Movie camera language is to use shots to convey the meaning of the story. Its ingenuity is that it can leave audience endless room to ponder. At the sight of the title Knocking at the Door, I cannot but think of the prophecy of Revelation: “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” (Revelation 3:20). What association is there between “knocking at the door” here and “the Lord’s coming to knock at the door”? Has the Lord come to knock at the door? Only the title has caught the eyes of the Christians who are attentively waiting for the Lord’s return. Several sets of shots serve as a crucial point in the film. They not only ingeniously link up the whole film, but make all the plots well organized and simple. That the directors have put a lot of thought into the film goes without saying. What are such shots? What are they telling? Say no more. Come quickly and have a look at these scenes.

Scene One: At the beginning of the film is a set of long shots. First comes the 3D special-effect shot of the Lord Jesus’s knocking at the door under the quiet dark sky. Then the camera slowly moves backward. It is seen that this is a picture laid on the desk of the hero, Yang Aiguang. Next, a row of spiritual books come into view, such as, To Seek and You Shall Find, Opening the Heart, The Kingdom of Heaven Descends, Awakening and Awaiting, and so on. These books are neatly arranged on the desk. As the camera continues panning, the hero is seen reading the Bible and pondering the words of the Lord Jesus: The Lord Jesus stands at the door and knocks. How will the Lord knock? In what way? Here, the directors, cleverly using the series of shots, tell audience that the hero is a true believer in the Lord, who is yearning for the appearance of the Lord and watchfully waiting for Him to knock at her door. Also, these shots introduce suspense into the film, and, meanwhile, give audience some room to consider: How on earth will the Lord knock at the door when He comes? Naturally, they foreshadow the following plots. After an empty shot, a knocking at the door even presents the answer to audience vividly.

Scene Two: With the witnesses’ knock at Yang Aiguang’s door, the camera takes a close-up of the couplets posted on the sides of the door, which reads: “The utterances of the Holy Spirit are knocking at the door of the heart; Listen to the Lord’s voice and open the door to greet the Lord’s coming.” And the horizontal streamer reads: “Feast with the Lord.” The couplet looks ordinary yet makes the central idea of the film prominent. It shows the mood of the hero urgently longing for the Lord Jesus’s return. Simultaneously, it leads audience to understand that if we want to welcome the Lord’s return, we must be able to listen to the Lord’s voice. Just as Revelation 3:20 says, those clever virgins who hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches and then open their hearts to greet the Lord can feast along with Him. However, when Yang Aiguang learns that the way of the Lord Jesus’s return is not in line with her conception, and when the utterances of the Holy Spirit reveal the substance of religious pastors, she drives the witnesses out of her house time and time again. That the big red gate slams shut shows Yang Aiguang’s closed heart. The closed gate and the red couplet contrast sharply, which is thought-provoking.

Scene Three: As Yang Aiguang slowly opens the door of her heart and allows the witnesses knocking at the door again to communicate God’s work to her co-workers, she is strongly opposed by Co-worker Wu and Co-worker Wang. When they both stand to block her, the painting on the wall with the words “Christ is the Lord of my family” is taken a close-up of many times. The appearance of the phrase at that moment clearly conveys the idea that since we believe in God, we should let Him control our family and honor Him as great and exalt Him in everything. When facing all things, those who honor God as great will first pray to God and seek God’s will, and then practice God’s words. Otherwise, it doesn’t come close to it: Christ is the Lord of my family. On the contrary, in the film, each time some difficulties come upon them, Co-worker Wu and Co-worker Wang at present and Yang Aigaung in the past don’t pray to the Lord to seek His will but instantly turn to the pastor for instructions. Of course, not merely they practice like this. In reality, too many people in the whole religious world adorn themselves with the phrase to express their adoration and worship to God, while their hearts are filled with the status of pastors and elders and they regard the words of pastors and elders as truths. It has to be said that the set of shots is rather ironical and is also a warning: When the Lord comes to knock at the door, should we seek and listen to the utterances of the Holy Spirit according to the Lord’s word, or follow the words of pastors and elders to keep staying in the great city of religion, Babylon? It is indeed worth reflecting on. Before, Yang Aiguang was also a person who believed in the Lord but followed pastors and elders. Especially as for welcoming the Lord’s coming, she was subject to the influence of the words of the pastor many times; furthermore, she welcomed the Lord according to the words of the pastor, so that she kept the Lord outside the door, almost ruining herself and becoming a person who believed in the Lord but resisted Him. Fortunately, with the witnesses unceasingly knocking at the door and reading God’s words to her, Yang Aigung finally comes to realize the truth, so she timely opens her heart, walks on the right path and welcomes the appearance of the Lord. This really fulfills God’s word, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

Scene Four: At the end of the film, the song “God Has Appeared in the East of the World With Glory” plays over the end credits. To this background music, a set of shots of Yang Aiguang and her co-workers standing at the different doors and knocking in different seasons is presented on the screen. These shots tell even more in silence than in sound. Obviously, after receiving the appearance of the Lord, Yang Aiguang joins the line of knocking at the door, just as the witnesses knocked at her door in the beginning. Whether in the heat of summer and the bitter cold, or when she suffers rejection and cold looks of others and even runs the risk of being arrested and imprisoned, the melodious sound of her knocking at the door still rings continuously.

Maybe someone will knock at your door next time. Are you ready to welcome the Lord’s coming?

Knocking at the Door Trailer: