The Seven Rungs of Jacob's Ladder

The Seven Rungs of Jacob's Ladder

Disclaimer: The following article is not official doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please pray before reading and after to confirm truth by the power of the Holy Ghost.


Introduction

Genesis 28:10 ¶ And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.
11 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.
12 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.
13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

The above verses give the account of Jacob's ladder where he saw the angels ascending and descending. As demonstrated in the Book of Isaiah and pointed out by Isaiah scholar Avraham Gileadi in his book Isaiah Decoded, the ascension to heaven is a series of ascents and descents where each descent is deeper than the former with an ascent that matches the deeper descent with a grander ascent. Professor Gileadi also speaks of seven levels of ascension and details each level of ascension - as though ascending the rungs of a ladder - in the aforementioned book.

In 2015, my father-in-law wrote a paper on the 8 levels of overcoming in the Book of Revelation. As I read his paper, I realized that each of the first seven promises of overcoming aligned to the dispensations in reverse order. As I pondered on this truth, I realized that time itself - in reverse - is a ladder back to God!  If you start with the final judgement, where the wicked are put in their place and the sons of perdition are cast to outer darkness, and look at time in reverse, the times and dispensations represent these successive trials of descent, ascent, and overcoming.

Learning subsequently that Avraham Gileadi teaches a very similar concept based off his intense studies of a separate book from a separate testament - Isaiah - I received a powerful confirmation in addition to the spiritual one that had lead me on this journey to begin with. 

The Seven Levels of Mankind were the first articles I wrote on this blog. I have learned much since then regarding the end times' servant that reinforces the truth of the Seven Levels of Mankind. Understanding who this man is, and where he is on his spiritual journey reinforces not only the Seven Levels, but the important symbols that underscore this truth, such as the rainbow, and what the end times symbolize.


The Times and Seasons

D&C 88:61 Therefore, unto this parable I will liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof—every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season, even according to the decree which God hath made.

The time of gentiles began after Christ ascended to heaven and ends just before the end of the telestial period of Earth. There is a brief time between the end of the time of gentiles and the end of the telestial period of Earth where Israel is gathered and returned to their God by the Davidic Servant.

Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

The Davidic Servant seems to bridge these two times in the above prophecy from Isaiah 49:6. 

D&C 45:24 And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;
25 But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

So there is a hard cut-off to the time of the gentiles where this time must be fulfilled first before the gathering begins. The Davidic Servant bridges these two times. 

This bridge is similar to the bridge of Jesus Christ. What times did Christ Himself bridge? He bridged the time of the Jews and the time of the Gentiles. In fact, as you look at the dispensations as a ladder back to God, then the timing of Christ's Atonement makes perfect sense! He is the gate by which mankind enters to join Israel. 

After the early church apostasy and before 1820, the heavens were closed! Though the Jews somehow maintained their cultural and religious identity, they were scattered since the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. This indeed has been the time of the gentiles. And what does the time and season of the gentiles represent in this inverse climb back to God? Let's have a look at the Seven Levels of Jacob's Ladder:


The Seven Levels of Jacob's Ladder

I have shared similar graphics in my other articles--however, this graphic emphasizes this ladder - this ascension back to God as you look at time in reverse.

Note, the colors of the rainbow are a symbol of these levels of mankind, and I have colored each level accordingly as I detailed in the article The Levels of Mankind & The Rainbow. As I mentioned above, the time of the gentiles represents a step back towards God. With this ladder towards God represented by the dispensations in reverse, then what is this early step? 

This step is Faith in Jesus Christ - the first principle of the Gospel. Have you ever wondered why God took away the church and allowed for billions of Christians to follow wayward gospels? Have you ever considered that this is all by design and these souls are exactly where they should be in their own spiritual progression? 

I recently had a brief sojourn in a Catholic forum online where I had found some members of the forum discussing the identity of the Angel of the Lord. I was extremely respectful to them as I posted in this single thread, trying to find those members who had concluded, as I have, that the Angel of the Lord is the Holy Ghost.

