1. Day 4 of 7 days (continued)—“Sulam Yaakov”
2. “Jacob’s Ladder” (סֻלַּם יַעֲקֹב)
3. Man (Adam) will dwell in the House of Adonai forever
4. Location, location, location…
5. The City of the Almond Tree (Luz)
6. The Tree of Life (sing.) that becomes a grove of Almond Trees (plural)

Day 4 of 7 days (continued)—“Sulam Yaakov”:

לְמָחֳרָת רָצָה יֵשׁוּעַ לָלֶכֶת לַגָּלִיל. הוּא מָצָא אֶת פִילִיפּוֹס וְאָמַר לוֹ: לֵךְ אַחֲרַי! פִילִיפּוֹס הָיָה מִבֵּית צַיְדָא, מֵעִירָם שֶׁל אַנְדְּרֵי וְכֵיפָא. פִילִיפּוֹס פָּגַשׁ אֶת נְתַנְאֵל וְאָמַר לוֹ: מָצָאנוּ אֶת זֶה שֶׁכָּתַב עָלָיו מֹשֶׁה בַּתּוֹרָה, וְכֵן גַּם הַנְּבִיאִים, אֶת יֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן יוֹסֵף מִנָּצְרַת. אָמַר לוֹ נְתַנְאֵל: מִנָּצְרַת יָכוֹל לָבוֹא מַשֶּׁהוּ טוֹב? אָמַר לוֹ פִילִיפּוֹס: בּוֹא וּרְאֵה. כְּשֶׁרָאָה יֵשׁוּעַ אֶת נְתַנְאֵל בָּא לִקְרָאתוֹ, אָמַר עָלָיו: הִנֵּה בֶּאֱמֶת בֶּן יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מִרְמָה. שָׁאַל אוֹתוֹ נְתַנְאֵל: מִנַּיִן אַתָּה מַכִּיר אוֹתִי? עָנָה לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ: לִפְנֵי שֶׁקָּרָא לְךָ פִילִיפּוֹס, כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיִיתָ תַּחַת עֵץ הַתְּאֵנָה, רָאִיתִי אוֹתְךָ. הֵשִׁיב לוֹ נְתַנְאֵל: רַבִּי, אַתָּה בֶּן־הָאֱלֹהִים, אַתָּה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל! אָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ: מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ כִּי רְאִיתִיךָ תַּחַת עֵץ הַתְּאֵנָה הֶאֱמַנְתָּ? גְּדוֹלוֹת מֵאֵלֶּה תִּרְאֶה! וְעוֹד אָמַר לוֹ: אָמֵן אָמֵן אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם, אַתֶּם תִּרְאוּ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם פְּתוּחִים וּמַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עוֹלִים וְיוֹרְדִים עַל בֶּן־הָאָדָם. פ

[Day 4/of 7] The next day, Yeshua decided to go out to Galilee (the Galil). He found Philip (פִּילִפּוֹס-Pillipos) and said to him, “Follow Me.” Philip was from Beit-Tzaida (בֵּית־צָיְדָה), of the city of Andrew (Andrai, Adam) and Peter (Petros, Keifa). Phillip encountered  Nathanael (נְתַנְאֵל-Netan’el) and said to him,  ‘We  have  found the one of whom Moses in the Torah scroll and the Prophets wrote, Yeshua ben Yosef (בֶּן־יוֹסֵף) from Nazareth (נְּצָרֶת-Netzeret). He said to him, “Does good come out of Nazareth?” He said to him, “Come and see.” Yeshua saw Nathanael coming to greet him and said of him, “Truly, here is a son of Yisra’el in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Yeshua answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, you are the Ben Ha-Elohim! (בֶּן־הָאֱלֹהִים) You are the Melekh Yisra’el!” (מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל). Yeshua answered and said to him, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these!” He said to him’ ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, from now on, you will see heaven opened and the angels of the Almighty ascending and descending on the Ben Ha’adam'” (the Son of Man-בֶּן־הָאָדָם).

