1. Divinely appointed. "God sent forth His Son — made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law." Here the benevolent act of sending the Redeemer is attributed to God.

2. He is our Redeemer by price; He "gave Himself for us."

3. He is our Redeemer by power; that is, He delivered us from the captivity and misery of sin, and, consequently, from the wrath of God and the punishment of hell.

4. He is the living Redeemer. The knowledge of a living Redeemer afforded unspeakable consolation to the mind of Job. "My Redeemer liveth." Yes, He was alive in Job's day, and, in some way, was engaged in promoting his temporal and eternal welfare; consequently, such a consideration dispelled his fears, enabled him to wipe away his tears in transports of joy, and furnished him with a bright prospect of a happy immortality. Since then, the Redeemer has made a visit to our world, to effect the work of redemption. After which, He ascended to the celestial mansion whence He came. He lives, and because He lives, we shall live also.

II. AN IMPORTANT EVENT ANTICIPATED. "He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth," etc. The latter day is sometimes called "the last day," and "the great day." It is the day to which all other days are pointing; the day in which all other days will end.

1. He will stand to redeem us from death; He will ransom us from the power of the grave. No matter where that grave may be. But Job anticipated not a resurrection only, but a glorious one, "In my flesh shall I see God."

2. He shall stand at the latter day; stand to direct, or rather to invite His people to their everlasting habitation. "Where I am," says He, "there ye may be also." See the Redeemer standing at the last day, at the head of His people, — a number which no man can number — arrayed in spotless white, with imperishable crowns upon their heads. "In my flesh shall I see God." "In my flesh." Flesh no more liable to toil, sorrow, sickness, suffering, and death; the former things shall have passed away.

III. THE CHRISTIAN'S ASSURANCE. We do not profess to have any extraordinary revelation, or personal inspiration; yet we know that we have a living Redeemer, and that He will raise us up at the last day.

1. We know from the testimony of Sacred Writ. The prophets in the Old Testament, and the apostles in the New, have clearly and fearlessly furnished us with a treasury of sterling information on this subject. And, above all, our Lord Jesus, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, brought life and immortality to light.

2. But we have additional evidence of our resurrection in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.We shall conclude by remarking —

1. This knowledge of the Redeemer is interesting and capable of supporting the mind.

2. This knowledge is of the utmost worth, as it cheers the mind amidst the sorrows, tolls, sufferings, and trials of this unfriendly region, and whispers to the fainting spirit.

3. This knowledge calms the troubled breast in the hour of bereavement.

4. This knowledge supports the Christian, smooths his pillow, and brightens his prospect in the extremity of life.

5. This knowledge furnishes the good man with an assurance of mingling with the pious of his family and with Christian friends in the better land forever.

6. Is not this, therefore, the most interesting knowledge?

(A. Worsnop.)

II. OBSERVE THE FAITH OF JOB. "I know that my Redeemer liveth," etc. The hardest lesson that man has to learn in this school of his probation is submission to the will of God. The permission of evil in the world, as it is one of the hidden mysteries of God's righteous government, so is it, as might naturally have been expected, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, with which unbelief is wont to impede the progress even of a Christian. Faith supported the holy Job, not only under his unparalleled privations, but under a far more galling load, the accusations and suspicions of friends. In this painful dilemma, unable to vindicate his innocence to them, who, notwithstanding, suspected him guilty, he is borne on the wings of faith, over the head as it were of many intervening ages, to that glorious time when he should stand before God in the imputed righteousness of his Saviour. "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Would you then realise the glories and know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, — imitate the faith and patience of Job in his various states and complicated trials.

(John Stedman, D. D.)

1. His person. A Divine Person, possessing the true and proper nature, titles, and perfections of the Godhead. Possessed of perfect humanity. In all things made like unto us, except being sinless. Thus He became the "kinsman" of every child of man. He was therefore both human and Divine.

2. His work. How did He redeem us? From natural depravity, by the purity of His nature. From the demands of the law, by His perfect obedience to all its commands. From the infliction of the curse, by His death upon the Cross. "Being made a curse for us." From the power of Satan and death, by His resurrection from the dead. He redeems from the power of sin, and into the image of God, by the influence of the Spirit which He sends down into the hearts of His people. He redeems into heaven by entering it for us with His precious blood, and by receiving the souls of His people to His right hand in glory. He will redeem by His almighty power, all the bodies of His saints, from corruption and the grave, at the last day.

II. JOB'S PROFESSION OF HIM. "My Redeemer."

1. Appropriation. Angels, devils, and those in unbelief cannot say this. The humble, devout believer both realises it and says it.

2. Assurance. "I know." In religion there is consciousness and certainty. He is ours because we are sinners, and He was given to save sinners. He is ours because we believe in Him. We know because we love Him.

3. Confidence. In Christ's unchanging existence. He liveth now. Therefore His promises shall be fulfilled, His cause maintained, His Church glorified; and His saints shall live with Him forever and ever. Application —(1) This subject should be the support and joy of the Christian in temptations, afflictions, and death.(2) It will be the song of the redeemed forever.(3) Urge all to come and experience the saving power of this living Redeemer.

(J. Burns, D. D.)

