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High Places
Amos 4:13 He who forms the mountains, creates the wind,
and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads
the high places of the earth- the LORD God Almighty is his name. NIV
1 Samuel 9:14 They went up to the town, and as they
were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the
high place. NIV
1 Kings 3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the
most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings
on that altar. NIV
1 Kings 11:7-8 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for
Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of
the Ammonites. NIV
1 Chronicles 16:39 David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before
the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon. NIV
Psalm 78:58 They angered him with their high
places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. NIV
Ezekiel 20:29 Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?'"
(It is called Bamah to this day.) 30 "Therefore say to the house of Israel:
'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way
your fathers did and lust after their vile images? 31 When you offer your
gifts-the sacrifice of your sons NIV
Micah 1:5 All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins
of the house of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem? NIV |
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"Good" and
"Bad" kings of Israel
2 Kings 18:1 Ezekiel son of Ahaz king of Judah began
to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned
in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of
Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his
father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the
sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze
snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning
incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) NIV
2 Kings 18:19 This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On
what are you basing this confidence of yours? ... 22 And if you say to me,
"We are depending on the LORD our God"-isn't he the one whose high places
and altars HEzekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must
worship before this altar in Jerusalem"? NIV
2 Kings 23:8 Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah
and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the
priests had burned incense. NIV
2 Chronicles 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices
of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt
the high places his father HEzekiah had demolished; he also erected altars
to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts
and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which
the LORD had said, "My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever."
NIV
1 Chronicles 13:26 For all the gods of the nations are idols (demons - LB),
but the LORD made the heavens.
Objects of worship
of pagan gods
beside Jehovah's
altar
Deuteronomy 16:21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole
beside the altar you build to the LORD your God, 22
and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the LORD your God hates. NIV
Judges 6:25 That same night the LORD said to him, "Take the second bull from
your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar
to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind
of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of
the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering."
... 28 In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar,
demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull
sacrificed on the newly built altar! NIV.
This stipulation eliminates
the option to rebuild the Temple besides the Muslim Dome of the Rock on the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem - due to the Baal roots of Islam -- demonstrated
by its fertility signs, (mosque) domes and phallic towers or poles
(minarets). |
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Sacrifices not
just anywhere
Deuteronomy 12:4 "You must not make sacrifices to your God just
anywhere, as the heathen sacrifice to their gods. Rather, you must build
a sanctuary for him at a place he himself will select as his home. 14 He
will pick a place in the territory allotted to one of the tribes. Only there
may you offer your sacrifices and bring your offerings. TLB
Deuteronomy 12:26 But take your consecrated things and whatever you have
vowed to give, and go to the place the LORD will choose. 27 Present
your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God, both the meat and
the blood. NIV
Josh 22:10 When they came to Geliloth near the JorDan in the land of Canaan,
the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing
altar there by the JorDan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had
built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the JorDan on the
Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go
to war against them. 15 When they went to Gilead-to Reuben, Gad and the
half-tribe of Manasseh-they said to them: 16 "The whole assembly of the LORD
says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could
you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against
him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we
have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the
community of the LORD! 18 And are you now turning away from the LORD? "'If
you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole
community of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to
the LORD's land, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and share the land with
us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar
for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.....24 "No! We did
it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you
have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? ...."That is why we said, 'Let
us get ready and build an altar-but not for burnt offerings or
sacrifices.' 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and
you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his
sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings.
NIV [This ruling
about "not sacrificing just anywhere," had to do with the presence of demons
if special "preparations" were not made, as below] |
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Of more
importance, is the Preparation of the
Altar by:
1. Atonement for the altar: Ezekiel 43:26 For seven days they are to
make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it.
Ezekiel 43:27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests
are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar.
Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign LORD." NIV
2. Atonement for the
sins of the priest: Leviticus 9:8 So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered
the calf as a sin offering for himself. NIV
Anointing the Altar
Numbers 7:10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings
for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 For the LORD had
said to Moses, "Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication
of the altar." NIV
Remission
of sin only by Blood
"...it is
the blood that makes atonement for one's
life" (Leviticus
17:11-12
NIV)
Leviticus 1:4 The person bringing it is to lay his hand upon its head, and
it then becomes his substitute: the death of the animal will be accepted
by God instead of the death of the man who brings it, as the penalty for
his sins. 5 The man shall then kill the animal there before the Lord, and
Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood before the Lord, TLB
"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).
"The blood of Messiah Jesus, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John
1:7).
"We have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins"
(Col.1:14).
For
this reason, the RAM that was substituted for Isaac
is probably the most important symbol
in Judaism, since it represents the Messiah's sacrifice
for man's sins.
Genesis 22:12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything
to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from
me your son, your only son." 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket
he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed
it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place
The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the
LORD it will be provided." NIV.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is silent, NIV
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that
you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the
Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the
whole world. NIV
Contrary to this, human sacrifices are required in pagan religions like
Islam, because only the God of Israel has a Son (his human body on earth)
who could die for us - see
Allah and Allah,
the moon god |
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Construction of Altars
Exodus 20:25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with
dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do
not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on
it.' NIV
Deuteronomy 27:4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones
on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. 5 Build
there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron
tool upon them. 6 Build the altar of the LORD your God with fieldstones and
offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. NIV
Josh 8:30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of
Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites.
He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses-an
altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered
to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. NIV
Steps
Ezekiel 43:17...The steps of the altar face east."
NIV |
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Specifications |
The altars
in the "mobile" Tabernacle
Exodus 27:1 "Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it
is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a
horn at each of the
four corners, so that the horns and the altar
are of one piece,
and overlay the altar with bronze. NIV
Exodus 30:1 "Make an altar of acacia wood
for burning
incense. 2 It
is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits
high--its horns of one
piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns
with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. NIV
Ezekiel 43:15 The altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project
upward from the hearth. NIV
Rev 9:13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming
from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.
NIV |
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Symbolism of Horns
Connection to
sin
Jeremiah 17:1 "Judah's sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with
a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.
NIV
Seat of power, viability, identity, etc.
Hebrew:
keren = horn; corner; ray;
capital
Ezekiel 34:20 "'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See,
I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because
you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your
horns until you have driven them away, NIV
Daniel 7:7 "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before
me was a fourth beast-terrifying and frightening and very powerful.
It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled
underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts,
and it had ten horns. 8 "While I was thinking about the horns, there
before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them;
and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes
like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully. NIV
Daniel 8:5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent
horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without
touching the ground. 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing
beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. 7 I saw him attack
the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram
was
powerless
to stand
against him; NIV
[without his
horns]
Amos 3:14 "On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars
of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
NIV
Micah 4:13 "Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns
of iron; I will give you hoofs of bronze and you will break to pieces
many nations." You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the LORD, their
wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Zechariah 1:20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, "What
are these coming to do?"
He answered, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no
one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and
throw down these
horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah
to scatter its
people." NIV |
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Symbolism of Horns |
Slaughter and Offering
Leviticus 1:10 "'If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from
either the sheep or the goats, he is to offer a male without defect. 11 He
is to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's
sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
NIV
Leviticus 1:14 "'If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds,
he is to offer a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest shall bring it to
the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be
drained out on the side of the altar. NIV
Deuteronomy 12:27... The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the
altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat. NIV
The Fire on the Altar
Leviticus 6:12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go
out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering
on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire
must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. NIV |
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