Twisted Scripture Number 3: Revelation 3:20 is NOT About Salvation But a False Church

By Brannon Howse

The Scripture: 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.

The Twist: I would venture to guess that all of us have heard Revelation 3:20 used in a sermon where the preacher is talking about salvation, and the verse is quoted to suggest that the unsaved need to “open the door of their hearts and accept Jesus Christ. He’s standing at the door, knocking, for you to open your heart and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior.” This, however, is not the correct context of the verse.

 Revelation 3:20 is not about someone inviting Jesus into his or her heart, even though it is ripped out of context and used like that time after time. This verse is actually speaking of Jesus standing at the door of the false church that bears His name, but no one inside knows Him. No one in that Laodicean church, for whom the message was intended, belongs to Him. Yet Jesus says that He is outside the door of their church, and He is willing to come in and fellowship with them if indeed they will open the door.

In one sense, Jesus is calling the people addressed in this scripture to salvation, but the door Jesus knocks on is not the door of their hearts but the door of the actual church. Some will argue that this is not a false church and that there are some believers in this particular church, but as we examine Twisted Scripture Number 4, I will explain from the scriptures why Jesus is, in fact, describing a false church, a church filled with false converts.

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