“shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous”
(Lam 4:13, YLT)
This teaching should please be read in conjunction with the previous one. It is important to draw together a number of different threads and make the implications thereof clear. Throughout this section on the bronze altar we have prototypically pointed to the death of Jesus on the cross, the sacrificial Lamb of God (John 1:29). Heb 13:10 states that in the New Covenant our altar takes a different shape – Jesus is now the Altar. The previous teachings were concerned with the blood of the holy ones that was shed “between the outer court and the altar.” These words of Jesus point to the events surrounding the deaths of Abel and Zechariah. That which was spoken at the death of both was spoken in almost the exact same way at the death of the first martyr of the New Covenant, Stephen (an event of the utmost importance in the prophetic drawing together of time – more on this later).
Jesus’ harsh words to the church leaders of his day in Matt 23 also prophesy his death as prophet, about which Stephen in turn prophesies in Acts7! All these voices prophecy the same thing, across centuries, and say that all in the church (“between the temple and the altar”) can be considered as “betrayers and murderers” of Jesus and all the other prophets who were part of the unfolding of the revelation of Christ. That innocent blood has corporately become the responsibility of us all. On account of this truth and revelation WHICH IS PERPETUALLY UNFOLDING, we have had part of the traditions of our fathers who killed, in the church, the prophets who had brought this unfolding truth.
Obviously this is not in all cases a physical death – the rock (= the law/tradition) which is thrown by the mouth, hurts just as much, some prophets assure us. A practical illustration. No one doubts the God-given role that Martin Luther played in the Reformation, and the importance thereof for the unfolding truth. But Luther was also responsible for the murder of millions and millions of believers who believed in the water baptism of the believer. All of us who have a reformed foundation (and this includes, for example, ALL the Huguenot families) have a certain amount of reckoning to do about what had happened between the temple and the altar.
Moses’ plea in Deut 21:8 is particularly directional in this regard – “’Provide atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.’ And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood.” (Remember what we discussed in detail earlier, in the teaching of Day 242 – that the “true Israel” are the sons of Abraham, all those who are born again – Gal 3:29). If you do not comprehend this debt which you share in the death of Abel, Zachariah, Jesus, Stephen and the other martyrs, you will not “prosper” (2 Chr 24:20). In the original language this word means, according to Strongs, “to push forward, …break out, come (mightily) … be profitable”. This does not happen to us because we are priests blindly hobbling through the street, stained with blood, so that no one can touch our clothes (Lam 4:14). A lack of identification with the suffering of Christ prevents you from receiving the ever-unfolding revelation, and subsequently you too kill the prophet between the temple and the altar with your lack of understanding.
- Sela: Repent before God about your collective responsibility in killing the prophets.
- Read: Lev 6; Neh 3; Isa 46
- Memorise: Isa 46:10