II. Now, having thus descended into the grave, and seen nothing there but what is loathsome, LET US LOOK UP WITH THE PATRIARCH AND BEHOLD A SUN SHINING WITH PRESENT COMPORT. "I know," said he, "that my Redeemer liveth." The word "Redeemer" here used is in the original Goel — kinsman. The duty of the kinsman, or Goel, was this: suppose an Israelite had alienated his estate, as in the case of Naomi and Ruth; suppose a patrimony which had belonged to a family had passed away through poverty, it was the Goal's business, the redeemer's business, to pay the price as the next-of-kin, and to buy back the heritage. Boaz stood in that relation to Ruth. Now, the body may be looked upon as the heritage of the soul — the soul's small farm, that little plot of earth in which the soul has been wont to walk and delight, as a man walketh in his garden or dwelleth in his house. Now, that becomes alienated. Death, like Ahab, takes away the vineyard from us who are as Naboth; we lose our patrimonial estate. But we turn round to Death and say, "I know that my Goal liveth, and He will redeem this heritage; I have lost it; thou takest it from me lawfully, O Death, because my sin hath forfeited my right; I have lost my heritage through my own offence, and through that of my first parent Adam; but there lives One who will buy this back." Remember, too, that it was always considered to be the duty of the Goel, not merely to redeem by price, but where that failed, to redeem by power. Hence, when Lot was carried away captive by the four kings, Abraham summoned his own hired servants, and the servants of all his friends, and went out against the kings of the East, and brought back Lot and the captives of Sodom. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ, who once has played the kinsman's part by paying the price for us, liveth, and He will redeem us by power. O Death, thou tremblest at this name! Thou knowest the might of our Kinsman! Against His arm thou canst not stand! Oh, how glorious the victory! No battle shall there be. He comes, He sees, He conquers. The sound of the trumpet shall be enough; Death shall fly affrighted; and at once from beds of dust and silent clay to realms of everlasting day the righteous shall arise. There was yet a third duty of the Goel, which was to avenge the death of his friend. If a person had been slain, the Goel was the avenger of blood; snatching up his sword, he at once pursued the person who had been guilty of bloodshed. So now, let us picture ourselves as being smitten by Death. His arrow has just pierced us to the heart, but in the act of expiring, our lips are able to boast of vengeance, and in the face of the monster we cry, "I know that my Goal liveth." Thou mayst fly, O Death, as rapidly as thou wilt, but no city of refuge can hide thee from Him; He will overtake thee; He will lay hold upon thee, O thou skeleton monarch, and He will avenge my blood on thee. Christ shall certainly avenge Himself on Death for all the injury which Death hath done to His beloved kinsmen. Passing on in our text to notice the next word, it seems that Job found consolation not only in the fact that he had a Goel, a Redeemer, but that this Redeemer liveth. He does not say, "I know that my Goel shall live," but that "He lives," — having a clear view of the self-existence of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the Lord and giver of life originally, and He shall be specially declared to be the resurrection and the life, when the legions of His redeemed shall be glorified with Him. Let us look up to our Goel, then, who liveth at this very time. Still the marrow of Job's comfort, it seems to me, lay in that little word "my." "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Oh, to get hold of Christ! I know that in His offices He is precious. But, dear friends, we must get a property in Him before we can really enjoy Him. What is honey in the wood to me, if, like the fainting Israelites, I dare not eat? What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru, and beg their bread in California. It is gold in my purse which will satisfy my necessities, purchasing the bread I need. So what is a kinsman if he be not a kinsman to me? A redeemer that does not redeem me, an avenger who will never stand up for my blood, of what avail were such? But Job's faith was strong and firm in the conviction that the Redeemer was his. There is another word in this consoling sentence which no doubt served to give a zest to the comfort of Job. It was that he could say, "I know." To say, "I hope so, I trust so," is comfortable; and there are thousands in the fold of Jesus who hardly ever get much farther. But to reach the marrow of consolation you must say, "I know." "Ifs," "buts," and "perhapses" are sure murderers of peace and comfort. Doubts are dreary things in times of sorrow. I would not like to die with a mere hope mingled with suspicion. Assurance is a jewel for worth but not for rarity. It is the common privilege of all the saints if they have but the grace to attain unto it, and this grace the Holy Spirit gives freely. Surely if Job in Arabia, in those dark, misty ages when there was only the morning star and not the sun, when they saw but tittle, when life and immortality had not been brought to light, — if Job before the Coming and Advent still could say, "I know," you and I should not speak less positively. God forbid that our positiveness should be presumption.

III. And now, in the third place, as THY ANTICIPATION OF FUTURE DELIGHT, let me call to your remembrance the other part of the text. Job not only knew that the Redeemer lived, but he anticipated the time when He should "stand in the latter day upon the earth." No doubt Job referred here to our Saviour's first advent, to the time when Jesus Christ, "the Goel," the Kinsman, should stand upon the earth to pay in the blood of His veins the ransom price, which had, indeed, in bond and stipulation been paid before the foundation of the world in promise. But I cannot think that Job's vision stayed there; he was looking forward to the second advent of Christ as being the period of the resurrection. We cannot endorse the theory that Job arose from the dead when our Lord died although certain Jewish believers held this idea very firmly at one time. We are persuaded that "the latter day" refers to the advent of glory rather than to that of shame. Our hope is that the Lord shall come to reign in glory where He once died in agony. Mark, that Job describes Christ as standing. Some interpreters have read the passage, "He shall stand in the latter days against the earth"; that as the earth has covered up the slain, as the earth has become the charnel house of the dead, Jesus shall arise to the contest and say, "Earth, I am against thee; give up thy dead!" Well, whether that be so or no, the posture of Christ, in standing upon the earth, is significant. It shows His triumph. He has triumphed over sin, which once like a serpent in its coils had bound the earth. He has defeated Satan. On the very spot where Satan gained his power Christ has gained the victory. Then, at that auspicious hour, says Job, "Sin my flesh I shall see God." Oh, blessed anticipation — "I shall see God." He does not say, "I shall see the saints" — doubtless we shall see them all in heaven — but, shall see God." Note, he does not say, "I shall see the pearly gates, I shall see the walls of jasper, I shall see the crowns of gold and the harps of harmony," but "I shall see God"; as if that were the sum and substance of heaven. "In my flesh shall I see God." The pure in heart shall see God. It was their delight to see Him in the ordinances by faith. There in heaven they shall have a vision of another sort. Please to notice, and then I shall conclude, how the patriarch puts it as being a real personal enjoyment. "Whom mine eye shall behold, and not another." They shall not bring me a report as they did the Queen of Sheba, but I shall see Solomon the King for myself. I shall be able to say, as they did who spake to the woman of Samaria, "Now I believe, not because of thy word who did bring me a report, but I have seen Him for myself." There shall be personal intercourse with God; not through the Book, which is but as a glass; not through the ordinances; but directly, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be able to commune with the Deity as a man talketh with his friend.

( C. H. Spurgeon.)

1. God, in His abundant mercy, has provided a Redeemer for fallen man. The word "redeemer" here means "next-of-kin."

2. The living Redeemer has been the hope of the saints under every dispensation of grace, and in every period Of the world.

3. No distress or suffering can pluck asunder those bonds that unite the believer to his Saviour.

4. When the believer has attained to the knowledge of his interest in the Redeemer, this will administer great comfort and encouragement to him in suffering and distress.Consider now the support and consolation which believers should derive from the assurance that their Redeemer liveth.

1. It should afford Christians consolation and support when struggling with a body of sin and death, to know that their Redeemer liveth; who shall at last be "glorified in His saints."

2. It may afford the Christian support and consolation in the season of poverty and want.

3. It may afford the believer support and consolation in the prospect of death and the eternal world.

4. And under all the distresses and afflictions to which the Church is exposed in this evil world.

5. And also with respect to the public calamities and judgments which threaten the place or country where the believer's lot is cast.(1) Hence see to whom we are indebted for all the privileges and blessings and security which we now enjoy.(2) Let us be encouraged to trust in Christ in every future exigency and difficulty.(3) Let Christians make it their great study to live to the honour and praise of this living and exalted Redeemer.(4) Let perishing sinners make it their great concern to get an interest in the living Redeemer.

