For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10-12)

Every Knee Shall Bow

Pride is the seed of destruction in the heart of men who believe they control their lives with no regard for others. This is especially true of the brutal, arrogant and haughty despots that view life as a personal stage of power where no man can stand before them without a violent course of reprisal. A drug lord wields a cruel hand over those he subjects to his violence as if there is no recourse for his actions. He brags of his self-worth determined by a battery of guns and an army of soldiers that execute their violent acts on those that oppose them and even against the innocent who stood in their way. They defy law enforcement cursing their feeble efforts. Communities cower in fear as the hand of violent oppression fills their streets. Death is welcomed in the voices of the defiant as if there is no consequence to their harsh language. And for many of these hardened criminals, death comes quickly and violently in their world of narcotics, immorality and defiance. It is then and only then the violent come face to face with the reality of their existence. While they walked on the earth they brought viciousness to others because of their power to exercise control through oppression but after death, they discover there is a greater power so incredible all they can do is tremble and fall on their knees begging for mercy that will never come. The eternal lesson that most men fail to know is that life can be filled with the brutal power of tyrants that bring misery and death to the world but all tyrants die and all dictators perish. When eyes are opened in death there is no glory, no reward, no power, and no arrogance. Every soul that dies will fall on their knees before the great I AM and all voices will proclaim that God is the Almighty, His Son is the Christ and the Holy Spirit is the power of God. Everyone stands before the eternal. Caesar Nero died and stands before God, Adolf Hitler perished and awakened to the judgment of the Lord and Pablo Escobar saw someone more powerful than he ever imagined in his life. The powerful, the mighty, the vicious and the despots of the world find in death something they never saw in life. All men will die and there is no exception. Every soul will enter a world of eternity and no man can change that. In death, the spirit returns to God who gave it and the eternal spirit of man is brought before the judgment of Christ and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to God. There are no exceptions to this eternal rule.

Eternity is not just for the violent to learn the lessons of life. Kings, Queens, Presidents, rulers, generals, commanders and those who exercise great power in this life will all face the harvest of souls who stand on the eternal shores of time and witness eternity. A monarch enjoys great prestige and wealth commanding thousands at their beck and call until death summons them before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords where they will bow the knee to God. There will be no servants to serve them or lords to carry out their commands. Kings and all those in authority will stand naked and alone before the eternal bar of justice in the presence of the Creator of the world and their knees will be bowed in fear. The pedigree of their heritage will have no bearing on their eternal soul. All of the accolades of men who showered them with great fare will be silent in the halls of the judgment of God. Only the voice of the Lord Almighty will be heard in the souls of those who bow the knee before His great throne. It will be a remarkable sight to see every ruler of every empire from the Egyptian Pharaoh of Moses’ day to the modern world rulers who plunge the world into chaos and war kneeling before the Son of God to worship His power, His authority and His dominion. All knees shall be bowed no matter where that knee came from. None will be left standing. All will be confessing.

For the common man, this lesson rings true. Each soul that has lived since Adam and Eve will stand before God and give an account of his life. It will not matter whether he was rich or poor, mighty or weak, tall or short, famous or infamous and whether he believed in God or disbelieved in God; all men will stand before the throne of Christ. The immoral will bow the knee in the presence of God. Those who denied the existence of God will learn too late that He is real and their knees will bow. Violent men will have no violence in their hearts as they bow their knees before the Lord. Monarchs who demanded others to bow before them will themselves bow the knee to a greater power. There will be a few who bow their knees in joy as they see the glory of God for the first time after a life of seeking His glory in truth. All will bow before the great I AM and the glory of God will shine forth through the hearts of all men. Sadly, most of the knees bowed before the Lord will never rise to stand before the presence of the glory of the Lord. They will be cast into darkness where there is weeping and the gnashing of teeth and eternity will fill their cries of horror as they dwell with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire, the second death. The disobedient will languish in an eternal nightmare because they failed to bow the knee in life to the King of Kings who came to save them. For the righteous who learned the power of grace in bowing before the will of God, glory awaits them in eternal life. You will bow your knees before God and there is no doubt about that. Where you spend eternity depends on whether you bow the knee now.