The Evil Day
Introduction. It takes careful planning to prepare for an evil day. A community carefully searches records for water levels in a 100 or 500 year flood. The worst forces of an earthquake or tornado are anticipated and buildings engineered to withstand them. Manufacturers of critical products devise extreme tests to be certain their product will come through on an evil day. Preparing for the evil day is wise and prudent, but also expensive and time consuming. That is why many can’t be bothered. Some won’t even put on a seatbelt, not realizing that when the evil day comes, they may lose their life.
At the end of each day, we reflect with satisfaction if all went well and frustration if it didn’t. We all have good days and bad days. Some days everything falls into place and with little effort success comes easily. Other days, nothing goes right. The car won’t start so we are late to work. The job we did the day before was rejected, so we are far behind. The roof leaked during a storm and the ceiling is ruined. Then we come down with the flu, one of the children has an accident and goes to the hospital. We could go on and on, but though these are bad days, they are not the evil day.
Evil days are reserved for life altering events. The evil day comes when all falls into place for the worst day of our life: a day of darkness and despair, of catastrophic loss, a day of temptation and failure, or of error and deception.
Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Eph. 6:13
Paul revealed through the Spirit that just as a city builds bridges to withstand the evil day, we too must “take up the armor of God” to withstand our “evil day.” While an earthquake or a flood can destroy a city, these don’t pose the threat for the Christian Paul described here. Our evil day comes when our “adversary the devil" who "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1Pet. 5:8), has found us. It comes on a day when we must wrestle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12-13)
We do not know when or how such things occur, but God does. God warned us these days will come and we must prepare for them. We see an example of this evil day in the life of Job. Satan had determined to make him fall and so the evil day arrived when Job lost all his possessions and the lives of all his children in one day. Because he was a blameless and upright man, he withstood that day. Later other days came. First he lost his health, then his wife’s support, then his friends arrived to torment him with lies and half-truths. Like a fortified bridge in an earthquake, Job withstood all but the last one. He did not withstand the lies and half-truths of the friends. But he still prevailed after repentance. For Abraham the evil day came from an entirely different source. It was a command of God that would cost him his son. He was prepared for it and successfully fulfilled it.
Moses evil day arrived when the children of Israel murmured about water and angered him. In his anger, Moses spoken unadvisedly with his lips, struck the rock he was told to speak to, and failed to sanctify God in the eyes of the people (Ps. 106:32-33; Num. 20:12-13). Though he repented, these things kept him from ever entering the Promised Land. David’s evil day occurred on the rooftop as he watched Bathsheba bathe. Jesus’ words to Peter are an ominous warning to all of us.
Only by careful study and diligent effort will our house still be standing “when the winds blow and beat upon that house.” Truly a wise man builds his house upon rock. Could we be destroyed for lack of knowledge? Does our lack of love for the truth leave us open to strong delusions? (Hos. 4:6; 2Th. 2:10) No one is exempt from the evil day.
The panoply (whole armor) of God is expensive in time and effort. We must learn to put it on and train ourselves in how to use it. Like soldiers in the army, our King provides armor to his soldiers. But each soldier must “give diligence to present yourself approved unto God.” It takes diligence to gird our waist with truth, put on the breastplate, and shod our feet as well as take up the shield, the helmet and the sword. Only when we carefully and at great expense in time and effort take up the whole armor can we withstand in the evil day.
When soldiers go to war they have the best weapons and armor money can buy. They have been trained and drilled for the rigors of war. Children have always been fascinated with this armor and weapons. A small child may feel quite prepared for battle carrying his cardboard shield, plastic breastplate, and wooden sword. But should he go into battle thus arrayed he would soon perish. Of what quality are our own weapons?
It does not take much effort to gain enough of God’s armor to have the equivalent of the inferior weapons of a child. Everyone may admire our lifelike plastic shield painted with beautiful colors, but when the evil day of battle comes we will regret our lack of effort, wishing we had paid the price for and learned to use the real thing. You can’t quench the fiery darts of the evil one with a plastic shield!
Conclusion. When the evil day comes we will rejoice that after having done all, we still stand! Many will be weeping and gnashing their teeth on the Day of Judgment because they were not properly prepared and fell in the evil day (Mt. 24:46-51).
Each time we miss a service or a Bible class we may lose a golden opportunity to enhance our armor. When we grow lax in prayer, Bible reading, resisting temptation and forcing ourselves to do more we are not doing our basic training. Paul was very clear: only when we have done all can we hope to stand.
At the end of each day, we reflect with satisfaction if all went well and frustration if it didn’t. We all have good days and bad days. Some days everything falls into place and with little effort success comes easily. Other days, nothing goes right. The car won’t start so we are late to work. The job we did the day before was rejected, so we are far behind. The roof leaked during a storm and the ceiling is ruined. Then we come down with the flu, one of the children has an accident and goes to the hospital. We could go on and on, but though these are bad days, they are not the evil day.
Evil days are reserved for life altering events. The evil day comes when all falls into place for the worst day of our life: a day of darkness and despair, of catastrophic loss, a day of temptation and failure, or of error and deception.
Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Eph. 6:13
Paul revealed through the Spirit that just as a city builds bridges to withstand the evil day, we too must “take up the armor of God” to withstand our “evil day.” While an earthquake or a flood can destroy a city, these don’t pose the threat for the Christian Paul described here. Our evil day comes when our “adversary the devil" who "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1Pet. 5:8), has found us. It comes on a day when we must wrestle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12-13)
We do not know when or how such things occur, but God does. God warned us these days will come and we must prepare for them. We see an example of this evil day in the life of Job. Satan had determined to make him fall and so the evil day arrived when Job lost all his possessions and the lives of all his children in one day. Because he was a blameless and upright man, he withstood that day. Later other days came. First he lost his health, then his wife’s support, then his friends arrived to torment him with lies and half-truths. Like a fortified bridge in an earthquake, Job withstood all but the last one. He did not withstand the lies and half-truths of the friends. But he still prevailed after repentance. For Abraham the evil day came from an entirely different source. It was a command of God that would cost him his son. He was prepared for it and successfully fulfilled it.
Moses evil day arrived when the children of Israel murmured about water and angered him. In his anger, Moses spoken unadvisedly with his lips, struck the rock he was told to speak to, and failed to sanctify God in the eyes of the people (Ps. 106:32-33; Num. 20:12-13). Though he repented, these things kept him from ever entering the Promised Land. David’s evil day occurred on the rooftop as he watched Bathsheba bathe. Jesus’ words to Peter are an ominous warning to all of us.
- And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Lk. 22:31-32
Only by careful study and diligent effort will our house still be standing “when the winds blow and beat upon that house.” Truly a wise man builds his house upon rock. Could we be destroyed for lack of knowledge? Does our lack of love for the truth leave us open to strong delusions? (Hos. 4:6; 2Th. 2:10) No one is exempt from the evil day.
The panoply (whole armor) of God is expensive in time and effort. We must learn to put it on and train ourselves in how to use it. Like soldiers in the army, our King provides armor to his soldiers. But each soldier must “give diligence to present yourself approved unto God.” It takes diligence to gird our waist with truth, put on the breastplate, and shod our feet as well as take up the shield, the helmet and the sword. Only when we carefully and at great expense in time and effort take up the whole armor can we withstand in the evil day.
When soldiers go to war they have the best weapons and armor money can buy. They have been trained and drilled for the rigors of war. Children have always been fascinated with this armor and weapons. A small child may feel quite prepared for battle carrying his cardboard shield, plastic breastplate, and wooden sword. But should he go into battle thus arrayed he would soon perish. Of what quality are our own weapons?
It does not take much effort to gain enough of God’s armor to have the equivalent of the inferior weapons of a child. Everyone may admire our lifelike plastic shield painted with beautiful colors, but when the evil day of battle comes we will regret our lack of effort, wishing we had paid the price for and learned to use the real thing. You can’t quench the fiery darts of the evil one with a plastic shield!
Conclusion. When the evil day comes we will rejoice that after having done all, we still stand! Many will be weeping and gnashing their teeth on the Day of Judgment because they were not properly prepared and fell in the evil day (Mt. 24:46-51).
Each time we miss a service or a Bible class we may lose a golden opportunity to enhance our armor. When we grow lax in prayer, Bible reading, resisting temptation and forcing ourselves to do more we are not doing our basic training. Paul was very clear: only when we have done all can we hope to stand.
- Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, ... 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand Eph. 6:10, 13