But no forum has ever existed without its own collection of fuzzy, cute forum trolls. Sadly, the thread filled quickly with attacks against the LDS faith, though I made it clear I wasn't there to contend or attack their religion - but to learn from them and their studies on the identity of the Holy Ghost.  One of the forum members gave me the "bandwagon" attack. "Bandwagon" is a tactic that advertisers use to try to pressure folks into buying their product because "everybody's doing it!" Likewise, this attack against the LDS faith was, how can there be billions of Christians who are wrong and the LDS are right?

Though I was tempted to respond with the following scripture, I took the high ground and didn't entertain a response:

Matthew 7:13 ¶ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

But, wouldn't a just God present a plan where many could find the path that leads to eternal life? Yes! And He has. The billions of Christians who have lived and died believing Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Ghost are one, incomprehensible entity are exactly where they were intended to be on their spiritual journey. They have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Understanding the path to Godhood is a hotly contested debate among LDS--such is not intended for those who are a lower rung of the ladder. And, as a full understanding of who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Ghost is, is to understand the true nature of eternal progression, then likewise the true understanding of these three distinct individuals is safely tucked away in the incomprehensible doctrine of the three-entities-in-one trinity.

The dark ages symbolize where we are ourselves on our eternal journey back to God if we have not yet entered in by the gate. If this time-in-reverse symbolism is true, and Jesus' mortal ministry represents that all-important entrance into the fold, then what is the next step?


The Time of the Jews

Though I do not fully understand why the ten tribes were lost, this model of understanding the dispensations, in reverse, as a ladder back to God also helps shine light on the scattering of Israel.

In reverse, the ten tribes of Israel do not sin at the end but at the beginning of this journey back to God. In fact, looking at time in chronological order, this ladder is a series of successive steps away from God. Even the longer lives of mankind pre-flood is an indicator of their relative righteousness and spiritual progression:

Helaman 7:24 For behold, they are more righteous than you, for they have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have received; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them; yea, he will lengthen out their days and increase their seed, even when thou shalt be utterly destroyed except thou shalt repent.

Brigham Young counselled the saints to cease “wasting their lives and the lives of their fellow-beings, and the precious time God has given us to improve our minds and bodies … , so that the longevity of the human family may begin to return.” (in Journal of Discourses, 14:89)

So as time marches on, lifespans get shorter as their distance from the Garden of Eden gets longer.

Back to Israel - The ten tribes of Israel are "lost" around 722 BC. If the time of the gentiles represents the final step before reaching the end of the ladder, then likewise, the remaining two tribes may represent something similar. 

Judah is a cursed tribe. They certainly seem to be cursed, don't they? They have been enslaved, scattered, hunted, and slain since the Babylonian Captivity forward to modern day. Now, certainly there's a reason behind the ten tribes being "lost" whereas Judah remained--this is not all happenstance. What scriptural evidence is there of this curse? 

Jeremiah 44:12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

Certainly all of Israel was cursed when they were wicked and blessed when they were righteous; however, Judah was the tribe responsible for slaying their God. Within one generation they were decimated by the Romans and scattered for hundreds of years. 

The children, and children's children born to the tribe of Judah were innocent though, weren't they? A just God would not curse an innocent child, right? Think on this for a moment. Each tribe of Israel certainly represents something right? Why have 12 tribes after all? In fact, the times and seasons scripture I cited earlier is an explanation by the Lord shortly after sharing the parable of the 12 servants of D&C 88. Let's have a look at this while we think on Judah and where they fit on their eternal progression.

D&C 88:51 Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field.
52 And he said unto the first: Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance.
53 And he said unto the second: Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance.
54 And also unto the third, saying: I will visit you;
55 And unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
56 And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord.
57 And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
58 And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season—
59 Beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last;

Hrm ... that last verse sounds familiar! I just read that recently somewhere ...

1 Nephi 13:42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.

This concept of the last being first and the first last does not end there. The time of the Jews preceded the time of the Gentiles. The Gentiles receive the gospel, and then the Jews. Simple! However, take another look at the ladder graphic above. The Jews have returned first to their land, have they not? They were the last to occupy it, and now they are the first to return. Next, the ten tribes return, and this chiasmus continues!

