PUTTING ON CHRIST "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." (Romans 13:11-14, NKJV) Devotion 18 of 33 THE NIGHT "The night . . . " Here, this is a synonym for time itself. When sin entered into the world, a long moral and spiritual night began that will be finally terminated when the Lord appears in all of His glory. "The night" also speaks of the time of obscurement, or ignorance, when things are not seen plainly (2 Pet 3:10; 1 Cor 13:12). It is also used to denote the time of sleeping, when souls are not alert, and are unaware of impending danger or blessing (1 Thess 5:5). Jesus spoke of "the night" as the time when men stumble, not knowing where they are going (John 11:10). FAR SPENT And what does our blessed Lord tell us about "the night" – the time of trial and testing, of ignorance and obscurity, and of the working and deceit of the wicked one? "The night is far spent!" Other versions read, "The night is almost gone" (NASB), "The night is nearly over" (NIV), and "the night is far gone" (NRSV). THE DAY IS AT HAND " . . . the day is at hand . . . " Other versions read, "the day is almost here" (NIV), "the day is near" (NRSV), and "daylight is on the way" (NJB). THE DAY This is the ultimate day. From the standpoint of the wicked, it is "the DAY of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom 2:5). Considered as a time of unveiling, it is "the DAY when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ" (Rom 2:16). Viewed as the time when Jesus will be fully seen, it is "the DAY of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:8). Regarded as the time when the nature of every persons work will be made known, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the DAY shall declare it" (1 Cor 3:13). Considered from the standpoint of the resurrection of the dead, it is "the DAY of redemption" (Eph 4:30). It is also the time when "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet 3:10). Children of the Day This is of particular interest to those who are in Christ Jesus, for they "are all the children of light, and the children of the day" (1 Thess 5:5). That is, in Jesus we are being oriented for "the great and notable DAY of the Lord" (Acts 2:20). We are being prepared to not only survive that day, but to blend in with it. Our ultimate advantages and blessings will be brought to us on the wings of light! Just as we began our journey to glory in the light of the Gospel of Christ, so we will conclude our journey at the dawning of an eternal day, after which we will never again be exposed to the night! AT HAND Those with a penchant for word studies are fond of telling us "at hand" is a term related to time. They tell us it is a phrase meaning "it is just about to happen." But their professed scholarship has not been able to decipher the meaning of the Holy Spirit. The "day" of which our text speaks will not appear until time has run its course and is no more. The A.D. 70 Folly Although they are totally unworthy of mention, there are those who believe that the epoch of the ending of the night and the coming of the day speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem. The theology of such people is to be discarded as filthy and contaminating rags. Those who imagine that "the day" occurred when Jerusalem was leveled as an act of Divine judgment betray a level of ignorance that is astounding. Rather than a day beginning, a spiritual night settled over the ancient people that has been unparalleled. For believers in Christ, 70 A.D. is not the pivotal consideration, and is nowhere so proclaimed in Scripture. It is enough to say that such a theology is too close the earth, and thus too far from heaven. It has, therefore, no real value for the soul. So far we are concerned today, it is still true: "the night is far spent," and "the day is at hand!" – Tomorrow:
"The night is far spent . . . "
The Spirit will not let this matter go. It is too critical to treat it as though He was only providing interesting information. This is a matter in which our souls are at stake. We must be brought to behold our troubles as temporary, and our salvation as everlasting. The hardships of life must be perceived as only for a while, while the inheritance reserved for us is eternal.
Briefly summarized, "the night" is a time of jeopardy and danger. It is the time allotted to the devil, in which he walks about as a roaring lion, "seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet 5:7-8). This is when "the powers of darkness" can do their work (Luke 22:53). It refers to times when we are tested and tried, and when the Lord hides His face from us (Psa 143:7). It is a time when we are subjected to perplexity and fears (2 Cor 4:8; 7:5). There are "night seasons," when only the Lord can effectively instruct us (Psa 16:7). The "night season" is also a time when we cry out to the Lord, yet sense no answer from Him (Psa 22:2). Troubles can so beset us during such seasons that it is written, "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted" (Psa 77:2). It is a good word, indeed, when our Lord speaks to us about "the night" drawing to a close.
Again, this is not calendar language, but the language of faith, addressed to the heart. The time of our trials is almost over! The time when we see through a glass darkly is about to conclude. The devil's time is running out, and soon he will be violently and suddenly removed from the presence of the saints of God. All of the liabilities of being in the body are about to come to a close. It is just around the corner, and we are to live in expectancy of the removal of everything that is evil, limiting, and incomplete!
For the person living by faith, everything caused by sin is about to conclude. This is not to be viewed as those in the flesh, but as those who are walking in the Spirit and living by faith. From a practical viewpoint, this can take place at any moment. However, only faith can live with constant expectation. The flesh cannot stand to wait, and therefore becomes disappointed when the anticipation is not realized immediately. Flesh can go to sleep, hoping for something good when it awakens. However, it cannot sustain that hope from day to day. It soon throws hope away, frustrated by delay.
But faith is not so. It can retire in the evening believing that in the morning trouble and sorrow will be gone, and there will be no more night. If that blessing does not occur, faith can make it through another day, still "rejoicing in hope of the glory of God" (Rom 5:2).
When the Spirit declares, "the night is far spent," He means it has been assigned a limited duration. It is not intended to be eternal – not for those who have believed. Only the longsuffering of God accounts for the presence of "the night." And, it is only here until the children have all been gathered in and prepared for the coming glory.
Mark it well, just as surely as the day of salvation is marching forward to fruition and glory, the night is moving forward to frustration and termination. Whether in our death or Christ's return, "the night" is fast advancing to its conclusion. We will not long have to contend with darkness and things that attend it. Soon the night of suffering, trial, and battle will end. You can believe that!
"The day" is the time when everything will be made plain. At that time, the Father will unveil the Son in all of His glory (1 Tim 6:15). He will then be seen, and acknowledged to be, everything God revealed Him to be in the record He has given of His Son (1 John 5:10-11). Nothing about Jesus will be obscure. Thus, it is said of that day, "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:10-11).
Again, this is the language of faith. By saying "the day is at hand," the Spirit means we are living with an enlivened prospect of that day. Faith enables us to live just as though, in time, "the day" was going to occur in the very next moment. And, indeed, that is quite possible. However, faith does not live in the prospect of possibilities, but of appointed verities. Faith does not grow in the soil of vagueness and uncertainty, but of clarity and certitude.
The phrase "the day is at hand" speaks of the same reality as is declared in Philippians 4:5: "The Lord is at hand." It speaks of the time declared by Peter, "But the end of all things is at hand" (1 Pet 4:7). It is the appointed time of Christ's unveiling. His glory is what will make it "the day."
Faith maintains a certain perspective that enables a proper and productive life in "this present evil world." Because it is not anchored to time, it must have a point of reference – an objective for which to live, and a goal for which to strive. In a Person, those requirements are met in God Himself, for faith believes "He is, and that He is a Rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb 11:6). Stated as an objective, "the Lord is at hand!" Faith longs for that day, and brings it so close to the heart that it dominates the individual. That is the perspective of this text.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ for the promise of the conclusion of the night, and everything associated with it.