1565. Jacob and His Ladder

Jacob and His Ladder

"And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending: and descending on it" (Gen_28:12).

1. A Night Scene

"And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set" (Gen_28:11).

Jacob was fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau. Night had come on, when Jacob lighted upon a certain place to tarry till the morning.

We are living during an age of darkness.

When Jesus Christ went to the Father's right hand, the sun went down. From that day until this it has been night. During this age, saints are called "luminaries," because they shine at night. This age is called "darkness," during its overhanging shadows the Church partakes of the Lord's supper.

2. Jacob's Dream

When "the sun was set; he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it" (Gen_28:11-12).

Jacob's dream is typical of the blessed hope of the saints. Jacob saw the angels of God ascending and descending; the saints are anticipating the hour when God will span the distance from earth to Heaven, and shall descend, accompanied by myriads of His holy ones. Mid the darkness of the present night, let us cheer our hearts with the prospect of the coming dawn; with the blessed hope of our Lord's Return.

Beyond doubt, Jacob's ladder presents to us the fact of the present ministry of angels during this darkness; but it most gloriously anticipates the coming of the Son of Man.

Did not Christ say unto Nathanael, "Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man" (Joh_1:51).

3. Stirring Words

"And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. * * I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of" (Gen_28:13-15).

The words above clearly outline a promise which reaches unto the millennial rest, and sees the children of Jacob restored unto the Lord Jesus Christ–inhabiting their land.

When we stand together during the thousand years, and we hear our Lord, or some of His chosen ones opening up unto us the Scriptures, we will see how marvelously these words looked forward to the day of Christ's reign upon this earth.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR