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Why "Every Knee Will
Bow" at Jesus' Return
.
The second coming of Jesus will happen at a
time unknown to us - we should be living righteous lives, modeling how we love
and live after Jesus’ life. It will be a glorious and humbling moment when each
of us comes before Jesus, and in awe and reverence, will kneel before him and
confess with our mouths that He is our Lord and Savior. Believers need to be
ready when every knee will bow before Jesus and every tongue will confess that He
is Lord. We have been entrusted with the message of hope that everyone needs to
hear, and it is our responsibility to evangelize and witness to a world that is
lost and broken
Pamela Palmer
Author
There are a few verses in the Bible that use
the phrase “every knee will bow.”
Perhaps you’ve read this verse yourself or
heard someone else reference it.
You may have been left wondering what exactly
that means.
Has this already happened?
Who will everyone bow before?
Is this forced or a willing gesture? What
will cause every knee to bow?
The phrase in question can be found in the
letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippa.
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and
given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under
the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father” - (Philippians 2:9-11).
When we look at the verse itself and take
into consideration its context, what emerges is a clearer picture of what it
means that every knee will bow and how this phrase effects believers today.
What Is the Context of This Verse?
The Apostle Paul wrote this joy-filled
epistle to the church of Philippa when he was imprisoned.
The recipients of this letter were Gentiles
that he had evangelized during an earlier missionary journey (see: Acts 16:12-40).
Paul wrote to this church with gratitude and
encouragement, and the overall theme seems to emphasize that believers can and
should find joy in their suffering.
Truly, he lived by the words he wrote. Though
he was wrongly imprisoned, he continued to encourage and care for the churches
he evangelized.
Paul began his letter to the Philippians
advising them to live in a way that was worthy of being followers of Christ.
In the second chapter of the epistle to the
Philippians, Paul called the church of Philippa to be more humble.
To demonstrate the significance of humility,
Paul wrote about Jesus’ humility as an example they could follow.
He urged the church to be in unity with one
another and obedient to God.
He instructed them on faithful behavior and
obedience to God.
He encouraged them to treat each other in
honoring ways because they were followers of Jesus.
As Paul narrowed in on the topic of Jesus, he
explained that although Jesus became a man when he entered the world as an
incredible act of humility, he had been restored to the highest place – seated
at the right hand of the Father.
Even Jesus’ name is greater than any other
name (see
Philippians 2:9).
Paul went on to establish the exaltation of
Jesus by including that in fact every knee will bow at the name of Jesus and
that all will acknowledge with their tongues that Jesus is Lord.
Why Will Every Knee Bow?
In the midst of Paul’s exhortations to the
church of Philippa, we find a verse stating that every knee will bow to Jesus.
It begs the question as to why all heavenly
beings and humanity will bow before Jesus.
This verse is speaking of a future time,
specifically, when the second coming of Jesus happens.
This timeline adds understanding as to why
every knee will bow.
When Jesus returns, this visible coming will
force all to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.
There will be no doubt, no debate, and no
question when Jesus comes a second time that he truly is who he said he was.
No one will be able to deny who Jesus is once
he returns. Therefore, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that
Jesus is indeed the Lord of all.
Who Does This Verse Include, and Why?
These verses declare
that, “those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth” (verse 10) will kneel before
Jesus and profess he is Lord.
Those in heaven refers to the heavenly and
angelic beings.
Those on earth refers to humanity.
Those under the earth most likely refers to
demonic beings.
Essentially, this part of the verse conveys
in the most comprehensive way possible that all will bow to Jesus, not just
human beings.
To be clear, this passage is not conveying
that all people will come to be saved.
On the contrary, it affirms that even those
who chose to not make Jesus their Lord will one day kneel before him and
acknowledge who Jesus is.
Ultimately, whether saved or not, all will
recognize upon Christ’s return that he is the only Lord and Savior.
What Does This Verse Mean for...
Believers
For those who believe, this verse means we
anticipate the day when Jesus returns and that we will affirm our faith in
Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
This moment when believers kneel before Jesus
and confess that he is Lord will be a culmination of their faith.
Believers will do this as a form of adoration
and an acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord of all.
Believers will bow before their King who died
for them and saved them. This will be a glorious and humbling moment for
believers.
Non-Believers
For those who rejected the Gospel and did not
accept Jesus as their Savior – those we consider non-believers – this will be a
moment where they will face the reality of who Jesus is.
It will be a moment when they realize their
grave error in not choosing to repent and turn to Jesus.
It will be the incredibly sobering moment when they realize they were wrong about who Jesus is.
There is no escaping the truth about Jesus
and the reverence he is due as Lord.
Non-believers will bow before the King whose
salvation they chose to deny.
What Does This Verse Mean for Us Today?
This undeniable truth about Jesus being our
Lord and Savior is why the Bible instructs and urges believers to be ready for
the return of Jesus, which will come unexpectedly (see Matthew 24:42).
The second coming of Jesus will happen at a
time unknown to us, so it is imperative that we live each day as though it will
be the day Jesus returns.
We should be living righteous lives, modeling
how we love and live after Jesus’ life.
This verse is a reminder that believers have
been commissioned to go and share the Gospel message with all people and
nations so that others will repent and put their faith in Jesus.
We have been entrusted with the message of
hope that everyone needs to hear, and it is our responsibility, given to us by
Jesus, to evangelize and witness to a world that is lost and broken.
Jesus’ Divinity and Majesty
Though Jesus left his throne in heaven and
came to earth as a man who went on to die for our sins and resurrect, we can
rest assured that Jesus is once again seated at the right hand of the Father.
This verse affirms the divinity of Jesus and
the majesty of Jesus.
It reminds us to draw closer to God so that
we are ready for this day, and to continue sharing the Gospel to those who have
not yet received salvation.
We can excitedly await Jesus’ second coming.
For it will be a glorious and humbling moment when each of us comes before Jesus, and in awe and reverence, will kneel before him and confess with our mouths that he is our Lord and Savior.
Pamela Palmer is a writer, chaplain, and the founder of upheldlife.com, the platform on which she produces weekly devotionals and faith resource articles to inspire keeping faith at the center of it all. She lives and thrives on Jesus, coffee, and music. She is in pastoral ministry and gets to share in the emotional and spiritual lives of many people, being a small piece of each journey. Pamela married the perfect man for her and they have two beautiful kiddos. She has been published on herviewfromhome.com and you can follow her at upheldlife.com, or on Facebook.com/upheldlife.https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-every-knee-will-bow-at-jesus-return.html?utm_source=jeeng
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