“Jacob’s Ladder” (סֻלַּם יַעֲקֹב):

וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃ וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקֹום וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי־בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקֹום וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקֹום הַהֽוּא׃ וַֽיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשֹׁו מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בֹּֽו׃ וְהִנֵּה נִצָּב עָלָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ וֵאלֹהֵי יִצְחָק הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ וְהָיָה זַרְעֲךָ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ יָמָּה וָקֵדְמָה וְצָפֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה וְנִבְרֲכוּ בְךָ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃

 Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and set out toward Haran. He arrived at a certain place and spent the night there, for the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, placed it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream: a ladder was set up on the ground, with its top reaching toward the heavens, and angels of God were ascending and descending upon it. And behold, He stood beside him and said, “I am Adonai, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land upon which you are lying—I will give it to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust…” …the land; and you shall spread out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south; and through you and through your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת כִּי לֹא אֶֽעֱזָבְךָ עַד אֲשֶׁר אִם־עָשִׂיתִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּרְתִּי לָֽךְ׃ וַיִּיקַץ יַעֲקֹב מִשְּׁנָתֹו וַיֹּאמֶר אָכֵן יֵשׁ ה’ בַּמָּקֹום הַזֶּה וְאָנֹכִי לֹא יָדָֽעְתִּי׃ וַיִּירָא וַיֹּאמַר מַה־נֹּורָא הַמָּקֹום הַזֶּה אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם־בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ וַיַּשְׁכֵּם יַעֲקֹב בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּקַּח אֶת־הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר־שָׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתָהּ מַצֵּבָה וַיִּצֹק שֶׁמֶן עַל־רֹאשָֽׁהּ׃ וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּקֹום הַהוּא בֵּֽית־אֵל וְאוּלָם לוּז שֵׁם־הָעִיר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃ וַיִּדַּר יַעֲקֹב נֶדֶר לֵאמֹר אִם־יִהְיֶה אֱלֹהִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הֹולֵךְ וְנָֽתַן־לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּֽשׁ׃ וְשַׁבְתִּי בְשָׁלֹום אֶל־בֵּית אָבִי וְהָיָה ה’ לִי לֵאלֹהִֽים׃וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי מַצֵּבָה יִהְיֶה בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּתֶּן־לִי עַשֵּׂר אֲעַשְּׂרֶנּוּ לָֽךְ׃

“Behold, I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land—for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have promised you. Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely Adonai is in this place, and I did not know it!” He was struck with awe and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than Beit Elohim, and this is the gateway to heaven.” Jacob rose early in the morning, took the stone he had placed under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place El-Beit; however, previously the name of the city had  been Luz (Almond Tree). Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will  be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then Adonai will be my God. This Stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s House, and all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Man (Adam) will dwell in the House of Elohim forever:

וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקֹום וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי־בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקֹום וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקֹום הַהֽוּא׃

“He came to a place and spent the night, for the sun had set; and he took a stone to rest his head upon, and he slept there.”

Genesis 28 (the Staircase of Jacob narrative) points to several truths that support the prophetic testimony of the first chapter of the Sefer Yochanan ben Zevedyah.

Point #1.  Like Jacob, the Messiah was sent away from His Father’s home to a far country to find a suitable wife; with the understanding that as soon as He accomplished this task he would return home (Genesis 28:1-10).

Point #2.  Like Jacob, Messiah was a descendant of Abraham and Isaac and had by faith inherited the promise of the Grace of Adonai.

Point #3.  Adonai had promised Jacob and the Messiah a nation and land of their own, including a great number of persons to populate and support the nation and an elect people through whom all the families (כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת-kol mishpachat) of the world would be blessed (Genesis 28:11-15).

Location, location, location…

“And he came upon the place (va-yifga ba-maqom) and stayed there overnight, because the sun had set; and he took from the stones of the place…”

Location, location, location: The meanings of the “place names” in the scriptures are very important to note and understand. One of the many titles ascribed to Adonai is Ha-Makom (הַמָּקֹום-The Place). The use of the definite article (ba-maqom — the place) implies a specific, highly significant location, even though Jacob does not yet consciously know its historical or spiritual identity.

