“And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.”
–Deuteronomy 27:5
“Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”
–Exodus 20:23-25
When God commanded His people to build Him an altar, it was commanded that the altar be built of NATURAL ingredients (earth or stone, unworked by human hands and tools).
There have been various speculations offered as to why this might have been commanded.
…God orders the matter and form of the altar in opposition to the laws, rules, and customs of the heathens.
–Locke, British Family Bible
“And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”
Thou hast polluted it; rendered it unfit for a place of public worship, by disobeying God in the manner of building it. One reason of this prohibition doubtless was, to guard against the superstitious and idolatrous devices common to heathen altars.
—Family Bible Notes
Though God’s Word is silent on the specifics of the matter, it seems reasonable (at least to man) that perhaps the reason for the lack of workmanship was to focus the attention of the worshipers on God Himself–as well as the sacrifice being made to God.
…they must not lavish skill or expense on the construction of an altar; the altar of itself, whether costly or mean, was nothing in the worship; it was only the place on which the victim should be laid, and their mind must be attentively fixed on that God to whom the sacrifice was offered, and on the sacrifice itself, as that appointed by the Lord to make an atonement for their sins.
—Adam Clarke Commentary
But not all altars were to be so simple.
In Exodus 27, God commands Moses to make an altar for the tabernacle.
God’s instructions for making the altar were VERY precise.
“And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.”
–Exodus 27:1-8
[The reader will note the heavy use of brass in the making of the altar where sacrifices were to be made to atone for the sins of the people. Throughout the Bible, there is a definite link between brass and judgment.
When Jesus returns, he will come as a conqueror, but he conquers in order to judge mankind. Note the use of brass in John’s description of Jesus in Revelation 1 and 2.
“His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
–Revelation 1:14-15
“And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;”
–Revelation 2:18
Compare John’s description of Jesus to Daniel’s vision 600-700 years earlier.
“Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”
–Daniel 10:6]
SO, what’s the takeaway from all of this?
Since–after Jesus–no temple built with hands will be the house of God, ALL end times altars claiming to be used in the worship of God Almighty should be built of earth or natural–not hewn–stone.
DOES the read believe he will ever have occasion to erect an altar to the LORD God?
OR, will the reader likely use altars built by others, no matter how biblical or unbiblical they may be?
It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: Making a Choice
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The End Times Power of God Unleashed
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: January 24-26, 2020.]
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
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