(Rom) 13:11-14 CJB “Besides all this, you know at what point of history we stand; so it is high time for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; for the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust. The night is almost over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and arm ourselves with the weapons of light. Let us live properly, as people do in the daytime — not partying and getting drunk, not engaging in sexual immorality and other excesses, not quarrelling and being jealous. Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah; and don’t waste your time thinking about how to provide for the sinful desires of your old nature.”
Many Christians today are asking the same question men have asked for centuries: Are we at the end of time? Are we approaching the close of human rule on earth?
Paul’s answer in Romans 13 isn’t a timeline—it’s a call to action.
Two thousand years ago, Paul told believers that “the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust.” His point wasn’t to stir speculation but to awaken responsibility. Whether Christ returns today or generations from now, the command remains the same: live as though the night is ending and the day has already begun.
Paul tells us it is high time to rouse ourselves from sleep. This isn’t about physical rest; it’s a rebuke of spiritual laziness, moral drift, and distracted living. Men of God are not called to coast, indulge, or blend in with the darkness. We are called to work while it is day.
That means we put aside deeds of darkness—self-indulgence, sexual immorality, drunkenness, jealousy, quarrelling—not merely because they are sinful, but because they are out of place for daylight people. These behaviors belong to the night, and the night is almost over.
Instead, Paul says we are to arm ourselves with the weapons of light. This is active, intentional, disciplined living. Elsewhere Paul describes this as the armor of God—standing against the devil’s schemes in a world saturated with lies, deception, and disobedience. The battle is fought in the mind first, where thoughts are either captured for Christ or left to roam freely in rebellion.
To live with the end in mind is not panic-driven living; it is purpose-driven obedience.
Paul brings it all together with one command: “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.” This is not behavior modification—it is identity transformation. We don’t merely avoid sin; we put on Christ. His character becomes our clothing. His mission becomes our marching orders.
And what is that mission?
Just as Christ came to reconcile the world to God, we now live as God-pleasers and people-seekers, committed to the work of reconciliation. Living intentionally means staying on commission—seeking the lost, making disciples, and teaching everyone to obey everything Jesus commanded, exactly as He lived it.
Living like the end is near means this:
fully committed obedience, visible Christlike character, and relentless faithfulness to God’s mission.
The night is almost over. The day is already breaking. It’s time to wake up—and get to work.
Run Today’s Play: Wake up with urgency.
Reject spiritual laziness. Identify where you’ve been drifting, delaying, or indulging—and put it off today.
Suit up with intention.
Consciously “put on” Christ through prayer, Scripture, and obedience. Decide in advance how you will respond to temptation and distraction.
Get to work on the mission.
Ask yourself: Who am I helping move closer to knowing God and obeying Him? Take one concrete step today toward reconciling someone to Christ or discipling another man.
Live like inspection day is coming—because it is.
Not in fear, but in faithfulness.
