There is another testing coming soon when Satan arrives in person on the earth to fill his role as the Antichrist. This will be a time of great testing and deception, and then in a short time (five months later), the True Christ, Jesus Christ will appear, and see to it that you and I also will be found perfect in Christ eyes. We have the Holy Spirit to see us through and to comfort us during that time when we are called up to bear witness for Christ. Our time of testing is coming very shortly.

Mark 13:11 "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought before hand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that ye speak: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost (Spirit)."

This next chapter of Job starts with another meeting in heaven, for Satan has returned to heaven to stand before the Lord.

Job 2:1 "And again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord."

Remember, the "sons of God" are the angels, and this meeting was a usual meeting with God and the angels in heaven. Satan would be present for all these meetings. We can see by this that there is a day of accounting in the heavens, even today. When ever God has a time of judgment, Satan will be there accusing those that would stand on God's side. God is keeping a great book as to what is taking place on the earth, as well as the book of life.

Job 2:2 "And the Lord said unto Satan, "From whence comest thou?" And Satan answered the Lord, and said, "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

Satan was continually walking throughout the entire earth, seeking those that he can trip up, and cause them to sin. Satan is trying to catch you even today at your weakest moment, and there is a time coming when Michael and his angels will kick Satan and his fallen angels out of heaven, and he will be right here on earth trying to take the role of Jesus Christ, and have the world worship him, which they will do. Satan will be visible to each of us, appearing as a man, which he is, only Satan will be given supernatural powers unlike flesh man, and he will test all the saints, you included.

Job 2:3 "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 feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him, to destroy him without cause."

This is the same thing that God said to Satan on that first meeting, then Satan went after Job and destroyed all his children, his personal wealth, as well as his dignity and worldly position. With all this gone, Job still held fast to his integrity. Job was a perfect man, and all these things came upon Job because Satan moved God to allow him the right of the testing of Job, to prove the perfection that Job had.

Do you think Satan is a quitter? The first challenge was to remove the worldly wealth from Job, and see if Job would curse God. Well Satan did that, removed all the worldly possessions of Job, and Job would not curse God, but blessed God and His holy name.

Job 2:4 "And Satan answered the Lord, and said, "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."

Satan is now saying that if Job's life was threatened, he would curse God to save his own skin. To what point in a man's life would he curse God to save his life in the flesh? Is there a limit that we can reach to where life is more important than our position before the Father in heaven?

Job 2:5 "But put forth Thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face."

God let Satan destroy Job's property, but he would not let Satan touch Job's flesh. Now Satan wants God to allow him to give Job all sorts of sickness and physical problems. When Satan gets done with Job, Satan is telling God that he will have Job cursing God.

Job 2:6 "And the Lord said unto Satan, "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life."

God is telling Satan, you can take Job's health, but save Job's life. Satan now has a free hand to do with Job's health as he would. So lets see how Job will stand up when the heavy darts of Satan fall on Job. Will Job continue to stand on God's side, or will he crack and curse God?

Think of it for a moment, when all the problems of these days fall upon your shoulders, and sickness brings you to the point of death, would you have it as bad of Job? When things are really bad, have you ever thought of putting the blame on God, or do you continue to praise and bless God's name for giving you life?

Have you ever thought of cursing the One that hung on the cross, are Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for the burdens that you have had in carrying His name to others? The words that were said of you, or the belittling of your name for telling others of the Love of Christ, have you ever become embarrassed over the matter? Do you have pain in comparison to what Job went through, you see we have it easy and we only think that times are hard. We must become mentally prepared for the type of perfection that will allow you to stand when the things heat up at Satan's arrival here on earth. Those times are coming, and you can count on it.

Job 2:7 "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."

Job was smitten with sore boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head by Satan. God allowed Job to be tested, but Satan brought on the sickness.

Job 2:8 "And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes."

Job was smitten so bad with these sore boils that he didn't even have fingernails left to scrape the puss from his running boils, but he took a broken pot shell to scrape himself with.

We have the oil of the Almighty God to anoint ourselves with. 

What did Job do to deserve these boils to be brought upon himself? The Word of God just told us that Satan brought them upon Job, to prove Job would fall and curse God.

Satan did it to Job, but what do you allow Satan do to you? 

Unlike Job, we have the power to order Satan away from us, but we must take that power, and use it.

