An Open Door

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 An Amazing Fact: Number 10 Downing Street is one of the most famous doors in the world. It attracts millions of visitors every year. One woman and 52 men have passed through the grand doors of Number 10 Downing Street as British Prime Minister. Sometimes they were met by violent riots, passionate protests, and even a few celebrities. One interesting fact about this door is that it can only be opened from the inside.

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Another world-famous door is the Florence Baptistery in Florence, Italy. It took Lorenzo Ghiberti and two colleagues 27 years to produce the design that included 10 panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament. They are crafted from gilded bronze. Ghiberti’s use of the “principle of perspective” led Michelangelo to refer to these doors as fit to be the “Gates of Paradise.”

An ancient door famous among archaeologists is the Ishtar Gate from Babylon. Around 600 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar built this powerful blue-glazed brick gate. He emblazoned on the door the image of the dragon of Marduk. Also featured are golden lions and bulls. The gate is almost 50 feet high and 33 feet wide.

An interesting door in Rome is called the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, or the “Door of the Great Pardon,” which is sealed with a brick wall. Every 25 years the pope strikes the brick with a silver hammer and symbolically opens it. It remains open for the entire year. At the end of the year the brick wall is rebuilt. The Holy Door is meant to represent Jesus, as the gate to heaven and salvation.

The Bible describes Jesus standing before a door and knocking. “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” (Revelation 3:20). Like 10 Downing Street, this door opens only from the inside. It is the door of your heart. You don’t have to wait 25 years for someone to open it. You can do so right now.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Revelation 3:8

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