Chapter 11

Every Knee Will Bow

(9) Because of this also God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus "every knee should bow [kampto]," of heavenly ones, and earthly ones, and ones under the earth, (11) and "every tongue should confess" that Jesus Christ is "Lord," to the glory of God the Father. Isa. 45:23 (Philippians 2:9-11 LITV)

Most of us probably have been taught by well-meaning teachers that, one day, the lost will be forced to bow their knees to the Lord and confess with their tongues that Jesus Christ is Lord. Further, many have been taught that the lost will be forced to make this confession right before they are unmercifully cast by an angry and vengeful god into an eternal and literal lake of fiery torture called hell.

The purpose of the lake of fire (not hell) is to bring the carnal deeds of the lost into the second death, right the wrongs of their life (judgment of their deeds), and teach them righteousness. In other words, it is to restore and correct them, not to destroy or torture them. God wills all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, and so all will, barring none (1 Timothy 2:4). This will take time, but each will be made alive in Christ in his own troop (1 Corinthians 15:22-23), even if it takes many eons [ages] to fully restore all mankind.

Every knee will willingly bow and every tongue willingly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Do we honestly think that when the lost stand before the Great White Throne and see Jesus standing there in all His glory that they will say to themselves: "He is not Lord"? I doubt it. They will be like John and fall at His feet like dead men (Revelation 1:17).

Besides, Paul tells us that no one can say "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Because of this I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus is a curse. And no one is able to say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3 LITV)

To make sure the point is nailed down, so to speak, Paul gives us another word.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.... (Romans 10:9 NASB)

It is a simple equation. One must have the Holy Spirit in order to say that "Jesus is Lord." One who says that Jesus is Lord confesses with the mouth and believes in the heart. And, the result is salvation.

71

Whenever a knee bows and a tongue makes this great confession, it is because the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in the person. In other words, all mankind, none excluded, will, one day, have the Spirit of God within them. Consequently, all mankind will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In the Greek, the word translated as bow is kampto, which means "to bend." Vines Expository Dictionary states that it means "to bend, is used especially of bending the knees in religious veneration." The word veneration applies to worship and means "to look upon with feelings of deep respect; a feeling of deep respect and reverence." In other words, kampto applies to one who willingly bows out of deep respect and is not forced or coerced into it.

If Paul meant that all will be forced to bow, then he would have used the word sunkampto, which means "to bend down by compulsory force." Paul used this word in quoting David in reference to Israel.

And David said, "Let their table become for a snare and a trap, and for a stumbling block," and a repayment to them; (10) "let their eyes be darkened, not to see, and their back always bowing [sunkampto]." LXX-68:23, 24; MT-Psa. 69:22, 23 (Romans 11:9-10 LITV)

As one who had been a blasphemer and who knew he was saved, not according to his own righteousness or works but by the righteousness of Christ and His one work (Philippians 3:2-11), Paul knew the heart of God for mankind. When Jesus broke into his life, Paul became a changed man, and he started to search Hebrew Scripture in an entirely new light. Yes, the Lord broke into his life; Paul was not seeking for Christ; on the contrary, he had set out to destroy the Christ (the Way) as he was on the road to Damascus.

Consequently, Paul did not make up these words but repeated them and explained them in light of the New Covenant that shone brightly in his inner man. He quoted Isaiah.

(22) "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. (23) I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow [kara], every tongue will swear allegiance [shaba]. (24) They will say of Me, 'Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength.' Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame." (Isaiah 45:22-24 NASB)

Take special note that there is no condition attached to God's oath; therefore, God's oath declares that what He has purposed will come to pass. The Lord has called forth to all the ends of the earth, meaning all mankind. He has called all mankind to turn to Him and be saved, for salvation comes through no other. But then, the Lord swears by Himself. In other words, He makes an oath that He has sent forth His word and that His word will not come back to Him as if it were not accomplished; that is, it will not fail. But fail at what? It will not fail to cause, not force, all mankind to bow the knee to Him and every tongue to swear allegiance to Him.

Love will do this, for love does not fail!

72

The Hebrew word for bow is kara, which means "to sink or prostrate." The Hebrew word for swear allegiance is shaba, which has a very interesting meaning. It comes from the root word shebah, shibah, which is a primitive cardinal number, the number 7, which signifies spiritual perfection.

Every knee bowing to the Lord and every tongue swearing that He is truly Lord signifies spiritual perfection, which can only come through the Holy Spirit taking up residence in everyone who bows, that is, all mankind. All are destined for spiritual perfection by the end of the ages.

Not only will all mankind bow and swear allegiance or confess, but all will acknowledge, just as Paul did, that only in the Lord is righteousness. They will acknowledge a righteousness through faith in Christ, which comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:9). The Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).

All who were angry with the Lord, even ones who rejected Him, will come to Him. Undoubtedly, the Great White Throne Judgment will bring shame upon many, but this does not mean that they will become like toast for eternity (i.e., burned and tortured in a never-ending literal fire).

Some might raise an objection: Do you mean that there is no judgment? I mean no such thing, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB). This applies to ALL!

Some will be saved to arise in the first resurrection and transfiguration, and others will arise in the second resurrection saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15), or to be judged by God's fiery law. Paul confirms this again in light of every knee bowing.

(11) For it has been written, "As I live, says the Lord, that every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue confess to God." Isa. 45:23 (12) So then each one of us will give account concerning himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12 LITV)

God has Sworn

The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. (Isaiah 45:23 NASB)

When God makes a vow with no conditions attached to it, do we think He will not keep it or, for some reason beyond His control, will not be able to keep it? Let us not doubt God. The Lord said that He would bless all the nations through Abraham. Are we to doubt He will do this?

(17) The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, (18) since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? (Genesis 18:17-18 NASB)

73

The Lord said that He will fill all the earth with His glory. Are we to doubt that He will do this to all the earth?

(20) So the LORD said, "I have pardoned them according to your word; (21) but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. (Numbers 14:20-21 NASB)

Through Paul, we are told that God wills all men to be saved and that Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all. Are we to doubt that He will save all mankind?

(3) For this is right and acceptable before God our Saviour, (4) who doth will all men to be saved, and to come to the full knowledge of the truth; (5) for one is God, one also is mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus, (6) who did give himself a ransom for all--the testimony in its own times.... (1 Timothy 2:3-6 YLT)

Some translations use the word desires or wishes or wants in place of will, as if God sort of pleads or hopes that all men will be saved. The Greek word for will could have this meaning, but it is not the only meaning associated with it, for it means "to determine, make a positive choice, to will, wish, desire" (Wigram's New Englishman's Greek-English Concordance).

Paul gives us one more verse along this line. God is the Savior of all men. If God is the Savior of all, do we not think that He will save all?

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. (1 Timothy 4:10 NASB)

Why didn't Paul say that God is the Savior of all believers? Because he meant all men! Why didn't he say that God is specifically the Savior of all believers? Again, because he meant all men!

According to Strong's Concordance, the word especially means "most in the greatest degree or particularly." The same word is used by Paul in Philippians 4:22: All the saints greet you, especially (or, particularly) those of Caesar's household. All the saints sent a greeting, but Paul singled out one household that sent a particular or special greeting.

Dear brethren, let us revel in the glory of our Lord and what He has accomplished for all mankind. Can you think of anything more glorious than God eventually saving all mankind through His Son? Is there anything that will bring Him more glory than this?

74