(James Hay, D. D.)

I. THE MATTER OF THE COMFORT.

1. That there is a Redeemer. It implies that He is our kinsman after the flesh, or by incarnation. That He paid a price to God for us in His Passion. That He pursueth the law against Satan, and rescues us by His power; all which are notable grounds of comfort.

2. That He is their Redeemer. Job, by a fiducial application, makes out his own title and interest. Faith appropriates God to our own use and comfort.

3. The next ground of comfort is that our Redeemer liveth. This is true of Christ, whether you consider Him as God or as man. Christ's living again in His resurrection is a visible demonstration of the truth of the Gospel in general, and in particular of the article of eternal life. His living after death was the solemn acquittance of our Surety from the sins imputed to Him, and a token of the acceptation of His purpose. His living implies His capacity to intercede for us, and to relieve us in all our necessities. His living is the root and cause of our life; for He having purchased eternal life, not only for Himself, but for all His members, ever liveth to convey it to them, and maintain it in them.

4. Another ground of comfort is the certainty of persuasion. "I know." This implies a clear understanding of this mystery; and a certainty of persuasion, which includes a certainty of faith, or of spiritual sense.

II. THE APPLICABILITY OF THIS COMFORT IN OUR AFFLICTIONS. Such as public troubles and difficulties; spiritual distresses; outward calamities; calumnies and slanders; and death. Exhortation — Believe and be persuaded of this truth. Endeavour to arrive at the highest degree of assent.

( T. Manton..)

2. Jesus Christ, as He is the only Redeemer of fallen man, has been all along so, even from the beginning.

3. A believer may attain a comfortable evidence of a special relation to Christ and interest in Him.

4. A believer knowing his Redeemer liveth, hath therein a spring of abundant consolation, whatever affliction he here labours under, or is liable to.

I. HOW THE TITLE REDEEMER BELONGS TO CHRIST. He is fitly called a Redeemer upon a threefold account. In regard to the bondage state He finds us in. His relation to us. And what, in that relation, He does for us. As our kinsman, He redeems us by paying the price of our redemption; and by rescuing us from the tyranny of Satan.

II. BELIEVERS WILL AND OUGHT TO BETAKE THEMSELVES TO CHRIST, THE LIVING REDEEMER, FOR RELIEF AND COMFORT UNDER ALL THEIR TROUBLES.

1. As fallen creatures, there is no coming unto the Father but through a Mediator.

2. Christ is the only Mediator between God and man.

3. He is provided and exalted of God to this very end, that the weary and heavy-laden, under whatever burden, might apply to Him for ease and rest.

4. To them that believe He is precious, from the experience they have had of His power and grace.

III. IT IS OF POWERFUL USE TO THE CONSOLATION OF BELIEVERS, IN LOOKING TO THEIR PROVIDED REDEEMER, TO KNOW THAT HE LIVETH, AND THAT HE IS THEIRS. That He liveth may be said of Him as God, and as Immanuel, God-man. As Divine, and as risen. The resurrection speaks the value and efficacy of His death and sacrifice. His living again confirms the truth of His doctrine and promises.

3. It is no small addition to a Christian's comfort that Christ lives in heaven. And Christ also is theirs; in gracious, helpful, personal relations with them.

IV. HOW BELIEVERS MAY FETCH SUITABLE SUPPORT FROM HENCE, UNDER THE TRIALS WHEREWITH THEY MAY BE MOST SORELY PRESSED.

1. What they feel upon a public account; their tender sense of the Church's troubles, and concern for their brethren in the same household of faith, by reason of the hard things they suffer, and the deep distress they are sometimes brought into. He liveth, and has the turning of all the great wheels of providence.

2. As to public calamities that may happen in our day, or reach the place where our lot is cast. Christ's voice to all is, "Be not terrified."

3. In poverty and want, ,pinching necessities and straits, we may look up with comfort while able to say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."

4. As to losses in substance, or near and dear relations, bodily pains, the injuries and reproaches of enemies, and hard censures of friends, with whatever the Christian may undergo from heaven, he hath enough to feed his comfort in being able to say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."

5. As deprived of the sense of God's favour.

6. As to the temptations of Satan, the wiles and assaults of the power of darkness.

7. Under the afflictive sense of sin, as to guilt and corruption.

8. As in solitude about finding the way to heaven by reason of error and delusion.

9. Under persecution of suffering for the sake of Christ, and devotedness to Him.

10. The Redeemer's living is the believer's security against the dread and danger of apostasy.

11. As afflicted with the death of the righteous, private Christians or ministers.

12. That the Redeemer liveth may keep up the believer's joy when he comes to die. Application —

(1)Let your faith be well grounded and firm in this great truth, that there is a Redeemer living.

(2)How much is everyonr concerned to look after an interest in a living Redeemer.

(3)In order to this, let every heart open to a living Redeemer.

(4)Having a living Redeemer, follow His example, and tread in His steps.

(5)Long to be with your living Redeemer.

(D. Wilcox.)

(E. B. Pusey, D. D.)

1. His Kinsman. Nearest akin of all. No kinsman is so near as Jesus. None so kinned, and none so kind. Voluntarily so. Not forced to be a brother, but so in heart, and by His own choice of our nature: therefore more than brother. Not ashamed to own it. "He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11). Even when they had forsaken Him, He called them "My brethren" (Matthew 28:10). Eternally so. Who shall separate us? (Romans 8:35).

2. His Vindicator. From every false charge by pleading the causes of our soul. From every jibe and jest: for he that believeth in Him shall not be ashamed or confounded. From true charges, too; by bearing our sin Himself and becoming our righteousness, thus justifying us. From accusations of Satan. "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan!" (Zechariah 3:2.) "The accuser of our brethren is cast down" (Revelation 12:10).

3. His Redeemer. Of his person from bondage. Of his lost estates, privileges, and joys, from the hand of the enemy. Redeeming both by price and by power.

II. JOB HAD REAL PROPERTY AMID ABSOLUTE POVERTY. He speaks of "my Redeemer," as much as to say, "Everything else is gone, but my Redeemer is still my own, and lives for me." He means —

1. I accept Him as such, leaving myself in His hands.

2. I have felt somewhat of His power already, and I am confident that all is well with me even now, since He is my Protector.

3. I will cling to Him forever. He shall be my only hope in life and death. I may lose all else, but never the redemption of my God, the kinship of my Saviour.

