I have always loved the paintings, like this one by Greg Olsen, depicting Jesus knocking at our door. In many of these paintings, the artist deliberately omits a doorknob on the outside, symbolizing that Christ can only enter our lives if we invite Him in.

No doubt, the scene portrayed in this painting comes to us from the following verse in the Book of Revelation: “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” (Revelation 3:20).

The door scene portrayed in this painting, however, is only one interpretation of this famous verse. This article will suggest a second interpretation.

The Gate of the Celestial Kingdom

Joseph Smith taught there is an actual door or gate that will one day stand between us and the celestial kingdom. On one occasion, Joseph Smith was shown this celestial gate in vision. He records: “The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire” (D&C 137:1-2; emphasis added).

In the ancient Israelite tabernacle and temple, this door or gate was depicted as a veil. This temple veil separated the Holy Place (terrestrial area) from the Holy of Holies (celestial area).

I Stand at the Door

With this in mind, let us return to our verse in Revelation 3 and re-read it as a temple text, beginning a few verses earlier.

In verse 14, the Lord begins by having John write a letter to the Saints living in Laodicea. Unfortunately, this particular group of Saints had already begun to apostatize from the Church. In this letter, the Lord chastised them for relying on their riches more than relying on God: “I know thy works…[and] 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” (Revelation 3:15-17).

When read as a temple text, the first thing we notice is a warning from the Lord to rely on him rather than on our money. The Saints in Laodicea were not doing this and were therefore described as “naked” by the Lord (Revelation 3:17). The term nakedness in the scriptures is often associated with guilt and uncleanliness. For example, the prophet Jacob, speaking of the wicked at the judgement bar, said that they “shall have a perfect knowledge of all [their] guilt, and [their] uncleanness, and [their] nakedness” (2 Nephi 9:14).

In contrast, Jacob says that the righteous “shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness (2 Nephi 9:14; emphasis added).

It is only through the Atonement of Christ that one may progress from their state of “nakedness” to being clothed with “the robe of righteousness” (2 Nephi 9:14). In fact, the Hebrew word for atonement (kippur) literally means “to cover.”[1] Phrased another way, the Atonement of Jesus Christ literally covers us from our sins by clothing us from our spiritual nakedness. It is for this reason that the Lord proceeded to tell the Saints living in Laodicea to “buy of me…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” (Revelation 3:18).

In other words, those who are found naked (unclean), must be anointed and clothed (covered by the Atonement) before they can approach the door (veil) of the celestial kingdom. In fact, Christ proceeds to tell the Laodicea Saints about this door, or veil, in the next verse: “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” (Revelation 3:20).

As we mentioned previously, one interpretation of this verse is that Christ knocks at our door and we let him in. However, when read in a temple context, the righteous, after being anointed and clothed, will join with Christ at the veil of the celestial kingdom, and it will be the Father on the celestial side of the veil who hears Christ’s knock. Furthermore, as we learn from the next verse, it will not just be Christ who will receive permission from the Father to enter. Rather, the Father will permit Christ to bring with him the righteous who were anointed and clothed in the verses prior: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21).

The symbolism portrayed here further comes to life when we realize that in the ancient Israelite temple, the only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies (or celestial area of the temple) was the ark of the covenant. This ark represented God’s throne, so it is not surprising to hear the Lord close his sermon by explaining that those who enter this sacred area of the celestial realm will sit down “with [the] Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21).

The Door of the Sheepfold

A similar interpretation can also be drawn from the well-known “door of the sheepfold” passage in John 10:1-7. In these verses, the Lord speaks of a good shepherd who leads his sheep through the door of a sheepfold to safety. Like Revelation 3, the door of the sheepfold can also be interpreted as the celestial veil, while the sheepfold itself represents the celestial kingdom. These verses begin as follows: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

Here we learn that entry into the celestial kingdom (represented by the sheepfold) is restricted to those who enter through the veil. Those who attempt to enter by any other way are labeled as thieves and robbers. In fact, in the next verse, we learn that there is only one person who is authorized to approach this door, or veil: “He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep” (John 10:2).

The Good Shepherd in this verse, an obvious reference to Christ, is the only one authorized to approach this door, or veil, and request permission to enter. Next, we read: “To him the porter openeth” (John 10:3).

Similar to Revelation 3, the porter in this context is our Heavenly Father who is on the celestial side of the door, or veil. Once the Father opens this veil to Christ, our Good Shepherd will then call out his sheep, who will proceed to follow him out of the world and into the safety of the sheepfold: “And the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out [of the world and into the sheepfold]” (John 10:4).

That this sheepfold is a reference to the celestial kingdom is made clear by one of Jesus’ next statements: “If any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9).

I Know You Not

As we learned earlier, those who attempt to enter the celestial kingdom by any means other than through the door, or veil, will be denied entrance. It is for this reason the Lord said in Luke: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are” (Luke 13:24-25).

The Keeper of the Gate

We also find this same scene portrayed in the Book of Mormon. The prophet Jacob stated, “Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. And whoso knocketh, to him will he open” (2 Nephi 9:41-42).

As stated here by Jacob, it is only through the Atonement of Christ that we gain access to this celestial door.

Did you enjoy this article? Join our email list, its free!

Notes:

​[1] Brown, Driver, and Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, p. 497-98.