Our Citizenship is in Heaven

John 1:35-51

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

[43] The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [45] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [46] Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” [50] Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” [51] And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Our home, our citizenship, is in heaven. May God reveal more and more of the heavenly realities that are all around us.

The finest Greek scholars, from J. H. Bernard to C. K. Barrett say this means Jesus is the ladder. What a tremendous truth! The ladder is Christ! “Nathanael, you have not seen anything! As you enter into the fullness of your relationship with me, and as your spiritual vision is broadened, you are going to see swarming angels and hear the rustle of their wings as they move on that ladder between Heaven and earth for you.” And this is actually what happens on behalf of believers today. We need to hold on to this and understand it and believe it until we can almost hear the rustle of their wings.

All who are in Christ live in the suburbs of Heaven. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). We are fellow citizens with the saints who are already there.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3)

All those blessings are ours—the ministry of angels, our heavenly citizenship, the closeness of Heaven. There is also a promise of growth implicit in Christ’s words to Nathanael: “You will see greater things than these.” We will experience ongoing growth and increasing understanding of the heavenly realities all around us.