DON’T BE ASHAMED!
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” — Rev. 16:15
In every age of history, however degenerate God has had had a remnant. Our text indicates that even during the tribulation period that will be true. There will be some who will be awakened by His judgments, while others rail against Him (v.11). And, whether under pressure, as then, or in times of comparative ease, as now, the children of God will always be tempted to turn aside from “the good and the right way,” some to avoid the pressure and others to pursue the world’s pleasures.
And in every hour of history, even the darkest, God’s grace and His gracious concern for His own is evident. Here, in the midst of an account of His wrath and the rebellion of His adversaries, God manifests that grace again with this short sentence of warning to those who will hear His voice, pronouncing His blessing upon whoever is willing to listen. First there is a warning: “Behold,I come as a thief.” One careful student of the word has noted that the church will not be on earth at that time, because we are assured in I Thessalonians that the day of the Lord, under consideration in this chapter, will not overtake us as a thief; “Ye are all children of light, and children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness [I Thess. 5:4,5].”
It is interesting however to note that the same warning issued for tribulation saints is proclaimed to the church in this dispensation, for in v. 6 of the passage noted above the scripture says, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” This echoes the exhortation of the Savior, “Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” And again, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh [Mt. 4:42, 5:13].” As I am in the habit of saying, ‘If God says a thing once, you need to remember it; if He says it twice, you need to never forget it!’
The blessing of God, now as then, rests upon those who “keep [their] garments, lest [they] walk naked…” The garments are a figure of speech for the believer’s conduct. As believers our “garment” is Christ Himself. Paul writes to the Galatians, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ [Gal. 3:26-27].” Christ is our righteousness, and when we have “put on Christ,” His character will be manifest in our conduct. Thus the apostle Paul speaking in the same vain says, “…knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof [Rom. 13:11-14, my italics].”
For the church, while we are here, we are specifically instructed,
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him [Col. 3:12-17].”
The children of God, in any era in history, are invested with the righteousness of Christ, and so to manifest Him to the watching or warring world. Our failure to do so will result in spiritual “nakedness,” and shame, individually or corporately, should He appear without warning. Thus the apostle John adds his voice, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him [II John 2:28-29].”
The hour is late, but stay awake and fully dressed, for “Ye know not what hour your Lord doth come!”
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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