"Behold I Stand at the Door"
Revelation 3:20 " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
What do we hear as explanation to the verse? "Jesus Christ is standing at the door of our heart. If only we open it to Him, He will come to our life and gives us a life of joy and peace. And life everlasting is given as a bonus." This is the understanding and being acknowledged by many people. However, this is contradictory to the following truth:
- If that is that simple where many people can claim salvation, then the following truth is nullified:
Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Matthew 22:14 " For many are called, but few are chosen."
2. If that is being claimed by every denomination who cannot agree on a common doctrine, where is the truth in:
Ephesians 4:4-5 "There is one body, and one Spirit…one faith…"
Denominations teach different ways of salvation and different ways of attaining spiritual perfection,
GOD SPEAK IN PARABLES
Ezekiel 20:49 " Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"
It was prophesied, Christ would speak in parables:
Psalms 78:2 " I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old."
Truly so, Jesus confirmed this when He spoke to His disciples.
John 6:63 " It is the spirit that quickeneth… the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Mark 4:34 " But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."
It was proven only Jesus and nobody else can explain His words, which are in parables. Not Paul, or Peter, or John can take this exclusive role of God explaining His words. Because our Lord is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13 ), the explanation should therefore come from the very words of God by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:10 " But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit…yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
Literally, a door is an object, a gate, passageway, or means of access. Man with his wisdom spiritualizes it as the "heart or feeling." Unknown is the deceptive character of the heart:
Jeremiah 17:9 " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
Belief and faith should be founded on the apostles and Christ as cornerstone. References, therefore, should always be made from this "foundation."
Ephesians 2:19 " Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."
KNOCKING AT THE DOOR
Paul, before he became an apostle, was known as Saul of Tarsus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees. He was an unbeliever and a persecutor of our Lord. He was a Natural Man who cannot understand "spiritual things" for these were foolishness to him:
1 Corinthians 2:14 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
In the eyes of God, Saul of Tarsus was "spiritually dead" because he could not understand the words of God. Otherwise, he would have been with Peter, John, and the other apostles of our Lord.
Proverbs 21:16 " The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead."
Saul of Tarsus therefore was behind the " door of the shadow of death," and the "gate of death" imprisons him. To be saved, he had to "open the gate of death" that our Lord who is the "life" could come in.
Job 38:17 " Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?"
Our Lord sharply rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees who, although known authority of the words of God, were actually spiritually blind to the truth. They professed to love God yet they did not recognize Him.
John 8:54 " Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him… "
He called them hypocrite and for the entire chapter of Matthew 23, our Lord lambasted them for "cleaning only the outside of the cup." (For details read the article: CLEANLINESS ON THE "OUTSIDE" AND "INSIDE" - http://www.purechristianity.org/cleanlin.htm). The "knock at the door" or "open rebuke" is a sign of love from God that many people cannot discern:
Proverbs 27:5 " Open rebuke is better than secret love."
Our Lord "knocks at the door," as if He keeps on shouting:
John 11:25 " … I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
Saul of Tarsus, later to become PAUL the apostle, alone could open this "door" for him, for God has given everyone the free will to decide. The choice between spiritual life and death belongs to everyone. Once the "door" is opened, Christ the source of "life" will come in that "death will be swallowed up in victory."
1 Corinthians 15:54 " …shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
OPENING THE DOOR
There was "darkness" in the life of Saul of Tarsus, as any one else, before the "door" is opened. However, "light" entered as the "door is opened." Christ is the "light."
John 8:12 "Then spake Jesus… I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
This agrees perfectly with what Paul, now an apostle, said after "opening the door."
Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Paul opened the "door of his lips" in confessing the truth about Jesus Christ.
Psalms 141:3 "...O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
How easy for many people to confess, "I believe in Jesus Christ, and God raised Him from the dead!" However, where is the truth in "only a few are chosen," and "N arrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it?"
Before, Jesus Christ was in front of Saul of Tarsus but could not recognize Him as the God he professed to worship. No wonder he persecuted Him and His disciples. "Christ was knocking at the door" and could not enter until Saul opened the "door of the shadow of death." Saul did not recognize Jesus as the Apostles did.
John 14:7 " If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"
Saul, a Pharisee, was blind for "not seeing" the Father when Jesus was in front of him.
John 8:19 " …Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."
He persecuted our Lord, yet as a Pharisee, he was zealous following the words of God and professed to have been worshipping the God of Israel. Later to be known as Paul the apostle, he wrote what was he before he opened the "door" (Romans 10:2-3). He was one of those alluded to by our Lord who would and will persecute the real believers for not knowing our Lord and God:
John 16:1 " These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."
JESUS COMING IN
When Saul opened the "door of the shadow of death," Truth entered and the person he was persecuting turned out to be the very God and Lord that he claimed to serve.
Acts 9:4 " … Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest…"
On "opening the door", Jesus entered and introduced Himself to Paul. He taught him and opened his eyes to the Truth. How many people see what Paul saw in Jesus? Jesus is the Truth in the words of God. This is what he wrote to the Christians of Corinth and to Timothy:
1 Corinthians 8:6 " …there is but one God, the Father… and one Lord Jesus Christ…"
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) " And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…"
Moses wrote about what Paul did not realize before:
Deuteronomy 6:4 " Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD."
Mark wrote that many people today also do not realize.
Mark 12:29 "And Jesus answered… The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord."
Again, it is easy for many people to confess that Jesus is Lord and God. Many people believe in one God. But how clear is the identity of the "One Lord and one God?"
James 2:19 " Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe..."
