Under the greater ledge is the lesser ledge, which also has two edges of one cubit each, making it a total of sixteen cubits wide. Sixteen is composed of two times eight meaning a witness in resurrection. Christ is a living witness in resurrection.
The base also has two edges measuring one cubit each making it a total of eighteen cubits wide. Eighteen is composed of six times three, signifying man and the Triune God. Because of the unique design of the altar, it is very solid and stable. It is wider at the base than it is at the top. The base is eighteen cubits square, the lesser ledge is sixteen cubits square, the greater ledge is fourteen cubits square, and the altar is twelve cubits square. This type of construction makes the altar very stable. If the top were wider than the bottom, it would not be stable. But because the bottom is much wider than the top, it can stand solidly and nothing can shake it.
Furthermore, on every story, on every section, of the altar are the edges which are spreading out like two arms to hold something. The borders on the edges also rise up to hold something. This is such a clear picture. The altar is not only solid and stable, but it is also able to hold things. The death of Christ on the cross is not only stable and solid, but also able to hold things. It is able to hold all of us. We all need to pray-read these verses and to study the chart. What a wonderful, marvelous, all-inclusive death!
At each of the four corners of the hearth of God, a horn points upward. In the Bible, horns signify strength and power. The horns on the altar, which are toward the four corners of the earth and are also upward, signify the power of the cross of Christ.
The steps up to the altar are toward the east. The east indicates the glory of the Lord. It is the direction of the rising of the sun which signifies the glory of the Lord (Num. 2:3; Ezek. 43:2). The cross always points toward God's glory and always leads us to God's glory.
The cubit used by Ezekiel is not the common human cubit, but is a cubit plus a handbreadth (43:13). This is called a great cubit and is the divine measurement. It is not man's measurement, but God's measurement. You may feel that, according to your human measurement and standard, you are qualified; but according to the divine measurement, you still fall short. The altar is not measured by the human cubit, but by the divine cubit. Never measure yourself by your human measurement. Your human measurement may be of value to you, but it is of no value to God. According to God's measurement, you still fall short.
The last point is the relationship of the altar with the temple. Only after passing through the altar, can we come to the temple. This means that without the proper realization and experience of the cross of Christ, it will be difficult for us to have the reality of the church life. The temple signifies Christ in the church life, and it comes only after the experience of the altar. If we desire to have a proper church life, we need an adequate realization and experience of the cross of Christ. After we are thoroughly terminated on the cross, we will have the proper church life. To be in the outer court having the enjoyment of Christ is wonderful, but it is still far from the experience of the temple. To be even in the inner court where the ministry has begun is also wonderful, but it also is far from the experience of the temple. We must go on and on until we pass through the altar and come to the temple; there we will have the reality of the church life. In order to have a rich and full church life, we must pass through the altar, through the cross of Christ.