"Jacob's Ladder"

Gen 28:12 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

The term "Jacob's Ladder" has become a common phrase—it has been used as a movie title, a book title, a name of a flower, and even as a name of an electrical device. But from where did this phrase originate?

Genesis 28:10-12 first mentions "Jacob's Ladder" when it says: "Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway/ladder resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."

It is in this passage that God reveals Himself to Jacob and reaffirms the covenant He made with Abraham, promising Jacob (who will later be named Israel). In this vision Jacob sees something similar to a ladder or a stairway (Hebrew word: Sullam) which signifies a connection between God and man. These two passages of Scripture reflect two issues of salvation: One group tries to reach heaven based on their own actions aside from God's help, for instance, the men of Babel, who tried to reach heaven by their own actions, aside from the help of God.

Genesis 11:1-4 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." The Jews like the men of Babel tried to reach heaven by their own actions, aside from the help of God through the Mosaic, law.

But the other group has access to heaven based on the provisions of God and only the provisions of God. In this instance, it was God who provided the means necessary to link Himself to man as opposed to those who tried through self rightness.

As Christians, we see this dream of Jacob's as highly symbolic, representing the Mediator, Jesus Christ, who came to earth and became that ladder or stairway for us to reconnect the relationship with God that was severed because of sin. Romans 5:1-2 says: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we (have gained access) by faith into this grace in which we now stand."

What is interesting is this very powerful statement from our Lord Jesus. Jesus Himself said He was Mark 1:51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” According to the Bible, Jesus was our ideal "Jacob's Ladder" who came to earth, through the provisions of God, and redeemed us so that we may reach heaven for eternity.

The "first fruits" and "the harvest" Part 2

In the process of revealing His plan of salvation for mankind, God established His annual Holy Days around the harvest seasons in the Middle East (Leviticus 23:9-16, Exodus 23:14-16). Just as His people harvested their crops around these Festival seasons, God's was showing Israel how He would harvest people for eternal life in His Kingdom.

Israel’s first fruit offering of men and women to God is outlined in the Old Testament. The Festival of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:9-14). And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 'And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD. 13 'Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 'You shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The first ripe barley was to be seen around April. It was these first ripe sheaves that were to be brought to the Lord and waved before Him as an anticipation of the harvest that was about to be reaped in the following month and a half. It also acknowledged that it was God who’ provided for them by offering back to Him first what He had given them. Lev 23:9-14 is the only passage that gives us information as to what the events were, even though there’s been much additional tradition that has been added to the celebration of the festival.

The festival - similar to the Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets and the Day of Atonement was to be of one day duration (Leviticus 23:12) at which time the sheaf of the first fruit of the barley harvest was brought to the priest and waved before the Lord so that the offerer would find acceptance (Lev 23:10-11). The priest waved the barley before the presence of YHWH on the behalf of the of the nation of Israel before after the Sabbath.

The Israelites were also not allowed to eat of the new harvest until the offering of the first fruit was brought and presented to YHWH (Lev 23:14), impressing upon them the importance of giving to God first before they thought of themselves.

In the New Testament, we find the fulfillment of this festival in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Therefore, the New Testament writers clearly proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ as being the first fruit offering to God. Paul announces in I Corinthians 15:20 that ‘... Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, and, again, in Colossians 1:18 that... Christ is the firstborn from the dead...’ while Revelation 1:5 also announces to the reader that Jesus is ‘... the firstborn from the dead...’

It isn’t just that figurative language is being used to speak of Jesus’ resurrection, but that it took place on the exact same day as the festival of first fruits was commanded to be waved before God in the Temple. Just like the seed of barley that fell into the earth and brought forth a sheaf, so the seed of Christ’s body was sown in the earth and brought forth new life as it was raised in power.

Clearly, the wave of sheaf before the presence of YHWH is used as a representative of a person and all that person represented and its significant. As I noted above, the command to Israel in Lev 23:9-14 mentioned a single sheaf and it's possible that one stalk was brought to be waved as representative as the entire harvest of the nation.

If God’s original intention, was to brings home the importance of one individual being acceptable to Him and that, because of Him, the nation would be able to find acceptance the figurative type of the "first fruits" and "the harvest" was it. The New Testament writers don’t drop the ball they don’t stop at simply stating that Jesus has risen as a fulfillment of the festival since they use this as the starting point to say more about the implications of the resurrection for believers. Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:23 that Christ is the first fruits from the dead, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.’

In the eyes of the early Church, Jesus’ resurrection is the anticipation of or the promise that the final harvest of resurrected believers that will take place. Just as the sheaf waved before the Lord was the promise of the future harvest, so, too, the acceptance of Jesus into Heaven through the resurrection and ascension is the promise to all believers that there was coming a time when all those who die in Christ (His Church) will similarly be raised from the dead into a new life and be acceptable to God.

