We need to consider two other points before we come to the altar itself. First, have you realized how many gates there are which open to the altar? All together, there are six gates in three groups of two. On the east side there are two gates, on the south side there are two gates, and on the north side there are two gates. Please remember that the number three signifies the Triune God in resurrection. The Lord Jesus resurrected on the third day. These six gates signify that the Triune God is mingled with man. Three is mingled with six. Three signifies the Triune God, and six signifies man created on the sixth day. Therefore, the six gates in three groups of two signify God mingled with man. The fact that the gates are divided into three groups of two indicates that the God-man was cut by crucifixion, but is now in resurrection. The Triune God became a man, was crucified, and is now in resurrection. He is now the gate through which we enter into God and into all the things of God.
Second, the distance from the outer gate to the inner gate is exactly one hundred cubits (40:47). The number one hundred is composed of ten times ten or twenty times five. Ten times ten signifies fullness in fullness and completion in completion. Twenty times five means full and complete responsibility as a testimony. Furthermore, there were three sections of one hundred cubits totaling three hundred cubits. On the south, there were one hundred cubits, on the north there were one hundred cubits, and on the east there were one hundred cubits, totaling three hundred cubits. Again, this signifies the Triune God. How wonderful and how meaningful it is that we are in such a God-man. He was crucified and yet He is now in resurrection and we are in Him.
No matter which gate you take to enter the compound, you will encounter the altar. Even if you enter with your eyes closed, you will hit the altar. The altar is at the very center of the compound. The altar is not only the center of the inner court, but is also the center of the whole premises of the temple. Do you realize that this altar, which signifies the cross, is also the center of the whole universe? Let me explain. The earth is the center of the universe as far as the relationship between God and man is concerned. On the earth the good land of Canaan, Palestine, is the center of the inhabited earth. It is the connecting center which connects the three main continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The city of Jerusalem is the center of that good land, and the temple compound is the center of Jerusalem. The altar, moreover, is the center of the temple compound. Thus, the altar is ultimately the center of the whole universe.
Because the altar signifies the cross, this shows us that the cross is the center of the whole universe. Do you know the real meaning of the cross? The superficial Christian teachings tell us that the cross is the place where the Lord Jesus died for us. This is surely true, but the cross means much more than that. As the center of the universe, the cross indicates the all-inclusive death of God, of man, and of all the creatures. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, it was not merely the death of one single person; it was the all-inclusive death of God, of man, and of all the creatures.
By looking at the plot plan of the temple compound, we can see that no matter through which gate we enter, we will arrive at the altar. And when God comes from the temple to meet man, He likewise, will arrive at the altar. The altar is not only the center of the whole universe, but also the meeting place of God with man and the meeting place of man with God. If I come in through the north gate, and you come in through the south gate, and someone else comes in through the east gate, we all will meet God at the altar. God also came out of His dwelling place, went to the cross, and died there. First, He left His dwelling place and came to Bethlehem to become a little child. He stayed on this earth for thirty-three and one-half years, and eventually He went to the altar, to the cross. But while He was dying there, He was not alone. By His incarnation, He had put man upon Him, so that while He was dying on the cross, man was also dying there. Thus, God and man met together on the cross in the way of death.