Focus: The Lord's Day

Text: Obad.1:15
“For the DAY of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.”

God is the creator of all the days of the week. He owns all days, but man and Satan have taken over the days, using them as means to achieve their own ends. Man has broken even God’s sabbaths. It is such that the psalmist reports that “God is angry with the wicked EVERY DAY” (Ps.7:11). No day passes that God is not angry with the wicked. Man is busy misusing God’s days on daily basis. 

In the day of His arrest, the Lord Jesus Christ said to His sworn enemies, “When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is YOUR HOUR, and the POWER OF DARKNESS” (Lk.22:53). Man and Satan worked in collaboration to do away with Christ, and He says, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Man and Satan seized God’s hour and made it theirs. The worst is that they were using God’s days to work against Him.

Obadiah the prophet is telling us that regardless of how man has misused, abused and desecrated the days, God has reserved for Himself a day. God will always have His own day, and no one can take it away from Him, nor stop Him from using it to execute His own agenda. The psalmist says, “This is the DAY which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps.118:24). 

God has appointed and arranged a day to showcase Himself. Those who love God will be glad in it.

*It is a day for God to apply the law of retribution. People will get the judgment or justice that they truly deserve. It is said that in the day of divine justice people would earnestly and intensely long for righteousness. 

*It is a day for God to finalize and realize His kingdom on earth (Num.24:17-24).

For the God-worshippers, the DAY OF THE LORD will be a joyful day. John says, “I was in the Spirit on the LORD’S DAY…” (Rev.1:10). The psalmist says, “Thy people shall be willing in the DAY of thy power…” (Ps.110:3). Paul says, “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the DAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST” (1Cor.1:8). “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the DAY OF JESUS CHRIST” (Phil.1:6). “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the DAY OF CHRIST…” (Phil.1:10). “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the DAY OF REDEMPTION” (Eph.4:30). “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the DAY OF SALVATION have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the DAY OF SALVATION.)” (2Cor.6:2). “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at THAT DAY: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2Tim.4:8).

You can see that the day of the Lord has different expressions. Peter calls it the “day of judgment,” the “day of judgement and perdition,” the “day of God” (2Pet.2:9; 3:7,10,12). John in his epistle calls it the “day of judgment” (1Jh.4:17). Jude calls it the “the judgment of the great day” (Jud.1:6). Paul calls it the “day of wrath,” “in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ,” and “the evil day” (Rom.2:5,16; Eph.6:13). The psalmist declares, “The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the DAY OF HIS WRATH” (Ps.110:5). Paul writes, “To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the DAY OF THE LORD JESUS” (1Cor.5:5).

In the book of Revelation, we read, “For the GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH is come; and who shall be able to stand?” “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY” (Rev.6:7; 16:14). Paul then tells us, “Because he hath APPOINTED A DAY, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained…” (Act.17:31).

Peter also refers to “the day of visitation” (1Pet.2:12). The day of the Lord is coming, and we must be ready. Right now we are living in the day of grace. We are experiencing on daily basis the outpouring of grace upon us. Embrace the day of the Lord with gratitude! Let nothing come between you and the Lord Jesus Christ! Stop misusing God’s days! Let God be God everywhere in your life! Amen!