Excerpts From The Book Of Life (Chapter 30)

                            Excerpts From The Book Of Life

© 2012 by Dana Leonardi. All Rights Reserved.

 

                                               Chapter 30

 

Shortly after this I went back to where John was baptizing because some of John’s followers were soon to become My disciples. It was now time for Me to travel throughout the area and start teaching My people about the Kingdom of God. When John saw me in the distance, he said to some of his disciples:

“Look, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

2 of them came after Me without hesitation and spent the rest of the day with Me. John watched us until we were out of sight. He knew that his time was now coming to an end as he finished the purpose that I gave him of preparing the way for Me. He knew in his heart that he would now decrease as I increased but that brought him much joy. Of all the men ever born of women, there is none greater than John.

Andrew was one of the two that first followed Me. He soon found his brother Simon and told him that I was the Christ and brought him to Me. I called him Peter and he also followed Me although he did not seem quite as assured as his brother was in following Me. The next day we went to the region of Galilee where I found Philip and he also followed Me. Philip went to find his friend Nathanael to tell him about Me but no one knew where he was. Nathanael would often go to a secret place of his under a fig tree where he could be alone, so he could seek after God and at that very moment he was asking God to give him a pure heart and was expressing his love for God. He would slip away and come to this place as often as he could and at times he wondered if God even knew he was there or even heard him. This was one of those times and as he was leaving he was asking God to just acknowledge that He sees and hears him so he would know that he isn’t wasting his time. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard someone calling his name from a distance. For an instant, he thought God was acknowledging him but then saw Philip running towards him and calling his name.

Philip reached him and while trying to catch his breath was telling him that he had found the Messiah and to come now and he would take him to Me. Nathanael reluctantly went, more out of humoring his friend than believing him. He thought facetiously that if God won’t come to him, then he will go to God’s Messiah. Philip grabbed his arm and started running. “Hurry up Nathanael, I don’t want Him to leave before we get there, I’ve already spent to much time looking for you.” They ran almost the entire way and as they were approaching I said to the others that were with Me:

“Look, here comes an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

Nathanael stopped in his tracks, a little bewildered, looking at Me and trying to remember if he had met Me before, then realizing that he has never seen Me before, said to Me:

“How is it that you know me?”

I told him that I saw him under the fig tree before Philip found him. Nathanael stood frozen for a while and everyone was now looking at him and Me wondering what was going on. A dozen thoughts were filing through Nathanael’s mind. How does this man know me? How could he have seen me? There was no one around the fig tree and even if he were hiding somewhere nearby he couldn’t have gotten here any faster than we did and even if it were so, what would be the purpose? I just stood there smiling at Nathanael and waiting for his thoughts to calm. As they did and as he would look at Me and then look around and then look at Me again, it finally hit him. Tears started as his heart began to melt. He looked intently at Me and could sense that it was I that he was communing with all those times under the fig tree. He knew that I knew his heart and knew that I loved him. He knew that I saw him and heard him and was now acknowledging him. His heart was about to burst with an abundance of joy and thanksgiving but was given relief through the words that came from his mouth:

“You are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.”

Those around were speechless and some didn’t know what to make from this statement. So I said to Nathanael:

“You believe this because I said I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than these. Truly I say to you that you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

I said this not only for Nathanael and for those around to hear but also for all of the spiritual realm to hear. I was letting them know that I, the Son of God was also the Son of Man and I, as Man, was now dwelling in both the physical and the spiritual realm at the same time. Commerce between the two realms has been opened once again as it was in the Garden of Eden. All of the heavenly realm will once again be available to man through Me. In the same manner that I Am the Door for My angels to go in and out of the heavenly realm I will now be the Door for all those who come to Me in the earthly realm. The tree of Life will once again be accessible through Me. Man will have access to My Father through Me.