Being the beginning the sheaf offered as the first fruit was the promise or guarantee of the harvest that was about to be gathered in soon (not over 2,000 years letter ). This was the hope of Israel. (Acts 26:6-8) The whole Old Testament points to this hope During the Old Covenant era while man was separated, from God at the end of his biological life involved the withdrawal of a person’s vital power the (nepes, “soul” departing from the body). (Genesis 35:18-19) They went to a place of the dead in the Old Testament, Hebrew called Sheol. In the New Testament the Greek word is Hades and waited for the atoning work of Christ and the resurrection from the dead. The close association between the grave and Sheol has long been recognized among the Israelites.

Israel’s hope was resurrection and God delivering them from the power of death. Many of the Old Testament saints expressed this hope. The context of the book of Job, in particular, is overall a good context in understanding how the old covenant saints hoped for resurrection. For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, Then without my flesh shall I see God.. (Job 19:26 American Standard). It depends on the Version of Scripture you use. Many of them like the American Standard bible use the Hebrew text which says "without my flesh I will see God."

The psalmist knew was God's ultimate caring and power to bring spiritual life from spiritual death Psalms 34:22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. Psalms49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah. Psalms 130:7-8 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

There is no doubting that death was something that the Israelites wrestled with while waiting for Yahweh’s power to release them from the grip of Sheol. God promised in Hosea 13:14, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes." Paul many century’s latter quotes this scripture as God fulfills his promise. 1Corinthians 15:55-57 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because God chose Israel as the first fruit of all the nations of the earth, He was anticipating His plan for the final harvest in which other nations would be gathered into the Kingdom of God.

"But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23) The "first fruits" and

In order to understand the biblical view of the resurrection, we must first understand the concept of the "first fruits" and "the harvest" according to the language, and culture and historical setting in with scripture was originally written. How did the Biblical Jews understand the concept of first fruits and the harvest?

Where did this idea of "first fruits" originate? "On the same general principle that the firstborn of man and beast belonged to the God of Israel and were to be devoted to Him (Nehemiah 10:35-39).

The first fruits, including the first grain to ripen each season, were to be brought as an offering to God. Every Israelite who possessed the means of agricultural productivity was under this obligation (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Numbers 15:17-21; 18:12-13:). "Speak the to children of Israel, and say to them." When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your, behalf on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it (Leviticus 23:10-11).

The first fruits were brought in a basket to the sanctuary and presented to the priest, who was to set the basket down before the altar. Then, the offering recited the story of Jacob’s going to Egypt and the deliverance of his posterity from there. He then acknowledged the blessings with which God had visited him (Deuteronomy 26:2-11).

It would be natural for Paul to have thought of Christ as the first fruits, because the day of Christ’s resurrection was the second day of Passover week on which the first ripe sheaf of the harvest was offered to the Lord (Lev 23:10-11,15).

Paul was also establishing another basic point. While Christ was the first fruits of the resurrection. The first century saints were also the significance of the "first ripe sheaf" (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15; James 1:18). All of the first century saints who put their trust in Christ, we're a part of collective believers known as first fruits to God. This select group of Christians was purchased from the earth as a FIRST FRUITS offering to God. (1Corinthians 6:20, 7:23) The Greek for purchase, means to go to the market. It is a picture of God coming to the earth, to select His FIRST FRUITS representative of a whole harvest before God (Revelation 14:4).

Eternal Life, or resurrection was a gift to the first fruits Christians. The time for death to be abolished had arrived. (2 Timothy 1:10) One of the principles that a first fruit offering taught was that a future harvest was promised - the first fruit was just a taste of what lay in store at the end of the full ingathering of the harvest. Every Jewish Christian understood this Old Testament concept. The second important truth inherent in the first fruits figure is the readiness of the harvest to be gathered as signified in the offering of the first fruits. The act of reaping had already begun, with the first fruits and the harvest would soon be ready to be cut (Revelation 14:15).

The harvest was all the saints who had died under the Old Covenant and had not received the promise of resurrection. Paul clearly taught that the resurrection was the hope of Israel. Acts 26:6-8 (NKJV) "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 "To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 "Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

These were people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Job, Isaiah, and Daniel etc. These "Old Covenant saints" where the rest of the harvest, the general resurrection. These were the ones Jesus addressed "though he may die, he shall live in. (John 11:23). Knowing the biblical concept of the first fruits and the harvest we can appreciate why God said: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38).

The harvest, follows the ripening "perfecting and offering of the first fruits saints." With the return of Christ and the destruction of the temple, the way into God presence was now fully opened. (Hebrew 9:8) The Hadean realm was emptied, and all the Old Covenant saints harvest were gathered in the general resurrection in A.D.70. This is the second resurrection that John mentioned in the first part of verse 5 of chapter 20 of Revelations.

God is a God that cannot lie Hebrews 6:18 and he fulfilled his promise of resurrection to Israel. The term "first fruits" itself implies, that the remainder of the harvest was ripe and ready to be gathered.
I dare say the harvest was gathered and is not rotted.

Jesus the true Israel of God.

