HIDDEN IN ALLEGORIES, METAPHORS AND SIMILITUDES

 FOUND IN THE BOOKS  OF  JOB,  JONAH,  JOEL, AND  ISAIAH.

 TREASURY          SITE MAP    By   Keith Hepworth

          INTRODUCTION    

Believe it or not, The Book of Job is allegorical. The story disguises the much more important story of Jesus  trying to explain why His Father had "forsaken" Him, as He clearly thought and asked while on the cross.  I know, you are probably thinking, So what? I already believe in Jesus Christ, I'm  a Christian. I don't need any more evidence. That's terrific, but even so this is new earth shattering news for Christians, and this most important book explains so much more of the future that you will be shocked when you fully understand it. Let me explain:

 Isaiah spoke about such a thing being "shewed" to the Jews at a time when there was "no strange god among them"  and why it was given to them before they "turned away backward," clearly indicating that there would be an apostasy (which was later lamented by Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others), during which time the words of their false prophets could not be trusted; and then finally a time of restoration  or "gathering" of the Jews, which, in my view, will be accelerated by "this thing," i.e. The Book of Job, which was "shewed" them anciently, before they lost the truth and went astray.  "this thing,"was designed to restore them to the truth. Isaiah explained it:

            I have even from the beginning declared it to thee: 
             before it came to pass I shewed it thee:
             lest thou shouldest say, 
             Mine idol hath done them,
             and my graven image, hath commanded them." (Isaiah 48:5)

          Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled:
        who among them can declare this, and shew us former things?
        let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified:
        or [when they cannot] let them hear [these words], and say, It is truth.
        Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen:
        that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he:
        before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
        I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.
        I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed,
        when there was no strange god among you:
        therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
              (emphasis added)  Isaiah 43:9-12

    This "great and marvelous work," prophesying "out of the dust" so to speak,  was almost certainly designed by God to  "gather the dispersed of Judah" in these latter days, back to Zion-- and not just physically back to Zion, but more importantly, spiritually.   Stay and broaden your knowledge of our God, and even Jesus Christ too.  I promise that you will be greatly enriched and even surprised, finding great "secrets," even hidden treasures of knowledge without costing you any money.  If you stay and "drink" of these truths, you will find  "living waters"  that will astound you and thrill your heart. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk [living waters] without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1, clarification added).  "So shall he sprinkle [with living waters] many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider" (Isaiah 52:15 with clarification added).  After Job, you will begin to read the Old Testament with more understanding and grow a deeper appreciation for Jesus Christ then ever before, with many "dark sayings," or difficult to understand sayings (secrets if you will) giving up their truths to strengthen your testimony. (A noteworthy example from Isaiah is explained example here.)

These are very bold claims, for sure, but after having studied this premise for over twenty-five years, there is no doubt left.  It is really true.    After carefully examining hundreds of difficult verses in the Book of Job we have to  conclude that it gives us proof that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, even the great Messiah.  The books of Jonah, Joel, and Isaiah also support this conclusion and will be examined after a close look at the Book of Job.

     There are many verses in the Book of Job  to start your thinking in this new direction. This first verse is impossible to understand in terms of Job but is most revealing about Jesus.  The King James Version of Job 13:27 reads: "Thou settest a print upon the heels/soles of my feet."  What could this verse mean to Job?  Keil and Delitzsch's commentary explains that "the Hebrew version means much more than the English translation conveys, such as wounds "digged" into the soles of his feet,  even circular wounds filled with metal and blood" (See K&D, Vol.4, pgs.220-222).  It's hard to understand why great scholars like Keil and Delitzsch failed to make a connection between Job and Jesus when it is plain to see that this verse describes Jesus' feet with the nails driven through them.  What would a "circular wounds" "digged" into Job's feet have to do with anything?

    The next big problem is trying to think of Job being pinned up like a target with nails, or more precisely in the language of Job, "a mark"  "plastered or stuck up" by "arrows in array" (Job 6:4); or, being "lifted up to ride on the wind"  (Job 30:22), very much like a shirt on a clothes line, pinned up by "arrows in array," by the cuffs to dry. 

       Another great verse is the punishment that Job suggests he should receive if he were actually guilty of any sin; that is, the description of the great pain in the bones and sinews of his arms, even causing him to suggest that they be broken from their sockets. He said, "Then let my arm fall from my shoulder blade. And mine arm be broken from its channel bone." (Job 31:22). Is that about Job, or Jesus talking about the terrible pains in his arms that are a result of the crucifixion?

