What Is an Altar?

Today we begin a series of teachings on The Science of Altars.

The term “science” in this context refers to the systematic study and understanding of the concept of altars in the Bible.

Just as science explores the laws and principles governing the physical world, the “science of altars” involves examining the patterns, purposes, and meanings behind the use of altars in the spiritual realm.

Altars are sacred spaces or structures where human beings engage with the divine or the demonic, depending on the intent and nature of the altar.

In this first lesson, let’s explore what an altar is by examining the top 5 definitions, which are:

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#1 – An altar is an Enforcement Agency for Man

There is a difference between verdict and enforcement.

Legally, the department that gives a verdict is usually different from the one that enforces that verdict.

For example, the judicial gives the verdict, while the armed forces oversee the enforcement.

In the spiritual realm, God is the one who gives the verdicts [Psalms 138:2], but man is the entity meant to enforce those verdicts, as supported by:

Psalms 115:16: The divine order states that the dominion of the territory called Earth was given to men. That means any other entity that is not man does not have the legal ground to come and operate in the realm of the Earth. Even God respected this divine order when He sought out the cooperation of a human [Mary] to make Jesus fully man.
Matthew 18:18-19: The process must be initiated from the Earth for the Heavens to get involved. For example, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught that we should pray for the Kingdom of God to come down. This means the prayer altar is a means by which men give earthly permission for heavenly intervention.
James 4:8: Men must initiate the process of drawing near or coming to God, and then He will reciprocate.
Genesis 28:12: The angels were ascending first and then descending after because it is Earth that begins by giving authorization and permission for heavenly intervention. We are also told that the ladder was on Earth and its top touched the heavens, which means its foundation was on Earth first.

The spiritual realm is legal in nature as supported by:

Genesis 4:9-12: Unknown to Cain, he was ignorant of the fact that there is a court in heaven, where blood was a witness with the ability to accuse because it’s one of the three witnesses spoken of in 1 John 5:8.
Zechariah 3:1-3: There is a court in heaven where Satan goes to accuse believers on account of sin and iniquity, as he did in the case of Joshua the high priest.
Isaiah 49:24: There are lawful captives who are under bondage because they have violated the legal laws and principles of the divine justice system.

For the lawful captives, only God can set them free, as seen in the example of Luke 13:11-18, where Jesus pronounced a different judgment over the woman because she was the daughter of Abraham.

All believers in Christ are also sons and daughters of Abraham according to Galatians 3:29.
For that reason, the claim of justice for our sins and inequities was paid on the cross [Isaiah 53:5 & Colossians 2:15].
Therefore, we can confidently raise law enforcement altars, knowing that Jesus already paid the price demanded by the righteousness of God.
In fact, in Isaiah 41:21, God has already told us to come forth and produce strong reasons why what we are going through is a spiritual injustice that needs His intervention.
Moreover, God’s throne is founded on justice and righteousness [Psalm 89:14], which means He will always side with man in bringing about just verdicts on Earth.

In summary, what I am trying to say is that altars bridge the gap between the heavenly decrees and their earthly execution.

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#2 – An altar is a Landing Stripe for Spirits

From the first definition above, we see that the creature meant to live and operate on Earth legally is man, who is not just spirit but is body, soul, and spirit [1 Thessalonians 5:23].

For beings that are spirit only, their designated place of abode is the heavens [Genesis 1:1 & Psalm 115:16].

All spirits that have departed from Earth through death or those cast out of heaven because of rebellion [Revelation 12:9-12], go to a waiting area called Hades or the underworld.

From the graphic representation given in Luke 16:19-30, in Hades, there are two compartments or divisions:

Gehenna, also known as hell, for all unclean, evil spirits of rebellion—those that are anti-Christ [Isaiah 14:9].
Paradise, also known as Abraham’s bosom, because he was the father of faith, for all those who died in Christ Jesus.

Now that man is the only creature that can legally operate on Earth;

The altar becomes the landing strip, vault, portal, airport, or embassy that allows spirit beings to land or take off in the territory called Earth.
A perfect example of a landing strip can be seen in Genesis 28, where Jacob saw angelic beings ascending from Earth and descending from heaven at Bethel, the place where his grandfather Abraham had built an altar [Genesis 12:8].

This story of Jacob’s encounter demonstrates how altars act as spiritual airports, indicating the altar’s role as a spiritual gateway.

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#3 – An altar is a Monitoring Agent

An altar acts as a spiritual watchtower, providing visibility and insight far beyond the physical realm.

For example, in Numbers 23:13 we see that Balaam was able to see into Israel’s innermost parts because he raised strategically positioned altars.

