Job 14:12, the Rapture, and Resurrection of the Righteous

Job 14:12 is one of the most overlooked Bible prophecy-related verses in the entire Bible. However, Job 14:12 is immensely important because it gives us key details about the resurrection of the righteous at the Rapture. In this video, I will highlight this key end time passage.

Job 14:12 Video

Job 14:12 Video Transcript

I want to discuss the resurrection of the righteous and in particular, the resurrection of the righteous in light of Job 14:12.

The Rapture is tied to the resurrection of the righteous. You have 1 Thessalonians 4.15-17, which is a key Rapture passage. It tells us at the coming of Christ, the trump of God will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first. The dead in Christ will rise first. It’s a resurrection that takes place. Then afterwards, those which are alive will come up and meet the Lord in the air.

We know from 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 that there will be a resurrection at the Rapture.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 is another classic Rapture passage. It tells us that Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection, or part of the first fruits of the resurrection. After Christ, it refers to a resurrection that will take place during the end times. This is the resurrection of the righteous at the Rapture.

We have some good evidence that this resurrection may take place after the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Why do we say this? Because, Revelation 11:18 talks about the rewarding of the righteous dead. It says,

And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;…

To reward the dead, you need a resurrection to take place. We have some evidence that this resurrection may take place at the seventh trumpet. Some will say that this resurrection actually will take place earlier.

However, Job 14:12 contains a detail that gives us a very good idea when the resurrection of the righteous dead will actually take place. Job 14:12 says, So man lieth down and riseth not, till the heavens be no more. They shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep.

Job 14:12 is basically telling us that there’s going to be no resurrection of Job or other righteous men like himself until the heavens are no more.

You may think from reading Job 14:12 that the heavens will cease to exist. And indeed, they will perish. There’s going to be a new heaven and a new earth, but it’s not like it’s going to be completely gone and then you have something completely, completely new. It’s not going to be that way.

The reason why we can conclude that is Psalm 102.

Psalm 102 mentions that the heavens and Earth will perish, but it’s not like a total annihilation then replaced by something completely new. It’s the idea that the heavens and the Earth are going to become very old, worn out. Then they’re eventually going to be renovated based off of this old nature that they’re going to have. They’re going to be renovated. It’s going to become very old. It’s going to wear away.

What does it mean when the heavens and the Earth will wear away like an old piece of clothing? Isaiah gives us a really good idea of what it’s going to be like.

Isaiah 51:6 tells us that the heavens will vanish like smoke. Perhaps the heavens will disappear because there’s going to be so much smoke in the air. And do we have evidence of this? And the answer is yes.

Isaiah 60:2 tells us darkness will cover the Earth in the future. So it will appear like the heavens have vanished because smoke will completely cover the earth. Smoke will cover the earth. Smoke will cover everything. It will just block out everything. The sun, the moon, the stars will be blocked out by the smoke in the sky. So it will look like the heavens have vanished.

Another key detail regarding the timing of this event is Hebrews 1:10-12. Hebrews 1:10-12 quotes Psalm 102. Here we have the passage right here,

(10) And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: (11) They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; (12) And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

The key detail here is the folding of this vesture, the folding of the heavens in the sky. They’re going to fold up. This is a critical detail because we have this description and depiction in the Book of Revelation and also in the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 34:4 tells us the heavens will dissolve, so they’re wearing away and the heavens will be rolled up together like a scroll. The heavens rolling up together like a scroll is a critical, critical detail because that is the depiction of what happens after the opening of the sixth seal in the Book of Revelation.

Verse 14 tells us, “And heaven departed as the scroll when it is rolled together” after the sixth seal is opened. The timing of the sixth seal is critical because the signs that are described in the sixth seal are also mentioned in Matthew 24, particularly verses 29-31. Those signs are depicted as occurring after the tribulation of those days, after the tribulation.

We have the timing here that we could put all the pieces together that the resurrection of the righteous dead will not take place until after the heavens and the Earth wear away and the heavens roll up like a scroll. And when do the heavens roll up like a scroll? After the opening of the sixth seal, after the tribulation of those days.

The resurrection of the righteous dead cannot happen before that because Job tells us that man shall not rise until the heavens are no more. Therefore, we have really good evidence from the Book of Job and elsewhere that the Rapture will not take place until after the tribulation.

I encourage you to study these different verses and passages, particularly in Job 14:12. It is greatly overlooked. But once you really study it out, you’re going to see really powerful evidence that the Rapture cannot take place until after the tribulation.

If you put the Rapture before the tribulation ends, you’re going to have a really big problem with Job 14:12.

With that, I hope you found this video insightful. Take care. I’ll see you again soon.