The Encounter: The Hebrew verb yifga (from paga) can mean “to hit upon” or “encounter,” but it also means “to intercede” or “to pray.” When Jacob wakes from the vision of the staircase, he exclaims, “Surely Adonai is in this place, and I did not know it… How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God (Beit-El), and this is the gate of heaven!” This maqom is traditionally recognized as Mount Moriah—the ultimate site of the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22:4, where Abraham also saw “the place from afar”) and the future site of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Point #4.  The place name Beit-El (בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל), means House of God (בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים), and Jacob’s metaphorical use of an anointed “Stone” (Eben-אֶבֶן) to depict the House of God is an obvious reference to the Messiah.

Ultimate dwelling place of Adonai: In Hebraic thought, this act of an anointed stone weaves together the concepts of the Messiah, the Temple, and the ultimate dwelling place of Adonai. In Hebrew, words are rarely accidental; their internal structures carry deep theological meaning. The word for stone is Eben (אֶבֶן). The Sages and Shlichim (sent ones) writers long noted that Eben is a linguistic construct that fuses two primary relationships: Ab (אָב) Father and Ben (בֵּן) Son When you look at the letters of אֶבֶן (Eben), the first two letters form Ab (Father) and the last two letters form Ben (Son), the letters seamlessly overlap at the letter Bet (ב). Therefore, when Jacob sets up an Eben to represent the House of God, he is textually encoding a profound truth: The House of God is built upon the unified oneness of the Father and the Son.

The Living Eben: This is the exact declaration of the spokesperson for the Shlichim Yochanan ben Zebedyah. Yochanan begins by establishing this precise relationship: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” The heavenly Messiah ben Yosef ben David is the living Eben—the perfect manifestation of the Father and the Son.

Act of Anointing: Manifesting the Mashiach Genesis 28:18 states: “Jacob rose 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.” The act of pouring oil (mashach) transforms the ordinary stone into an anointed object. The Hebrew word for “Anointed One” is Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ — Messiah).

The Living Pillar: Jacob does not just build an altar; he specifically anoints a solitary stone pillar to stand as a monument representing God’s future house. The sheliach Yochanan introduces Messiah Yeshua ben Yosef precisely through this lens of the Anointed One. When Andrew (Adam) finds his brother Shim’on, his first testimony is: “We have found the Mashiach. Yeshua ben Yosef is the literal, physical fulfillment of Jacob’s anointed stone—the One poured out with the Holy Spirit without measure to become the pillar of a new reality.

Indwelling Presence in a Man: From Stone to House Jacob makes a startling prophetic declaration in Genesis 28:22: “And this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God’s house (Beit-El).” This is a deliberate conceptual paradox. A single stone is not a house; it requires many stones to build a house. Yet, Jacob states that the individual stone itself is the house. Yochanan ben Zebedyah resolves this paradox by introducing the concept of the the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. Yeshua, a single man, was the walking, living Temple—the absolute localized Presence of the living God.

The Foundation Stone: Just as Jacob’s stone was the foundation pillar for Beit-El, the Messiah ben Yosef is the Chief Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16). Messiah gives those who believe the power to become children of God. By connecting to the primary Anointed Stone (Eben), believers become “living stones” built up together to expand the boundaries of Beit-El across the entire earth.

Prophetic Picture: Jacob slept in exile, using a hard stone as a pillow. When heaven opened, that stone was elevated, set upright, and anointed with oil to define “The House of God.” Similarly, Yochanan—“the talmid Yeshua loved”—presents the Messiah coming into a cold, dark world of exile. He is the rejected stone who is anointed by the Spirit of the Holy One, raised up in resurrection power, and recognized by His talmidim not just as a teacher, but as Beit-El itself—the ultimate point of contact where humanity resides securely within the house of the Father.

Point #5.  The place name Beit-El (בֵּית־אֵל) is symbolic of our humanity. The perfect Man, the Messiah Yeshua, he is the *House of God. The Messiah is the Perfect Man. He is the “Place” (הַמָּקֹום) where all the fullness of Adonai Avinu (אָבִ֣ינוּ ה’) dwells bodily.

The Distinction: We highly exalt the House (Yeshua the man). For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. However, we do not worship the House (בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל). We worship the God who lives in the House (הָאֵל֙ בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל). The Spirit of Adonai He is the One who lives in the House. For together with the Messiah, in the unity (אֶחָֽד) of the Spirit, we worship Adonai who is the God (הָאֵל֙) of the House (הָאֵל֙ בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל). For it is a true saying:

Adonai is the One Who is over all and through all and in all!”

