life to death.

Not mentioned yet, but will be mentioned later, is the fact that the only possession of value that a person can take with them into the afterlife, is their spiritual growth. Your spiritual life is your greatest and most valuable possession. You can only build up your spiritual life, during this life, therefore it should become your number one priority in life.

Previous Page

Table of Contents

Donation

Next Page

Now is the time to post a prayer.