As Jacob traveled to the land of Haran, he had a dream. He saw a ladder stretching from the ground near him to heaven. Angels ascended and descended the ladder, and God stood at the top. Identifying Himself as the God of Jacob’s father and grandfather, Isaac and Abraham, He bestowed upon Jacob all of the covenant promises He had made to them. He also promised to be with Jacob and to keep him, wherever he might go (Genesis 28:10-15).
Many years earlier, a group of people had attempted to build a tower to get to heaven, a project that ended in contention, confusion, and abandonment (Genesis 11:1-9; Ether 1:33; Title Page of the Book of Mormon). But this was different. There was no need to build a tower. The ladder indicated that God had prepared a way for humankind to ascend to heaven. The angels indicated that we aren’t alone. Heavenly helpers will come where we are and guide us in our ascent.
Joseph Smith taught:
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 348
How do we ascend the ladder? What are the rungs? President Marion G. Romney equated them with covenants:
When Jacob traveled from Beersheba toward Haran, he had a dream in which he saw himself on the earth at the foot of a ladder that reached to heaven where the Lord stood above it. He beheld angels ascending and descending thereon, and Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord there were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings—blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord. …
Temples are to us all what Bethel was to Jacob.
“Temples—The Gates to Heaven,” Ensign, March 1971
Lehi’s vision of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon is similar to Jacob’s ladder. In both dreams, God reveals a way for people to return to His presence. Where Jacob saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending, Lehi saw a strait and narrow path marked by an iron rod (1 Nephi 8:19-24). Lehi’s son Nephi explained that the first step on the strait and narrow path is the covenant of baptism (2 Nephi 31:17-18). President Russell M. Nelson expanded on that interpretation, equating the steps on the path with temple covenants:
Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. … Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!
“Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys,” April 2024 general conference
After waking from his dream, Jacob built an altar and called the name of the place Beth-el, which means “the house of God” (Genesis 28:16-19).
Today, I will walk in the covenant path God has prepared for my ascent into His presence. I will remember that He has established the ladder and that He invites me to climb by entering and keeping covenants with Him.
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