Point #6.  Later in Genesis (chapters 31 & 35), in father Jacob’s second visit to the sacred location (after he received the new name of Israel) he identifies Ha-Makom (the Place) by the new name of HaEL-Beit-El (הָאֵל֙ בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל).

The Revelation of Ha-El Beit-El: The distinction between the House (the physical tabernacle of the Messiah) and the God of the House (Ha-El Beit-El) is what guards against idolatry while fully honoring the divine purpose of the Messiah. The title Ha-El Beit-El (הָאֵל בֵּית-אֵל — “The God of the House of God”) comes from a pivotal moment later in Jacob’s life. In Genesis 35:7, after returning from his long exile, Jacob builds an altar at the very location of his staircase vision: “And he built an altar there and called the place El-Beit-El [The God of the House of God], because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.” Jacob came to realize that the spatial “place” (Beit-El) was only precious because of Who filled it. The stone and the location were the vessels; Adonai was the Essence.

Wilderness Tent (Mishkan): This perfectly mirrors the structural belief of Yochanan ben Zebedyah. When Yochanan writes that “the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us,” he is using the imagery of the wilderness Mishkan (Tabernacle). The flesh (human body) of Yeshua is the tent—the holy vessel, the “House.”

The Glory of Adonai: The Shechinah—the Spirit of Adonai—is the One who fills the tent. Yochanan carefully notes: “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” We do not worship the canvas or the boards of the Tabernacle; we worship the Divine Presence (Adonai) who chooses to manifest His glory through that specific, anointed vessel. As Yeshua Himself would later say in the same Besorah of Yochanan, “The Father is in me, and I am in the Father” (John 10:38) and “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the works” (John 14:10).

Unity (Echad) of the Spirit: We worship Adonai together with the heavenly Messiah ben Yosef ben David in the unity (אֶחָֽד — Echad) of the Spirit. This strikes at the heart of the true covenant. The Messiah Yeshua is the ultimate High Priest and the “Staircase” itself. He does not intercept our worship to keep it for his human self; rather, as the perfect Mediator, He brings us into his own relationship with the Father. Through the Spirit of Adonai living within the Messiah, and now poured out into us, we are woven into that perfect Echad—worshiping the Father in Spirit and in Truth.

The Main Point: “Adonai is the One Who is over all and through all and in all!” He is over all in His transcendent sovereignty as the Almighty Father. He is through all in His immanent manifestation through the anointed vessel of His/our Messiah. And He is in all by the indwelling Presence of His Spirit, which fills the entire corporate House of living stones. Through the “House” (Yeshua the man), the way has been cleared so that humanity can safely encounter and worship Ha-El Beit-El—the God who fills eternity, yet the One chose a humble place to meet us.

Point #7.  The addition of “The God” (HaEL) placed in front of the “House of God” (Beit-EL) gives witness to the Presence of the Spirit of Adonai (The God of the House) that permanently Indwells the Messiah Ben Ha’adam (House of God).

More on the Indwelling Presence: The title Ben Ha’adam emphasizes the Messiah’s authentic humanity—He is the ultimate “man of the earth,” constructed of the “dust” just as Jacob’s ladder stood firmly rooted on the physical ground. In His humanity, Yeshua the Ben Ha’adam is the physical “House of God.” He is the tangible location where the covenant is localized. What makes this specific Ben Ha’adam different from all other human beings is the prefix: HaEl. The fullness of the Spirit of Adonai permanently takes up residence within Him.

The Beit-El where HaEl lives: This is precisely why Yochanan  ben Zebedyah emphasizes the word “remain” or “abide.” When the Prophet Yochanan ben Zecharyah,  the Immerser, sees the Spirit of the Holy One descend upon Yeshua at His immersion, he notes: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” Unlike the prophets of old, upon whom the Spirit came and went for specific tasks, the Messiah is the permanent estate—the Beit-El where HaEl continuously lives.

