The Scriptures say that there is a doorway between us and the Lord. This simple idea provides us with a powerful illustration of the unchanging nature of His love for us, and of the freedom that we have been blessed with.
In the book of Revelation, the Lord instructs His servant John to write letters to each of “the seven churches which are in Asia” (Revelation 1:11). Two of these letters — the sixth to the church of Philadelphia, and the seventh to Laodicea — mention doors.
The church of Philadelphia seems to be the best of the seven. In most of the letters the Lord praises the churches for what they are doing well, and also directs their attention to what they need to do better, but for Philadelphia, He has nothing but words of praise, saying, in part:
See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. (Revelation 3:9)
In this verse, the Lord doesn’t say outright what stands on the other side of this open door. Is it heaven? Is it paradise? Whatever it is, it’s clearly good — and it calls to us. An open door is an invitation. The image evoked in this verse is one of a doorway full of light.
The seventh letter in the book of Revelation is written to the church of Laodicea — and Laodicea seems to be the worst of the seven churches. The Lord has no praises for this church, only admonitions. Yet He makes it clear that He has not given up on the Laodiceans, saying:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:19, 20)
The door that stood before Philadelphia was open, but in Laodicea’s case the door was closed. The reason for this is clear: Philadelphia has kept the Lord’s word (Revelation 3:8), whereas Laodicea imagines that it has no need for God (Revelation 3:17).
When we’re disinterested in the Lord, our inclination is to put Him out of our minds — to shut Him out, like an unwanted visitor at the door. He gives us the freedom to do this. We typically fail to recognize that that freedom is a gift. If the Lord wanted to, He could shatter the door and flood our minds with light. But He loves us too much to enter our lives by force. Instead, He waits outside the closed door… but not silently. He knocks. He nudges us; He calls to us, quietly and continually. We might wish that He’d just go away, but He loves us too much to give up on us. The teachings of the New Church say that, “The Lord is present with every person, urging and pressing to be received” (True Christian Religion 766).
Whether or not we receive Him is up to us. He holds back His power until we’re willing to open the door — and then His power streams in. He comes into our minds with gifts of joy and love, and no one can take them from us. His strength holds the door open. So He says to Philadelphia, “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.”
