TEXT: JAMES 5: 9- 11 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. (KJV)

One of characteristics of the Bible is that it contains many descriptions about the end time. Many of the sixty six books are related to the end time. Well, the book of Job is no exception. We know that the description on Job has relation to the end time when we look at the above text. Let’s look at the text.

9 “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.”

It is mentioned about the second coming of the Lord who is the Judge. Therefore, we know this description on Job has relation to the end time. In short, the book of Job was written for Christians to prepare for the end time.

10 “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.”

The walk, suffering and patience of the prophets in the Old Testament books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and others are the examples for the God’s people who will stand on His Words in the end time. It is written about the two prophets of the end time on Revelation chapter 11, and they do not simply refer to the two individuals but to the type of the God’s people as a whole who stand firm on the Word.

11 “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

It is written, “We count them happy which endure.” So, the day of the end time is the day of suffering. We should not neglect to prepare for the end time to be deceived by a pack of lies such as partial rapture theory which says, “Although it is not written in the Bible, there will be in fact, a secret advent before the great tribulation days and we will be taken in rapture so that we do not have to worry anything.”

Christ said in advance to build the house on a rock and to prepare for the end time for sure. No one should be deceived in any way.

Also it is written, “Ye have heard of the patience of Job.” We know by this word that the book of Job was written for us to prepare for the tribulation days.

Well, let’s look at what the sufferings of Job are concretely.

JOB 1: 13- 22 13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:

14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, the oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:

19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. (KJV)

Suffering of Job is that oxen and asses were slain, the sheep were burned up, camels were fallen and his children were dead. The Bible describes these incidents with several verses.

JOB 2: 7- 10 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (KJV)

JOB 32: 3 Also against his three friends was wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. (KJV)

Three friends of Job heard the sufferings of Job and intended to come to console him, but they always blamed Job that he suffered because he sinned based on their fixed ideas as a result.

And another thing is that he could not understand why God had him suffer like this. Then, the three friends of Job blamed Job for many kinds of reasons. Job appealed to them for his not committing sins and grieved for that he could not understand why God had him suffer like this. Bible uses thirty five chapters from chapter three to thirty seven concerning this description. We know Bible spares incomparably more spaces for latter suffering (his friends’ blame and the question to God) than for the former sufferings (losing sheep, oxen and children and physical pains).

Well, we know there are two specific sufferings for us, Christians, who follow Lord Jesus in the end time to prepare and understand.

1 The blame from other Christians that we suffer because we have sinned against God.

2 The question to God from our minds.

What kind of day is the end time? Bible tells us it is the day when the people who truly follow God will suffer for their faithfulness through Job. And, it is also the day when we will be misunderstood and blamed by other believers around us that we suffer because we have sinned.

Job was the man whom God was pleased with because he helped the people. He said as below.

JOB 29: 2- 25 2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

3 When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

5 When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;

6 When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

7 When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.

9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongues cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:

12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and fatherless, and him that had none to help him.

13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and diadem.

15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.

16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

19 My root was spread out by waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

20 My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

21 Upon me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.

22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

24 If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.

25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners. (KJV)

Let’s look at this passage.

3 “When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness.”

He is the type of the Christians who walk by the light of God.

6 “When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil.”

Butter is made from milk, and milk is the metaphor of the Word as “the milk of the Word.” Rivers of oil are the metaphor of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he is the type of the Christian who is filled with the Word and the Holy Spirit.

11 “When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me.”

He is the Christian who witnesses and has reputation for it.

12 “Because I delivered the poor that cried, and fatherless, and him that had none to help him.

13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.”

He has helped many who are weak in faith.

14 “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and diadem.”

He is the Christian who is filled with righteousness.

15 “I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.”

His spiritual eyes are opened and his walk of faith is firm. But the end time is the days when such model Christian will suffer. And he said as below.

JOB 30: 9- 15 9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face,

11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.

12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raised up against me the ways of their destruction.

13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.

14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.

15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud. (KJV)

Therefore, do remember this. The day will come in the end time when we are deride and abused by people though we have not sinned. Of course, it will not come to all the Christians but some who truly follow Lord Jesus. For example, there were the pastors and the people who were imprisoned and delivered to death in the last wartime in Japan. They suffered because of their faith. But it was not that all the churches suffered because of their faith but that there were some churches and Christians that forsook their faith and blamed others who held their faith.

Well, the above descriptions concern about the sufferings of Job, but these remind of the sufferings of Jesus, too.

For, Lord Himself was also derided, abused and mocked. And, as if He Himself had not understood the meaning of His sufferings, He cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabathani?” Therefore, the sufferings of Job were reproduced in the days of Lord Jesus. And, they will probably happen to those who truly follow the Lord in the end time.

One of the characteristics of the book of Job is that the readers are clearly known the reason for his sufferings at the first stage. It is written at the beginning of Job.

JOB 2: 3- 6 3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. (KJV)

We, the readers are able to see clearly through these descriptions that these sufferings were not from God but Satan and God allowed the proposals.

But interestingly, Job who was the essential hero was not known the circumstances that were clear to the readers from the beginning. That was why he appealed his questions before God and his friends. The gap of the knowledge between the readers and the hero is one of the characteristics of this book. And this seems to mean something.

I believe that God intends to tell us in the ways like this that “Satan persecutes the righteous because of his righteousness and is permitted to do so” and “these sufferings are not from God but Satan.”

I believe that it is important for us Christians of the end time to know such and if we do not know them we will be deceived by our enemies.

Let us do the will of the Lord in the end time.

End.