The truth is, the person who "had opened the door" should have clearly identified and recognized the "One Lord and one God." This is a prerequisite to the Two Great Commandments as our Lord told an inquiring Scribe (Mark 12:28 -31). (For details on the identity of God and our Lord, read the article: JESUS OF THE ORIGINAL APOSTLES - http://www.purechristianity.org/jesusof.htm)
THE "WORD" IS "KNOCKING AT THE DOOR"
Everyone holds the key to the "door of darkness and death." Jesus Christ is knocking a the "door." "Life and light" cannot enter while the "door" is closed.
Revelation 3:20 " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13 ). He is the "Light" (John 8:12), the Truth (John 14:6), and the words are the "life" (John 6:63).
John 6:63 " …the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Psalms 119:130 " The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."
How easy to say, "Jesus is knocking at my heart and I opened it for Him. Now I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior." That is what many people think of Revelation 3:20. However, Jesus Christ is the Word. How many people "opened the door" that the Word of Truth could "come in?" The proof is God and the Lord should have been clearly identified and recognized. This is what is written about God's chosen people both in the Old and New Testament:
Jeremiah 31:34 "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD…"
Hebrew 8:11 "And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."
Then, the "eyes are opened to the truth" that the words of God are clearly explained by "God and the Lord." Proof that the "door" is still closed is the variances of people's understanding and explanation of the words. Unknown to many, the "words of God" is changed into the "words of men" and the "wisdom of God" is being substituted with the "wisdom of men."
JESUS IS THE TRUTH
Proofs that the "door" is still closed if the following abominable things are still found in the man. "Light cannot mix with darkness" (2 Corinthians 6:14 ).
- Does the person professing to have "opened the door" not committing physical idolatry by venerating statues and images?
Exodus 20:4 " Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above… 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God."
- Does the person professing to have "opened the door" not committing spiritual idolatry as to call some people "Rabbi?" Many are spiritually blind as not to see "Rabbi" actually means Teacher, Leader, Chief, Pastor, or Shepherd.
Matthew 23:8 " But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."
- Does the person professing to have "opened the door" not the object of spiritual idolatry when he accepts the exalted position of being called Teacher, Leader, Chief, Pastor, or Shepherd? Does the person accept being called "Father?"
- Does the person appropriate the honor that only belongs to God? "Reverend" and "Holy" belong to God alone:
Psalms 111:9 " He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."
- Does the person appropriate the authority to appoint servants of God that solely belongs to our Lord?
Ephesians 4:11 " And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."
Peter, John, James or the other apostles did not appoint Paul as an apostle of Christ. In error, they appointed Matthias before they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:16 -26). Our Lord Jesus appointed Paul an apostle when He was no longer physically present on earth. Can people accept that Jesus is capable of doing this today?
- Does the person accept the power of God to endow spiritual wisdom by professing to "teach" instead of God?
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie…"
James 1:5 " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."
- For lack of divine revelation, does not a person pretending to be a servant of God resort to story telling or make-believe tales about the word of God? Does a person claiming to have "opened the door" enjoy doing or hearing such unscriptural practice?
2 Timothy 4:4 "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
- For lack of spiritual wisdom, does not a person pretending to be a servant of God resort to JESTING, which is a sin condemned in spiritual matters? Does a person claiming to have "opened the door" enjoy hearing such an abominable act?
Ephesians 5:3 "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4. "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, norjesting…"
- If the "door" is truly opened that our Lord Jesus has come in, the very first thing He would have done is to introduce Himself, that the Father would also be known:
John 8:19 "…Jesus answered… if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."
Then God and the Lord no longer is a mystery, and that in defense of spiritual blindness, the person stop saying, "God is incapable of clear recognition with the finite mind of man."
SUPPING TOGETHER
Jesus said, "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." How did Jesus demonstrate this during His time? What kind of food did He eat? What kind of food that He wanted His disciples to eat? The Natural Man is thinking of physical food (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Spiritual Man thinks otherwise (1 Corinthians 2:16). This is the food that our Lord ate:
John 4:31 " In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."
Our Lord ate spiritual food and this is the "will of the Father." The "will of the Father" is the truth in the words of God. This is the same food that Jeremiah ate, and the same food that Jesus told His disciples to eat:
Jeremiah 15:16 " Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."
<p> John 6:54 " Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."
Our Lord expounded on the kind of words that His disciples would eat. Jesus is the Word of God. His "flesh" refers to the "letter" of the Word. His blood that He shed on the cross gave way to the availability of the Holy Spirit. Thus, His blood refers to the Holy Spirit's revelation of the spiritual message on the words. This is the kind of food that our Lord promised to sup with the person opening the "door." And, it is with this spiritual nourishment that our Lord and the person could "finish the work."
Christ was crucified on the cross. The person opening the "door" like Paul would also be spiritually "crucified on the spiritual cross."
Galatians 2:20 " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Jesus, Emmanuel "God with us," showed the Way by example. In His PHYSICAL LIFE, never did we see Him depend on the Father nor from other people, but earned His living as a carpenter. In His SPIRITUAL LIFE, however, our Lord showing the Way fully depended on the Father, saying,
John 5:19 " … Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself…"
Paul followed the Way shown by our Lord. In his PHYISCAL LIFE, never did we see Paul prayed to God or saw him depending on other people for his material needs. He earned His living as a tent maker (Acts 18:3).
Acts 20:33 "I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. 34Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me."
In his SPIRITUAL LIFE, he fully depended on God as he saw our Lord proved by example. Paul said:
1 Corinthians 11:1 " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."
"Finishing the work" therefore ends in spiritual perfection as God commanded His chosen people ever since.
Genesis 17:1 " And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Matthew 5:48 " Be ye therefore perfect , even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
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Footnote...
Romans 10:2 " For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.