III. JOB HAD A LIVING KINSHIP AMID A DYING FAMILY. "My Redeemer liveth." He owned the great Lord as ever living — As "the everlasting Father," to sustain and solace him. As head of his house, to represent him. As intercessor, to plead in heaven for him. As defender, to preserve his rights on earth. As his righteousness, to clear him at last. Our Divine Vindicator abides in the power of an endless life.

IV. JOB HAD ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY AMID UNCERTAIN AFFAIRS. "I know." He had no sort of doubt upon that matter. Everything else was questionable, but this was certain. His faith made him certain. Faith brings sure evidence; it substantiates what it receives, and makes us know. His trials could not make him doubt. Why should they? They touched not the relationship of his God, or the heart of his Redeemer, or the life of his Vindicator. His difficulties could not make him fear failure on this point, for the life of his Redeemer was a source of deliverance which lay out of himself, and was never doubtful. His cavilling friends could not move him from the assured conviction that the Lord would vindicate his righteous cause. While Jesus lives our characters are safe. Happy he who can say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Have you this great knowledge? Do you act in accordance with such an assurance? Will you not at this hour devoutly adore your loving Kinsman?

( C. H. Spurgeon.)

(Joseph Parker, D. D.)

(Robert A. Watson, D. D.)

(Dean Bradley.)

I. JOB HOPED FOR RESTORATION IN THIS LIFE. This view has never been popular. Some scholars support it on the following grounds: —

1. The language requires such an interpretation.

2. Whatever there is in the passage which can be applied to a resurrection body, can also be referred with equal force to a restored body in this life.

3. If this passage refers to a future life, it is strange that this glorious doctrine is not more fully presented: Elihu passes it over in silence. Not a word is to be found regarding it in the sublime discourses of the Almighty.

4. The question of restoration to the favour of God in another existence is not even incidentally raised.

5. There is no force in the assertion often made that we cannot limit Job's expectation for deliverance to this life without lowering the evidence and power of his faith. This is mere rhetoric. Instead of his faith being lowered, it is enhanced.

6. It would have been more satisfactory to Job to have been delivered from the unjust charges laid against him, and to have been justified by the Almighty, who could not err, in the presence of his friends and acquaintances, on the very scene of the conflict here on earth.

7. Certainly this would have been of more advantage to Job's contemporaries, for whom the new revelation was intended.

8. The denouement, or final issue, favours this view.

II. JOB DID NOT EXPECT DELIVERANCE IN THIS LIFE, BIT IN A DISEMBODIED STATE, AFTER DEATH. The following arguments for this view have been adduced.

1. This is evident from the plain meaning of the text. The two clauses in ver, 26 are not antithetic, for the second has the same thought as the first, and must read, "And after my skin is thus destroyed, and without my flesh (body) I shall see God." After my skin, without my flesh, and dust, are parallelistic equivalents.

2. That Job did not expect deliverance in this life is also shown by his desire to have his protestations of innocency engraved on the rock forever.

3. That Job expected no restoration here on earth is clear from his own words in other portions of the book...After carefully weighing the arguments pro and con, we are forced to the conclusion that Job expected restoration in this life. This is the most natural interpretation. It also accords with the development of doctrine in the Old Testament, for it is an intermediate step between Mosaism and Christianity in regard to suffering and retribution in this life. And in accepting this view, no one is forced to the conclusion that Job had no hope or knowledge of immortality, but only that the future life is not referred to in this passage.

(W. W. Davis, Ph. D.)

1. This is the knowledge which diminishes the distance between us and God. Whatever else sin may be, it is the estrangement of the soul from the source of all its joys. Sin has made us to be "far off" from God. He is denied His place in thought. He is excluded from the counsels of the will. His own monitor — conscience — is indifferent to His presence. The heart has sought the fellowship of other lovers, but they all have left "an aching void," which cries, "Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both." This has been attempted by many. Prophets, priests, and kings stretched their hands upwards towards God, and downwards towards man, but their arms were too short. Philosophers, moralists, and philanthropists have endeavoured to fill the gulf, and pave the way for the contending parties to approach each other, they also have all disappeared in that awful chasm. But there is "One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Have we felt the reconciling touch of His hand? "I know that my Redeemer liveth," is the only answer.

2. This is the knowledge which removes all differences. We cannot meet God, we cannot enjoy God, with the burden of guilt on our soul. The voice of justice in heaven cries against us; the voice of conscience within is not less in its denunciation.

3. This is the knowledge which restores the full harmony between us and the Father. There is no other platform from which we may survey the whole situation.

II. THAT THE HIGHEST FORM OF CONSCIOUSNESS IS FAITH IN A LIVING SAVIOUR. "My Redeemer liveth." If we possibly can, let us bring the text to a nearer touch of our life. One of the functions of faith is to convert historical Christianity into a living power in the soul, by enacting the life of Jesus in our own.

1. The living Redeemer is the life of faith. Faith leans on a living bosom, and draws its comfort from a living heart.

2. The living Redeemer is the stay of faith. The Hebrew Goel was the next-of-kin who avenged his brother's wrongs, and redeemed his life and property. Our Saviour is that next-of-kin who watches over our affairs, and will see that justice is done. Remember, brethren, He is the custodian of your character and reputation. The man who deals a blow at your circumstances, must meet Jesus, and settle the matter with Him. "Avenge not yourselves," but "cast all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."

3. The living Redeemer is the satisfaction of faith. He who can say "My Redeemer!" has enough. Things of life are transmissible. The man goes to his solicitor to have the property he has bought conveyed to him. When it is done, he says, "I want you to make my will." Then runs the instrument, "I give and bequeath," etc. But "my Redeemer" is not a transitory possession; it abides the inheritance of the soul forever. Thomas made a noble confession, "My Lord, and my God."

III. THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF FAITH WILL BE THE MEETING OF THE SAINT AND THE SAVIOUR. "Whom I shall see," etc. Faith will launch her bark into the sea of His presence.

1. Your rights will be vindicated, and all your trials explained. A light will be thrown on all the difficult passages in your life. Faith said all the time that His judgments are righteous and true; you will understand that then. That day will be a commentary on all the chapters of life, for "the day will reveal it."

2. Immediate communion with Jesus. In that day they will all turn aside, and our eyes will feast on the beatific vision, for "we shall see Him as He is." These eyes, which have wept many times, shall see Him in the clear light of heaven. Thank you, a thousand times, ye noble prophets and apostles, for your beautiful photos of Him, now we see Jesus Himself.

