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Every Knee Will Bow

           It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” (Revelation 14:11) 

In the end, we don’t win. I know there are a lot of people who try to face tough times by saying “I read the end of the book, we win.” And in a sense, we do win. We win just like we win when the team we’re rooting for wins. We didn’t do anything, but it’s “our team.”

There are problems that come to mind with regard to “we win.” First, it implies that we had something to do with the victory. That’s not what this passage says. It tells us that our fate is just like everyone else’s. We’re all going to bow. The question will be whether it brings us joy or bitterness.

There are people who get excited about the idea of the government coming to get their guns. They seem to imagine themselves as Rambo, taking on the army of the United State with their guns, then their knives, and finally hand-to-hand and coming out the winner. I suspect there are Christians who see themselves in glorious warfare against the agents of the Devil and having Jesus clap them on the back at the end of the battle and saying, “I couldn’t have done it without you.” After that, of course, there’s the Star-Warsian throne room scene, with these folks being recognized as the heroes. That’s not what this passage tells us will happen. I could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s the way things work.

On the other side, there are probably Christians who look toward that future day with apprehension, sure they are going to fail Christ when the going gets tough. Like King Canute’s story, they command the tide knowing they cannot hold it back. They drag themselves to Jesus in tears, “I tried, Lord. I wasn’t good enough.” The truth is, it’s no more about them than about the Rambos.

Today’s passage tells us that Jesus wins the victory. It is to Jesus that we bow, and it is to Jesus that His enemies bow.

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