On October 1, 2019, I had a warning dream to America, warning of at least two impending judgements (major shakings) that are about to hit the heart [land] of America. (You can view it in full under part 1, “Warning Dream to America”, at heavenshopeunveiled.com under “blogs)

In the dream, as two or three massive tornadoes were almost upon us, there was only one place of unshakable safety and security: our beds, which had become our “altars”. While securely anchoring ourselves to them and crying out for mercy, the mega “tornadoes”, which ended up stripping the entire landscape, “passed over” us. When I awoke, Psalm 91 was given to me as its template.

What, exactly, did these “altars” in my dream represent, and what was the true meaning of our cries for mercy, causing the tornadoes to “pass over” us? This will be the topic of discussion in this article.

In part 2 of the Psalm 91 series, “Are You [Really] Dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High?”, we studied Psalm 91:1. We concluded that all of the promises for protection and deliverance in Psalm 91 are predicated on “dwelling in the secret place of the most High”, or, the Holy of Holies. We defined the Holy of Holies as a place of wholehearted dedication and transformation. We learned that “dwelling” means continuous, permanent abiding and studied the various benefits for those who “dwell” in the Secret Place. (To review these important details, please go to heavenshopeunveiled and click on “blogs”).

Now we come to the Altar, which was both the highlight and the pivotal point of my dream.

After I had the dream, for weeks I kept hearing in my spirit, “holding onto the horns of the Altar.” This is essentially what we were anchoring ourselves and clinging to for dear life, while crying out for God’s mercy. It took a simple Bible study to discover these “horns” were pertaining to the Brazen Altar.

When coming into the outer court of the Tabernacle, the very first piece of furniture to be encountered was the “Altar of Burnt Offering” or, “the Brazen Altar”.

The Altar was made with wood overlaid with bronze– bronze representing judgement [of sin]. The word, “offering” (the Hebrew word, “Corban”), means “to draw near”. A deeper study of the word implies “drawing near” with a desire for “intimacy” with God; not in terms of sexual intimacy, of course, but that of “deeply knowing and being deeply known by God”.

This idea of drawing near to God by means of the Altar was nothing new. When God first created man, he walked with God in an undisturbed, heart to Heart relationship. That is, until sin came into the picture. Thereafter, the Altar was the only means through which man could draw near to God. It pointed to the Cross, the ultimate Altar of Sacrifice, upon which Jesus died— “By the which we draw near to God.” (Hebrews 7:19).

According to the book of Leviticus, there were five types of sacrifices to be offered at the Brazen Alter, some of which required an animal (blood) sacrifice: The burnt offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering. Oftentimes there were combined offerings and sacrifices prescribed, depending on the situation. These offerings and sacrifices enabled the worshiper to express their faith and thanks to God, to renew their fellowship with God, to deepen their dedication to God, or to obtain mercy and forgiveness from God.

In every case, they were to be offered to God exclusively in genuine, heartfelt repentance and sincere commitment, in full dedication of one’s heart and life.

Upon entering the doorway to the outer court of the Tabernacle, the Brazen Altar was the first piece of furniture the worshiper would encounter, showing that the Cross is the only way to intimacy with God (the Holy of Holies) and His blessings. This is because no one can approach a Thrice-Holy God based on their own “righteousness”, defined as “filthy rags” in Isaiah 64:6.

In other words, no amount of good works, religious deeds, acts of obedience to God’s laws, or anything else we do, can atone for our sins. Only the shedding of blood—particularly Christ Jesus’s blood-–“atones” for sin, or cleanses, purifies, pardons and frees [from the dominating power of sin that rules from within the heart]. The prescribed animal sacrifices were mere types and shadows of the Atoning Blood of the Cross. (Hebrews 9:22)

At the Brazen Altar, after slaying the animal the four horns were doused with some of its blood, representing the Power of Christ’s Shed Blood held out to the four corners of the earth. “Catching a hold of the horns of the Altar” while pleading for mercy, then, means humbly acknowledging our sins before God, while placing our faith in the Atoning Blood of Christ. However, our faith in Christ’s shed blood is needed for more than initial salvation: The Brazen Altar was designed to be carried with the Israelites wherever they journeyed. This is a picture of “denying our self”, our own will and our own abilities to save our self or to please God), and “carrying our cross daily”. (Matthew 10:38, Romans 6)

The Burnt Offering

Unlike the mandatory Guilt Offering and the Sin Offering, the “Burnt Offering”, meaning, “That which ascends to God” was specifically a “freewill offering”. According to the Levitical laws regarding Burnt Offerings, the worshiper was to bring a male bullock without blemish, or a specified lesser expensive animal if not affordable. The priest was to bind the animal to the horns of the altar, while the worshiper heavily laid his hand on its head, (identifying himself with the animal that stood in his place), and slit its throat. It was as if the worshiper himself had died, yet remained alive to worship God. The symbolism is described in Galatians 2:20:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The priest would then catch the blood in a basin and pour it on the sides and at the base of the Altar, and douse each of the four horns with the blood. This was a picture of Jesus nailed to the cross, His blood streaming down and puddling at the foot of the cross. It was not a pretty picture. I was meant to illustrate the awfulness of sin and the horrendous Price it would take to remedy it.

The priest would then cut up the animal and carefully cleanse all the parts, inside and out, with pure water. The washing of the “inward parts” represented the power of Christ’s blood to cleanse us on the inside (our thoughts, motives and desires, where sin rules and defiles.

Finally, representing complete, wholehearted devotion to God, the priest would then completely burn the animal with fire, along with all of its parts. As the smoke ascended to heaven, the offering was accepted as a “sweet savour unto the Lord.” (Leviticus 1:9). This, too, represented Christ, Who ” loved us and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1).

The Sanctifying Effect of the Altar

In effect, Christ’s “Altar of Sacrifice” completely cleanses and sanctifies the one who identifies with His death:

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins…Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me), to do thy will…by the which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all.” (Hebrews 10:4,7,10)

“For Christ has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

Amazingly, the word, “bring”, means “to present, to bring near to”— as an offering to God! In other words, WE become the offering! Herein is the true meaning of the Brazen Altar!

For God, it really isn’t about the slaughtering of sheep, goats, and bulls, as though He were blood-thirsty:

“Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression…? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:6-8)

No! What God is really after, is US! He wants ALL of us, meaning every part of us— inside and out–and nothing less! The “Burnt Offering” He is ultimately interested in, is US!

Hence the all- consuming FIRE that burned on the Brazen Altar! The Brazen Altar (the Cross) is about freely offering our self to Him as a living sacrifice— every part of us consumed by God, Who, Himself, IS an All-Consuming Fire! (Hebrews 12:29)

“Walk in love, even as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2)

“To love [God] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:33)

A True Worshiper

The truth is that, offering one’s spirit, soul and body to God as a living sacrifice, wholly set apart for His Holy Use, is God’s definition of a true worshiper. (Romans 12:1-2)

We are, in fact, God’s Temple (dwelling place), filled with His Spirit. Because we are bought with a Price, we are not our own. (1 Corinthians 6:19) According to Leviticus 6:12-13, the fire that burned on the Brazen Altar, which was initially lit by the hand of God, was never to go out! A “true worshiper” is one who is quite literally, “on fire for God!“

Beyond that, you could call them a genuine Christian. One who has truly entered into the “straight and narrow way” that leads to life everlasting. (Matthew 7:13-14). One who picks up their cross daily and actually follows Jesus as LORD (Matthew 7:21).

Now, I want to zero in on the heart of the worshiper. Again, the worshiper was to offer their gift upon the Altar in genuine, heartfelt humility, repentance, and wholehearted commitment to God. However, this was and is not always the case!

In Isaiah chapter 1, we read of God’s rebuke to Israel. They had made their burnt offerings, as well as their Solemn Assemblies and Jewish feasts, nothing more than religious rituals! Day after day, they offered their offerings on the Altar (symbolizing the Cross), “drawing close” to Him–verbally, anyway. In all actuality, their hearts couldn’t have been further from Him! There was zero sincerity. No acknowledgement of their personal sins. No godly sorry or heartfelt repentance. Not a trace of fiery dedication of their hearts and lives to God. They continued on with their lives as usual, basically living for themselves. Their offerings, their fasting and their prayers were repulsive to God! He would not receive their burnt offerings and their fake worship! Nor would He answer their prayers, until they repented and dedicated their hearts and lives to Him, as indicated in Isaiah chapter 58.

No wonder, in Joel 2:13, while calling the nation to a Solemn Assembly in response to their nation -wide crisis, God required them to “rend [their] heart and not [their] garments”. He was speaking of genuine, heartfelt acknowledgement of sin, sincere repentance and wholehearted dedication to Him.

Likewise, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, when Solomon consecrated the newly built Jewish Temple to God, the first thing he dedicated was the Brazen Altar, offering thousands of burnt offerings. In other words, proper dedication of the Brazen Altar had to be established before the rest of the Temple could be consecrated. The Altar was the cornerstone of the Temple, so to speak. After God came down with fire, consuming the sacrifices and filling the Temple with His glory, Solomon prayed that God would honor those who pray inside or toward the Temple, which now housed His presence. Afterward, God appeared to Solomon and warned him that He would only hear the prayers of those who properly “humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways.”

God’s requirement hasn’t changed.

In Luke chapter 18, Jesus tells a parable of two men who went to the temple to pray: One, a religious pharisee, and the other, a tax collector. The pharisee stood and prayed “with himself”, bragging about all of his religious deeds, (which he secretly did to receive men’s praise), while thanking God that he wasn’t a sinner– “like the tax collector, for example”. He never once acknowledged the truth about his inward spiritual condition or his need for God’s forgiveness. On the other hand, the tax collector was so aware of and choked up over the guilt of his sinful lifestyle that he couldn’t even look up. He stood pounding his chest, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” In other words, he was well aware of his infractions against God’s laws, and he was being honest about it. He had true sorrow godly unto repentance. In the the end, it wasn’t the self-righteous Pharisee that went away justified (righteous). It was the tax collector!

The Crux of God’s Warning Dream

This is precisely where Psalm 91 and my husband’s confirmation connect, underscoring God’s main message in the dream: Clinging to the horns of “Brazen Altar” with hearts of humility, honest confession and sorrow unto repentance (without which there can be no wholehearted dedication to God). At the same time that I was dreaming my “Passover” dream, God was speaking to my husband from Psalm 32:

“For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.” (Verse 6)

In order to fully understand what is being communicated here, we must look at its context found in the preceding verses:

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgaveth the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” (verses 1-5)

This Psalm is speaking of the blessedness of having one’s sins forgiven, one’s guilt removed, and enjoying blissful peace with God. This was quoted in Romans 4:6-8 regarding the righteousness of God that is derived by faith in Christ’s Finished Work of the Cross. However, it contains crucial information that explains what is required on our part.

Psalm 32 was written by king David, after he had sinned grievously by committing adultery with Bathsheba, getting her pregnant, and having her husband killed. At first, he had tried to cover up what he had done, explaining the word, “guile”, meaning “remissness, treachery, deceitfulness, falseness”). For some time, instead of honestly confessing his sinful actions to God, David kept “silent”, meaning “to fabricate, to device in the sense of secrecy, to be deaf and dumb, to conceal.” In other words, he was doing the same thing as the hypocritical Pharisee!

Covering up his sins and bearing such guilt, this was a most miserable time in David’s life. A word study on some of the effects that David describes in Psalm 32 indicates a time of physical and emotional torment, as well as barren spiritual deadness.

He finally broke down and “acknowledged” his sins– essentially getting completely real with God. What was the result of his getting real? It applied sin’s CURE (the Cross) to his HEART(sin’s origin)! Then, following his honest confession and repentance, through which his sins were cleansed and forgiven, we come to Psalm 32: 6-7. Notice how the language used is very similar to that of Psalm 91:

“For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding [secret] place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.”

We gain more information on this subject from Psalm 51, also written by David regarding the same exact situation regarding Bathsheba and her husband. He begins by pleading for God’s mercy, honestly acknowledging his sins of adultery and murder. David knew that God requires one to “draw near” to Him in complete truthfulness:

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden parts thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”

As Christians today, we may not have committed adultery or murdered anyone…at least outwardly, anyway. If we are honest, within the heart there is often a whole other story of what is going on.

David then cries out for God to wash him thoroughly with “hyssop”, referencing the plant that Israel used to apply the Passover blood in Egypt. Moses also used it to sprinkle the sacrificial blood on the Tabernacle, its contents, and on the people in consecration to God: “For without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.” (Hebrews 9:18-22) Yet, David was asking for it to be applied to him inwardly, to the source of his problems, beseeching God to create in him a “clean heart and a right spirit”. (vs 7-10)

Having comprehended the true meaning behind burnt offerings and sacrifices, David then writes,

“For you desire not sacrifice; else would I give it: You delight not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

In summary, what pleases God the most when drawing near to Him is honesty and contriteness, an integral part of genuine repentance. “Contriteness” means feeling genuinely crushed, even “prostrated to the ground” over our sins, just like the tax collector whom Jesus described in his parable. James was likewise describing this heart condition in James 4:9-10 when writing to a spiritually adulterous and carnally minded church, whose prayers were going unanswered:

“Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

The Danger of Halfhearted Repentance

In closing, let us also learn a crucial lesson from one who did “flee to catch hold of the horns of the Altar”. In 1 Kings chapters 1-2, David’s son, Adonijah, had committed treason, a crime punishable by death, by trying to usurp the throne of Israel. He got caught. Fearing for his life, he ran to the safest place on earth: the Brazen Altar. Grabbing a hold of those blood-doused horns, he plead for mercy. He was, indeed, pardoned by the king. However, because he neglected to deal contritely with his deep- seated lust for power, allowing it to remain and fester, it eventually lead to his demise.

This teaches us how important it is to follow through with one’s hearty commitment at the “Brazen Altar”, allowing the Holy Fire of God to “thoroughly” purge and transform our inward parts, essentially putting the ax to the root. (Psalm 51:2) This takes DAILY immersing ourselves in God’s Holy Light, allowing Him to fully expose and transform our mind and heart, including our belief systems, thoughts, motives, attitudes and desires. If we don’t? We will be no different than the self-righteous, hypocritical pharisees!

Hence, the next piece of furniture after the Brazen Altar: the Bronze Laver:

This was a wash basin lined with mirrors, wherein the priests would wash their hands and feet before approaching the Holy Place. When they bent over to wash, what would they see? They saw an accurate view of themselves! This piece of furniture symbolizes the “washing of the water of the Word” (Ephesians 5:26). God’s Word acts as a mirror, reflecting the true condition of one’s soul and spirit (James 1:23), and a “two- edged Sword”, God’s surgical tool that exposes and transforms the deepest thoughts, secrets and motives of the heart (Hebrews 4:12):

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…if we [honestly identify and] confess our sins, he is faithful and just to [both] forgive us our sins, and to CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Conclusion of the Matter

The conclusion of the “Brazen Altar”– God’s main message to America–is this: God is calling each one of us, right now, to “draw near” unto Him with a true (truthful) heart— one that hungers to intimately know Him, while contritely allowing ourselves to be transparently KNOWN BY Him, thus, being inwardly changed. He loves you and me so much, that He literally thinks we are “to die for”. Because people can be stubborn, He has to allow difficult consequences to occur, due to man’s choice to live independent from Him, in order to bring us to repentance. We can and should pray for God to bring an end to this current plague, and others like it in the future. But, while we are crying out in our “Solemn Assemblies”, whether personal or corporate, let us not neglect the “heart” of the matter.

So, ask yourself, how would you honestly describe your spiritual condition? “On fire for God”, consumed with being used for His Holy Use? Do you cry out daily for the Holy Spirit to purge you to that end? Do your sins drive you to your knees, knowing that they have grieved God’s Heart? Or, have your prayers, your church attendances, your songs of worship, and your Bible readings become mere religious ritual? Is there something deep within your “inward parts” that you have been secretly concealing from yourself and/or God, neglecting to fully come to terms with it? If so, what is it?

Personally speaking, I found that the All-Consuming Fire of God begins with simple, yet genuine honesty before Him daily — and He takes it from there! By the grace of God, this “inward cleansing” of the Gospel Message has gone so deep within my heart, in fact, that it has even unlocked deep, buried traumatic memories and damaged emotions from my past, while completely transforming them and setting me free from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder! That is not to say that I’m not still a work in progress. My point? There is absolutely nothing that the Power of the Shed Blood of Christ cannot deliver us from…if we simply come before God “openfaced”. (2 Cor. 3:18)

He truly gave us His All, and His All demands our all, nothing less. Let us use this time to “dedicate our hearts unto Him” wisely, for the days are quickly growing darker. There simply is no time to waste.

Thank you for joining me. Look for part 4, “Come Out of Her, My People”, at heavenshopeunveiled.com under “blogs– a prophetic and insightful lesson learned from within the “Holy Place”.