Welcome, thank you for joining us this again today! I love it when you join us. May you be edified by this write-up. 

ALTARS 

Altars are scattered all over the Old Testament. There are a few here and there in the New Testament. The patriarchs built many in different places for many reasons. When Israel became an established nation, the people built many altars. As the Bible says it, For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree (1 Kings 14:23 KJV)

These high places had altars. 

The question is then, why did these people build so many altars? What is so important about an altar that the Israelites understood  that we seem not to catch?

The first thing we need to deduce is what an altar is and how it functions.

An altar is a doorway or an access point or an entry point for a spirit being into the earth. It is a place where man, the custodian of the earth, invites the help of a spirit being into the affairs of the earth. It permits interaction between humans and spirits. 

By this, you can already tell that every priest then, needs an altar. Before the priests were consecrated into priesthood, God began to give instructions on the building of altars on which the priests will perform their function. 

An altar functions as an access point to invite spirit beings as mentioned before. Therefore, it is not a thing that is limited to God Almighty alone. Pagan worshippers also need altars. This is why the Israelites though worshipping pagan gods also built altars. 

When one staAnds before an altar, He is able to easily invoke the god of that altar or the spirit of that altar. The presence of these altars indicate the presence of a spiritual backing in that place. This is why God would required the demolishing of all idols and high places whenever there was a spiritual reformation in Israel. It indicated the removal of the influence and activity of  these demonic spirits. 

New Testament Altar

Are there altars in the New Testament? Yes there are. Though there is no specific requirements as to the building of physical altars, the concept of altars are very much present in the New Testament. Since an altar is an access point for spirit beings into the affairs of the earth, it in our case means, the access point of God into the affairs of the earth. What then, is the altar in the New Testament? You!

Let me not get ahead of myself here. 

You are God’s Altar

Throughout the Old Testament, we see a revolution of the access point of God on the earth. The patriarchs built altars. Later, God instructed Moses to build the ark of the covenant. It became His dwelling place and His access point in Israel. Later the tabernacle was built then Solomon built the ultimate, the glorious temple. 

But in Acts 17:24, it becomes clear that the temple actually isn’t the ultimate for God. 

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

The temple was not God’s ultimate because He does not dwell permanently in temples made with hands. Therefore, God was still in search of a permanent access point on earth. When Jesus lived on earth, He was God’s access point and permission to move on the earth. But as Jesus left the earth, He instituted the Church and now the Church is God’s altar. The Church is God’s entry point. 

1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV

[19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Ephesians 3:10 KJV

[10] To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

It is through the church that God can intervene in the situation of the church. The interesting thing is that, though we are the altar of God, we still are the priests of that altar. You are an altar for the Living God. You are a priest who needs to offer up prayers on behalf of your family, your nation and the world. It is through you that God can do anything about the situation you are in. 

Now do you see why you need to amp up your prayer life?