Do not extinguish the fire on the altar

Messiah Says

Messiah implicitly affirmed this commandment when He spoke about the Law:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

Pictures of Messiah

This commandment and the faithfulness required from the priests to keep the fire burning on the altar picture the faithfulness of Messiah in keeping the fire of His Spirit at work in our lives:

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

How Messiah Fulfilled

Messiah fulfilled this commandment by not extinguishing the fire on the altar.

Traditional Observance

Traditional observance of this commandment involved not extinguishing the fire that was on the altar.

It is interesting to note that while extinguishing any portion of the fire that was on the altar was punishable by lashes from the whip, extinguishing a portion of the fire that had been taken for use to burn incense, lighting the menorah, or other sacred use was not punished since it was no longer the "fire on the altar".

Other Notes

Absent the Temple, a functioning Levitical priesthood, and the bronze altar with fire on it we are unable to break this commandment today and so we automatically fulfill it constantly.

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