When opening our Bibles to the beginning of the twenty-eighth chapter of the book of Genesis, do we read that after the Hebrew patriarch Isaac blessed his son Jacob, who’s name would later be changed to Israel and who would ultimately become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, did Isaac charge Jacob not to take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan. Instead Isaac instructed Jacob to arise and go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel the grandfather of Jacob on his mother’s side, and to take a wife for himself from among the daughters of Laban, Jacob’s uncle; his mother’s brother. Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and then went out on his journey unto Padanaram. The Bible goes on to say that, “…Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and 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” (Genesis 28:10-12). Now even though this angelic vision is written in the Old Testament, the imagery of angels ascending and descending is expressed once more in the holy scriptures, but this time in the New Testament. For when speaking to His disciple Nathanael, Christ declared, “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51). Now from what the Bible teaches us Christ is the mediator between God and man, bridging heaven with earth. Continuing on this trail of thought it would also appear that the person of Jesus Christ is indeed the physical manifestation of the vision known as Jacob’s Ladder, and quite possibly even its prophetic fulfillment.
When comparing Jacob’s vision of the ladder which stretched from the earth up to heaven, with Christ who came down from heaven to earth, a most beautiful typology of the Old and New Testaments is revealed. For when Jacob awoke out of his sleep, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place…and he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16-17). From these verses it can be strongly argued that this terrestrial dwelling place or house of God on earth, known as Bethel, would serve as the foreshadowing of the coming of Christ, Who would dwell among men upon our own physical plane near the same geographical region where Jacob first had his vision several centuries earlier. For as it is written concerning the incarnation of Christ, “…the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Going further, some translations of the Bible state that the Word of God tabernacled among us, which is a direct reference to the tabernacle that once housed the ark of the covenant, upon which rested the earthly presence of the God of heaven. For the flesh which Christ took from His most pure and holy mother, would serve as an earthly tabernacle that contained within it the very essence of the Lord God of heaven and earth. So it was that the incarnation of the Son and Word of God was a divine descent from heaven above unto the earth below.
Returning to Jacob’s dream of the ladder which stretched from the earth up to heaven, we see how Jacob was not solely impressed with the vision that he saw, but also with the place wherein he dreamt it. For the Bible says that after we awoke from his sleep, “Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel” (Genesis 28:18-19). Now the Hebrew name “Bethel” means the “House of God” for even Jacob himself stated as such, and even went on to say that it was the very gate of heaven. Now Jacob had his divine dream in the territory of Palestine, the location known today as the Holy Land, and it was also in this same piece of real-estate that Jesus Christ preached His message of repentance and proclaimed the good news of God’s free gift of everlasting life. For as Christ bowed the heavens by His descent and became man, making His earthly dwelling place in the land of Judah, was Jacob’s vision revisited and ultimately fulfilled. For throughout Christ’s ministry, He only traveled within the territories of Galilee and Judah. For as Jesus said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). For it was the plan of the Messiah to get His own house in order first before He sent out His disciples into all the earth to preach the Gospel. For in the era of the New Testament Jacob’s Ladder would be replaced with the fisherman’s net, drawing many men from all nations into the House of God.
When touching upon the imagery of angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man, uttered by Christ Himself, it would seem that the powers of heaven accompanied Jesus while He tarried here on the earth. Evidence of an angelic presence surrounding Christ is found within the Gospels. For after Jesus was tempted by the devil, the Bible says that, “…angels came and ministered unto him” (Matthew 4:11). So from this verse it is evident that Christ was indeed surrounded by the heavenly hosts all the while He walked the earth, making this aspect of Christ’s terrestrial presence another archetype of Jacob’s Ladder. Additionally, Christ was not simply ministered to by angels, but had the power to command the angelic ranks to defend Him and fight against His enemies at will. An example of this is found when the Savior was betrayed by Judas. For when Jesus was being arrested, Peter started to fight them off, but Christ admonished him by saying how if He so desired He could pray to the Father and be given more than twelve legions of angels to come and fight against His enemies (Matthew 26:53). So from these passages taken from the New Testament the magnitude of Jacob’s Old Testament vision is made even more profound. For Christ not only bridges the gap between heaven and earth, but also brings with Him the presence of the holy angels. Just as an Orthodox Christian is sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism, the newly illumined is also assigned a guardian angel who invisibly watches over and protects the Christian throughout their entire life.
From what has been outlined thus far in this presentation concerning the symbology of Jacob’s Ladder with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, it is clear that our Creator has always desired to be in communion with mankind. This relationship between God and man also seems to be involved with angels who carry messages from God to man and back to God again. For the word angel derives from the Greek angelos, a translation of a Hebrew word meaning “messenger.” So from this understanding we see the important role angels play in God’s plan for the salvation of mankind, and how heaven and earth communicate with one another. It is the power of prayer which keeps this relationship alive. For by communing with Christ, man experiences the grace of God and ultimately achieves the salvation of his soul. Christ came down to lift us up. The Orthodox Church even teaches that God became a man, so that man could become a god. Going further, the monastics of the church, who have taken up the angelic habit will one day replace the seat that Lucifer lost when he fell from grace. Thus many men and women in the age to come will be included within the ranks of the heavenly hosts, and may even experience the holiness of angelic purity beginning in this life. So as believers who are seriously seeking our salvation may we all cling to Christ as we zealously attempt to climb the ladder of divine ascent.
References:
Holy Apostles Convent. The Orthodox New Testament. (Buena Vista, CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 2008).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).