75. 4.

In that day I will visit, and make an end of the kingdom of Israel (Hosea 1:4-5).

The days of visitation will come, the days of retribution will come, He will visit their sins (Hosea 9:7, 9).

They shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us (Hosea 10:8).

They shall be laid waste as in the day of battle (Hosea 10:14).

The controversy of Jehovah with Judah, to visit upon Jacob, according to his ways, according to his doings will He recompense him (Hosea 12:3).

The day of Jehovah is great and very terrible, who then shall sustain it (Joel 2:11; 3:4).

A day of battle and a day of tempest (Amos 1:14).

Then the powerful one shall not deliver his soul, and the strong of heart among the heroes shall flee away naked in that day (Amos 2:14, 16).

He will visit upon them all their iniquities, in that day (Amos 3:2, 14).

If they dig into hell, if they ascend to the heavens or in the depth of the sea, etc., thence will I draw them out (Amos 9:2-6).

Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah; to what end is the day of Jehovah for you? it is a day of darkness and not of light. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness and not light? and thick darkness and no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18, 20.)

The end is come upon my people Israel. Wherefore the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day: there shall be many a dead body (Amos 8:2-3).

It is called the day of destruction, the day of straitness (Obadiah 12-14, 18, 18).

The day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations; as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy retribution shall return upon thy head. But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness (Obadiah 14, 15, 17, 17).

The first altar mentioned in the Word was the one built by Noah after he came out of the ark, after being saved from the great flood. On that altar, he sacrificed clean animals to the Lord.

Mountains represent the Lord because of their height; we need to raise our thoughts above worldly things when "talking" with the Lord. An altar is a small artificial mountain. When it's used in worship, it can call to mind this raising of thought. The fire and smoke that rise from an altar are symbolically being sent to the Lord.

Most altars were made from unhewn stones. Stones represent truths. Unhewn stones - ones that have not been shaped by men - represent truths from the Word, truths that have not been adulterated.

The clean beasts to be sacrificed represent good things, charitable acts done because they are right. The clean birds represent thoughts about doctrine and actions, and about what is right. Presenting these things is an acknowledgment that we have them from the Lord, and a giving thanks to Him for them.

In the Israelitish Tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering represented the acknowledgment of good and the altar of incense that of truth. For this reason this larger altar, which was outside by the door, was made of brass which signifies natural good, while the altar of incense was made of gold, which signifies love to the Lord from whom comes truth.