Sulam Yaakov is known to us as Jacob's Ladder. It is a inter-dimensional ladder and the only means of traveling from this reality into God's. It can be seen in Genesis 28:10–19.
"Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.And behold, the Lord stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; "
We also see in John 1:51 that it is the Word of God, Y'shua, who is this ladder.
"And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
Also, when John ascended into Heaven, in Revelation 4, he was in the presence of Sulam Yaakov, Y'shua.
Observation #1
Since angels can only ascend and descend into heaven on Jacob’s ladder, then does Satan use Jacob’s ladder to gain access to the throne of God in order to accuse us before God?
Observation #2
Does the souls of God's Elect also gain access that way? Therefore, when we die and we are in the presence of the Lord(II Corinthians 5:8), does this mean we are at the foot of Sulam Yaakov, Jacob's Ladder?
Observation #3
After Jacob had his dream, he named the place Beth-El, the House of God. Is this a physical portal into the House of God or is symbolic of something else or both?
As we delve into these and other questions or observations within the Word of God, we gain a more intimate knowledge of our Lord and G-d thereby growing closer to him.
Shabbat Shalom my Friends
Those are quite interesting thoughts aren't they...
ReplyDeleteMy personal view is that the ladder is, as you say, a representation of Jesus. Paul says in his letter to the Romans that it is His death that allows God to express the mercy He desires to express, without being unrighteous. And even prior to Jesus birth, God's mercies were given only because of the certainty of the purchase Christ would make for them.
Thus the ministry of angels on earth is only possible through Christ. Being admitted to the presence of God is only possible through Christ. Likewise, if you believe all things are under the sovereignty of God for the good of God's elect, even seemingly 'evil' things like Satan being admitted to God's presence are only possible through Christ.
Christ (as Sulam Yaakov) as a gateway to the presence of God. Any interaction between heaven and earth must pass through Him, and will thus be directed by Him for the good of His elect.
Of course, this 'ladder' is only one function of Christ. EVERYTHING is possible only through Christ, since God's character must be expressed in EVERYTHING He does, and part of this is mercy and grace towards His elect in ALL things. Jesus is the channel through which all of God's mercies flow!
Excellent thoughts; I had never studied the ladder before.
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