1.This is a place where people meet to worship God or Deities. It is a very special place where human beings give or plead allegiance to their gods.
2.An altar is LITERALLY a structure on which sacrifices are offered. It is a place where men build to offer sacrifices to gods.
3. An Altar is a link between the visible world and the invisible world.It is a place where people come into to communion with the SPIRIT OF GOD or with the spirits of the dead. People build Altars dedicated to their loved ones to continue to have communion with them, and that is why we talk about Fathers' Altars. When we refer to the term Fathers' Altars we are referring to our dead Ancestors.(our fathers who are long gone Lamentation 5:7 bible ref ).
On this blog we seek to understand how our fathers' Altars are still operating in our families and in the world at large and there effects on our lives and what is around us.
We will seek to identify the positive and the negative aspects of our Fathers' Altars.
4. Altars are also gates to the spiritual realm. Depending on the kind of altar that people have built in a place the atmosphere of that place will be determined by the Altars therein.It means the Altars in that place allow the powers that be to rule in that place. Godly Altars allow the Spirit of God to rule over a people. In the bible we find a scripture in the book of Psalm 24:7. The priests are commanding the gates to be lifted up that the King of Glory to come in. One of the ways that we can command the gates to be lifted up that the King of Glory may come in, is to Build Godly Altars because they are gate to the realm of the spirit.
In the Bible there is an occurrence where by a man called Jacob was travelling to his relatives place from his father's home. He came to a place where he spent the night. While he slept he had a dream that from that place where he slept there was a ladder from the grounds that he slept on going all the way to heaven and there was a traffic of Angels ascending and descending on it.( Genesis 28:12). On top of the ladder the Lord God stood above it, and he spoke to Jacob.
This is a place where his grandfather Abraham had built an Altar before. ( Genesis 12:8) We notice that the promises that God have given to Abraham are the same promises God gives to Jacob.
When Jacob woke up in the morning he confessed that God was in that place and that place was a Gate To Haven. I believe this was because of the altar that Abraham had built to God. The place became a Gateway to heaven.
Some of the communities reactivate their Ancestors' Altars during special festivals during the year and open gates to the spirits of the dead in a region. These altars are reactivated during special gate of time to allow the spirit of their dead ancestors to continue to perpetuate their will.
Where i come from in Kenya there is a tribe called the Kamba. When they want to communicate to their dead Ancestors they visit tribal altars to give extravagant worship by song and dance. When they do so, some communication takes place. In one case a father wanted to know why his son was deaf and dump and truly they received an answer. The father was told that his son was deaf and dump because he the father had named him after the father(i.e the grandfather to the son) who had given instruction that he should never be named.We could call this altar a gate to the world of the dead where this family consult there dead fathers.
5.Altars are special places where people draw spiritual strength. Man is always looking for inspirations and one place that people go to get inspiration or spiritual strength is at the altar.
People go to the Church which an Altar to get new strength and after that the truth of the matter is, something happens to them. In the book of Isaiah 40:31. the Lord says that those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. We wait upon the Lord in prayer at the altar.
Families will gather together on special occasions to remember their loved departed ones to get inspiration from them.Once a year people will come together for a memorial service of a dead parent around the grave or at home to receive strength from the spirit of the dead parent. In most cases people believe that when they gather together in memory of the dead thay become more untied than before.
6. An Altar is also a place where people make covenants. We see people entering into covenants at Altars. God made a covenant with Abraham at the Altar that Abraham had raised and offered sacrifices in the book of Genesis 15:9-18.
People make marriage covenants on Altars. Our fathers cut or entered into covenants on the altars they built and these convents are still at work even today decades after they were made. In the book of Isaiah 28:14-15. it says the ruler had made covenant with death and agreement with hell. Most people when faced with some problems will visit the altars of their dead ancestors to try and wipe out the problems. Even in these modern days,when doctors cannot solve a certain medical problem they will tell the patient to go back home and try and get a solution from the elders at home. In most cases as in the above story we have looked at about the deaf and dump boy these elders will consult their dead ancestors and strengthen the old covenants that our fathers had. This is because they have made a covenants with the dead that when a problem or challenges comes it shall not touce them.
We cannot ignore our Fathers Altars as long as we are alive. We will seek to unearth the truth of this matter and try and do what is right.
Lets take this journey together to try and unearth the truth together:
