Having Two Sets of Ears

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 him, and he with me. —Revelation 3:20

It is wonderful when we hear with both sets of ears. Every minister knows what it is like to preach and find that people only hear with their physical ears. So all they think about during the sermon are the preacher’s mannerisms, his oratory, his eloquence, and his style. Sadly, that is all some ever take in.

It was to the second set of ears—our spiritual ears—Jesus referred in the parable of the sower when He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9). His promise of spiritual hearing in Revelation 3:20 is contingent upon the second set of ears being opened.

What happens, then, if your second set of ears are opened?

Well, first you find that instead of merely concluding that the minister was a good speaker, you suddenly think, He is speaking to my soul. Now you begin to view life from a new perspective and to think about issues you have never considered before: the question of whether there is life beyond the grave, for example.

However, there is another course of action you may take. Let us look at Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart what is written in it” (emphasis added). The Greek word for “take to heart” means “mark attentively” or “take heed.” This means that the message of Revelation is not mere opinion or mythology; what is said is true, so you must consider this whole matter most soberly. In fact, you must heed its message.

The message of Revelation is the unveiling of the divine will concerning Jesus Christ. This book tells you all you need to know about Jesus and all you need to know about yourself.

Excerpted from A Vision of Jesus (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1999).