… in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Summary: Paul’s simple little phrase about places above and below the earth opens a door of wonder about how things work in the spiritual realms.
This is an interesting passage. Paul could have said, “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,” and left it at that, but he didn’t. Instead, he added these words:
“… in heaven and on earth and under the earth…”
Why?
God is Spirit (John 4:24) and it was God who created “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The word “heavens” is plural because we use the same word to describe the sky (Genesis 1:20 KJV) and outer space (Psalm 19:1–2), but it also describes the spiritual home of God.
The Bible is our only source of reliable information about the spiritual realm. Jesus, during his late-night discussion with Nicodemus, explains:
“Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen… I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (John 3:11-12)
This is where we find “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22).
Personally, I would expect that everyone in heaven would automatically bow at the name of Jesus. But what about “on earth and under the earth?”
The Bible gives us a few clues, but that is all.
Jesus points to the story of Jonah and explains that, like Jonah, who spent three nights in the “huge fish,” so he would spend three nights in “the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, explains that Jesus “was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built” (1 Peter 3:18-20).
Then, of course, there are the souls still alive on earth.
Paul is explaining the magnitude of God’s love for Jesus. Jesus is exalted so high that “every knee should bow.” It doesn’t matter where the knee is or what it is made of. Spirit or flesh, good or bad, over or under the earth, every knee will bow.
Application: Consider the vastness of God’s authority and the majesty of our Lord Jesus.
Food for Thought: Why does the Bible give us information about the spiritual realms?
I actually wish it gave us more information. But I know God gave us what He wanted.
The battle we face on a daily basis is spiritual in nature. We need to know who our enemy is to fight our enemy and to protect ourselves from this enemy. In Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17, He prayed twice for His followers to be protected by the evil one.
I think the Bible reminds us of the battle and how to be protected from the enemy and engage the enemy. He tells us to put on spiritual armor and reminds us to fight in our knees.
Ephesians 6: 10 – 20: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
1 Peter 5: 8 – 9a: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith.
And it is always good to remember that our enemy is defeated by our Lord. Someday he will be completely vanquished.
Colossians 2: 13 – 15: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you d alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Rich,
Thank you for the thoughtful and beautiful comment. Your description is spot on — and yes, the battle is real and it is spiritual. It helps to understand this.
Why does the Bible give us information about the spiritual realms?
We are spiritual beings temporarily confined within physical bodies for a time known only by God. Our priorities and how we live these times, will determine the eternal destiny of our eternal spirits.
God has directed specific individuals to record His Truths to this world in one book which He has preserved as the source of all truth, and we refer to as the Bible, or Gods Word.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
John 16:8. John 4:23,John 4:24, 1 Corinthians 6:17, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Ephesians 2:22, Romans 1:9, Romans 8:16
In time, many will become believers, and will begin to understand we are spiritual beings living a human experience, Jesus himself is our perfect example of this and our faithful submission to His will over our own becomes our power to grow spiritually as the power of our flesh increasingly fades away. His life as recorded in the Bible explicitly shows His spiritual union with the Father as He was close to everything that surrounded Him yet His humanity did not have the power to change who He is. His message is very clear. The Spiritual power of God will overcome all powers of this world.
For those belonging to Christ, the flesh becomes merely a housing empowered by our spirits according to our guidance by the Holy Spirit of God, seeking His will over the will of our flesh. Living our lives according to Gods will in all circumstances requires the discipline of Christ and produces peace with God in all circumstances.
Thank you, Ron!!
I know that you and Ling have been exposed to the reality of this truth recently. Your spiritual strength has been an inspiration to all of us here.