The Lord’s Self-Designation (verse 7)

Christ describes Himself here, verse 7, as being “holy” and “true.” Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 7, says, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God,” [King James’ Version]. Well, there is an interesting thing to note, and that is that God is “holy,” and so declared to be “holy” in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. [1 Peter 1:13-16: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”] Jesus, the Christ, is also “holy.” Here, He is declaring Himself to be “holy,” as well as in other places in the New Testament. We are reminded that God and His Son share the same attributes, like that of being “holy.”

We see also that Jesus declares Himself to be “true.” This word that is translated into the English word for “true” comes from a Greek word, which literally means “what is genuine” or “what is real.” He is the real—should I say it?—the “real McCoy”? He is the “genuine article.” He is not a “false” Christ—and there had been many false “Christs,” and continue to be many after His time. But He is the “true” One. As we think about this description of the Lord, Revelation, chapter 19, verse 11 says, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He Who sat on Him was called Faithful and True….” So there is another reference to His being genuine—His being “True.” He will also declare, when He was here during His earthly ministry, that He was “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and “no one comes to the Father” but by Him, John 14, verse 6. So here [verse 7] He refers to Himself as “holy” and “true.” “Holy” like God is “Holy.” “True” in being genuine, actual, the Real One, so to speak.

Then there is another reference that is made here that has to do with the “keys of David.” In verse 7, “These things says He Who is holy, He Who is true, ‘He Who has the key of David….’” That’s an interesting comment. It is largely taken from Isaiah 22, verse 22. As a matter of fact, this is a quote from that passage. Let’s turn to Isaiah, chapter 22. “Keys” in the Old Testament represented “authority” and “power.” The context here is that David is giving his keys to Eliakim, his faithful servant. We notice in verse 22, “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.”Well, that sounds rather familiar, doesn’t it? Yes, David here is talking about what he is going to give to his faithful servant, but it is recognized almost universally as a Messianic prophecy. Here in Revelation 3, verse 7, it is almost quoted verbatim. So Jesus—this “Holy” One—this “True” One—has the “key of David.” He has the “authority”—He has the “power,” and He can “open the door” and “shut the door.” If He “opens the door,” then no one else can “shut the door.” He is the only One Who can admit a person to the true house of David, the Messianic Kingdom. Only He can show opportunities to the church. This is, again, a demonstration or statement of His “true” nature.

Commendation (verse 8)

Verse 8continues with this analogy of the “open door.” We see a connection here: He has the “key of David;” He can open the door; He can shut the door. No one else can do that. Now, what is the connection here with what He mentions in verse 8 as saying, “I have set before you an open door.”? There are a couple of different ideas that have been put forward about this. A door can certainly represent “admission” into a state (a set of circumstances or condition or opportunity) or into a place. Obviously, we have a door into our building. Unless you are able to come in through a window, you probably came in through a door. That door allowed you admission, or entrance, into the building. That is used, in fact, in a couple of places here in Revelation, like Revelation 3, verse 20 [“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.”], and Revelation 4, verse 1 [“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’”]. The illusion in those verses is that the door is a place or an avenue that you go through. However, in this context here in verse 8, it has to do more than likely with “opportunities.” An open door represents an opportunity for something to happen, or for someone to do something. In the Scriptures, it is a symbol of new and promising mission work, like the open door that was presented to Paul in Troas and in Ephesus.

We’re going to look at a couple places where this idea of an open door is used in this sense. Let’s look at Acts 14, verse 27. Paul and Barnabas had returned from their missionary journey. In verse 27, Now when they had come and gathered the church together” (this is the church in Antioch), “they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” Well, there was an opportunity to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Indeed, Paul did that! Also, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 12, Paul is writing here and he’s talking about an opportunity to preach in Troas.“Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's Gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord.” Was it the door to the church building? No. It was a door of opportunity of which Paul could take advantage. Then in 1 Corinthians 16, verses 8 and 9, “But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” You will remember that Paul had great success in Ephesus. We talked a little bit about that as we looked at the first section of Revelation, chapter 2, the church in Ephesus, and what was written to them. We talked about the time that Paul was there with that church for a period of about three years, and that he taught, he preached, and he perhaps even used it as a base of operations where he could go out and spread the Gospel in that area. He saw that as a great and effective “door” of opportunity.