The Mystery of Jacob’s Encounters with the Lord

As we read the things written in this article, let us remember that these are divinely recorded examples intended to aid the saints in their return to glory in the Almighty God.

The echoes of the promises made to Abraham and to his seed after the Spirit continue to resound throughout the Scriptures. As they hearken to the divine call, leaving all things behind to embrace that which the Lord has prepared for them, they inherit a great name, royalty, and abounding fruitfulness in all things.

Years after the passing of Abraham, his grandson Jacob would experience great divine visitations that remain relevant to us even today. These things were recorded for our understanding, for it was not given to those of old to fully comprehend the mystery of God’s Kingdom. Today, however, the Lord has given us eyes to see and ears to hear the things concerning our glory in the Almighty God.

Jacob had four major recorded encounters with the Lord.

1. The first encounter took place at Bethel, following a dream in which he saw a ladder standing upon the earth and reaching into heaven. At the top of the ladder, he saw the Lord, and he also saw angels ascending and descending upon it. Genesis 28:12–22
2. He encountered angels along the way, at a place he named Mahanaim. Genesis 32:1–2
3. He wrestled with an angel and refused to let go until he received a blessing. The angel blessed him with a new name: Israel. Genesis 32:24–29
4. Years later, the Lord instructed him to return to Bethel, build an altar unto God, and dwell there. It was there that he would once again receive the name Israel, together with promises of fruitfulness, abundance, and royalty. Genesis 35:1–13

The Mystery of the Angels Ascending and Descending

The angels ascending and descending upon the ladder present a spiritual picture of how the ministers and sons of God, who dwell in the Godhead, descend from their glory on high into the world.

All men have indeed fallen short of the glory of God, having descended and put on the image of mortal man, formed from the dust beneath. In the same way, the vision reveals an ascent back into the glory of God, who is their very life. Indeed, in their descent into the world, they put on the image of the inglorious man of dust. But in their awakening and ascent, they put on the image of the Lord from heaven.

Jacob’s Encounter with the Angels

Years later, along his journey, Jacob encountered angels. Curiously, nothing is said about the details of this meeting. One thing is certain: angels behold and declare the name of the Lord. They are like little children who walk, live, and have their being in the living God.

A few days later, Jacob would wrestle with an angel and refuse to let go until he received a blessing. Eventually, the angel blessed him with a new name, Israel, a symbol of God’s people. God will not give a name outside His own name, for there is none other besides the Lord.

Israel is a name from eternity, embedded in the living God. It represents the hosts or nation of God, whose habitation is the heavenly Jerusalem, God’s own Kingdom.

Jacob’s Return to Bethel: The Journey of Spiritual Ascension

Years would pass, and Jacob remained Jacob. Apparently, the new name had not yet taken hold of him. He had not fully embraced it, as though the experience had been forgotten or had not yet become a living reality within him.

The Lord then instructed him to ascend once again to Bethel and dwell there.

Symbolically, before embarking on this journey, Jacob instructed all those who were with him to put away their foreign gods, purify themselves, and change their garments. All these things represent putting on the spiritual consciousness of Christ. The foreign gods and idols represent the passions and desires of the flesh, which are bound to earthly things.

The generation of Jacob is a people who do not set their minds on earthly things but remain steadfastly focused on the one treasure above.

As revealed in Psalm 24, these are the ones who ascend the hill of the Lord to receive His blessing.

The Altar at Bethel: The Sacrifice of Our Whole Being

Upon arriving at Bethel, Jacob built an altar unto the Lord and offered worship to Him. This is a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice we offer unto God, which is our whole being. It means living solely on account of God, surrendering our entire existence to Him, so that He alone becomes our life, our identity, and our glory.

Then the Lord appeared unto Jacob and blessed him once again with the new name Israel.

This time, the name took hold of him, for he had obeyed the voice of the Lord and ascended on high.

Genesis 35:9–13 (KJV) And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

The Blessing of the Almighty God

The blessing is life embedded in the Almighty God. It is the inheritance of the life and glory of the living God, in whom the fruits of eternal life abound.

The company of those who ascend on high bring forth the Christ, who reigns as King upon the eternal throne of God.

The land they inherit is not merely an earthly possession but an eternal realm in the heavens.

This is the inheritance of those who have heard the call of the Spirit, left behind the things of the earth, and ascended into the glory of the Almighty God.

The Call to Ascend and Receive the New Name

If you can hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church, you will earnestly cling to the new name by ascending out of the lower places of the earth, where mortal men dwell, to receive the great honour reserved for those who love God.

The call is to leave behind the old identity, the earthly consciousness, and the fading glory of mortal man, and to embrace the eternal identity and glory prepared for us in the Almighty God.

Ascend, therefore, and receive the new name, the blessing, and the inheritance of eternal life in the Almighty God.

Blessings.