From Abraham, then Jacob, down through the ages- this practice continued. In 1886, the Apache warrior Geronimo surrendered himself and his band of warriors to the United States Army after reaching an agreement that they would be allowed to live with their families. When the agreement was concluded with General Miles, Geronimo set up a large stone on a blanket as a witness to their treaty. When the treaty was broken by General Miles, Geronimo stated that their treaty was to have been in effect until the stone crumbled.

After the golden calf incident, all those who had taken part in the idolatry, about 3,000, were slain by those who had not taken any part in it- the Levites. God then had Moses remove the tent, which had served as a temporary place of worship, "afar off from the camp", signifying to the people that God truly had removed His presence from them. There, Moses met with God and was told to again meet with Him in the mountain:

EXO 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

For 40 days and nights, Moses again stayed atop the mountain and the Lord again wrote the Ten Commandments, this time on the stones Moses had prepared and brought with him. When he returned to the camp with those Tables of Stone, His face glowed with supernatural light, and the people were afraid to come near him. So he veiled his face, and gathered the congregation to tell them all that God had told him, during both times he was in the mountain.

EXO 25:8 ... let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

The ordinance of the sacrificial system, or ceremonial law, was made up of symbols pointing to the future Messiah, to His sacrifice and His Priesthood. The solemn service of the sanctuary typified the grand truths that were to be revealed down through the ages of the future Messiah. The cloud of incense ascending with prayers of Israel represented His righteousness that alone can make the sinner's prayer acceptable to God; the bleeding victim on the altar of sacrifice testified of a Redeemer to come; and from the Holy of Holies, the visible token of the Divine Presence shone forth.

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