Altar of Sacrifice
by Arlette Pollard
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind; that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2
Several days ago the Lord woke me up several times during the same evening, starting around one o’clock until early into the morning. Each time He would wake me up I was shown the same vision. What I was shown was an altar that was made of stone. It was located out in a remote countryside, on a hill, surrounded by various sized bushes, and trees.
Each time I was awakened I was shown another detail of the altar scenario. The first time I was awakened what I was shown was an altar that sat on a level section at the top of a hill. Though I saw an entire mountain scene, it was the altar that was the predominate object of focus. The first time I woke up I was aware that this was the location where altar sacrifices were performed. So I looked around to see what was to be sacrificed, nothing appeared.
The next time I was awakened, even though I never saw any people, it seemed that I was looking through the eyes of someone as they made the climb up the hillside to the altar. I saw the ground they walked on; I saw the path they followed. I knew they had a definite purpose in climbing the mountain. The person whose eyes I seemed to be looking through, I was made to understand, that he knew the altar awaited him at the top of the mountain. There was some anxiety that I felt as I knew he was questioning, wondering what was to happen at the altar. When he made it to the altar, I found that I was looking through his eyes as he searched the area for a sacrifice. He knew there was to be a sacrifice, but couldn’t seem to locate it. He looked in the bushes, everywhere, but there was no sacrifice.
The next time I woke up, the people, where at the top of the hill looking upon the altar, they were still looking around, searching for something. It seemed to me that they were becoming anxious as they looked for the sacrifice. Not that they doubted there was a sacrifice, just that they were anxious to find the sacrifice. I seemed to move with them as they continued the search through the bushes, and remembered how they kept looking to the altar itself, as if they expected a sacrifice to be laid out upon the altar.
I would be awakened two more times that night, and the vision was the same. Except the last two times, were just glimpses of the altar. I knew the altar was ready, the people were ready, but that there was no sacrifice. No one seemed to doubt that there was to be a sacrifice, just that it hadn’t appeared yet.
The next morning as I was getting ready to meet two fellow intercessors for a day of worship and intercession I was shown the same vision. The altar, the people waiting for the sacrifice to appear.
Later that day as I met with two other intercessors, one of the intercessors, who also moves into visions, without my telling her anything about the altar vision, started to describe the vision I had been given the night before. She described it in perfect detail, we both seemed to sense it was representative of Abraham and Isaac. Father and son. I said something about how we were to wait for understanding, to wait before we moved into prayer, because what was supposed to be laid on the altar hadn’t appeared yet. But she immediately said, no, the word from God was that it was all about obedience. She said this three times, that it was all about obedience. She said that she saw that there was the older man, who was the Father, and she saw that he was carrying a lamb that had been slain in his arms. The lamb had been sacrificed. His obedience had been the sacrifice.
Earlier that morning while getting dressed, when I had seen the altar, the Lord had spoken these words to me, that it was about obedience, and sacrifice. I hadn’t really thought these words applied to the vision, until the other intercessor spoke out the word that she had received from the Lord.
A few days ago, I was shown the altar again, along with the rest of the mountaintop background scenery. Except this time I knew that what was supposed to be placed upon the altar, had already been placed there, and the sacrifice had been completed. In this vision I was now seeing the light of God’s presence shining upon and within the altar. The urgency, the expectation was gone. I felt a peace, freedom, joy and hope. I was shown the altar where a sacrifice had been laid out and performed, but what was a new addition to the vision, was that I sensed that there had been a fire that surrounded the altar that had burnt up and consumed the sacrifice. A fire of purification had burned with so much heat that not even the ashes from the sacrifice remained. All that remained was the glory of God’s presence shining within and upon the altar.
I would see this vision several times that evening. This time I was with another intercessor and we both began to experience the presence of the Lord strongly, flowing throughout our bodies. His presence seemed to be moving us past seeing in the natural, to seeing, or sensing another depth of spiritual reality. We saw the world around us, the buildings, the people, but they seemed to disappear in importance, the world seemed to be more of a backdrop to the presence of God who was moving us into visions.
Each time that I would see the altar, the altar where God’s presence seemed shining upon it, within, a great joy welled up within me. I couldn’t seem to suppress the joy and so I laughed. When I laughed it felt as if joy was an emotion that moved through every vein within my body, from my toes to the top of my head. Each time I laughed the joy was released so that it made it impossible for me to not continue laughing. God would keep showing me the altar, the altar where the sacrifice had been consumed, where His presence was the fulfillment of the burnt sacrifice and my joy would be increased. The joy that led to laughing increased in power and flowed steadily through my body each time I was shown the altar. This continued for over an hour.
Later my friend and I would pray that the fire of God’s purification would come down from heaven. We prayed for the fire to burn off the dross within His children’s lives. That the fire would consume anything, any thoughts, actions that would take them from Jesus. We prayed for the baptism of fire to fall upon the church. We prayed that God’s children would be released from anything that kept them in bondage to the world. Freedom, the joy of the Lord, and the Baptism of Fire so that God’s Bride stood reflecting the glory of His presence to the world.
"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:19
"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:8-11
"John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water: but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Luke 3:16
Altar of Sacrifice Pt. 2
by Bill Somers
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16 KJV)
In the account of the vision of the altar, Arlette says "when I had seen the altar, the Lord had spoken these words to me, that it was about obedience, and sacrifice". Farther down she has this to say:
Later my friend and I would pray that the fire of God’s purification would come down from heaven. We prayed for the fire to burn off the dross within His children’s lives. That the fire would consume anything, any thoughts, actions that would take them from Jesus. We prayed for the baptism of fire to fall upon the church. We prayed that God’s children would be released from anything that kept them in bondage to the world. Freedom, the joy of the Lord, and the Baptism of Fire so that God’s Bride stood reflecting the glory of His presence to the world.
With that in mind I offer these comments on another Altar of Sacrifice that we find in scripture, that of Elijah.
Here is the text from first Kings telling the story of Elijah's Altar of Sacrifice and what followed.
1 Kings 18:
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Now we're going to point out some things about this passage starting at the end and proceeding to the beginning.
The two key points here are that Elijah outran Ahab's chariot [v46] and that there was a great rainfall [v45].
The significance of Elijah outrunning the chariot can be seen by stringing together a couple verses relating to it.
Joshua 3:15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
And:
Jeremiah 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
You can see in the verse from Jeremiah 12 that what Elijah has done here is contend with the horses. The horses of Ahab's chariot. Not only did he contend or compete with them, he outran them even after they had a tremendous head start.
In the structure of the quote from Jeremiah, the Lord is making an analogy. Here is how it boils down. Running with footmen compares to competing against horses as a time of peace [land of peace means peace in the land] compares to the swelling of Jordan. You would think he would compare it to a time of war. But he compares it to the swelling of Jordan. In the quote from Joshua, we see that the swelling [flooding] of Jordan comes at harvest time. So this is telling us two things. First, Elijah's supernatural empowerment to out run horses is connected with the idea of Harvest Time, and the Harvest Time may be a time of war. Notice he says peace, wherein thou trustedst. In harvest time you can't trust in peace, or horses and chariots, only in the LORD.
And of course, you can figure that all this is pointing to the End Time Harvest.
(Matthew 13:39) ...the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
In verse 45, there is mention of great rain. The background to the whole story of Elijah's sacrifice is found one chapter back in 1 Kings 17.
(1 Kings 17:1)And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
Elijah had declared that there would be no rain in Israel. [The drought lasted 3 and a half years.] No rain means no crops, no food or water and famine in the land; no harvest. Rain coming will reverse all that. So rain itself speaks of Harvest time. In the context of End Time Harvest, it speaks of a special type of coming of the Lord or presence of the Lord, known in prophetic jargon as The Latter Rain. The term comes from Hosea 6, where two days signify the so called church, and the third day refers to the Millennium or Kingdom Age. The key phrase is in verse 3: he shall come unto us as the rain.
Hosea 6:
1-Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
If you look closely at Hosea 6: 1-3 here, you can see a pattern or sequence set out.
A. Return to the Lord.
B. He will revive us.
C. He will bring Harvest.
A similar pattern, but much more elaborate, can be seen in the passage telling of Elijah's sacrifice.
1. Elijah calls the people back to the Lord, [repentance]
2. Elijah calls down fire, [revival]
3. Elijah announces the coming of rain [harvest].
What's interesting are the details of how Elijah prepares the altar and the effects of the fire.
In those days the people of Israel had been led into worship of Baal. Elijah's sacrifice was a contest between The Lord and Baal. 'Baal' is a word that means "lord" but it does not refer to the True Lord, Jehovah or JHWH. It's like the word 'Allah' which means 'God' but does not refer to the Real God but a false or substitute God. [An anti-christ as it were.]
Since we're looking at this from an End Time Prophetic viewpoint, let's look at Who Is Israel. There is a great deal of squabbling and disputing going on today over this question, with various factions of the church staking claim to one viewpoint or another.
If you consult a dictionary, you almost always find multiple definitions with multiple meanings under each one. Shouldn't we be mature enough to allow the possibility that God can use multiple meanings in his word?
Is·ra·el
1. Bible. a. In the Old Testament, Jacob. b. The descendants of Jacob.
2. Judaism. The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.
Is·ra·el
1. An ancient kingdom of Palestine founded by Saul c. 1025 B.C. After 933 it split into the Northern Kingdom, or kingdom of Israel, and the kingdom of Judah to the south. Israel was overthrown by the Assyrians in 721.
2. Abbr. Isr. A country of southwest Asia on the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Here we see two bible definitions, a religious definition, and two political/historic definitions. There are also prophetic or typological definitions. In Romans 9-11 the bible goes into great detail on this subject. Let me offer several simple definitions, any or all of which can fit how "Israel" is used prophetically in the Bible.
Israel is:
1. God's people in general, for all time.
2. God's people in the church of today.
3. God's people in the country of Israel today.
4. God's people, who have been called out from other nations to be separated to him. Regardless of race or national origin.
And from this definition, it therefore also means:
5. The United States of America.
For this discussion, our primary application is #2 the church of today. Now just as Israel in the days of Elijah worshipped Baal, The church of today is caught up in the worship of Mammon, i.e. material success or the world's system. And we find this reflected in the 'church' system.
We all claim to be looking for Harvest, sinners getting saved, but if we look at the patterns outlined above, we see that repentance and revival must come first.
So what did Elijah do?
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
The 12 stones stand for the 12 tribes that Israel was divided into. For us they stand for the far greater number of denominations, movements and camps the church is divided into. What does the bible have to say about that?
1 Corinthians 1:
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Note also this phrase in verse 31: Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name. The change of Jacob's name to Israel is a prophetic type of the transition that will come upon 'today's church' changing it from a worldly 'Jacob' mentality to a Godly 'Israel' mentality befitting those who are really God's people. And it is the "Word of the Lord" that came to him and declared that. So who is the "Word of the Lord" but Jesus, who's coming as the refiners fire and then the latter rain will bring this about.
Next, Elijah puts on wood and cuts up the sacrifice and puts the pieces on the wood. What is this flesh put on the altar? Here's a clue.
Romans 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The flesh on the altar has to be our flesh.
Then Elijah pours on 12 barrels of water, scarce in times of drought. This speaks of a very thorough repentance, accompanied by many tears. Here's an example of a woman, a type of the church or bride, offering tears of repentance.
Luke 7:
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Then Elijah calls on the Lord to come.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
The fire of God has burnt it all up!
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Hebrews 12:
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29 For our God is a consuming fire.
He is an all consuming fire, and a refiners fire.
Malachi 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Conclusions
Now let's make some conclusions. When the fire falls, means His coming as the purifier and refiner of his people. Then the flesh on the altar which represents our selves, will be gone [i.e. death to self]. The water, which represents our tears of repentance will be gone [i.e. the joy of the Lord]. The stones of the altar which represent the church as we know it today with all its divisions and strife will be gone. All that will be left will be the Glory of God.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces ....
Death to self allows us to put on righteousness and walk in the peace that passes all understanding, add in the Joy of the Lord and you have Righteousness, Peace and the Joy of the Holy Ghost, that's the Kingdom of God. Then will come the harvest. And the anointing or supernatural empowerment to 'content with horses.'
(Matthew 13:39) ... the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mark 4:
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Revelation 14:
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.