Put on the Armor
How can you assure that your soldiers or police officers
endure a battle? One way is to give them
something to defend themselves such as: protective gear, bulletproof vests and
helmets. Ever since there were ways of
attacking there were ways of defending.
In martial arts blocking is a way to protect yourself from your opponent
hitting you. Since today many attacks
are done with bullet firing arms, bulletproof vests helps were invented. The idea is to make sure the bullet does not
enter your body and cause permanent damage or death. If this happened it would mean that your unit
is short one man. The use of such
equipment is not new. They are just
built differently.
When battles were fought with swords, arrows, and/or spears
there was a need to protect the torso and the head from being impacted or pierced
by one of these objects. So, vests were
created then for the torso’s protection, and helmets to protect the head. These could work as a barrier to bar the
entrance of any cutting or piercing objects in the body. This also helps to endure the assault until
the end of the battle.
To Paul we are in a spiritual war. But our war is unlike the battles of this
world. Yes you get attacked, but the
weapons are not the same. And, the parts
of the body involved are not the same. We
read in 2 Corinthians 10: 3
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not war after the flesh:
What Paul
meant here is that it is not necessarily a physical war as in two nations
warring against each other. “We wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places” (Ephesians 6: 12).
The battle is in our hearts and minds.
And, the only way to endure the war is to be fully armed for it. So, Paul admonishes that we put on the armor
of God, “that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,” and
“that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”
(Ephesians 6: 11, 13). The Apostle Paul
gives a similar advice he gave to the Thessalonians,
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who
are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for
an helmet, the hope of salvation
Paul’s mention of the armor in Ephesians 6 is more
descriptive,
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace;
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
This
armor is to be worn at all times, for the battle is continual. Ellen White says,
“There is need of watchfulness. Our own
hearts are deceitful; we are compassed with the weaknesses and frailties of humanity,
and Satan is intent to destroy. We may be off our guard, but our adversary is
never idle. Knowing his tireless vigilance, let us not sleep, as do others, but
‘watch and be sober.’ ”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies
for the Church, vol. 5, p. 409.
Getting
injured or wounded is not an option.
This takes you out of the battle.
The idea of the armor is to help you endure the battle until you die or
the battle ends.
Notice
that, although in Thessalonians faith is part of the breastplate and in Ephesus
is the shield. Both utensils are present
in the armor model and both are protective devices. It is faith that will be lacking in the earth
for Christ said, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8).
The last generation will have faith, for John says of them that they
will have the faith of Jesus. It is
Christ’s faith that enabled Him to be “…obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). So,
those that die in Him and those that are alive at his return need this faith to
endure. Christ admonishes some of the
martyr’s in Revelation 2: 10, “be thou faithful unto death.” Those who hold on to
Christ’s faith will “… be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,”
and will “… be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand” (Ephesians 6: 11, 13). They will
overcome the Devil, “…by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony” (Revelation 12: 11). They are
not afraid to die - … they loved not their lives unto the death (revelation
12:11), because they know that their reward is secure with Jesus (1
Thessalonians 4: 16 – 17; Hebrews 11: 19 - 40).
