JACOB’S LADDER III

From yesterday’s Journal entry we saw that Genesis 28 gives the story of Jacob traveling from Beersheba to Haran to find a wife. He is tricked by his corrupt uncle Laban, that has the wife he wants, into working two seven year spans for Laban’s two daughters and six more years tending his flocks…twenty years!

I wonder if Jacob working faithfully for twenty years for a greedy, lying, cheating, selfish Laban to get a wife is a picture of Christ’s work to redeem and prepare a bride that by nature has the same faults as Laban? By his redemptive work on the cross, he is preparing a perfect bride. Paul, an apostle, wrote: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Jacob after his faithfulness has a blessed blood bought bride (wife) and family. Genesis 30:31: “Thus the man (Jacob) increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.” He also has many children and great wealth.

But a future day is coming when: “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” (Revelation 21:9-11)

Oh, what a day that will be! (Continued)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Jesus