Jacob's 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.”Genesis 28:12 · KJV

“And he saith unto him, 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 · KJV

A runaway asleep on a stone saw a ladder set on the earth with its top reaching heaven, and God standing above it promising him everything (Gen 28:12-15). Jacob had cheated his brother, fled his home, and done nothing to earn the dream. He woke afraid.

The Hebrew word for the ladder, sullam, appears once in the entire Bible; nothing else is ever called one. Jesus told Nathanael what it was: “ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51). The ladder is a Person. And it was let down, not climbed: Jacob is asleep the whole time, and every verb in the promise is God’s, “I am with thee, and will keep thee... I will not leave thee” (28:15). He named the place Bethel, house of God, and the first house of God in Scripture was a rock a fugitive used for a pillow.