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House of God

"and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house."1

Now God appeared to Abram saying "to your seed will I give a land likewise."2 And Abram built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. The promise is passed from Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob, Jacob would later call this place Bethel. We know the story of Jacob, Esau sells his birthright, and the first born blessing of inheritance is given to Jacob instead. Esau will only be comforted if he can reverse what he has done, so he seeks to kill Jacob. His mother has Jacob leave to find a bride in another land. Isaac passes on a blessing to him, "God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!”4

Jacob leaves and one night, sleeping with a stone as a pillow, he has a dream, "there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!"5 God stood above the ladder, and said to Jacob, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your seed..."6 Here the word seed refers to offspring as a farmer would scatter seed, or sow seed, and is analogous to a man sowing seed to have offspring. Now God promises that this seed will be scattered all over the earth and all the families of the earth will be blessed through this seed.

God speaks more, "And it shall be your offspring as the dust of the earth and you shall spread abroad, to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south, and will be blessed in you all the families of the earth and in your offspring and behold I Am with you and will keep you in all where you go and will bring you again into the land "7 Jacob awakes, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” He takes the stone he had for a pillow and sets it up as a pillar, naming it Bethel, which means House of God. "and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house."8 Jacob sets off on this journey with a promise that God would bring him back to this land of Isaac, Jacob vows that if God does so He would serve Him.

Now this Stone is prophesied of in the old testament often. "And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."9 This word stone has the root word to build.10 God purposed to build a temple where he would reside and a city, a people that was to be a light unto the world.11 But the Stone would become a rock of offense, "And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken. Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him."12

But the prophets looked from a distance unto a better promise. "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.'"14  This Stone which the builders have counted worthless, would become the Head of the Corner, salvation would be in no other One; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.15

"But Israel, who followed after a law of righteousness did not arrive at a law of righteousness. Why? Because it was not of faith, but as it were by the works of the Law. For they stumbled at that Stumbling-stone;"  as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a Stumbling-stone and a Rock-of-offense, and everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame."16

The Stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.17 Yes, Jesus became the Foundation Stone of the House of God, and Peter and the Apostles a living stone in a living temple, that rises up to God. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; you who then were not a people, but now the people of God, those not pitied then, but now pitied."18

The true children of God would be drawn to a living Stone, "indeed rejected by men, but elect, precious with God; you also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. He is the Stone rejected but this One came to be the Head of the corner, and a Stone-of-stumbling and a Rock-of-offense to those disobeying, who stumble at the Word, to which they also were appointed."19

Now Jesus spoke of this, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this One has become the head of the corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing out its fruits. And he who falls on this Stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."20 The chief priests and Pharisees knew that He spoke of them, the old house.

Jesus even states it another way, predicting His death also, "But those stewards said among themselves, This is the heir! Come, let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the stewards and will give the vineyard to others. And have you not read this scripture "The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Head of the corner: this was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes"?21

Like the dream Jacob had, Jesus spoke of this ladder, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Hereafter you shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."22 This is what Jacob saw in a dream upon the mount, coincidence? no, before Jesus said this he had renamed Simon to Peter or Cephas which means stone. Now, we know Jesus has become the foundation Stone of the House of God, built on a better promise. As Jacob laid a stone as a pillar in the House of God, Jesus laid Peter as a living stone, a pillar, in the new House of God, being built on Jesus and the apostles and prophets. These men of faith looked into this from a distance, it was a promise of a land of milk and honey, where the lion of Judah would lay down with the Lamb, where our tears would be wiped away, no more pain nor sorrow, yes they looked into this from a distance unto a Promised Land.

At Bethel, the House of God would be built, this ladder speaks to God's presence and the work in His kingdom, the stones being a part of that house. But the old temple would be torn down as prophesied of and a new one would be built, one where Jesus is the living Stone and where each believer becomes a living stone in this new temple. Jesus is the Gate to heaven.23 All who enter through him will be saved, thieves and robbers try to enter other ways. God's work is in this new, He is doing new things, no more does God reside nor do the angels of God ascend and descend unto the old, a Bethel built by the hands of man, no, but to a Bethel built by the Stone and of living stones. Jesus is the Stone of Israel, from the tribe of Jacob "...the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)"24

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it."25

Forever

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