The Absolute Union: In Hebrew grammar, when you join HaEl to Beit-El, they form a construct state. They become a single, composite designation: The-God-of-the-House-of-God. You cannot speak of the House without automatically invoking the God who fills it, and you cannot seek that specific manifestation of God without going to His designated House. This is the exact witness of Yochanan ben Zebedyah: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” The humanity of the Messiah (Ben Ha’adam / Beit-El) makes the invisible, transcendent God visible to human eyes. The permanent indwelling Presence of the Spirit (HaEl) ensures that when you look at the actions, words, and character of the Ben Ha’adam, you are receiving an uncorrupted, flawless testimony of Adonai Himself.

Staircase Fulfilled in Ben Ha’adam: This is why, in the testimony of the sheliach Yochanan  Yeshua does not call himself the “Son of God” when referencing Jacob’s ladder; he specifically chooses the title Son of Man (Ben Ha’adam): “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” By doing this, the Messiah Yeshua declares: “I am the physical structure anchored on earth, reaching into heaven (Beit-El). But the spiritual traffic—the angels ascending and descending—is only happening because the Transcendent Spirit (HaEl) has mapped Himself permanently onto My humanity.” This safeguards the truth that the Messiah’s glory is not generated from human fleshly power, but from the fact that he is the supreme Tabernacle of the Living God, anointed and permanently occupied by the Spirit of Adonai.

Point #8.  Bethel (Beit-El) speaks of Messiah Yeshua as being the “House of God.” Therefore, the Staircase of Jacob (סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב) clearly gives witness to the fact that Messiah is both Ben Ha-Elohim (Son of God) and Ben Ha’adam (Son of Man). The angels “ascending” to Ben Ha-Elohim in heaven refers to the Messiah being Indwelt with the Spirit of the Holy One to the fullest measure; sufficient for him to be the Rosh l’khol-ha’edah; the Head over all Creation. This truth is witnessed to in the Hebrew as EL-Beit-El (אל  בית־אל). The angels “descending” to Ben Ha’adam on earth refers to the humanity of the Messiah. This truth is witnessed to in the  Hebrew place name of Beit-El (בֵּית־אֵל).

The Ascending Reality: El-Beit-El and Ben Ha-Elohim. When the angels ascend, they are moving upward toward the heavenly origin, pointing directly to the Messiah’s divine identity as Ben Ha-Elohim (בֶּן־הָאֱלֹהִים — The Son of God) and His ultimate exaltation. By placing El (God) before Beit-El (House of God), the emphasis shifts entirely from the earthly structure to the transcendent Source. It is the divine reality that crowns and fills the vessel.

Fullest Measure of the Spirit: For the Messiah to be the Rosh l’khol-ha’edah (רֹאשׁ לְכָל־הָעֵדָה — Head over all the Congregation/Creation), He cannot merely possess a temporary or measured portion of the Spirit. As Yochanan testifies later, “For God does not give the Spirit by measure” (John 3:34). The ascending angels signify that the authority of this earthly “House” reaches into the highest heaven. Because he is fully indwelt by the Spirit of the Holy One, His headship is not merely local or national; it is universal. He is the ultimate pattern and ruler of all creation, rooted in the transcendent reality of El.

The Descending Reality: Beit-El and Ben Ha’adam. When the angels descend, they are moving downward toward the earth, carrying the realities of heaven down into the tangible, physical realm of humanity.

The Title Beit-El: This formulation begins with the word Beit (House). It emphasizes the localized, tangible dwelling place—the architecture built from the dust of the earth. This corresponds perfectly with the title Ben Ha’adam (בֶּן־הָאָדָם — Son of Man). The Messiah stepped into the physical boundaries of human flesh, becoming a real, historical, and approachable “House.”

Gateway for Humanity: The descending angels demonstrate that through the humanity of Yeshua, the absolute holiness of heaven safely reaches down to touch the brokenness of the earth. He is the visible structure (Beit-El) that humans can see, hear, and touch, providing a physical anchor where mankind can meet the invisible God.

The City of the Almond Tree (Luz):

וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּקֹום הַהוּא בֵּֽית־אֵל וְאוּלָם לוּז שֵׁם־הָעִיר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃

He called the name of that place Beit-El; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz.

