Look on the internet and you’ll find all kinds of skeptics and detractors of the Bible tell you Job was a fictional character set into a fictional situation.

But it’s obvious from the Bible itself that Israel understood he was as much a real historic figure as Adam or Noah.

In fact, in Ezekiel 14:14, is the verse, “Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

This is a passage about the Day of the Lord and the judgment of Christ when He comes back to destroy His enemies and pour out His wrath.

As Jordan reasons, “If I were going to reference three men, I wouldn’t say, ‘Morris, John and Mr. Magoo.’ I wouldn’t say, ‘Morris, John and Mickey Mouse.’ In other words, if I’m going to use two people, and if the third one isn’t a real person, there’s no reason to believe any of the people are real people, so there’s the assumption built-in of the real identity of Job. Now, I know there are a lot of people who don’t believe that.”

*****

The author of the Book of Job is Elihu, a young man who appears at the end of the book and has watched everything that’s gone on and kept a first-hand chronicle of all that’s been said by Job and his three friends, or the “miserable comforters,” as they’re called in Job 16:2 .

Elihu is the one who argues, “You guys have been running off at the mouth and you’re not answering Job. You’re doing all the talking—now let me talk for a minute!”

Jordan explains, “When you read the repeated phrase, ‘Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,’ you know that’s the writer putting that in. Elihu understood that what he was writing was more than just the life story of the man Job. Job’s life and the things that were happening to Job were a parable. Job’s life paralleled something bigger.”

Job is the first written book of the entire Bible and fits at the head of the five “poetry” books that deal with the heart of the “believing remnant” in Israel as it endures the plight of satanic captivity.

Just as you’ll find the best physical description of Jesus Christ in the Song of Solomon (the last of the five “poetry” books), the book of Job gives the best physical description of the Antichrist.

“When you think about the fact Job was written early, that means Israel knew this information all along and could have understood some tremendous things,” says Jordan. “There are places in Moses’ writings where he’s literally using words out of Job to tell Israel what God’s going to do for them.”

*****

From the beginning of the book, we know Job was an extremely prominent, powerful figure in the community in his day.

“You read in chapter 1 about the wealth he had and all the stuff but he was not just a wealthy guy sitting off behind a fence somewhere,” says Jordan. “Job was a wealthy businessman who was involved in the government and judicial system of his community. Everybody knew who Job was and everybody loved him.

“He says, ‘When I went down to the courthouse to work, the young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged men rose and stood up.’ They’re honoring him. The young guys quit playing and got out of the way and the elders respected him—he was an honorable, respectable man.

“Further in Job 29, it says the ‘princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth’ and ‘the nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.’ That’s saying, ‘When E.F. Hutton speaks, everybody listens.’

Job says, “When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
[12] Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
[13] The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.”

Jordan explains, “You know what he’s doing? He’s doing exactly what that believing remnant in Israel is told to do in the book of James and I John. Exactly what Isaiah 58 told them they had to be doing in that tribulation. What James 1 says pure religion is—‘to visit the fatherless and the widow.’ Job is an example of that ‘little flock.’ ”

Job continues, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
[15] I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
[16] I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
[17] And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.”

Jordan explains, “He says, ‘When I see a wicked man going over and devouring somebody, I want to sock him right in the chops and bust the teeth out of his mouth.’ He’s upholding justice.”

Job goes on yet, “Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
[22] After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
[23] And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
[24] If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
[25] I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.”

“He’s saying, ‘They just couldn’t get enough me,’ ” explains Jordan. “You ever see somebody out in the rain try to get water like that? You get thirsty. He’s saying, ‘When I talked, people were so hungry to hear what I had to say it was just like that. If I laughed on them they believed it not. The light of my countenance. I dwelt as a king in the army.’

“You remember what the army of Israel said to David? They said, ‘David you can’t go, you’re the king! One of you is worth 10,000 of us! You’re too valuable.’ Job says, ‘That’s the way they looked at me.’

“And then, all of a sudden, it’s gone. And then Job’s sick, hit twice. Can you understand why he says over there, ‘I’m confused?’ . . . This was not some isolated little fellow; a hermit off on a mountain somewhere who just got head lice and developed boils. This was the ‘big man on campus.’ ”