3. Faith will realise all anticipations and hopes. What is your ruling passion; is it Poetry? Then the muse will be on the heights of Parnassus, Music? The melody of the cross will have attracted all the harmonies of the universe to itself. Beauty? The rose of Sharon will be there. Life? Live on. Regarding the wonderful utterance in the text in the light of the circumstances in which the patriarch was placed, we have here a marvellous picture of faith. In the presence of such a faith, shall we allow ours to fret and fear in the face of small difficulties? Put all the difficulties and sufferings of your life by the side of those endured by the patriarch, and they will pale and die. However, we may not be the strong men in faith that his stature would suggest. Look to your Goel.

(T. Davies, M. A.)

I. THE MEANING OF THE TERM REDEEMER, AS APPLIED TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. The word Goal has two significations. One, to be stained or polluted with blood; the other, to ransom, redeem, or purchase back. The duties of a Redeemer among the Jews included — delivering a kinsman out of captivity by force or ransom; and to buy him out when his liberty had been forfeited by debt, buying back an inheritance that had passed out of the hands of a poorer kinsman; advocating the right of those who were too weak to sustain their own cause. All these offices of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus was fitted to sustain, and has executed, or will execute for us. To become our Redeemer He became our kinsman. Three principal things are intended by Christ's title of Redeemer.

1. Atonement or satisfaction made to the Divine law in behalf of His people.

2. Deliverance and salvation of His people from all their enemies and difficulties.

3. The securing for them an eternal inheritance of life and blessedness.

II. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE LORD JESUS AS A LIVING REDEEMER. He whom Job knew to be his Redeemer is the only-begotten Son of God in whom we trust. The excellency of Christ as our living Redeemer is seen in His resurrection, in His power, and in His glory.

(Geo. W. Bethune, D. D.)

II. HE IS AN EVER-LIVING REDEEMER, WHO HAS ACCOMPLISHED OUR REDEMPTION. It is not said, the Redeemer hath lived, or shall live, but that "He liveth." He is without beginning of days or end of life; the "same yesterday, today, and forever." As God, He liveth forever and ever. As Redeemer, He is called a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, in the purpose and promise of God.

III. THE LIVING REDEEMER SHALL STAND AT THE LATTER DAY UPON THE EARTH. Lit., "He shall stand the last upon the earth." He will again stand upon the earth, or over the earth, as the words may signify. He will come in glory, to raise the dead bodies of His people, and to judge the world in righteousness.

IV. THE REDEEMED AMONG MEN CLAIM RELATION TO THEIR REDEEMER. "My Redeemer." Job expresses the confidence of a living faith in his intimate relation to the ever-living Redeemer, in whom he believed and trusted, with the other patriarchs of early ages.

V. THE MORTAL BODIES OF THE REDEEMED SHALL BE CONSUMED, BUT THEY SHALL SEE GOD. Though death doth no more to the soul of man than separate it from the body with which it is united, yet it entirely demolishes the curious structure of the body. The mighty Redeemer shall raise all His redeemed ones from the power of the grave. Their souls, when in the separate state, behold Him with the eyes of the mind; but after the resurrection they shall behold Him in their flesh with their bodily eyes.

VI. THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THIS SUPPORTS THE SERVANTS OF GOD UNDER PRESENT TRIALS, AND THE PROSPECT OF DEATH. Job himself was a remarkable instance of the truth of this observation.

(W. M'Culloch.)

II. JOB SPEAKS OF THE REDEEMER AS LIVING AT THE TIME WHEN HE SPOKE. And so He was. "Before Abraham was, I am," He said of Himself. There never was a period when He was not. He was virtually the Redeemer of men, though He had not actually wrought out their redemption.

III. THE PERSONAL INTEREST WHICH JOB CLAIMS IN THE REDEEMER. Here is no uncertainty or doubt, but the fullest assurance. A personal interest in Christ is absolutely necessary if you would be saved.

IV. AN IMPORTANT TRUTH RESPECTING THE FUTURE MANIFESTATION OF THE REDEEMER. The time of the advent is sometimes called the "last time," the latter, or last, days. It is, however, more probable that the words of Job refer to the second coming of Christ, which will be literally the latter or last day.

V. THE BLESSED HOPE WHICH THE PATRIARCH INDULGES. He refers to the inevitable lot of man at death. But we shall yet live again. Job could say, "In my flesh I shall see God." When he should see God, he would learn the purpose of his affliction. Then his character would be cleared of the aspersions which had been cast upon it. Job's confidence that he should see God would be a source of joy, inasmuch as to see God is heaven itself.

(W. Cardall, B. A.)

I. THE PROMISED SAVIOUR. It speaks of Him —

1. As a Redeemer. A title peculiarly applicable to the Lord Jesus.

2. As a living Redeemer. Which applies to that grand and consolatory truth, the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. The words may, however, refer to His divinity rather than His resurrection.

3. As a Redeemer in whom he had a peculiar interest. His Redeemer in particular. "My Redeemer liveth."

4. As a Redeemer who would stand at the latter day upon the earth. This may refer to the incarnation, but it must also refer to the great resurrection.

II. JOB'S OWN JOYFUL RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.

1. How he dwells on the effects which would be produced by death on his bodily frame.

2. How, in defiance of every difficulty which might obstruct or hinder it, he yet expressed his assured hope of a joyful resurrection.We have here the views of this ancient believer respecting —

1. The resurrection of the body. The body, after the resurrection, would be true flesh, not a spirit, thin and subtle as the air, as some have vainly imagined. At the resurrection he would receive the very same body which he had on earth. The nature of that happiness to which the servant of God, after his resurrection, would be admitted, is indicated. It was the beatific vision of that God and Saviour in whose presence is fulness of joy. But those only will thus see Him who have received Him here as their Redeemer, by a faith which purifies the heart, overcometh the world, worketh by love, and maintaineth good works.

(John Natt, B. D.)

I. THE CERTAINTY OF GOD'S INTERFERENCE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THIS WORLD.

1. A present superintendence. The first truth contained in that is God's personal existence. It is not chance, nor fate, which sits at the wheel of this world's revolutions. It is a living God. To be religious is to feel that God is the "ever-near." Faith is that strange faculty by which man feels the presence of the invisible. We must not throw into these words of Job a meaning which Job had not, Job was an Arabian Emir, not a Christian. All that Job meant was, that he knew he had a Vindicator in God above. At last God Himself would interfere to prove his innocence. God has given us, for our faith to rest on, something more distinct and tangible than He gave to Job.