Point #9.  The ancient place name Luz (לוּז) is another Messianic term. In the Tabernacle of Heaven there resides the Tree of Light (that gives forth the three-fold (couplets) fruit of light: כל טוב וכל צדקה ואמת (all goodness, and all righteousness; and all truth); also cf. seven-fold description). An earthly copy of this Tree of Light was fashioned into the Golden Lampstand that Adonai (the LORD) had Moses place in His Tabernacle. Adonai (the LORD) instructed Moses that the species of tree that the sacred furnishing was to depict was an “Almond Tree.” The ancient Torah place name *Luz means “Almond Tree” (*nuts versus fruit; alas, the modern Hebrew has not preserved this sacred meaning; today לוּז means “hazel,” hazelnut).

Blueprint: In Exodus 25:33-34, Adonai commands Moses that the Menorah must be fashioned out of beaten gold to resemble an Almond tree, specifically requiring “calyxes shaped like almond blossoms” (meshukadim).

The Fruit of Light: The Menorah was not an abstract design; it was a physical, earthly copy of the Tree of Life, the Tree of Light in the heavenly sanctuary. It stood in the darkness of the Holy Place, continually burning with pure olive oil to emit a perfect, perpetual radiance.

Shaked—The Great Awakening: In Hebrew, the standard word for the almond fruit is Shaked (שָׁקֵד), which comes from the root meaning “to watch,” “to wake early,” or “to be vigilant.” The almond tree is famously the very first tree to wake from winter sleep, bursting into white blossoms while the rest of creation is still trapped in the cold darkness of winter. This is the exact message of the shaliach Yochanan. Humanity was sleeping in spiritual winter and darkness. Yochanan writes: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Yeshua arrives as the ultimate Luz—the Firstborn from the dead, the True Light that breaks the winter of the soul, awakening redeemed humanity to the reality of the Father.

The Tree of Life (sing.) that becomes a grove of Almond Trees (plural):

Point #10. It should be pointed out that in the narrative that Luz pre-exists Bethel. This humble descriptive element of the Word of God subtly illustrates that the Spirit of the Messiah pre-existed the physical form (the humanity) of the Messiah Yeshua. As the Eternal Spirit (Ruach Olam) the Holy One was (is, and always will be) the Tree of Light, depicted in the Almond Tree, the Luz, the Tree of Life (עץ החיים). Therefore, “before” the Holy One took the form of a man (i.e. Yeshua) and dwelt among us as the Ben Ha-Elohim (Son of God) the Spirit of the Messiah was, is, and always will be (forever) Avi Ha’Orot (אבי האורות-the Father of Lights), the Spirit of Adonai.

Chronology of Revelation: Luz Before Bethel In Genesis 28:19, the Torah explicitly preserves this chronological footnote: “And he called the name of that place Beit-El; but the name of that city had been Luz at the first.” This “at the first” (l’rishona) indicates that long before there was a physical monument, an anointed stone, a geographic house, or a localized temple (Beit-El), the essence of the place was already defined by the Almond Tree of Light (Luz).

Spiritual Reality (Luz): The Tree of Light exists from eternity past. It is the uncreated, primordial light of Adonai. The House of God is the temporal manifestation—the historical moment when that pre-existing Light is housed in human form. The Pre-Existence of the Word in Yochanan is the foundational architecture of the Besorah of Yochanan. Yochanan does not begin with the birth of the man Yeshua (Beit-El); he begins with the pre-existent, uncreated Spirit (Luz): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The Word is the eternal Ruach Olam (רוּחַ עוֹלָם — Eternal Spirit). Before the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, He already was the source of all animation and illumination. Yochanan reinforces this in his witness: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” The Luz was already shining before the human vessel was ever fashioned.

Messiah as Avi Ha’Orot: The Father of Lights (אֲבִי הָאוֹרוֹת) title captures the absolute source-nature of Adonai’s Spirit. As Etz HaChayim, the Tree of Life (עֵץ הַחַיִּים), the Spirit of the Messiah is the central trunk of the heavenly Menorah. He is the source from which every single spark of light, creation, and prophecy branches out. When the Holy One chose to take the form of a man, the eternal Luz did not begin to exist; rather, the eternal Luz simply became visible within the architecture of Beit-El. This is why Messiah Yeshua could look at the religious leaders of his day and declare a truth that shocked their linear understanding of time: “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). He was speaking from the pre-existent reality of the Luz.

