THE NAME OF JESUS
9 For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission] (see Isaiah 45:23), of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (Amplified Bible)
Philippians 2:10 and Isaiah 45:23 decree that God will require every soul ever born; those in Heaven, those alive on the earth and those UNDER THE EARTH, to publicly ACKNOWLEDGE – ASSENT TO – CONFESS – UNDERSTAND – the pre-eminence of JESUS.
Say Jesus is Lord
It is usually presumed that this requirement refers to the time of Final Judgement in Heaven but that is not the case. This required declaration, that Jesus is Lord, is to be made in THREE REALMS; Heaven Earth and Hell (or under the earth). Final Judgement takes place in Heaven not in three places.
Preaching the Gospel of Jesus is not a religious exercise. It is the fulfilling of this requirement set by God. Every soul MUST know and understand the TRUTH. The Gospel of Jesus is the presentation of ultimate Truth. This personal understanding of the truth must precede any judgement since the truth is necessary to justice.
We confess to the things we KNOW and UNDERSTAND; the things we accept as truth. Being forced to say something we believe is untrue or something we do not comprehend is not a legally binding confession. It is unacceptable in Law and unacceptable to God.
GOD IS NOT A BULLY
Every soul is not going to have their face rubbed in the fact that Jesus is Lord. Bullies might act that way but our Loving God would not. This decree makes it plain that every soul will be granted full comprehension of what is offered to them in Jesus Christ.
Every soul will understand this BEFORE they are Finally Judged in Heaven because this confession will be made where they are: Heaven, Earth or Hell. The revelation of the Presentation of the Gospel to those in Hell who never heard or comprehended the Gospel is necessary to the fulfillment of this requirement.
This confession of Jesus as Lord DOES NOT IMPLY UNIVERSAL SALVATION. It will be required that every soul be PRESENTED with the TRUTH. It is not required that they ACCEPT it. No one will be exempted from the opportunity to add their name to the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE. But no one’s name will be written in without their knowledge and consent.
We are Just as Free to Reject the Truth as to Accept it
Once we have received the truth and confessed this before others and God, we are free to accept or reject the provisions of that truth. We are not required to be loving, happy or free. It is only necessary that we be presented with the opportunity to accept these blessings God offers us for all eternity through Jesus.
In the end, we are free to accept a lie, in full comprehension that it is not love or truth. We can choose the LAKE OF FIRE and eternal separation from GOD and from LOVE. Only YHWH, who is love, is loving enough to let us go.