2. The second truth implied in the personal existence of a Redeemer is sympathy. It was the keenest part of Job's trial that no heart beat pulse to pulse with his. In the midst of this it seems to have risen upon his heart with a strange power, to soothe, that he was not alone. Note the little word of appropriation, My Redeemer. Power is shown by God's condescension to the vast; sympathy by His condescension to the small.

3. The third thing implied in the present superintendence is God's vindication of wrongs. The word translated here, Redeemer, is one of peculiar signification. Job was professing his conviction that there was a champion or an avenger, who would one day do battle for his wrongs.

4. There is a future redress of human wrongs, which will be made manifest to sight. There will be a visible, personal interference. If we use his words, we must apply them in a higher sense. The second Advent of Christ is supposed by some to mean an appearance of Jesus in the flesh to reign and triumph visibly. But every signal manifestation of the right and vindication of the truth in judgment, is called in Scripture a coming of the Son of Man. The visual perception of His form would be a small blessing; the highest and truest presence is always spiritual, and realised by the spirit.

II. THE MEANS OF REALISING THIS INTERFERENCE. There is a difference between knowing a thing and realising it. Job knew that God was the vindicator of wrongs. It was true, but to Job it was strange, and shadowy, and unfamiliar. Two ways are suggested for realising these things. One is meditation. No man forgets what the mind has dwelt long on. You can scarcely read over Job's words without fancying them the syllables of a man who was thinking aloud. The other is this — God ensures that His children shall realise all these things by affliction. If ever a man is sincere, it is when he is in pain. There are many things which nothing but sorrow can teach us. Sorrow is the realiser.

(F. W. Robertson, M. A.)

I. THE GLORIOUS CHARACTER HE CONTEMPLATES. A "Redeemer." The word is used of the Blood Avenger (Goel) of ancient times. The title of "Redeemer" is used by the prophets as an appellation of Jehovah, and with peculiar adaptation it is appropriated to the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom, it is stated, we have redemption. With propriety and force the Mediator between God and man is invested with the name of our "Redeemer." The Mediator was unquestionably the revealed and acknowledged object of faith and hope in patriarchal ages. The future Messiah was the being now contemplated by Job when he spoke of a Redeemer.

II. THE IMPORTANT TRUTHS HE STATES. The first refers to the actual state of the Redeemer, — He "liveth," or "is now living." To His being, no commencement, however remote, can be assigned. We conceive that the patriarch was now rendering a specific ascription to Him, as essentially "the living One," and was acknowledging Him in that attribute of absolute eternity which furnishes so immovable a basis for the confidence and joy of the saints throughout every period of the world. The second of these truths refers to the future manifestation of the Redeemer. "He shall stand (arise) at the latter day upon (over) the earth." We consider this a prediction of the last day. The clause means, "He shall arise in triumph over the ruins of mortality." From the certainty of that event, Divine truth derives the appropriateness and the efficacy of its appeals. In what manner, and with what feelings, do you look towards the day of the revelation of Jesus Christ?

III. THE PERSONAL HOPE JOB INDULGES. These remarkable words are strong affirmations of a personal interest in the grace and redemption of Him who at the latter day is to appear in His glory as the Judge; and are an anticipation of eternal happiness then to be awarded and enjoyed. The expressions furnish several remarks.

1. Death must be uniformly suffered before the happiness of true believers can be completed.

2. On the arrival of "the latter day," the bodies of believers will be raised in a state refined and glorified.

3. Believers, in their state of restoration, will enjoy the presence and friendship of God forever.

IV. THE ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE JOB ASSERTS. "I know." These expressions of certainty by the patriarch arose from no equivocal impulse. We who are now numbered among the heirs of promise, tell to the world that we have the same confidence too. "We know in whom we have believed."

(J. Parsons.)

1. By redeeming our forfeited inheritance of eternal life.

2. By redeeming us from the slavery of sin.

3. He avenges the blood of His people on their murderer Satan.

II. CHRIST IS THE "LIVING ONE," POSSESSING LIFE IN HIMSELF, AND BEING THE SOURCE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHOM HE CAME TO REDEEM. As God, this is a title peculiarly appropriate to Him, for He possesses independent and eternal life. His existence as our Redeemer is from everlasting to everlasting.

III. THIS LIVING REDEEMER WOULD AT SOME FUTURE PERIOD MAKE HIS APPEARANCE ON THE EARTH. The resurrection of the dead is an event reserved for the second appearance of our Redeemer at the last day. Notice the assured confidence with which the patriarch interests himself in this living Redeemer, who was to stand at the latter day upon the earth. He uses the language of appropriation, "My Redeemer." He infers the completion of his own redemption by Christ raising him from the dead, and permitting him to enjoy the beatific vision of God. These sublime truths are peculiarly fitted to comfort the children of God amid all the sufferings, anxieties, and sorrows of life and death.

(Peter Grant.)

II. THE SUBJECTION OF DEATH TO THE DOMINION OF CHRIST. Jesus came to destroy death; He will come to complete His work. The resurrection of the dead will be universal.

III. THE CHARACTER IN WHICH CHRIST WILL ASSERT HIS DOMINION. Redeemer.

1. There was infinite love in the price of redemption.

2. There is omnipotent power in the application of this work.

3. There will be immutable fidelity in the completion of this work. What a source of consolation in all the changes, troubles, and bereavements of the world.

IV. THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF CHRIST OVER DEATH WILL CONSTITUTE THE FINAL HAPPINESS OF ALL THE REDEEMED. The text admits of two senses.

1. I shall see God my Redeemer in this my body.

2. I shall see God in my flesh, i.e. in that flesh which He assumed to become my Redeemer.

(Edward Parsons.)

(William H. Green, D. D.)

(Life of Dr. Arnold.)

(H. Drummond.)

(R. A. Watson, D. D.)

(S. Hulme.)

(D. H. Bolles.)

I. It implies the HIGHEST CAPABILITY of a moral creature. The power to see the sublime forms of the material universe, is a high endowment. The power to see truth and to look into "the reason of things," is a higher endowment far; but the power to see God, is the grandest of all faculties. To see Him who is the cause of all phenomena, the life of all lives, the force of all forces, the spirit and beauty of all forms, — this faculty the human soul has. Depravity, alas! has so closed it generally that there are none in their unregenerate state who see God. Jacob said, "God is in this place and I knew it not."

II. It involves the SUBLIMEST PRIVILEGE of a moral creature. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." "In Thy presence is fulness of joy."

III. It includes the INEVITABLE DESTINY of a moral creature. All souls must be brought into conscious contact with Him, sooner or later "we must all appear before His judgment seat." Every soul must open its eye and so fasten it upon Him that He will appear everything to it, and all things else but shadows. The period of atheism, religious indifferentism, ends with our mortal life.

