Open and Closed Doors

Revelation 3:7 -8 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,’These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 I know your works. 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.

Sometimes I have so much on my heart, that I can’t find the words to say. I observe our society today, the peril that lies before us, and the righteous anger wells up in me with the observation of sin, which is always followed by a humbling realization of my own. I see the level of evil in this world peaking; I see Satan’s power over this world growing, only because God is allowing it to, for reasons we can’t understand. God even uses the unspeakable acts of persecution to draw others to himself; the fearless deaths of the martyrs and their bold proclamations of Jesus can open doors to the hardest hearts. Can you imagine the strength it took for the pastor, his 12 year old son, and the missionaries to share the gospel while being tortured, praying up to their deaths in Syria last week? Can you imagine how God opened the doors of many souls with their testimonies of great faith? Can you imagine the depth of the faith of a child who was willing to die for the One who died for him? Can you imagine the smile he will have as he sits at the feet of Jesus for eternity?

The proclamation to the church of Philadelphia is to persevere. The book of Isaiah is quoted here; the declaration that Jesus holds the door to eternity. He opens the door to Heaven, and he closes the door to Hell. In Christianity we have belittled the phrases of doors many times; “When one door is shut, another one opens.” Many times this seemingly is true as our sovereign God guides our path through life. Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. We cannot begin to grasp the complexity of Free Will intertwined with a sovereign God directing our steps. How small would our God be if we could? What we must grasp is the measure of our hearts trust in his sovereignty; the measure of our faith for the difficulties that we face. What level of faith will you endure for him? Does the slightest deviation in your plans bring fear or tantrums of anger? Do you seemingly love God when things are good, but question God when things are bad? When that door closes, do you grab the handle, or even try to kick it down? Do you trust God?

When you continue to read this passage, look at how God encourages those of great faith. 8 I know your works. 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. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie–indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. You must truly grasp the time in history in which you are living. You are living in the days of imminent persecution of the Christian faith. You may be living in a nation that is about to suffer God’s judgement on sin; persecution is rising as God uses evil to accomplish his work. God will not tolerate the level of sin in our nation; the proof is all throughout his Word as he cast swift judgement on nations in steep rebellion against the moral law he has placed within us. Are you prepared to walk through the door into paradise if persecution comes your way, or will you deny him and have the door of Hell closes behind you? Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Are you prepared to answer that eternal question? I promise you that if you are truly saved, you have no fear of death, and you already know which door is opened and closed.