That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
The wicked are allowed to prosper in this life with riches and pleasure, while their punishment is held back to a future day of destruction, wrath and judgment. To be reserved is to be kept back in the dust and grave as in a prison house, and to be brought forth is to be called out of the grave in the resurrection of evildoers to condemnation. Until that day the wicked dead lie in the tomb and silent grave without conscious thought or activity. They are not punished when they die or while they are dead, but wait in death until they are raised and judged, in the second resurrection after the thousand years at the end of the world, when fire destroys them on the earth and cleanses it. Their end is utter destruction and everlasting death, not living forever in torment, so present prosperity is no proof of God's favor, nor is present affliction proof of His displeasure.
Context and Language
Job 21:30 belongs to Job's answer to his three friends in the debate on the cause and object of human suffering in chapters 3-31, and is to be studied as part of the book as a whole. In that answer it teaches that the wicked prosper here in this life while their punishment is future, reserved for and brought forth to the coming day of destruction and wrath. That principle is generally true that evil is ultimately punished and good is ultimately rewarded, but present adversity, affliction, or suffering does not prove that a man is under the displeasure of God or that he should be discouraged. The wicked may flourish and prosper for a time with worldly riches and pleasures, yet are kept until the day of destruction and brought forth to face the day of wrath. Their present prosperity is not proof of God's favor and does not remove the coming judgment.
Reserved means kept back and held over to a future time, placing their punishment beyond the resurrection. That place of reservation is the dust and the grave, the prison house, not purgatory. The verse does not distinguish the buried body from the responsible person. Brought forth means brought out of their graves by a resurrection from the dead when Christ calls them forth, when judgment is carried out. It is the resurrection of evildoers to condemnation, of those who did evil to damnation, so that resurrection and judgment come before any retribution. The tokens of the dead are tombstones, showing that the dead await that future judgment rather than already receiving punishment.
Until that day the wicked dead remain in the grave and tomb, and those who died in sin are silent in sheol, without conscious thought or activity, ceasing to live when their years ended and waiting there for the decision of the judgment. They do not receive their punishment while dead or before the judgment. The following verses explain this remaining and bringing forth, placing them in the grave and tomb until that time when they are brought forth for judgment. Passages citing Job 21:29-30 make the same point that the wicked are kept in their graves until the appointed day of destruction and wrath, when they are brought forth to judgment and punishment, and do not receive punishment immediately at death. The wicked are raised after the thousand years, judged, and then punished.
The day of destruction is the day of wrath and the day of judgment, for which the wicked are kept rather than beginning punishment at death. The sanctuary's ark and law point to the law as the rule of that judgment, making clear why the wicked are reserved for that day.
Punishment Still Future
The wicked are not punished at death, while dead, or now in hell, for their final punishment is not completed by dying but is kept back until after the coming day of destruction and wrath. They are reserved until that day and brought forth to that day, so judgment and wrath remain still future and punishment follows them rather than occurring beforehand in death. They do not receive their reward at death, and they are not now suffering torment before the judgment.
Resurrection and judgment come before any retribution, so being reserved and brought forth means waiting in death until the day of judgment arrives and then coming out of the graves to receive retribution. They are brought forth for judgment before they are punished, raised to face judgment and the second death and to face wrath and condemnation. Their punishment comes at the final day of the Lord, when they are destroyed for unrighteous acts.
That day is the final day of judgment at the end of the world, after the thousand years, when Christ gathers the righteous and the wicked dead are raised and then judged and punished. Reserved means kept back and held over to a future time, and the place of reservation is the grave and prison house, not purgatory, where they remain as Job 21:33 explains until they are brought forth. Their resurrection is a second resurrection to temporal life, required because they transgressed God's law, and it does not make them part of God's people. Fire then destroys them upon the earth and the earth is cleansed.
The wicked dead will indeed be raised and cannot escape the damnation of hell, for they are kept for destruction and brought out to wrath on the day of judgment. They come out of the graves to condemnation and are then thrown into the lake of fire, and that throwing is the time of ruin and anger after the judgment of the great day. Their punishment is ultimately death. Sayings that the wicked are destroyed and will not rise do not mean they are never raised, but point to this final ruin after they are raised, spoken of as already past because God's purpose is certain, and hoping to lie unfelt in the grave past the judgment and the carrying out of the sentence is empty self-deception and strong delusion.
Final Destruction and Warning
The wicked are kept until the day of destruction and brought out to face the day of wrath, and their punishment is still future, ending in their ultimate destruction rather than living forever in torment. Their punishment involves conscious anguish during the process of dying, but that anguish ends when death is complete and consciousness ceases. The sentence nevertheless remains in effect forever, for the wicked continue under punishment for as long as the death to which they were sentenced endures, so eternal punishment means everlasting death and not eternally conscious suffering.
The keeping is for the time of ruin and the bringing out is for the time of anger, which is final ruin after the judgment of the great day. Sayings that the wicked are destroyed and will not rise do not mean they are never raised, but point to this end after they are raised. They come out of the graves to condemnation and are then thrown into the lake of fire, and that throwing is the time of ruin. Future ruin is spoken of as already past because God's purpose is certain, and hoping to lie in the grave without feeling past the judgment and the carrying out of the sentence afterward is empty self-deception and strong delusion.
The verse belongs to the arguments between Job and his three friends on the cause and object of human suffering in chapters 3-31, and it must be studied as part of the book as a whole. It shows that evil is ultimately punished and the wicked are reserved to the day of destruction, while good is ultimately rewarded. That principle is generally true, but present adversity, affliction, or suffering does not prove that a man is under the displeasure of God or that he should be discouraged.