(Homilist.)

(Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for the Times.)

1. Arguments which would be adduced to show that the passage refers to the Messiah, and to the resurrection from the dead.(1) The language which is used is such as would appropriately describe such events. This is undoubted, though more so in our translation than in the original.(2) The impression which it would make on the mass of readers, and particularly those of plain, sober sense, who had no theory to defend.(3) The probability that some knowledge of the Messiah would prevail in Arabia in the time of Job. This must be admitted, though it cannot be certainly demonstrated (Numbers 24:17).(4) The probability that there would be found in this book some allusion to the Redeemer — the great hope of the ancient saints, and the burden of the Old Testament.(5) The pertinency of such a view to the ease, and its adaptedness to give to Job the kind of consolation which he needed.(6) The importance which Job himself attached to his declaration, and the solemnity of the manner in which he introduced it. This is perhaps the strongest argument.

2. The weighty arguments showing that the passage does not refer to the Messiah and the resurrection.(1) The language, fairly interpreted, does not necessarily imply this.(2) It is inconsistent with the argument, and the whole scope and connection of the book. The Book of Job is strictly an argument — a train of clear, consecutive reasoning. It discusses a great inquiry about the doctrine of Divine Providence, and the Divine dealings with men. Had they possessed the knowledge of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, it would have ended the whole debate. It would not only have met all the difficulties of Job, but we should have found him perpetually recurring to it — placing it in every variety of form, — appealing to it as relieving his embarrassments, and as demanding an answer from his friends.(3) The interpretation which refers this to the resurrection of the dead is inconsistent with the numerous passages in which Job expresses a contrary belief.(4) This matter is not referred to as a topic of consolation by either of the friends of Job, by Elihu, or by God Himself.(5) On the supposition that it refers to the resurrection, it would be inconsistent with the views which prevailed in the age when Job is supposed to have lived. It is wholly in advance of that age.(6) All which the words and phrases fairly convey, and all which the argument demands, is fully met by the supposition that it refers to some such event as is recorded in the close of the book. God appeared in a manner corresponding to the meaning of the words, here upon the earth. He came as the Vindicator, the Redeemer, the Goel of Job. He vindicated his cause, rebuked his friends, expressed His approbation of the sentiments of Job, and blessed him again with returning prosperity and plenty. The disease of the patriarch may have advanced, as he supposed it would. His flesh may have wasted away, but his confidence in God was not misplaced, and He came forth as his vindicator and friend. It was a noble expression of faith on the part of Job; it showed that he had confidence in God, and that in the midst of his trials he truly relied on Him; and it was a sentiment worthy to be engraved on the eternal rock, and to be transmitted to future times. It was an invaluable lesson to sufferers, showing them that confidence could and should be placed in God in the severest trials.

(Albert Barnes.)

     5014   heart, human
     5166   liver and kidneys

Job 19:23-27

     9315   resurrection, of believers

Job 19:25-27

     1315   God, as redeemer
     4010   creation, renewal
     5149   eyes
     5942   security
     8026   faith, growth in
     9615   hope, results of

Job 19:26-27

     5150   face
     8474   seeing God

Job's Faith and Expectation
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand in the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. C hristianity, that is, the religion of which MESSIAH is the author and object, the foundation, life, and glory, though not altogether as old as creation, is nearly so. It is coeval [contemporary] with the first promise and intimation of mercy given to fallen man. When Adam, by transgression, had violated the order and law of …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Job's Sure Knowledge
"For I know that my Redeemer liveth,"--Job 19:25. I DARESAY you know that there are a great many difficulties about the translation of this passage. It is a very complicated piece of Hebrew, partly, I suppose, owing to its great antiquity, being found in what is, probably, one of the oldest Books of the Bible. Besides that, different persons have tried to translate it according to their own varying views. The Jews stiffly fight against the notion of the Messiah and his resurrection being found in …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 50: 1904

I Know that My Redeemer Liveth
Our text deserves our profound attention; its preface would hardly have been written had not the matter been of the utmost importance in the judgment of the patriarch who uttered it. Listen to Job's remarkable desire: "Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!" Perhaps, hardly aware of the full meaning of the words he was uttering, yet his holy soul was impressed with a sense of some weighty revelation …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863

Tuesday in Easter Week. I Know that My Redeemer Liveth . . And Though after My Skin Worms Destroy this Body, yet in My Flesh Shall I See God.
I know that my Redeemer liveth . . and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. From the Lesson. [1 Cor. 15:53] 7,7,7,7,7,7 Jesus meine Zuversicht [86]Louisa Henrietta, Electress of Brandenburgh. 1653. trans. by Catherine Winkworth, 1855 Jesus my Redeemer lives, Christ my trust is dead no more; In the strength this knowledge gives Shall not all my tears be o'er, Though the night of Death be fraught Still with many an anxious thought? Jesus my Redeemer lives, …
Catherine Winkworth—Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year

My Beloved Put in his Hand through the Opening, and My Bowels Thrilled at his Touch.
The Well-beloved, notwithstanding the resistance of his Bride, [29] puts in his hand by a little opening which yet remains to Him, that is, a remnant of abandonment, in spite of the repugnance of the soul to abandon herself so absolutely. A soul in this degree has a depth of submission to every will of God that will refuse him nothing; but when he unfolds his plans in detail, [30] and using the rights He has acquired over her, calls for the last renunciation and the extremest sacrifices, then it …
Madame Guyon—Song of Songs of Solomon

