THE MYSTIC LADDER

The Mystic Ladder

Jacob's experience as a wanderer from his home, when he was shown the mystic ladder, on which descended and ascended the angels of heaven, was designed to teach a great truth in regard to the plan of salvation. The purposes of Yahuwah were opened to the discouraged man, who felt himself cut off from Yahuwah and man. In marvelous love, Yahushua presented before him in a dream the way of life. The truth was unfolded before him in the emblem, and its significance is as great in our day as it was in his.

"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 Yahuwah ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Master stood above it, and said, I am the Master Yahuwah of Abraham thy father, and the Yahuwah of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 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. 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. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Master is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of Yahuwah, and this is the gate of heaven. . . . And he called the name of that place Bethel" (Genesis 28:12-19).

Although the plan of salvation was not then as clearly unfolded as it is in our day, the Master Yahushua communicated most wonderful things to his children.

The ladder represented Yahushua; he is the channel of communication between heaven and earth, and angels go to and fro in continual intercourse with the fallen race. The words of Yahushua to Nathanael were in harmony with the figure of the ladder, when he said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of Yahuwah ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Here the Redeemer identifies himself as the mystic ladder, that makes communication possible between heaven and earth.

When Yahushua said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," (John 14:6) he uttered a truth of wonderful significance. The transgression of man had separated earth from heaven, and finite man from the infinite Yahuwah. As an island is separated from a continent, so earth was cut off from heaven, and a wide channel intervened between man and Yahuwah. Yahushua bridged this gulf, and made a way for man to come to Yahuwah. He who has no spiritual light sees no way, has no hope; and men have originated theories of their own regarding the way to life. The Romanist points the sinner to the Virgin Mary, to penances, indulgences, and the absolution of the priest; and to this theory come those who would be saved in their sins, and those who would be saved by their own merit. But the only name given among men whereby they can be saved is Yahushua. Across the gulf that sin has made come his words, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). There is but one mediator between Yahuwah and man. In heaven this great truth was announced. A voice from the throne was heard, saying, "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me." (Isaiah 40:6). Isaiah, looking forward in prophetic vision, writes, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty Yahuwah, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even forever." (Isaiah 69:6-7). And from the wilderness, the voice of the messenger cries, "Behold the Lamb of Yahuwah, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The beloved disciple declares of him: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yahuwah, and the Word was Yahuwah. The same was in the beginning with Yahuwah. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-3, 14-16).

Yahushua only is the way, the truth, the life; and man can be justified alone through the imputation of Yahushua's righteousness. Man is justified freely by Yahuwah's grace through faith, and not by works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is the gift of Yahuwah through Yahushua our Master. Many have felt their hopeless condition, and have asked in perplexity, "How shall we gain admission to the world to come? Earth lies under the curse, and is doomed to destruction; how shall we be able to enter the city of Yahuwah?" We would point you to Yahushua, the way, the truth, the life--the mystic ladder between heaven and earth.

After the enemy had betrayed Adam and Eve into sin, the connection between heaven and earth was severed; and had it not been for Yahushua, the way to heaven would never have been known by the fallen race. But "Yahuwah so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).Yahushua is the mystic ladder, the base of which rests upon the earth, and whose topmost round reaches to the throne of the Infinite. The children of Adam are not left desolate and alienated from Yahuwah; for through Yahushua's righteousness we have access unto the Father. "By me," said Yahushua, "if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9). Let earth be glad, let the inhabitants of the world rejoice, that Yahushua has bridged the gulf which sin had made, and has bound earth and heaven together. A highway has been cast up for the ransomed of the Master. The weary and heavy laden may come unto him, and find rest to their souls. The pilgrim may journey toward the mansions that he has gone to prepare for those who love him.

In assuming humanity, Yahushua planted the ladder firmly upon the earth. The ladder reaches unto the highest heaven, and Yahuwah's glory shines from its summit and illuminates its whole length, while the angels pass to and fro with messages from Yahuwah to man, with petition and praise from man to Yahuwah. Through the divine nature, Yahushua was one with the Father; and by assuming humanity, he identified himself with man. He, "being in the form of Yahuwah, thought it not robbery to be equal with Yahuwah: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). In the vision of Jacob was represented the union of the human and the divine in Yahushua.

As the angels pass to and fro on the ladder, Yahuwah is represented as looking down with favor upon the children of men because of the merit of his Son.

Every minister should learn the lessons which Yahushua taught, that he may be able to instruct sinners in the way of salvation. Yahushua said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32). The sinner cannot take one step unless the Spirit draws him; he must cling to Yahushua if he would be saved. If he ascends to heaven, it must be by mounting up step by step the whole height of Yahushua's work, so that Yahushua shall be his wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

The gaining of eternal life is no easy thing. By living faith we are to keep on reaching forward, ascending the ladder round by round, seeing and taking the necessary steps; and yet we must understand that not one holy thought, not one unselfish act, can be originated in self. It is only through Yahushua that there can be any virtue in humanity. Without Yahushua we can do no good thing, but with him we may do all things. It is at this point that many stumble, to their ruin. They think that they must struggle in their own strength to grow into goodness, before they can receive a new heart. But such effort is in vain. All warfare is useless unless Yahushua's power is combined with human effort. But while we can do nothing without him, we have something to do in connection with him. At no time must we relax our spiritual vigilance; for we are hanging, as it were, between heaven and earth. We must cling to Yahushua, climb up by Yahushua, become laborers together with him in the saving of our souls.

We are not merely to see a way by which to cross the gulf of sin, but we are to appreciate the value of the ransom paid for our souls; we are to realize something of what has been suffered that we might be forgiven, and rescued from destruction. We are to rejoice that the atonement is complete; and believing in Yahushua as our complete Saviour, we may know that the Father loves us, even as he loves his Son.

By: Ellen White
Review and Herald
November 11, 1890.