Altars without Sacrifice
Go into any Christian church building and while you might find an altar in the front of the sanctuary, it is relatively an unused piece of furniture. If one is in the place of worshipping believers, it is a reminder of a past age when God’s people worshiped with priests and sacrifices in a tabernacle, and subsequently a temple. Why the change? The Old Testament is very exacting in its prescriptions. Scan through the Book of Leviticus and you’ll find detailed instructions for five different kinds of sacrificial offerings (Lev. 1:1-7:38), codes for maintain a holy priesthood (Lev. 8:1-10:20), codes for ceremonial purification (Lev. 11:1-16:34), and codes for maintaining ceremonial purity (Lev. 17:1-25:55). Worshippers who kept their covenant with Yahweh were blessed whereas the unfaithful were cursed (Lev. 26:1-46); yet, there were ways sinners could be redeemed (Lev. 27:1-34). Similar ordinances can also be found in Exodus 20-40 and the Book of Deuteronomy. Yahweh eventually...