The wicked are allowed to prosper in this life with riches and pleasure, while their punishment is held back to a future day of destruction, wrath and judgment. To be reserved is to be kept back in the dust and grave as in a prison house, and to be brought forth is to be called out of the grave in the resurrection of evildoers to condemnation. Until that day the wicked dead lie in the tomb and silent grave without conscious thought or activity. They are not punished when they die or while they are dead, but wait in death until they are raised and judged, in the second resurrection after the thousand years at the end of the world, when fire destroys them on the earth and cleanses it. Their end is utter destruction and everlasting death, not living forever in torment, so present prosperity is no proof of God's favor, nor is present affliction proof of His displeasure.
Context and Language
Job 21:30 belongs to Job's answer to his three friends in the debate on the cause and object of human suffering in chapters 3-31, and is to be studied as part of the book as a whole. In that answer it teaches that the wicked prosper here in this life while their punishment is future, reserved for and brought forth to the coming day of destruction and wrath. That principle is generally true that evil is ultimately punished and good is ultimately rewarded, but present adversity, affliction, or suffering does not prove that a man is under the displeasure of God or that he should be discouraged. The wicked may flourish and prosper for a time with worldly riches and pleasures, yet are kept until the day of destruction and brought forth to face the day of wrath. Their present prosperity is not proof of God's favor and does not remove the coming judgment.
Reserved means kept back and held over to a future time, placing their punishment beyond the resurrection. That place of reservation is the dust and the grave, the prison house, not purgatory. The verse does not distinguish the buried body from the responsible person. Brought forth means brought out of their graves by a resurrection from the dead when Christ calls them forth, when judgment is carried out. It is the resurrection of evildoers to condemnation, of those who did evil to damnation, so that resurrection and judgment come before any retribution. The tokens of the dead are tombstones, showing that the dead await that future judgment rather than already receiving punishment.
Until that day the wicked dead remain in the grave and tomb, and those who died in sin are silent in sheol, without conscious thought or activity, ceasing to live when their years ended and waiting there for the decision of the judgment. They do not receive their punishment while dead or before the judgment. The following verses explain this remaining and bringing forth, placing them in the grave and tomb until that time when they are brought forth for judgment. Passages citing Job 21:29-30 make the same point that the wicked are kept in their graves until the appointed day of destruction and wrath, when they are brought forth to judgment and punishment, and do not receive punishment immediately at death. The wicked are raised after the thousand years, judged, and then punished.
The day of destruction is the day of wrath and the day of judgment, for which the wicked are kept rather than beginning punishment at death. The sanctuary's ark and law point to the law as the rule of that judgment, making clear why the wicked are reserved for that day.
Punishment Still Future
The wicked are not punished at death, while dead, or now in hell, for their final punishment is not completed by dying but is kept back until after the coming day of destruction and wrath. They are reserved until that day and brought forth to that day, so judgment and wrath remain still future and punishment follows them rather than occurring beforehand in death. They do not receive their reward at death, and they are not now suffering torment before the judgment.
Resurrection and judgment come before any retribution, so being reserved and brought forth means waiting in death until the day of judgment arrives and then coming out of the graves to receive retribution. They are brought forth for judgment before they are punished, raised to face judgment and the second death and to face wrath and condemnation. Their punishment comes at the final day of the Lord, when they are destroyed for unrighteous acts.
That day is the final day of judgment at the end of the world, after the thousand years, when Christ gathers the righteous and the wicked dead are raised and then judged and punished. Reserved means kept back and held over to a future time, and the place of reservation is the grave and prison house, not purgatory, where they remain as Job 21:33 explains until they are brought forth. Their resurrection is a second resurrection to temporal life, required because they transgressed God's law, and it does not make them part of God's people. Fire then destroys them upon the earth and the earth is cleansed.
The wicked dead will indeed be raised and cannot escape the damnation of hell, for they are kept for destruction and brought out to wrath on the day of judgment. They come out of the graves to condemnation and are then thrown into the lake of fire, and that throwing is the time of ruin and anger after the judgment of the great day. Their punishment is ultimately death. Sayings that the wicked are destroyed and will not rise do not mean they are never raised, but point to this final ruin after they are raised, spoken of as already past because God's purpose is certain, and hoping to lie unfelt in the grave past the judgment and the carrying out of the sentence is empty self-deception and strong delusion.
Final Destruction and Warning
The wicked are kept until the day of destruction and brought out to face the day of wrath, and their punishment is still future, ending in their ultimate destruction rather than living forever in torment. Their punishment involves conscious anguish during the process of dying, but that anguish ends when death is complete and consciousness ceases. The sentence nevertheless remains in effect forever, for the wicked continue under punishment for as long as the death to which they were sentenced endures, so eternal punishment means everlasting death and not eternally conscious suffering.
The keeping is for the time of ruin and the bringing out is for the time of anger, which is final ruin after the judgment of the great day. Sayings that the wicked are destroyed and will not rise do not mean they are never raised, but point to this end after they are raised. They come out of the graves to condemnation and are then thrown into the lake of fire, and that throwing is the time of ruin. Future ruin is spoken of as already past because God's purpose is certain, and hoping to lie in the grave without feeling past the judgment and the carrying out of the sentence afterward is empty self-deception and strong delusion.
The verse belongs to the arguments between Job and his three friends on the cause and object of human suffering in chapters 3-31, and it must be studied as part of the book as a whole. It shows that evil is ultimately punished and the wicked are reserved to the day of destruction, while good is ultimately rewarded. That principle is generally true, but present adversity, affliction, or suffering does not prove that a man is under the displeasure of God or that he should be discouraged.