Revelation 3:20 

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

This may be one of the most misquoted verses in all of Scripture, used by many an evangelist to call sinners to let “Jesus through the door of their heart and into their life” but a careful study of context will show a VERY different MEANING to the verse. Not to be repetitive, but a verse of Scripture cannot mean something different out of context and be interpreted accurately. 

Who is speaking in Revelation 3:20?

Who is being spoken to?

This verse is in a group of verses in the first three chapters of Revelation which are addressed to historic 1st Century churches, each with their own specific issues, strengths, and problems. Revelation 3:20 is full of idioms. An idiom (Latin: idioma, “special property”, f. Greek: ίδίωμα — idiōma, “special feature, special phrasing”, f. Greek: ίδιος — idios, “one’s own”) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made. There are estimated to be at least 25,000 idiomatic expressions in American English according to Wikipedia. Fortunately, the context of the other six church letters gives very clear clues as to the literal meaning behind the figurative speech. That said, what did Jesus mean when He said to the Church in Laodicea, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”?