This picture reminds me of the staircases that were in my Great-Aunt's brownstones in Boston. They were old, but you tell that at one time people of great wealth had owned them. Whenever I was in Boston, inspecting her property was a priority, so I spent a lot of time going up and down stairs like these. Naturally, they reminded me of two passages in the Scriptures and here they are...
WEB: Genesis Chapter 28
[10] Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. [11] He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. [12] He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. [13] Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. [14] Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. [15] Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”
[16] Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.” [17] He was afraid, and said, “How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”
WEB: John Chapter 1
[43] On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, "“Follow me.”" [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of 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 the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
[46] Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
[47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, "“Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom 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 King of Israel!”
[50] Jesus answered him, "“Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”" [51] He said to him, "“Most certainly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”"
Jacob and Philip were two very different individuals. They did have something in common, though... they had an encounter with God. He showed them the way to heaven and I can't really imagine a better thing to know about. The more I think about it, stairs will never be the same again!!!