    Another unusual  verse is about the iron weapon (spear) being drawn out of his body:  "He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.   It is drawn; and cometh out of his body" (Job 20:24,25).  Did Job have a spear thrust into his side? No, Jesus did.

    These verses could easily be understood if Job were hanging on a cross with his arms and shoulders being torn apart by the weight of his body, not to mention the spear slashing into his side. In other words, if he were being crucified on a cross like Jesus was.  But for the story of Job these verses simply don't belong, and they leave us confused as to what they could possibly mean, especially since Job didn't die for another hundred and forty years (Job 42).  To see fifty more verses like these from Job, with  brief explanations that directly refer to Jesus, go here.

The Bible really does hide secrets or mysteries, which are referred to within its pages as "God's secrets, dark sayings, and words of the wise. are they not?  But again they have no relevance to the story of Job.  Many scholars have said that most of the Book of Job makes very little sense, and if we had to explain the above verses only in terms of Job we would have to agree.   Some have even suggested that the fault lies with too many "cooks," that many errors have crept in over the years from all of the hand copying done by scribes or overzealous copyists who made changes where they thought there were errors.  Morris Jastrow Jr., Ph.D., LL.D., actually rearranged the book,  verse-by-verse, freely swapping verses, even chapters, around in an attempt to have it make sense. He even said there were not ten consecutive verses without an error.  Happily however, when we put aside these kinds of opinions and search more diligently ourselves, and just as it is, we find that it can be read on a second, deeper level. This deeper level of understanding reveals that the Book of Job does have more to do with Jesus than it does to the cover story of Job as the above verses suggest;  and then with this new understanding the rest of the confusion and contradictions begin to make sense.  In the end, the Book of Job turns out to be two stories in one, which makes it allegorical, even a most extraordinary allegory that has remained hidden from our understanding for thousands of years.  Think about the story of Job for a moment and surely you will see several parallels between Job and Jesus for yourself, very much like the following:

         1. Both lost everything, friends and position,
               in virtually one  day.
         2. Both had to endure great mental and physical pain,
                including open wounds or sores.
         3. Both lived perfect, upright, God-fearing lives (verse 1).
         4. Both felt that they had been forsaken by God, and said
              so, over and over.
         5. Both questioned the unfairness of their predicament on the basis of
             their purity.
         6. Both were absolutely sure of their purity from any transgression.
         7. Both in the end "were raised" to much greater things.  
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    Hopefully, by now you are beginning to see the similarities between Job and Jesus and realize how the story of Job, at the very least,  is an excellent choice to make into an allegory for the suffering Jesus and will continue reading.   You will see many internal contradictions to the story of Job cleared up and explained, all in terms of Jesus.  For example the following verse from the Hebrew translation reads:

                "Yet shall he be brought to the grave,
                while a watch is kept at his tomb" (Job 21:32 Hebrew version).

    What sense does this make when we know Job was not "brought to the grave," at least not concurrently with the story?  And  there is nothing in the story to explain the need for a watch at his tomb when he finally did go to his grave-- one hundred and forty two years later (Job 42:16).  Really confusing isn't it, especially since we read that Job was destitute and abandoned by everyone including his close friends (See Job 19)?  But for Jesus, we not only know that his body was placed in a tomb but also why Roman solders were assigned by Pilate to "watch" it, saying: "Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can" (Matt. 27:65). Furthermore, it was Jesus who was abandoned by everyone including his close friends, not Job.  In the obvious story, Job's friends came to visit him, namely Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and Elihu.  Easily seen contradictions like these are the reasons why so many scholars have been so critical of the book. Do you need more evidence that these claims are not the imaginations of a misguided fanatic (me) and should be studied more carefully?  Read how Jesus hung there naked and blinded by his tears because his hands were nailed down, preventing him from wiping his eyes. 

    Many people think Jesus died of a broken heart, and according to the Book of Job it's true;  but what could have disappointed him so much that it would break his heart, and I mean literally?  Was it because God really did forsake him,  just as he suggested himself with his dispiriting question from the cross?   "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"  Oh, but what reason could there have been for God to do such a thing, to his Only Begotten Son, especially since we know he had completed his mission perfectly?  Think for a minute, how a broken heart could explain his death and what it would mean in terms of an infinite sacrifice and atonement.  What else but disappointment could have broken his heart?  Think of what this means in terms of proof of his love for us if he died of a broken heart because he thought he had failed to save all his beloved brothers and sisters. The eternal ramifications for trillions of God's children would be staggering if he had failed.  That would certainly be enough to break his heart in view of his love for us.  What else could take his life, especially since we know his life was completely in his own hands?  He could lay it down or take it up as he chose (John 10:17-18); but there was no reason to prolong his life if he had failed all of us in his most important mission.  This view also explains just how long he had to suffer to qualify for an infinite atonement.  Answers to these questions and more are brought to light by this amazing little book. 

