Jacob's Ladder
Genesis 28:10-17
Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head,and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."
He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Now travel forward in time to the New Testament where Jesus fulfills this dream:
John 1:51
And He said to him, "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."
Jesus is the ladder that leads to heaven. He has opened the gate, the only Way in to heaven.
I learned the story of Jacob's ladder as a child, and taught it to my own children. The pictures of the angels ascending and descending on the ladder were so pretty to look at. How I wish I had studied and discovered the real truth of this Scripture before, so that I could have taught them the truth.
God is restating His promise to Abraham and Isaac here to Jacob. He will give the land, Jacob's descendants will be too numerous to count, and all the nations will be blessed through Jacob/Israel.
I love when a truth comes to light! I am so blessed that He opens my eyes to let me see the riches of His Word.
Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head,and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."
He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Now travel forward in time to the New Testament where Jesus fulfills this dream:
John 1:51
And He said to him, "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."
Jesus is the ladder that leads to heaven. He has opened the gate, the only Way in to heaven.
I learned the story of Jacob's ladder as a child, and taught it to my own children. The pictures of the angels ascending and descending on the ladder were so pretty to look at. How I wish I had studied and discovered the real truth of this Scripture before, so that I could have taught them the truth.
God is restating His promise to Abraham and Isaac here to Jacob. He will give the land, Jacob's descendants will be too numerous to count, and all the nations will be blessed through Jacob/Israel.
I love when a truth comes to light! I am so blessed that He opens my eyes to let me see the riches of His Word.
You must have just listened to Dad's lesson from a few weeks back. I seriously had a "lightbulb" moment. And yes, Despicable Me was running through my head during Sunday school!!
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