A prophet came out of Judah (Josephus says his name was Yadon, or Iddo) to condemn Jerobaom for setting up a golden calf in Bethel and in Dan (the southern and northern extremities of the kingdom of Israel.) The prophet prophesied against the altar and spoke of a son from the house of Jesse named Josiah who would arise in the future to desecrate the golden calf shrine in Bethel. It was a very dramatic moment during the dedication ceremony when the prophet spoke (1 Kings 13:1-10), but on his way home the prophet himself disobeyed the word of the Lord and was deceived by an older man who also claimed to be a prophet.

Because the prophet from Judah disobeyed the word the Lord have given him and had instead followed the word of the older prophet the prophet from Judah was killed by a lion.

After the prophecy came true and the prophet from Judah was killed by the lion, the older prophet recovered the body and buried it with in a tomb near the burial place of the false priest of the golden calf near the sanctuary of the golden calf in Bethel.

In 2 Kings 23:15-20 about 310 years later (930-620 BC) Josiah fulfills the prophecy around 620 BC that was spoken by the prophet from Judah at the golden calf sanctuary in Bethel in 930 BC by tearing the shrine down. But, when Josiah does, he also honors the tomb of the prophet from Bethel who predicted Josiah's very actions 310 years before. Below are photos of the golden calf shrine in Dan, Israel that was built at the same time as the shrine in Bethel, so there would surely have been some similarities. Click on the photo for a larger image.

The Golden Calf Sanctuary in Dan. The podium where the calf stood is on the right and the altar location is on the left	Front of the podium in Dan with steps leading up to where the calf idol would have set in a building/temple.	The surface of the podium. Notice the circular stone bases where wooden columns would have stood to support the temple roof.	The steps leading up to the podium and the temple with the golden calf.
Toni standing on the steps that lead up to the podium, the temple and the golden calf. The altar is to the right of the photo, or to Toni's left.	Looking back at the location of the altar from the top of the podium.	Stone work on the front of the podium retaining wall. Notice the fine work on the ashlar stones.	Close up photo of the fine craftsmanship by the stonemasons who cut the ashlars for the podium retaining wall in Dan, Israel.

“Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
– C. S. Lewis

Substitution – The necessity for substitution exists because the righteous and holy God demands that sin and rebellion be punished. Romans 3:22-26 addresses the question of how a holy, just and righteous God can maintain his holy, just and righteous character and yet justify the sinner:

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”