The renowned artist William Holman Hunt painted the allegorical painting The Light of the World (1851-3), which represented Jesus standing at a door knocking; where the weeds had overgrown the door’s entry way, and the door had no means for opening from the outside. This painting was an illustration of 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.”
The preceding text in Revelation 3 details a rebuke from the Lord against the church of the Laodiceans. The Lord charged them with having a heart of indifference to Him and His Word; they wouldn’t even stand for or against His principles and teachings. Note the Lord’s reproof against this church.
Revelation 3:14-19,
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”
This Laodicean assembly had become so self-righteous, self-centered, and independent that they had failed to see that they had really pushed the Lord out of their assembly and closed the door unto Him. In fact, they had failed to realize that in their self-righteousness, their works, standards and heart condition, when held under the light of God’s Word, demonstrated that they were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”. They had become stiff-necked and hard-hearted to the Lord’s Will, His Word, and His Spirit. Likewise, though they beheld themselves as “rich, having no needs” (while this may have been true concerning worldly temporal things), they were truly spiritually blind, spiritually wretched, and spiritually bankrupt. (It must be stated here that the condition of the Laodicean congregation was a reflection of the whole assembly; not just one or two of her members. They were in one accord with regards to their spiritual blindness.) Thus, the Lord called upon this congregation to “be zealous and repent” – such that they would quickly open the door unto the Lord, and clean the path to their doorway entrance; thus, providing an inviting entrance unto the Lord. The result would then be as if they had purchased “gold tried in the fire” and “white raiment to cover their nakedness” from the Lord in His righteousness and glory. Then, when their works, standards and heart condition were held under the light of God’s Word, there would spiritually be no “nakedness, shame, or blindness”. (How many churches today need to be zealous and repent?)
In digging deeper into this passage, the words used to describe the spiritual condition of the Laodicean church can also be used to describe the heart of the “unbeliever” (and similarly, the “backslidden”). Before a most Holy God, the unbeliever’s spiritual condition is “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”. Note the following Scriptures.
Romans 3:10,
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 3:23,
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Isaiah 64:6,
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
If the “unbeliever” continues in his path of self-righteousness, self-centeredness, and independence apart from God, and dies in his unbelief, the Lord also provides the outcome.
John 8:24,
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
Thus the call from the Lord, Luke 13:5,
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
If you desire a true relationship with God, you must open the door of your heart and ask Jesus to come in; He will save you as He promised.
John 5:24,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Will you open your heart’s door unto Jesus today?