But what does this say about the Jews? They are not just the last of Israel, but the least of Israel! Ephraim is the birthright tribe after all. Jesus Christ was not born to Ephraim but through the covenant bloodline of Jesse. But why? Clearly, Ephraim is the birthright tribe in the scriptures and re-affirmed by modern revelation.

Jeremiah 31:They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

There's Jeremiah again - it's almost as if these things are all related! D&C 133 speaks of the return of the ten tribes who are gathered to Ephraim, not Judah, and Ephraim's double portion is affirmed as is Judah's curse:

D&C 133:32 And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.
33 And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
34 Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.
35 And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.

Notice how Judah is mentioned separately, yet they will be sanctified after their pain. 

So why would the Lord Jesus Christ be born to any but the birthright tribe? The only other explanation that makes sense is that He was born to the least tribe - the cursed tribe. The double rainbow signifies this inversion of ascent and descent. The red color is highest on the lower rainbow and lowest on the higher rainbow. It is the last and the first color. Jesus, the mightiest and greatest of us all, did not come here to be exalted but to be debased. If He had come in the likeness of heaven, perhaps He would have been born to Ephraim. He came here to be cursed, and to be pained more than any man ever. 

And like D&C 133:35 mentions, Judah is a part of the covenant people; despite their pain which is very likely a just pronouncement of these people and who they are on their eternal progression. God will not leave them there in their pain forever but will gather them, sanctify them, and return them to His presence. Jesus Christ was born to the least tribe to symbolize the promise that He will gather them all from the least to the greatest.

The Time of Israel

Before the scattering of the ten tribes was the Kingdom of Israel's prime. King Solomon, and King David were not the kings of Judah but of Israel. Despite their imperfection, these kings were blessed with riches, and wealth, and posterity. This represents the period of ascent of the time of Israel before their descent.

The beginning of the time of Israel traces back through their deliverance from Egypt and their enslavement there. These are yet more symbols of descent and ascent - of deliverance after bondage.

Tracing Israel back to the actual twelve sons of Israel is yet another symbol of bondage and deliverance. During the time of famine that Joseph foresaw, the remaining eleven sons of Israel were held captive by their hunger. They were gathered by Joseph and saved by him while his identity was yet hidden to them. These are powerful end-times foreshadowing of the Davidic Servant who will begin to gather Israel, and feed them spiritually while he is yet hidden to them. He will return them to their lands of their inheritance - which is the inverse of what Joseph did. 

The time of Israel is important to detail because it marks the beginning of the covenant that was re-established through Isaac, and Jacob. As we look at time in reverse, let's track Ephraim - in reverse! The birthright traces from Ephraim to his father Joseph to Jacob to Isaac and to Abraham. This ascension towards Abraham symbolizes the securing of the Abrahamic covenant to receive limitless posterity and dominion.

The Time Before the Flood

The Birthright of Ephraim traces back before Abraham and to Noah through Shem. Noah is important to we Latter-day Saints as he symbolizes where we are as a people on our eternal journey as the fifth level of overcoming aligns to the Law of the Gospel.

During my recent visit to the temple, I recognized some important truths. Have a look at the image below, which demonstrates these levels of progression from top-to bottom.

I knew we LDS aligned to Noah, and the Law of the Gospel, but I could never understand why we are wearing the robes of Aaron at this point in the endowment. We LDS have the Melchizedek Priesthood after all. Then it dawned on me - I have been writing articles about the Davidic Servant who is becoming a God by sitting on the throne of a God.

Likewise, we LDS are given the Melchizedek Priesthood in similar fashion. And, the Levites are also gifted with a power of the Priesthood of Aaron in order to secure it by overcoming.

Pay attention next time you go through the temple, the second token and sign are given and the video ends. The final two signs are given just through audio, and the names we use (or don't use as the case may be) as we make those final two covenants are very different from the first two names spoken as we make those covenants. This is because we as a people are not there yet in our progression where we will receive the names those signs and tokens represent. 

