Exodus 30:10
And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
The verse concerns the golden altar of incense, which stood in the holy place before the veil separating the holy place from the most holy place. On that altar incense was burned by the priest every morning and evening. From it a cloud of fragrance ascended daily before God together with the prayers of Israel.
Its horns were touched with the blood of the sin offering, and the altar was sprinkled with blood in the high priest's yearly atonement on the great Day of Atonement within the tabernacle service. The altar described is real furniture in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. It stands there with the candlestick with seven lamps, the table of shewbread, and the censer, all of purest gold reflecting the image of Christ who enters there, while the curtain to the Most Holy place is glorious with colors and gold figures of angels.
The incense represents the prayers, praise, and confession of God's people ascending in faith to Jesus to be offered by Him to the Father. Those offerings are defiled by human sin and cannot be acceptable to God without cleansing by Christ's blood and righteousness. Christ as intercessor at God's right hand presents them purified by His merits so they rise acceptably and receive gracious answers. Glory and light come from the Father to Jesus and from Jesus upon those whose prayers ascended like sweet incense.
In antitype the yearly atonement points to the final atonement, whose completion is expected to be marked by the High Priest's movement from the Most Holy Place to the altar of incense.