创世记二十八章十二节说，“梦见一个梯子立在地上，梯子的头顶着天，有神的使者在梯子上，上去下来。”这梦的中心是梯子。在这梦中，梯子是不是从天而降的？不是，那梯子已经在地上，雅各只需要看见这异象。在他作梦之前，他看不见梯子。这意思是早在我们得救之前，为着我们得长子名分所需要的一切，都在那里了。问题是我们看不见。我们必须得着异象，才能看见。圣经没有告诉我们梯子达到地上，乃是说，“立在地上，”又说，“梯子的头顶着天。”那是已经存在地上的梯子，不是从天降下的。
梯子上神的使者如何？多年前我研读的时候，总以为神的使者是下来上去。然而这一节是说，使者上去下来。这意思是雅各还未作梦，使者就在那里了。雅各若看见梯子从天而降，神的使者降在梯子上，他的梦就可看作是他的愿望或祷告得答应。雅各若说，“神阿，我很孤单，我要看见一个从天上来的异象。”然后有一个梯子从天而降，并有使者降在梯子上，那就是他的祷告得了答应。然而事情完全不是这样。雅各甚至没有祷告，就突然看见一个梯子立在地上，梯子的头顶者天。使者在梯子上，上去下来，指明这梦不是神对雅各祷告的答应，乃是神豫先计画好的。不要以为你得救是你的祷告得了答应。在你祷告之前，救恩已在那里等着你。并不是你祷告，然后突然间救恩从天而降，临到你身上。不，在你得救之前，救恩就等着你。
当我们来到新约，我们看见基督就是雅各所看见的梯子。在约翰一章五十一节，主耶稣对拿但业说，“我实实在在的告诉你们，你们将要看见天开了，神的使者上去下来在人子身上。”基督是那将天带到地，将地联于天的一位。首先，祂将天带到地；然后，祂将地联于天。
信息重点：梯子不是后来从天降下来的，而是早已立在地上。基督早已成为连接天与地的一位，救恩不是偶然，而是神预先的计划。
应用祷告：主耶稣，谢谢你是那立在地上的天梯。无论我的感觉如何，你始终是我与天相连的道路。
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Dreaming of the Ladder Typifying Christ (1) — Gen. 28:12-13
Genesis 28:12 says, “And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” The center of this dream is the ladder. In this dream, did the ladder descend from heaven? No — the ladder was already on the earth; Jacob simply needed to see it. Before he had the dream, he could not see the ladder. This means that everything needed for us to receive the birthright of the firstborn was already there before we were ever saved. The problem is that we cannot see it. We must receive a vision in order to see. The Scripture does not say the ladder reached down to earth; rather it says it was “set up on the earth”, and that “its top reached to heaven”. It was a ladder already standing on the earth, not one that descended from heaven.
What about the angels of God on the ladder? Years ago when I studied this passage, I always assumed the angels were coming down and then going up. But this verse says the angels were ascending and then descending. This means the angels were already there before Jacob had the dream. If Jacob had seen the ladder descend from heaven with the angels coming down upon it, his dream could be regarded as an answer to his desire or prayer. If Jacob had said, “O God, I am very lonely; I want to see a vision from heaven”, and then a ladder descended from heaven with angels upon it, that would have been an answer to his prayer. But that is not what happened at all. Jacob had not even prayed, and yet he suddenly saw a ladder standing on the earth with its top reaching to heaven. The angels were on the ladder, ascending and descending — this indicates that the dream was not God’s response to Jacob’s prayer, but something God had planned beforehand. Do not think that your salvation was an answer to your prayer. Before you prayed, salvation was already there waiting for you. It was not that you prayed and then suddenly salvation descended from heaven upon you. No — before you were saved, salvation was already waiting for you.
When we come to the New Testament, we see that Christ is the very ladder Jacob saw. In John 1:51, the Lord Jesus said to Nathanael, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Christ is the One who brings heaven to earth and joins earth to heaven. First, He brought heaven to earth; then, He joined earth to heaven.
Message Focus: The ladder did not later descend from heaven — it was already standing on the earth. Christ had already become the One who connects heaven and earth. Salvation is not accidental; it is God’s predetermined plan.