    Later you will see more than one hundred verses in the Book of Job that parallel verses in the Book of Psalms, all of which have to do with Jesus.  And we know the Psalms are about Jesus; Jesus told us this himself (see Luke 24:44).  Martin Buber, a German scholar, also knew this very well; for he said: "We read Psalms that seems to be nothing but the cry for help lifted upwards by a man in torment: yet we need only listen carefully to see that the speaker is not just any man but a man standing in the presence of revelation, and witnessing revelation even in his cries and shouts."  Dr. Buber  is suggesting that King David witnessed the crucifixion through revelation and his words reflect what he saw, especially during Jesus' final trials. A prime example supporting this conclusion is Psalm 22, not to mention Psalm 17 and 35 (see Psalms 22 here).   Everyone should see the obvious parallels to Jesus in these well-known Psalms. If you approach the Book of Job in the same way, with Jesus in mind, little by little, verse by verse, the pieces fall into place. And like any puzzle, it is only after one piece is in place that you can see where the next one fits--precept upon precept, if you will.  

    Continue on, and you will also see several more verses explained (like the tomb one discussed above), which are more clear in the Hebrew version of the Bible than they are in the Christian versions, which is a little surprising and at the same time ironic, since the Jews fail to see Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God (but that should change soon).  

    Also included in this site is a complete verse-by-verse commentary on the Book of Job, with nearly every verse explained in terms of Jesus. A side note: All along the way in this site you will see the most astounding  patterns in the length of the lines of the scriptures (probably a form of chiasmus), which I  first discovered in the books of Job and Isaiah, and then later in all the other scriptures. These patterns seem to authenticate the revealed word of God and certainly will confound the evolutionists that fail to find intelligent design in any of the creations of God.  Talk about Intelligent Design or Divine Design, it's even found in all of God's revealed words . Now they will never be able to claim that it just took millions and millions of years of time for the scriptures to come into existence with these "intelligent designs,"  as they have claimed in the past. Maybe they will claim that all the prophets of old were part of a great conspiracy but kept it a secret for thousands of years. (see Patterns) God is wonderfully amazing!

    For sure, with so much evidence that the story of Job is really allegorical for Jesus Christ, any counterclaims of "reaching" or "coincidence" can easily be dismissed.  Yet you might be wondering why you haven't heard of this before, especially if you have been an ardent student of the Bible.  The answer is not perfectly clear yet, but an early conclusion would be that the deeper meanings of the Book of Job have been kept hidden from our understanding until these last days, at the time of the promised "restitution of all things," when this powerful testimony that Jesus is the Christ will be instrumental in turning God's children back to the truth, meaning all mankind, both the wayward Jews and the wayward Gentiles. 

       This site is primarily about Job, Isaiah, and other related Old Testament books, and is, therefore, basically nondenominational. It does use some scriptures esoteric or peculiar to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but mostly as a second source. If you are of a different faith and find these references objectionable, this site can still be beneficial to you by simply passing over them.  But for sure, it is only because of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  that I have had the background to understand and bring this site into  existence. This site points out from The Old Testament that Jesus was and is the Christ, profoundly so.  Its main focus is on the Book of Job. Then, several other books of the Old Testament are explained which point out some of the things that will happen very soon based upon the words of Isaiah (Job being the catalyst).   These are bold claims for sure, but stay no  matter what your faith might be and see for yourself;   search (hunger and thirst) for  great treasures by clicking on a subject listed below. It is well worth your time.  Begin with Job, the greatest treasure of all. Download any pages of this site by right clicking on it, followed by "print." Most pages have to print In "landscape" instead of "portrait" because of the length of lines.  For Testimonials go here.

                                             TREASURES TO READ

                               START>   Introduction to the Book of Job
                                                 The Book of Job with commentary
                                                 Comparison of Job verses Psalms
                                                  Introduction to the Book of Isaiah
                                                  The Book of Isaiah with commentary
                                                  The Book of Joel with commentary
                                                  The Book of Jonah with commentary
                                                 Explanations of Metaphors
                                                   Explanations of Patterns
 

This site is for ALL who delight in the scriptures, 
who "hunger and thirst"   after the "Word."