Job 15-17; Revelation 14

Job 15-17

Eliphaz, based on his interpretation of Job’s suffering, accuses Job of arrogance and sin:
“Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty” (Job 15:5).
His argument reflects the belief that Job’s calamities must directly result from his guilt since, in Eliphaz’s understanding, the innocent would not face such suffering.

In response, Job laments his friends’ inability to understand his plight:
“Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep arguing?” (Job 16:3).
Job once again turns to God, recognizing that even his friends’ misunderstanding is allowed by Him:
“You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore, you will not let them triumph” (Job 17:4).

Amid his anguish, Job appeals to God for help:
“Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me?” (Job 17:3).

Job’s longing for a mediator and his hope amid despair foreshadow the ultimate role of Christ as an intercessor for humanity.

Revelation 14

After the seventh trumpet heralds the coming Kingdom of Christ on Earth, the forces of darkness openly oppose the Lamb, compelling humanity to defy God. Simultaneously, the Lamb gathers 144,000 saved Israelites, who remain faithful to God despite the threat of death. These individuals are marked with the seal of God on their foreheads, signifying divine protection.

The chapter also includes the first proclamation of judgment against Babylon, which symbolizes the entirety of human civilization in rebellion against God:
“A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries” (Revelation 14:8).