Whether the Essence of God Can be Seen with the Bodily Eye?
Objection 1: It seems that the essence of God can be seen by the corporeal eye. For it is written (Job 19:26): "In my flesh I shall see . . . God," and (Job 42:5), "With the hearing of the ear I have heard Thee, but now my eye seeth Thee." Objection 2: Further, Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xxix, 29): "Those eyes" (namely the glorified) "will therefore have a greater power of sight, not so much to see more keenly, as some report of the sight of serpents or of eagles (for whatever acuteness of vision …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether in the Resurrection the Soul Will be Reunited to the Same Identical Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that the soul will not be reunited to the same identical body at the resurrection, for "thou sowest not the body that shall be, but bare grain" (1 Cor. 15:37). Now the Apostle is there comparing death to sowing and resurrection to fructifying. Therefore the same body that is laid aside in death is not resumed at the resurrection. Objection 2: Further, to every form some matter is adapted according to its condition, and likewise to every agent some instrument. Now the body …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether it Will be Identically the Same Man that Shall Rise Again?
Objection 1: It would seem that it will not be identically the same man that shall rise again. For according to the Philosopher (De Gener. ii): "Whatsoever things are changed in their corruptible substance are not repeated identically." Now such is man's substance in his present state. Therefore after the change wrought by death the self-same man cannot be repeated . Objection 2: Further, where there is a distinction of human nature there is not the same identical man: wherefore Socrates and Plato …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether it was Necessary for Christ to Rise Again?
Objection 1: It would seem that it was not necessary for Christ to rise again. For Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv): "Resurrection is the rising again of an animate being, which was disintegrated and fallen." But Christ did not fall by sinning, nor was His body dissolved, as is manifest from what was stated above ([4293]Q[51], A[3]). Therefore, it does not properly belong to Him to rise again. Objection 2: Further, whoever rises again is promoted to a higher state, since to rise is to be uplifted. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Subtlety is a Property of the Glorified Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that subtlety is not a property of the glorified body. For the properties of glory surpass the properties of nature, even as the clarity of glory surpasses the clarity of the sun, which is the greatest in nature. Accordingly if subtlety be a property of the glorified body, it would seem that the glorified body will be more subtle than anything which is subtle in nature, and thus it will be "more subtle than the wind and the air," which was condemned by Gregory in the city …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Dead Can be Assisted by the Works of the Living?
Objection 1: It would seem that the dead cannot be assisted by the works of the living. First, because the Apostle says (2 Cor. 5:10): "We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done." Therefore nothing can accrue to a man from the works of others, which are done after his death and when he is no longer in the body. Objection 2: Further, this also seems to follow from the words of Apoc. 14:13, "Blessed …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Helpless State of the Sinner under Condemnation.
1, 2. The sinner urged to consider how he can be saved from this impending ruin.--3. Not by any thing he can offer.--4. Nor by any thing he can endure.--5. Nor by any thing hr can do in the course of future duty.--6-8. Nor by any alliance with fellow-sinners on earth or in hell.--9. Nor by any interposition or intercession of angels or saints in his favor. Hint of the only method to be afterwards more largely explained. The lamentation of a sinner in this miserable condition. 1. SINNER, thou hast …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

Whether it is Necessary for the Salvation of All, that they Should Believe Explicitly in the Mystery of Christ?
Objection 1: It would seem that it is not necessary for the salvation of all that they should believe explicitly in the mystery of Christ. For man is not bound to believe explicitly what the angels are ignorant about: since the unfolding of faith is the result of Divine revelation, which reaches man by means of the angels, as stated above [2287](A[6]; [2288]FP, Q[111], A[1]). Now even the angels were in ignorance of the mystery of the Incarnation: hence, according to the commentary of Dionysius (Coel. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether There is to be a Resurrection of the Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that there is not to be a resurrection of the body: for it is written (Job 14:12): "Man, when he is fallen asleep, shall not rise again till the heavens be broken." But the heavens shall never be broken, since the earth, to which seemingly this is still less applicable, "standeth for ever" (Eccles. 1:4). Therefore the man that is dead shall never rise again. Objection 2: Further, Our Lord proves the resurrection by quoting the words: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether after the Resurrection the Saints Will See God with the Eyes of the Body? [*Cf. Fp, Q , a ]
Objection 1: It would seem that after the resurrection the saints will see God with the eyes of the body. Because the glorified eye has greater power than one that is not glorified. Now the blessed Job saw God with his eyes (Job 42:5): "With the hearing of the ear, I have heard Thee, but now my eye seeth Thee." Much more therefore will the glorified eye be able to see God in His essence. Objection 2: Further, it is written (Job 19:26): "In my flesh I shall see God my Saviour [Vulg.: 'my God']." Therefore …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Impassibility and Immortality of the Risen Body.
Besides the attributes which immediately flow from the fact that our animal bodies will rise spiritualized, there are two more qualities, which we shall now consider; namely, the impassibility and immortality of our risen bodies. 1. Impassibility implies the total loss of the power of suffering. What an enormous capacity we have for suffering! The power of receiving pleasure through our senses is only as a drop in the ocean, when compared to our manifold capacities for suffering, in every faculty …
F. J. Boudreaux—The Happiness of Heaven

The Resurrection
'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.' John 5:58, 29. Q-38: WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST AT THE RESURRECTION? A: At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgement, and made perfectly blessed in the …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Whether Explicit Belief in the Mystery of the Incarnation of Christ is Necessary for the Salvation of Everybody
Whether Explicit Belief in the Mystery of the Incarnation of Christ is Necessary for the Salvation of Everybody We proceed to the seventh article thus: 1. It seems that explicit belief in the mystery of the incarnation of Christ is not necessary for the salvation of everybody. A man is not required to have explicit belief in matters of which angels are ignorant, since the faith is made explicit by divine revelation, which reaches men through the medium of angels, as was said in the preceding article. …
Aquinas—Nature and Grace

The Resurrection of the Dead
There are very few Christians who believe the resurrection of the dead. You may be surprised to hear that, but I should not wonder if I discovered that you yourself have doubts on the subject. By the resurrection of the dead is meant something very different from the immortality of the soul: that, every Christian believes, and therein is only on a level with the heathen, who believes it too. The light of nature is sufficient to tell us that the soul is immortal, so that the infidel who doubts it …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

Of the Last Resurrection.
1. For invincible perseverance in our calling, it is necessary to be animated with the blessed hope of our Savior's final advent. 2. The perfect happiness reserved for the elect at the final resurrection unknown to philosophers. 3. The truth and necessity of this doctrine of a final resurrection. To confirm our belief in it we have, 1. The example of Christ; and, 2. The omnipotence of God. There is an inseparable connection between us and our risen Savior. The bodies of the elect must be conformed …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Christian Struggling under Great and Heavy Affliction.
1. Here it is advised--that afflictions should only be expected.--2. That the righteous hand of God should be acknowledged in them when they come.--3. That they should be borne with patience.--4. That the divine conduct in them should be cordially approved.--5. That thankfulness should be maintained in the midst of trials.--6. That the design of afflictions should be diligently inquired into, and all proper assistance taken in discovering it.--7. That, when it is discovered, it should humbly be complied …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

Christ the Mediator of the Covenant
'Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant,' &c. Heb 12:24. Jesus Christ is the sum and quintessence of the gospel; the wonder of angels; the joy and triumph of saints. The name of Christ is sweet, it is as music in the ear, honey in the mouth, and a cordial at the heart. I shall waive the context, and only speak of that which concerns our present purpose. Having discoursed of the covenant of grace, I shall speak now of the Mediator of the covenant, and the restorer of lapsed sinners, Jesus the Mediator …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity