How do we know that Old Testament saints understood the afterlife?
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Old Testament saints, like Job and David, demonstrated an understanding of the afterlife through their declarations of faith.
Contrary to some beliefs that Old Testament saints lacked understanding of the afterlife, they indeed expressed their faith in resurrection and eternal life. Job proclaimed, 'I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth' (Job 19:25). Additionally, David declared, 'I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness' (Psalm 17:15). These affirmations illustrate that they possessed a clear understanding of God's promises concerning eternal life, countering the claims that their comprehension of the afterlife was limited or vague. This knowledge was rooted in faith and the hope of salvation through God, which unfolds more fully in the New Testament.
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