Read: Job 13-16.

Today’s Passage: Job 14:7-9

Job speaking seriously about death.

Given all that he has lost, it’s understandable that he would contemplate and even wish for death. This isn’t the first time Job has thought about such things, as we see earlier in Job 7:9-10. In his reflections,

Job compares death to the death of a tree, pointing out that when a tree is cut down, it can regrow and come back to life. However, for humans, death is not the same. Unlike a tree, when we die, we cannot return to the life we once enjoyed. Our former life cannot be revived or lived again (Hebrews 9:27).

Job is not denying the existence of life after death.

In fact, he acknowledges that there is life beyond the grave, as seen in Job 19:25-27. However, this new life will be different from the life we had before death. After our death, our spirit returns to the Lord (Ecclesiastes 12:7). At the second coming of Christ, those who have died in Christ will be resurrected and join Him in the clouds, along with those who are still alive at that time, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The bodies of the saints will be raised and transformed into imperishable bodies, as it is necessary for the body of flesh to undergo this change to inherit immortality. This new body will resemble the resurrected body of Jesus (1 John 3:1-3). Following this, both sinners and saints will stand before the Lord in judgment (Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:12, Matthew 12:36, and 2 Peter 3:10-13).

What will judgment day be like?

Will we still be judged before we are allowed into heaven? John 10 provides some answers, explaining that Jesus leads us out, saves us, and grants us life abundant. Verses 27-29 assure us that we are given eternal life, will never perish, and that no one can remove us from His hand. Galatians 5:1 tells us that we are truly set free, while Romans 8 offers further insights. Romans 8:1 declares that there is no condemnation for those in Christ, and verses 31-39 assure us that God is for us, and because Jesus intercedes for us, we cannot be conquered. We are more than conquerors, and nothing, including our sins, can separate us from the love of God.

Based on these passages and many others, Scripture teaches that judgment day for believers will not be about whether we are saved. Our salvation is secure and cannot be changed by sin. Instead, the only thing we will be judged for is whether we are washed in the blood of Jesus (Matthew 25:21 and Revelation 20:13).

In conclusion, death is not the end but rather a transition from a physical life to a spiritual life. In this spiritual life, we will always be with the Lord.