This year, we have had more speculations about the end of the world since any time in my memory with the exception of Y2k. There are riots in the streets, riots in the hearts of Americans, and wars in the heavenly realm. I have believed it was my calling early on to teach the eschatology of the prophecies of the second coming of the Lord. I have been faithful to do as I believe I am being led by the Lord. The rumors of the end of days and the reasoning behind them this year has caused great confusion, great panic, and great fear.

It seems to me that many of my fellow Messianic brethren have forgotten the prerequisites that I have taught for 25 years. It is those prophecies that foretell the timing of the second coming and nothing else. No unrest in America, no political election, it is the prophecies of the Ezekiel war, and most importantly the establishment of the altar. If we have no altar on the Temple Mount, we have no fulfillment of the prophecies of the second coming. We can stop with the speculations, fear mongering, and shaming of others and focus on being ambassadors for the Lord in this Kingdom until we see those specific prophecies come to pass.

The altar is crucial, and proper teachings about it are important so as to not lead fellow Christians astray. Many still wrestle with the thought of the sacrificial system and an altar coming back. They reason that somehow it might nullify the work of the exodus of sin and death as accomplished on the cross by Messiah. Those who have studied with Lion and Lamb Ministries know that it isn’t the sacrificial system by which we are saved. It wasn’t the altar service that provided or supplied our salvation, it is only through the Messiah. Yeshua as the sacrificial lamb for willful and defiant sins against God provided that means of salvation. That however does not replace or make the sacrificial system’s role vanish. The altar will demonstrate God’s system of substitution and will be rebuilt in Jerusalem before the return of the Messiah.

The altar demonstrates God’s ownership of the Earth and everything in it. The reason that unhewn stones are used is to testify to God’s creation of all things. The God who created these stones is the God who owns those stones and everything touching those stones. That would include the whole planet.

The reason why the Great Tribulation begins with the shutting down of the altar service is because HaSatan does not want God’s ownership symbol standing and operating. Satan intends to steal the Earth from the Lord.

Before the days of the Great Tribulation, when the altar is established and operating, there is other important testimony that has existed for generations telling of God’s ownership of the world, which comes in the form of seven Psalms.

Each day of the week a specific Psalm is assigned to the altar service. To this day, observant Jews observe morning prayers and cant (sing) these Psalms originating from the temple service in Jerusalem. The messages in these Psalms, once you understand their correlation to the altar, are stunning. Let us examine them in this context.

Psalm 24 1st Day of the Week (Sunday)

(A Psalm of David.) The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah.

Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.

This psalm declares God’s ownership of the Earth—and everything in it! He is the Creator; therefore, He has the say about what can be done with the Earth and those who live in it. The question is posed as to who can and cannot approach Him. The answer is also given: only those who approach in an appropriate manner may come before the altar and the Lord. Those who are false and lift themselves up are opposed to the Lord and cannot come near to the altar to seek His blessings, but the generation (family) of Jacob does come near.

The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that Yeshua would head the redeemed house of Jacob. The altar actually belongs to the Messiah. When considering the redemptive power of God’s temple, His altar to sanctify the substitution sacrifices, and the person of the Messiah, the Messiah is addressed as the King of glory. This psalm speaks to the majesty of our God, the Messiah, and His temple. It is most fitting that these words be spoken first each week.

Psalm 48 - 2nd Day of the week (Monday)

(A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.) Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King. God, in her palaces, has made Himself known as a stronghold.

For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together. They saw it, then they were amazed; they were terrified, they fled in alarm. Panic seized them there, anguish, as of a woman in childbirth. With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever. Selah.

We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Your temple. As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad, let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments. Walk about Zion, and go around her; count her towers; consider her ramparts; go through her palaces; that you may tell it to the next generation. For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.

This Psalm addresses the city of Jerusalem and the placing of God’s name permanently in the land with the construction of the temple. Jerusalem is given several names: the holy mountain, Mount Zion of the north, and the city of the King. Despite the best efforts of Jerusalem’s enemies, the city remains even to this day just as God said.

When the altar will be built again in these coming days, it will serve as a testimony to the staying power of God’s city and the temple mount—the place where God has placed His name and staked His claim upon the whole Earth. For those of us who praise and love the Lord, every gate and the tops of the walls themselves (the ramparts) testify that He is the Eternal One even though we are mortals, subject to physical death.

Psalm 82 3rd Day of the week (Tuesday)

(A Psalm of Asaph.) God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like men, and fall like any one of the princes. “Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.”

Where exactly in Jerusalem does God take His stand when He stands with the congregation? He stands beside His table—the altar. What does God stand for? He stands for justice. He is the vindicator (the strong defender) of the weak, the fatherless, the widow, and those in need. He is the rescuer of those who are oppressed and renders punishment to those deserving. It is at the altar that God decides who receives justice and who receives mercy. It is at the altar that justice is answered for all with an acceptable sacrifice. One way or the other, reconciliation is achieved. We can come early and make atonement (be one with God) at the altar or we can wait for His day of reconciliation.

