“Thou, O king, art the most worthy”

During one of the crusades, Philippe Auguste, the king of France, assembled all his noble knights and encouraged them to be strong in battle. On the table he placed his royal crown, bearing the inscription “To the most worthy,” and pledged it as a prize to be given to the bravest fighter. After the army went to battle and returned victorious, they encircled the table where the crown sat. Then one of the nobles stepped forward, lifted the crown, and placed it on the king’s head, saying, “Thou, O king, art the most worthy.” The Bible says, “Every knee will bow to the name of Jesus—everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (vv. 10-11 NCV). Note the words “every knee will bow.” In 2011, the population reference bureau estimated that 106 billion people had been born since the dawn of the human race. Guess what? Every single one of them will bow to the name of Jesus. Try to imagine all those people—over ten times the world’s population—kneeling before Christ and saying, “Thou, O king, art most worthy.” And in that moment, Christ will assume His position “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion…not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21 NAS). Then He, the author and finisher of it all, will close the book on this life and open the book on the next. That’s the beginning of the unending story that we, the redeemed of the Lord, wait for and long for.