God requires the blood of Christ to be on the altar of our soul. 

Ezekiel 43:20

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it.” Ezekiel 43:20

The duty of the earthly priests was to use part of the blood of the animal sacrifice to put it on the four horns of the altar. In the picture below, you can see the four horns, which are those four points at each corner. The blood would also be put on the ledge of the four corners and around the entire rim. The idea was that life is in the blood, and by that representation of life, the altar would be cleansed and made fit for offering sacrifices to God. All the instruments had to be purified.

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22

The scribes and Pharisees knew how to prepare the external and manmade altar through ritualistic cleansing, but they didn’t know how to prepare the internal altar of the soul to receive Jesus Christ. Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees blind because they were more concerned about keeping the outside of things cleansed, but within their soul they were spiritually filthy and dead to God. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25

The reason that Jesus Christ shed His blood on the altar of the Cross is because blood represents life. As sinners, we are dead to God but by the shed blood of Jesus Christ we are given life. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…” Ephesians 2:1 Jesus willingly shed His blood to cleanse us from sin and give us life.

When we come to God through Jesus Christ, from the altar of our soul, His blood gives us life as we are cleansed from sin. His blood is put on the four corners of our soul and when God sees the blood applied to our heart, He considers us to be cleansed. His judgment passes over us as we are resurrected to eternal life and not to the condemnation of eternal hell. His cleansing and life-giving blood is put not only on all four corners of our soul, but on four corners of the ledge and the rim all around.

The Apostle Peter spoke these words by the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus Christ, “…elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…” 1 Peter 1:2

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
[Church hymn]

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….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11