Psalm 94 4th Day of the week (Wednesday)

O Lord, God of vengeance; God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render recompense to the proud. How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans. And they have said, “The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

Pay heed, you senseless among the people; and when will you understand, stupid ones? He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, even He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath.

Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord, and whom You teach out of Your law; that You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. For judgment will again be righteous; and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?

If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, one which devises mischief by decree? They band themselves together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has been my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. And He has brought back their wickedness upon them, and will destroy them in their evil; the Lord our God will destroy them.

This is the longest of the altar psalms. The focus of this psalm is upon God and His vengeance. Some refer to Wednesday as the “over-the-hump” day of the week. The fatigue of the week is apparent and there is still time before the rest of the Sabbath. If you have been in a long conflict and the conflict still looks like it is far from over, this psalm testifies to God’s faithfulness to us in dealing with our enemies and conflicts. The Lord does not abandon His people nor is the inheritance of the Lord fake or false. It is sure and established. In the end, wickedness and evil will die. God will destroy them as sure as His sacrifices are laid on the altar.

Psalm 81 5th Day of the week (Thursday)

(For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.) Sing for joy to God our strength; shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, strike the timbrel, the sweet-sounding lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He established it for a testimony in Joseph when he went throughout the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know:

“I relieved his shoulder of the burden, His hands were freed from the basket. You called in trouble, and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah. Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! Let there be no strange god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

“But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices. Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries. Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, and their time of punishment would be forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

The anticipation of Sabbath begins on this day, hence, the psalm calls for a joyful sound using instruments, including the sounding of the trumpet. Whether it is a new moon, a weekly Sabbath, or an annual feast day, the altar is the center stage for such celebrations. While the new moon is a reminder of God’s months and the Sabbath is a reminder of His weeks, the feasts of Israel remind us of the great redemption we received at the exodus from Egypt. Beginning with Passover in the spring and extending into fall to the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles, the story of redemption is told annually to each generation. It should be noted that in all of these holidays, the Torah instruction for each focuses on how and what sacrifices are to be presented to the altar.

This psalm is a reminder each week to keep those feasts and to worship only the God of those feasts. Every person who worships a god makes some kind of feast out of it. The presentation of food in celebration is the communal way of worship. This psalm reminds those who service the altar (the priests) to never allow another feast (another god) to be brought near to the altar.

Psalm 93 6th Day of the week (Friday)

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their pounding waves. More than the sounds of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, The Lord on high is mighty. Your testimonies are fully confirmed; Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore.

This is the smallest of the altar psalms and simply speaks to the fact that God reigns. His throne has been established in eternity past and will remain forever. There is not a lot more you can say except to praise Him daily and with every breath. With the presentation of the evening lamb, the world turns to the Sabbath day with the sundown.

Psalm 92 7th Day of the week (Sabbath - Saturday)

(A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day.) It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night, with the ten-stringed lute, and with the harp; with resounding music upon the lyre. For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man has no knowledge; nor does a stupid man understand this: that when the wicked sprouted up like grass, and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore. But You, O Lord, are on high forever. For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord, for, behold, Your enemies will perish; all who do iniquity will be scattered.

But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes, my ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me. The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

The Sabbath day is good. It is good to stop from your labors and remember that the Lord has made a wonderful day for us. Just as Messiah said, “Man was not made for Sabbath; Sabbath was made for man.” At the end of the week, with all its struggles and difficulties, it is good to sit and finally rest. The same will be true in the Sabbath of millennia. When Messiah returns and tabernacles with us, He too will rest from His struggles. It will be very good.

Do you see the recurring themes in the Psalms of the altar? Did you hear the declarative statements about the Lord and how He will deal with His enemies? It began with the King of glory being welcomed and singing praises to the Most High God. They boldly declared that God was a God of justice and that He was a God of vengeance. Now consider the altar that is going to be built in our day.

Anyone who speaks against the altar that is to be built soon in Jerusalem is taking issue with the words of these Psalms. He will be disputing the words of God and the declarations of our God as the King and as the owner of all the Earth. To speak against the altar is to speak against these Psalms and to say that the Earth is not the Lord’s. To speak against the altar is to blaspheme God and the words of these Psalms. Only enemies of God, those spoken of in the psalms, would say such things.

God forbid that believers of Messiah Yeshua should say any such thing! Therefore, I encourage you as fellow Messianic believers to share with your church friends and family, to prepare for the altar that is coming. In particular, share these psalms to ensure that they understand that these words are the words we will be measured by when God measures us in the coming Great Tribulation.

And there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it.” • Revelation 11:1

The altar of the Lord establishes such a beautiful precedent of God’s authority over this world. Many are speculating that this spring we will flee for the Greater Exodus. Until I see an altar I will continue to teach that we are to follow the commandment of occupy until He comes. That being said, we should always keep a watchful eye on Jerusalem and pray for her peace. One day we will see the altar on the Temple Mount and the songs of the altar will once again echo in both the physical and heavenly realms in one accord. May it be in my lifetime!