The temple is our school to ascend through these levels and to become as Adam who enjoys an audience with the Father. Then we will learn from him our final steps to becoming a God.


The Holy Ghost & Conclusion

The Seven Levels of Mankind reinforce the truth of the Davidic Servant and who he is on his eternal journey. In a prior article, I identified the Davidic Servant as the Holy Ghost and the Angel of the Lord. Let's take a moment and consider where he is on this ladder and why he comes at the end. In true end times fashion, let's begin with the last question.

D&C 76:33 For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;
34 Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—
35 Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.

After having received it...After receiving what? The Holy Ghost. Notice, He didn't say after receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost but after receiving the Holy Ghost. Think again on the ladder for a moment. Let's say for the sake of argument that you may ascend one rung after each eternal round where an eternal round is comprised of one Savior who ascends to become a Father. How does one join Israel in the following round? Why, by the only way we can join Israel - through baptism.

Now that they are joined to Israel, who becomes the Son of God of the next round? Would they not have to accept the God who is to come just as they accepted the God who is?

Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Remember, we progress by wielding the power above us, by sitting on the throne above us. The Holy Ghost becomes a god by taking this power and reigning justly. 

But the Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did or as God did or the gods before them took bodies; for the Savior says the work that my Father did do I also. . . . He took himself a body and then laid down his life that he might take it up again. (The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 382; standardized)

Joseph also said that the Holy Ghost is now in a state of probation which if he should perform in righteousness he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has. (The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 245; standardized) 

One he overcomes his covenant which is no doubt represented by a sign and a token, the Holy Ghost then receives permanently this power he had taken and used to reign as demonstrated by Revelation 11:17. And those who want a place in his kingdom, must accept him as their god to move on. Those who don't, will have no place anymore in this world or in the world to come.

This is why the Holy Ghost comes in the flesh at the end of the telestial period of Earth. He represents that final cutoff - that judgement - and that blasphemy that has no forgiveness in this world or in the world to come. He certainly comes at the end to symbolize the fact that the period of descent is over - and the ascent and rewards are coming, heralded by the first resurrection. His own ascension to become a Son of Jehovah is the pinnacle of these rewards, which in turn makes Jehovah Himself a Father, for no Father in Heaven can exist without a Son.

Now let's return to the first question: Where is he on his journey? He is becoming a Son of God. He is on the sixth promise of overcoming and will have the name of the Father revealed to him and enjoy the presence of the Father as all seven patriarchs have. He will know the new name of the Son of God as He goes on in His new role as a Father, and he will be a Son of this new Father.


Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

He is on the sixth rung of the ladder and will be the first to join the seventh in this world, which will be the single biggest fruit of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as it will make Christ Himself a Father, having sealed His own inheritor, His own Son.

Perhaps in a future article, I will detail more about the seven archangels and how each of them sits on a throne over one order of mankind. Apocryphal works such as 1 Enoch, The Apocalypse of Abraham, and the Ascension of Isaiah all underscore these truths of these seven orders of mankind represented by seven heavens and overseen by seven archangels. Suffice it to say for this article, that the Holy Ghost is sitting on a throne of dominion that begins with Abraham and ends at the advent of the Millennium which is all a subset of Michael's dominion. Gabriel himself demonstrates this ascension as his descent into the telestial world as Noah shows a man who was a type of Adam - a father of mankdind, and a man who started a new world from an old world (think of what Lucifer first says to Adam in the temple.) Noah's dominion is a subset of Michaels and symbolizes the fact that he is becoming a chief prince himself.

D&C 107:55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.

The Holy Ghost is becoming a prince forever.

Ezekiel 37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

The Seven Levels of Jacob's Ladder is comprised of successively deeper descents and ascents until one must descend below all before He can inherit all. This process can also be surmised by the words and numbers that repeat throughout the Book of Revelation--a book that uses the number seven and illustrates the seven promises of overcoming--a book that also reveals the process of becoming a God through the repeat use of these words: The God who is, and the God who was, and the God who is to come.