1. Jacob’s Dream
2. Man (Adam) will dwell in the House of HaShem forever
3. Location, location, location…
4. The City of the Almond Tree (Luz)
5. The Tree of Life (sing.) that becomes a grove of Almond Trees (plural)

Jacob’s Dream:

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׃

Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that  place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, HaShem stood above it and said, “I  am HaShem, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you  will  spread to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants 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 and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you  until I have  done what I have  promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely HaShem is in this place, and I did not know It.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of HaShem, and this is the gate of heaven.” So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its  top. He called the name of that place Beit-El; 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 HaShem 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 besorah of Yochanan ben Zevedi (יוחנן בן זבדי-the Endowment of the Grace of HaShem):

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 HaShem.

Point #3.  HaShem 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…

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 HaShem is Ha-Makom (הַמָּקֹום-The Place).

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.

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.

*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 HaShem He is the One who lives in the House. For together with the Messiah, in the unity (אֶחָֽד) of the Spirit, we worship HaShem who is the God (הָאֵל֙) of the House (הָאֵל֙ בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל). For it is a true saying:

“HaShem 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).

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 HaShem (The God of the House) that permanently Indwells the Messiah Ben Ha’adam (House of G-d).

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 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 HaShem (the NAME) 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).

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 HaShem.

Point #11. This prophetically reveals that HaShem 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 HaShem who fully dwells in eternity as both Elohim (the Spirit of God) and man (Indwelt by the Spirit of God).

Point #12. In summary, the exegetical marker employed by Rabbinu Yeshua at the close of his opening-up section of narrative testimony (the Stairway to Heaven) 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 >>