One term of critical importance in the Bible is the word Israel. There is much reward if we spend time prayerfully considering this important key word in scripture. Let examine the matter in more detail.
The Old Testament is full of “Types and shadows” that pointed to Christ.

These are intentionally placed in the Scripture to describe and identify the Messiah when He came. Some “types” are people, such as Melchizedek, or Isaac. Some “types” are things such as Noah’s Ark. Some “types” are ceremonies such as Passover and events. Each of them beautifully picture the life and ministry of Jesus Christ hundreds of years before His Incarnation.

Let's look at some of these Types. And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead." Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. (Exodus 4:19-20) Here we have a type that was to be fulfilled in Christ centuries later.

"Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king." Matthew 2:1 Because Herod was threatened by this new child king, he sent soldiers who "slew all the children that were in Bethlehem." Verse 16. Joseph was warned of the impending crisis in advance. "The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word." Verse 13. So the holy family arose and "departed into Egypt." Verse 14 Matthew writes that little Jesus remained in Egypt "until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet.

Another type. When the young nation of Israel came out of Egypt, God called that nation "my son" in Exodus 4:22. When the baby Jesus came out of Egypt, God said, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." (Matthew 2:15) Matthew 2:15 is an important verse for several reasons. Matthew here is quoting Hosea 11:1 which was a prophecy, approximately 800 years earlier, which reads, (‘"When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. ) Matthew declares it "fulfilled" in Jesus Christ! Here Matthew is beginning to reveal a truly shocking principle that he and Paul develops throughout the Gospel. Matthew’s use of inaplhrwqh while citing Hosea 11:1 indicates that Christ’s departure out of Egypt was the fulfillment of Hosea 11:1. Therefore, Hosea 11:1 is solely a reference to Jesus as Israel.

Prior to Matthew 2:15, Matthew uses this exact same fulfillment formula to show two direct fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The prediction of Isaiah 7:14 finds its direct fulfillment in the virgin birth of Christ according to Matthew 1:23. The prediction regarding the birthplace of the messiah in Micah 5:2 finds its direct fulfillment in Matthew 2:5-6. Based upon the pattern of these prior precedents, it would seem that the use of the identical fulfillment formula in Matthew 2:15 would also suggest that Hosea 11:1 finds a direct fulfillment in Christ.

The apostle Paul also followed the principle of applying statements originally made about the nation of Israel to Jesus Christ. The clearest example of them all is where God called Israel "the seed of Abraham." (Isaiah 41:8) Yet Paul later wrote that Abraham's seed does not refer to "many," but to "one, singular... which is Christ." (Galatians 3:16)
Other statements originally made about the nation of Israel is God called Israel "my firstborn" in (Exodus 4:22). Yet Paul said it was Jesus Christ who is "the firstborn of every creature." (Colossians 1:15).

Isaiah ALSO APPLIED ISRAEL TO MESSIAH, Isaiah 49:3–6: 3 He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory."4But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God." 5And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), 6 He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (NASB)

Let's look at these verses more closely. According to verse 3, Yahweh is speaking to “My Servant Israel.” Verse 5 then states one of the purposes of this “Servant.” The Servant’s role is “to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him.” Verse 6 also states that the role of the Servant is “to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel.” God will also “makes” the Servant to be “a light to the nations” (v. 6).

What is significant here is that the Servant is clearly linked with Israel (v. 3) Yet He is also distinct in some way since He is the one who will “restore” Israel. The nation Israel cannot restore itself, for it is sinful nation. But the Servant—who is Jesus Christ the true Israel—can restore the nation Israel and bring blessings to the nations. Thus, this passage teaches that Jesus, the true Israel, who would restore the nation Israel and bring light to the nations. “Isaiah 49 shows that the servant ‘Israel’ will bring national Israel back to God and also extend Yahweh’s salvation to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah is applying the honorific title of “Israel” to the Messiah because he is the true servant who will finally accomplish the task of Israel.

How did the disciples link Isaiah 49:3–6 to Christ Jesus? The disciples asked Jesus the question, “So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6 NIV). The disciples do not believe that Jesus’ identity rules out a restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Jesus’ answer to their question is significant: “He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7). Jesus does not correct them or say, “Don’t you get it. I am not the Servant, Israel. Instead, Jesus informs them that the timing of Israel’s restoration is not for them to know, but is the only possession of the Father. They are to be concerned with the proclamation of the Gospel to the world.
A very careful study of the first book of the New Testament reveals that Christ the true Israel actually repeated the history of ancient Israel, point by point, and overcame where they had failed to do.

In Psalm 80:8, God calls Israel a "vine" that He brought "out of Egypt." Yet Jesus later declared, "I am the true vine." (John 15:1). Thus, there is only one true Israel, Jesus Christ, and none other; restoration plan of salvation throughout all history.

As Jesus is the true Israel, according to Scripture, And all who are a part of his (new creature) are a part of the Israel of God. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:14-16)