The heavens have been opened: John 1:50-51

When Phillip called Nathaniel to come and meet Jesus, Jesus surprised him by saying, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:48) Nathaniel was impressed and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” (John 1:49) However, Jesus responded to Nathaniel by saying, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these… Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:50-51) What is interesting in this verse is that the Greek word translated here as “opened” is a perfect participle. In the Greek, the perfect tense represents a past action whose effect continues to today. In other words, this verse could be translated, “The heavens having been opened, you will see…” Jesus was not saying that Nathaniel would occasionally see the heaves open and close and the angels ascending and descending. Rather, he was saying that the heavens had already been opened, and as such, Nathaniel would see the ongoing interaction between heaven and Earth. Jesus inaugurated a new era of an open heaven. The heavens have been, and remain, open, and heaven is invading Earth. What hope this gives us in our daily lives.