Doors – Will You Open?

This past summer, my husband and I, along with his sister and her husband, made a trip to The Ark Encounter in Kentucky. We all expected it to be a big structure, but none of us was prepared for the enormity of the Ark. It was during this visit that I first began learning about the significance of doors in the Bible.

It is massive.

The structure itself is so well-done. Even the tiniest of details are present. What vivid imaginations the creators had in providing a be-in-the-moment experience. It was like taking a trip back in time. My words cannot convey to you the story, you must be there to understand. It was worth the time and the investment.

We walked through all the levels and stopped to read the displays. There were no doors on the displays. They were open for all to enter at will. The story at the very end grabbed my attention as I’m sure it does that of most who enter. At the exit of that exhibit were little booklets called Doors of the Bible. I learned a lot about the significance of many doors in the Bible.

Doors - Will You Open? @DDuPreeWilliams #Faith #writing Share on X

DOOR 1

If you’re a believer or if you’ve read the Bible and haven’t decided one way or the other, you will be familiar with most, if not all, of these. The first is the door of the ark built by Noah and his family. Once Noah and his family along with all the animals were aboard the ark, the door had to be closed. Now, picture a massive door—big enough for elephants and giraffes to pass through. So heavy that Noah and all of his sons pushing on it couldn’t begin to budge it. Genesis 7:16 tells us And the LORD shut him in (ESV). God made sure they were safe by closing that big, heavy door, Himself. 

DOOR 2

The second door of significance is the Passover door. The first Passover took place while the Hebrew children were in captivity in Egypt. It was the night before their being freed from 400 years of captivity, during the plagues God sent to convince Pharoah to let His people go. Those who obeyed God by sacrificing a lamb and spreading some of the blood of the lamb on their doorposts were spared from the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:13 ESV). This event foreshadowed the death of Christ on the cross.

DOOR 3

The third door is represented by the double doors to the inner Temple, before the Holy of Holies. Here, sacrifices were made by the high priests only. No one could enter except those who were of the line of Levi and who were ceremonially clean. This happened once a year on Yom Kippur. The priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial lamb in the LORD’s presence to cover the sins of the people. Remember, the minute Jesus died on the cross, the curtain before the Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to bottom, (Matthew 27:51) representing our access to God through the blood of Jesus. Jesus, The Lamb of God, died for all our sins.

DOOR 4

The fourth door is the sheep’s door or gate. In John 10:9 Jesus Himself tells us, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture (ESV). Jesus knew exactly who He was. One of His titles is The Good Shepherd.

DOOR 5

The fifth door is the stone before the tomb of Jesus. Matthew 28: 6 tells us, He is not here, for he has risen as he said (ESV). This represents Jesus’s power over death, and that we, too, as His followers will be with Him for eternity. Alleluia!

DOOR 6

The last door mentioned is the narrow door. Jesus tells us, Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7: 13-14 ESV).

JESUS AT THE DOOR

As a child, I loved sitting in church and looking at the beautiful stained-glass windows. You likely remember the one of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. For all the hours I spent looking at that beautiful scene, not once did I realize there is no doorknob on Jesus’s side of the door. The knob is on our side. If He is to enter, we must open the door to our hearts and invite Him in.

Have you knocked at any of these doors? Have you opened the door to the One who is the Door?  Look at all the doors He made possible for you. He even died for you so that you could walk through that narrow door and have access to the Holy of Holies—to eternal life.

Please reach out to me if you need help opening that door.

As always, you are in my prayers.

Blessings, y’all.

 

I came upon Maverick City Music a few months ago when looking for a song to put here.  I never thought I’d find a song about doors, but here it is. It may not be your taste in music. I happen to love them. This is a music school that teaches these young people to write praise and worship songs. Check out “Wait on You”. One thing that happens when we praise is heaven opens because our hearts are open when we praise God. Doors open. I pray this week that you will open the door of your heart and let Christ in. Whether for the first time or to spend time with Him, praising and singing. Even in our lowest moments, things happen when we worship and praise. Soli Deo Gloria.