God established the Tabernacle as a pattern for our lifestyle, worship, and ability to enter into His presence. The outer court of the Tabernacle housed the largest piece of furniture: The Brazen Altar. This altar was for sacrifice. Without sacrifice, one could not enter into the Tabernacle, nor into the most holy place. We cannot come into God’s presence with sin in our lives; therefore, we must die out and repent at the altar of sacrifice.
Scripture tells us not to cover our sins, but to confess and forsake them (Proverbs 28:13). Repentance paves the way for the Lord to come into our lives and do a work. John the Baptist preached this same message before Jesus Christ arrived (Mark 1:3).
If we do not repent, we will surely perish (Luke 13:5). We need to prepare ourselves for Christ’s return, and the way to do this is the same way we prepared for His first coming. We need to repent. The Lord is delaying His return because He’s waiting for us to get right (II Peter 3:9). He’s waiting for us to lay aside our sin, turn away from our wicked ways, seek His face, and allow Him to do a work.
God is calling us to a place of repentance in this hour. He has sent forth preachers to deliver a message of repentance in love (II Corinthians 7:8–9). We may not like the message shared, but we must hear the heeded warning to repent. We need to listen to the report that will save our lives.
In Scripture, we read about the woman caught in the act of adultery who was taken to Jesus to face judgment (John 8:1–11). Jesus asked for whoever was without sin to cast the first stone. Starting with the eldest, ending with the last, all realized none were without sin; all needed to repent (John 8:9). We are no different than the adulterous woman—we all need to repent. We need to be ready to confess and forsake our sins. We need to become clean and broken in the presence of the Lord.