Christ and the Bronze Altar

In the old covenant, the holy place was the outer court in the tabernacle. It had the bronze altar, utensils, and lamp. This is where the sacrifices and judgments for sin took place. But the holy of Holies was made of silver and gold. This was where the glory and presence of God dwelled. The place of union and communion. He said to make the ark and there I will meet with you and speak with you. The priests continually entered the bronze outer court to perform their sacrifices. But only entered the gold holy of Holies once a year and not without blood offered on the bronze altar. 

Bronze is a symbol of God’s righteous judgment. In the old, we see this in the bronze serpent Moses lifted up for healing and the bronze altar and utensils in the tabernacle, where the blood of animals was shed for sin. In the new, we see it in Christ. 

“I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.” Daniel‬ ‭10:5-6‬ ‭NASB‬‬

“The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze.” Revelation‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Daniel and John saw Christ with bronze arms and feet! Why? Because His pierced arms and feet brought the judgment of God over sin. We no longer look to a bronze altar or bronze serpent. We look to the bronze arms and feet of Christ. He was lifted up and sacrificed as an offering with His bloodshed. The old priests continually judged sin with a bronze table and animal blood, He judged sin once for all with His bronze pierced arms and legs and His very own blood. In the old, Moses judged sickness and death with a fashioned bronze serpent, in the new Christ judged sickness and death with His very own body. This is the new. 

“He fashioned the two pillars of bronze; eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of both.”

“Thus he set up the pillars at the porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz.”
1 King 7:15 and 21 

The house of God that Solomon built in the old had bronze pillars on the front porch at the doorway. They were named Jachin and Boaz. Which means He shall establish and in it is strength. 

This is a symbol of Christ. He is the porch and doorway into the house of God. In this new covenant, His arms are the pillars. In His work and sacrifice on the cross, we find our door into the holy of holies. We find our establishment and strength! Hebrews 10:19-20 says “we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.” His very body is our door into the house of God. Jesus said, “I am the door.” He said, “I am the way to the Father” Like the two pillars on the porch and entry to the outer court. His two arms were stretched on a cross! To bring Establishment and strength to humanity! To forever open the door into the house of God! The holy of holies! His bronze arms still stand (like pillars) stretched wide calling man to enter! To come draw near for establishment and strength. The judgment of sin is forever settled. 

I once had an open eyes vision at a church service I was ministering at. Christ came in the room and He had bronze arms and legs that were glowing like they had been sitting in a furnace. He began to walk around the room and lay hands on all the people. It was marvelous. It touched me deeply and revealed to me the ministry of Christ as our great intercessor. How wonderful that He was laying hands on the church and covering them with prayer. The bronze arms and legs reveal His judgment of sin on the cross. The glowing from the furnace is His purifying and sanctifying work to His people. How wonderful that He calls all men to himself to find purification and sanctification flowing from His judgment of sin on the cross. His pierced bronze arms and legs judged sin and continually glow with the fire of His love to refine us in His righteousness. He imparts it. He sanctifies and purifies us in the fire of holiness through His finished judgment over sin. 

The old bronze condemned us, Christ’s bronze redeemed us. The flames on the bronze altar protected our fathers from the wrath of sin, but the flames on Christ’s bronze hands cleanse us from sin. Moses and the law was a ministry of condemnation and death. Christ and His grace is a ministry of righteousness and life. The priests of the law continually offered lambs on the bronze altar for judgment of sin, but it could never free them from the condemnation of death and bring them into a continual dwelling in the holy of holies. The Conscience of the worshipper could never be purified or sanctified. But Christ once for all offered up a sacrifice of judgment with His bronze arms and feet to free us from the law of sin and death! Now sin is judged once for all and our conscience is purified and sanctified from sin and renewed in righteousness. 

We have stepped out of the old Bronze Age of the law. Now we are in the new golden age of Christ and His kingdom. The Holy of Holies! The age of His glory! Constantly in face to face communion! No longer held in shadow and type. We have been given access to the fullness. His very own body and blood are the means to our freedom. He took the judgment for sin in His body and did away with the endless bronze offerings of the law. He entered the holy place once for all and optioned an eternal redemption. The bronze pillars, bronze altar and the offerings sacrificed in the old, constantly reminded the fathers of sin. But the bronze arms of Christ constantly remind us of our freedom from sin. Our judgment put upon Him. Nails pierced in His arms and feet to establish us and give us the strength of righteousness and life in the house of God. Now forever to dwell in the holy of holies. 

By Micah Level