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It's just like. Whosoever will may come. He isn't stopping them. He isn't asking permission for anything. Nobody will come. Romans 3 makes that abundantly clear. ALL have gone out of the way. There is NONE that seeks God. There is NONE that does good. There is NO FEAR of God before their eyes. Such is the state of the lost. They are slaves of sin. And the wages of sin being death, they are in a state of spiritual death.

When the Spirit makes one alive, suddenly things look differently. The desire changes from one of sin to one of seeking God. He draws them and everyone he draws comes. Of those who come to Christ, He will not lose a single one.

Now with our verse in Revelation 3, Christ is not being dependent upon humanity in order to accomplish His will. He is basically separating the sheep from the goats in the church of Laodicea. Look carefully at the verse again.

Revelation 3: 20 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.

Who is the one who hears Christ's voice????

Verse 22 He that hath an ear.

Who is Christ speaking to that has an ear to hear? The churches. It's the goat and the sheep. The true sheep WILL hear the voice of Christ. They WILL open the door. Why? Because they hear Him knocking and will follow Him. Those who don't open the door are goats. They may go to church, but they are the ones making the church lukewarm. They are not truly sheep, but just posing as sheep. They won't hear. They won't enter in.

John 10 has many parallels.

First, look at the imagery in the parable.

John 10

1Verily, 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.

2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

6This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

Jesus is the door of the sheep. Through entering into that relationship with the Door, Jesus, one is saved. By the same respect through being our substitute and shepherd, Christ walks through the bounds of history and through and because of He himself, he joins up with His sheep.

The verses continue: 8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Again, we have the door, the way of salvation, which is Christ Jesus Himself in focus here. And again, the sheep will not listen to another. They will listen to Christ alone.

Further down He says:

27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30I and my Father are one.

So, who is it that hears? The sheep. Laodicia was a church which was a mixture of sheep and people trying to pretend to be sheep. The true sheep were apparently being influenced by the false sheep in all of this as well and their works were all self-serving. Christ is saying to His flock, repent. Turn from your self-satisfaction and back to me. Else, you, my sheep are about to get a scolding. And, as a reminder, here I am. I stand at the door knocking, sheep. If you open that door, things will be fine amongst us. If not, you're going to get a whipping. For those who overcome this current condition, there is great reward for you. But listen to what the Spirit is saying here to you, the churches.

Brick wall experience, for both of us, I bet.

I feel like I've said again and again and again that faith is a gift, works are a gift, merit is a gift, it's all gift.

Not only is this my attempt at a radical proclamation of of even more radical dependence on God, and that everything comes from the Father, "every good gift", but it is a clue that the language and thought about works and merit are not what they at first appear to be. Of course, God is not dependent on humanity.

But still, if that's an thoroughly adequate statement of affairs, why is there language like this"

If you open that door, things will be fine amongst us. If not, you're going to get a whipping. For those who overcome this current condition, there is great reward for you.

How am I to construe this? I won't think of God as dependent, as waiting for others to open the door, but yet there is at the least a kind of sequencing here. And if you run sequencing through the Hume computer you get a kind of cause and effect, or at least the appearance of cause and effect.

If God runs the whole deal (itself undeniably true) and the language is adequate, why doesn't it say, "I'll knock at the door and will move, am moving, and/or have already moved some of you to open it." Or, "Door, Schmoor! I'm coming in! Home invasion!" (And we all cry, "WELCOME, divine invader, WELCOME!")

Can you think I ran sheep for some 15 years and am not familiar with the Good Shepherd discourse? It is so true. Some sheep knew their names and came when I called. Others for their whole lives looked at me like I was a coyote. It's interesting though, the ones who were most afraid of me were usually easier to shear. They would, as a rule, just go limp with terror. Go figger.

Also I ran goats and milked 'em, and am thinking of getting a few goats again -- for looking at and petting purposes. While I really loved some of my sheep, for sheer character and, ah, capriciousness, goats are the BOMB! When I start MY heretical sect, the Kynoi Kyriou, it'll based on the notion that it's the goats that get into heaven. Look for us soon in a crystal cathedral near you!

(I have freep mailed you a comment on the hyperdulia of our Lady which I think you will enjoy and understand.)