"In My Flesh Shall I See God."
By W. A. Blakely
"And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." Job. 19:26. THE doctrine of a literal resurrection of the body is denied by a great many theological teachers, and a large number of the professed Christians of to-day suppose it to be contrary to Scripture, and to reason. Why should this be so? Is it according to the teaching of the Bible or not? Let us see, for that is our rule of faith, and is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, "that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The immaterialists, not having their doctrine founded upon the Bible, are ready to take anything that looks like proof, in their attempt to overthrow the reality of a resurrection. An instance of this came to notice some time ago. A New York paper, having ascertained that the revisers of the Old Testament have translated Job. 19:26, "Yet out of my flesh shall I see God," jumps to a conclusion immediately, and asks, "What will the materialists do now? This takes the props right out from under the idea of a resurrection of the body." "To the law and to the testimony." We never need to go elsewhere to substantiate our faith. In the first place, that language is not by any means new. If the writer had been a Bible student, he would have noticed that that rendering is introduced by "or," in the margin of his Bible. In the second place, it means exactly the same as "in my flesh shall I see God," as is proved by the word "or." To explain this verse I will commence with the preceding one, which introduces the subject, and then give the marginal rendering of this verse (the nineteenth), which is more nearly a literal translation. If Job had said, "Out of my eyes shall I see God," would the immaterialist have supposed it to mean, "Without my eyes?" If not, when he says, "Out of my flesh shall I see God," why should it be interpreted, "Without my flesh?" The meaning, which is very plain, is, "Though after my skin worms destroy this body," or, "though this body be destroyed, yet [after I shall awake," i. e., be "raised a spiritual body," 1 Cor. 15:44] out of my [resurrected, immortal] flesh shall I see God." This is a good text to prove the resurrection of the body. I will now examine a few more of the numerous passages of Scripture, all of which verify the doctrine of a literal resurrection. "Thy dead men shall live, together with my DEAD BODY shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Isa. 26:19. Can language be made any stronger, or words express the resurrection of the body any more emphatically? Now read the following:— "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about; and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live; and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I behold, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army." Eze. 37:1-10. In this vision is a description of the resurrection. The Lord explains it in verses 11-14: "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." This being the interpretation of its Author, no one can explain it any better, and no one should presume to say that this is not its meaning. Listen to the words of Paul concerning the literalness of the resurrection:— "It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:43, 44, 53-55. Oh, glorious victory! The Lord will come and break the bands of death asunder, and open the gates of the grave. "O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."