But Yahveh made His salvation visible to His people. God ordered Moses to make an image of the curse the people were afflicted with, the serpent, out of brass; the same material covering the altar of sacrifice at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation (Exodus 38:1-8, 40:6).

This altar, made of wood but overlaid with brass, is where animals which did bare the sins of the people were burnt, making atonement for them as they entered the outermost area of God's sanctuary. This wooden, brass-covered altar was at the door of the tabernacle and shows atonement was to be made as the first step in entering the presence of God -- you couldn't enter without encountering it. And the brass laver just beyond it held the water where the priests washed themselves in preparation for making atonement for the people of God.

According to this pattern then, the very image of the curse was borne by a brass image of a serpent and was hung upon a pole to show that it was accursed, for accursed is he that hangeth upon a tree (Deuteronomy 21:23). The people saw their curse, condemned to hang upon a 'tree,' or pole of wood, accursed itself and lifted off them. Any snake-bitten who looked upon this symbol of God's forgiveness would live (Numbers 21:8,9; John 3:14,15).

Interestingly, this brass on top of wood combination is the same makeup as the altar upon which atonement was made.

Jesus, the long promised Christ/Messiah, said this was an image and prophecy of His sacrifice of Himself at the crucifixion. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14, 15).

The same way Moses set up this object which was only a symbol of God providing the atonement for transgressors by His grace, is the same way He actually accomplished it in the ultimate fulfillment of this prophetic allegory given as a sign to point to the one then yet to come, but made manifest to us in these end times.

Are you snake-bitten? Are you under the curse of sin and death? All humans are born under it as our inheritance and manifest it daily.

But if you will hang your sins on the cross in repentance and believing on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, being delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25) you will be saved; for the Son of man was lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15).

If your sins are repented of and hanging on the cross, they are lifted off you and were put on Jesus; "Who His own self bare out sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed," (1 Peter 2:24).

They looked on God's graceful provision and lived; today we look upon the fulfillment of it in Jesus by faith and live -- forever. "For God hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).