This illustrates that when an altar is involved physical distance is no longer a factor because:

An altar in one location can exert influence and monitor activities in another, regardless of how far apart they are.
Altars can serve both divine and demonic purposes.
While godly altars can bring blessings, protection, and divine insight, demonic altars can be used to monitor, manipulate, and attack individuals or entire nations.
Just as Balaam’s altars were raised to curse and bring destruction upon Israel, demonic altars can be erected to observe and hinder the progress of believers.

Therefore, the believers’ consistency in spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and fellowship among others creates spiritual protection altars that have the power to nullify and destroy those of anti-Christ priests and their helping spirits.

Through this, we claim the victory and freedom that is ours in Christ, breaking every chain and nullifying every curse that seeks to operate through ungodly altars.

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#4 – An altar is a Platform for Divine Exchange

An altar is a download-and-upload instrument.

In other words, we come to the altar with something [usually an offering or a sacrifice] that appeases the spirit of the altar, and then when the spirit is happy, they reward our loyalty and worship with some benefits.

That means an altar acts as a tool of mediation, which facilitates the transfer of divine resources such as:

Transformation: At the altar, we bring our ashes—symbolizing sorrow, loss, or brokenness—and, in return, we receive beauty [Isaiah 61:3] for our imperfections are replaced with grace and blessings [Exodus 20:24]
Answers: Elijah constructed an altar to invoke answers from the God who answers by fire [1 Kings 18:22-25]. This demonstrates the altar’s role in securing divine answers and intervention.
Communion: In Exodus 33:7-9, Moses established the Tabernacle of Congregation, allowing the children of Israel to enter and seek God directly. This highlights the altar’s role as a place where natural entities—humans—commune with supernatural entities—God.

In summary, when we are seeking something from the spiritual realm to manifest in the earthly realm, the altar becomes a vital conduit for such spiritual transactions.

#5 – An altar is an Instrument of Spiritual Warfare

Revelation 12:9-12 reveals a troubling reality: humanity became entangled in a spiritual war that began in the heavens.

When Satan was cast out of heaven and into the Earth, its inhabitants, including mankind, automatically became victims of the:

Prince of the air who worketh in the children of disobedience [Ephesians 2:2]
God of this age whose agenda is to blind [2 Corinthians 4:4]
Covering of darkness that is cast over the Earth [Isaiah 25:7-8]

That means the believer has no choice but to put up the whole armor of God for the warfare is spiritual in nature as supported by:

Ephesians 6:12, which tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.
2 Timothy 3:8, which indicates that in the end times, truth will be contested, similar to how Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses.
1 Timothy 4:1-5, which warns that in the last days, people will abandon the faith due to doctrines taught by demons and seducing spirits.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, which describes increased spiritual activity, both holy and demonic, as a mark of the last days.
Acts 2:17, which assures that overcoming will only be possible through the Spirit of God.

Jesus our high priest, gave us the secret of how to survive and be victorious in this end-time spiritual warfare:

In Luke 18, Jesus spoke a parable about a widow to illustrate the necessity of maintaining a prayer altar.
Satan is likened to the unjust judge who neither fears God nor respects man.
Without prayer, we become faint and susceptible to the injustices of this wicked judge.
However, if we maintain a functional prayer altar that we attend to consistently and passionately, like the widow, we will eventually see our adversary change his mind about our destiny and purpose.
Prayer is the language of those who recognize their need for God’s help [Romans 8:26].

This teaching of Jesus underscores the need for raising altars through consistently practicing spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, and fellowship because our help comes in spiritual form:

Acts 1:6 shows that the disciples initially expected help in the form of the re-establishment of a physical kingdom.
However, their expectations were not met because, in Acts 1:8, we see that the help provided was in spiritual capital known as “dunamis,” which is inherent power in the Holy Spirit.
Dunamis is a potential ability, which must be triggered through intentional acts to manifest its full power and effectiveness.
Therefore, our victory in spiritual warfare is directly related to how we exercise and build up our spirit through continually giving ourselves to the four-fold culture of the apostles: teachings, fellowship, prayer, and breaking of bread [Acts 2:42].
In the New Testament arrangement, we are considered living sacrifices, as our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit [Romans 12:1].
This means that we are the altar, and the intensity of the fire or light our human altar produces depends on our intimacy and fellowship with the seal, custodian, and guardian of the realm of God, who is the Holy Ghost [Ephesians 1:13].

In conclusion….

Altars serve as links, bridges, or interfaces between the divine and earthly realms, facilitating communication and transactions to and from either realm.

They bridge the gap between the heavens and earth, by allowing heavenly decrees to influence earthly outcomes and enabling divine responses to human actions.

For the believer, the altar provides a platform for seeking divine justice and intervention in spiritual issues.

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