If you believe in Jesus Christ and by your repenting in the name of Jesus, He gave you the power over all evil spirits as well as Satan.

Are you a believer? 
or, 

are you just playing church? 

With the mouth many say and claim to be Christian, but with their heart and mind they are not willing to put it all on the line and follow Christ, in the manner that poor old Job had to.
If Satan challenges you, God may have allowed Satan to do what he will do to you, because God loves you. God knows you can stand any test that Satan will throw your way, for you can take it. So when those things come your way that are not pleasant, smile and bless God for them.

Job 2:9 "Then said his wife unto him, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die."

This applies not only to the wife, but to any close relation that is with you during your time of trouble, and try to stir you against the Lord. Many times after great sickness or an accident happens to a person, the first one to blame God are your close relatives. They point the finger at you and right standing before God. They say; "he (she) must have done something wrong?" When Job should have had the support of his wife, she turned on him and tried to get Job to curse God and die. This is quite common today when someone has had a serious problem and lives in a state of great pain and stress, they say, "he is better off dead and out of his pain." Satan is using Job's wife to get Job to do what he could not get Job to do, "curse God and die."

If this happened in your life, will it bother you? When things seem at a complete loss, are you going to give up and wish yourself dead? When your friends and loved ones turn against you, can you recognize Satan through their actions and deeds? If you can still love them when Satan has a hold of their minds, that is what true love is. That is what being one of God's elect is and does, for God's elect are untouchable by Satan, even when the going gets so tough that it seems insurmountable, because of their love for our Heavenly Father.

Job 2:10 "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."

Even when his wife was trying to press Job to curse God and get over with his pain and suffering, Job did not sin nor curse God with his lips. Though the pain was great, not once did he blame God and say one thing against God.

Job 2:11 "Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him."

Job knew these three friends, and they knew each other. When they all got word of Jobs losses and sickness, they were willing instantly to come to their friends side for Job's comfort. Each of these men thought that Job needed them, but all that Job needed was God. We will learn a great deal of wisdom from these three friends, and it will all be to the negative. Before we end this book of Job, we will learn that the Living God is the only strength at we can truly count on.

The "Temanites" in the Hebrew tongue means "to the south", and they were from the family of Esau, from the land of Edom. Esau or Edom of today is the land of Russia (Rosh) in the Hebrew.

"Bildad" was a great grandson of Abraham through Abraham's wife Keturah, and their child "Shuah". Remember these names for they will become quite common before we end this book of Job and the controversy they will each cause with their comment to Job's problems and sickness.

"Zophar" in the Hebrew means the "little sparrow", and "Naamathite" in the Hebrew refers to something that is "pleasant". Old Zophar was a very pleasent person to be around and give you a lift from time to time, and Zophar was from that area within Judah. Each of these three men loved Job and they came to comfort Job in their own ways.

Each of these men will argue before Job of his condition from the standpoint of what they hold dearest to themselves. To Eliphaz from Teman, this man of Esau, or Russia of today, the argument will come from the standpoint of human experiences. Bildad the descendant of Shuah, the youngest of Abraham's sons will argue his point from human tradition. While the third friend of Job, Zophar the pleasant one, will argue Job's problems from the ground of human merit. These are the same three position that men argue with God today over their problem, for there is nothing new under the sun.

When people come to you in your life when there is a death in the family, or a major problem or sickness, these three positions are the same positions that will be used against you. So it is important to listen, but do not take their advise for it is not the advise of God. These three positions run contrary to the Word of God, and we will study where their weaknesses are. We are to be wiser than the serpent, and aware of the way that he will use against us. We are to still love our brethren for the care that they are showing to us, but beware of the "spiritual cakes" that they bring to us, for they are "poison cakes".

Job 2:12 "And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven."

Job had so many boils and sores covering his body, and the flesh was so bloated and discolored that these three friends did not even recognize their old friend. All they could do is sit down along side their friend, and weep for their old buddy. They knew that this hunk for deformed sick flesh was their old friend by Job's voice, and when Job spoke to them, they tore off their cloths and covered themselves with ash dust in sorrow for their friend. They turned their head to the heavens as they sat down beside their old friend.

Job 2:13 "So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great."

Here is that "seven" again; how does this apply to the seven thousand, which stands for "God's elect"? The sat down beside Job and remained there for seven days and seven nights grieving for Job. As these men sat there for this seven days, the next chapter will let us know what Job was thinking as these men were there with him.

                             

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