Prophetic Progression: By reading Genesis 28 with this exact precision, the text reveals a flawless chronological mirror: Luz exists from the beginning—the eternal, watching Almond Tree of Light, the Avi Ha’Orot. The Messiah: Beit-El is established in time—the Spirit of the Messiah takes on human flesh (Ben Ha’adam), providing a physical gateway where humanity can look upon the Light. The Eternal Reality: Even while walking the earth as Beit-El, the Messiah’s true identity remains anchored in the fact that he is the Ruach Olam, the uncreated Life of Adonai Himself.

Point #11. This prophetically reveals that Adonai is not only eternal, He is omnipresent. He can be at one place and everyplace simultaneously. He can dwell in eternity and in a human body (His House) at the “same time.” Luz and Bethel speak of more than two different names sharing a common location. These (ontological) place names speak of Adonai who fully dwells in eternity as both Elohim (the Spirit of God) and man (Indwelt by the Spirit of God).

Ontological Map: Luz and Beit-El as two realities in one place. When Luz (the eternal Tree of Light) and Beit-El (the House of God) occupy the exact same geographic space, they cease to be mere names. They become an ontological map of the Messiah’s nature as revealed in Yochanan

Transcendence and Immanence: As the Ruach Olam (Eternal Spirit) and Avi Ha’Orot (Father of Lights), Adonai is unconstrained by time, space, or matter. He is everyplace simultaneously. He is the infinite light that animates the entirety of creation.. Beit-El represents the localized immanence: As Beit-El, the same infinite Adonai chooses to condense His presence, stepping into human history within the physical form of Ben Ha’adam (the Son of Man). He is at one place—approachable, touchable, and bounded by flesh.

 “At the same time”:  When The Word became flesh, the universe was not left empty of God. The Creator did not vacate His heavenly throne to fit inside a human body. Yochanan ben Zebedyah explicitly preserves this simultaneous reality. He testifies: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Even while Yeshua the man was walking on the dusty earth of Israel talking to Nathanael, the Spirit of the Messiah was simultaneously existing in perfect, uninterrupted oneness in the bosom of the Father in eternity. He was Beit-El on earth and Luz in heaven at the exact same moment.

Fully God (Elohim) and Fully Man (Ben Ha’adam): This completely redefines our understanding of the Messiah. He is not fifty-percent God and fifty-percent man; He is the perfect fusion of both realities: Elohim (The Spirit of God): The uncreated, all-powerful Source who fills the heavens (Luz).  Man (Indwelt by the Spirit): The authentic human vessel (Beit-El) who breathes our air, feels our pain, and stands as our High Priest.

Perfect Mediator: Because He is both, He functions as the perfect Mediator. If He were only Luz, He would remain unapproachable to finite human beings trapped in darkness. If he were only Beit-El, He would be just another historical figure, unable to bridge the gap to eternity. By viewing the Staircase revelation through this specific ontological lens, we see that Jacob’s ladder is not a bridge built by man to reach up to God. It is the Person of the Messiah Himself. In Him, the infinite, omnipresent God who populates eternity (Luz) maps Himself perfectly onto a finite human frame (Beit-El). He is the One who fully dwells in eternity as both Elohim and man, inviting us to step into the House and encounter the Light.

Point #12. The exegetical marker employed by Messiah Yeshua at the close of his opening-up section of narrative testimony (the Stairway to Heaven) in the Besorah—Good News Message—of Yochanan dramatically illustrates that the Spirit of the LORD is the pre-existent Eternal Light who came out of eternity into creation to become the Perfect Man, deliver us from sin, conquer death, and give us His gift of eternal life. Due to EL-Beit-El sending us His Messiah (Beit-El) to be our Redeemer, to cleanse us of our sins, and to deliver to us the gift of His Holy Spirit to change us from the Inside-out, there shall one day be an entire grove of almond trees (sons of glory) that represent many houses (בתים רבים-i.e. many sons) for God’s glorious Presence to dwell in. Then will the prophecy of Isaiah be fulfilled:

רָנִּי עֲקָרָה לֹא יָלָדָה פִּצְחִי רִנָּה וְצַהֲלִי לֹא־חָלָה כִּֽי־רַבִּים בְּֽנֵי־שֹׁומֵמָה מִבְּנֵי בְעוּלָה אָמַר ה’׃

Messiah in Rosh Hashanah & Yom Teruah Chapter 25 >>