Revelation 8:4, commentary and pictures

The verse pictures another angel with a golden censer offering much incense together with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense with the prayers ascends up before God out of the angel's hand. The scene is in the heavenly sanctuary in the holy of holies by the ark and mercy seat, where Jesus stands presenting prayers to the Father with smoke from the censer between the cherubim. The angel with the censer is Christ Himself ministering at the altar of incense before the Father's throne with the golden censer in His hand to receive the petitions believers send to heaven. The incense is Christ's merits, righteousness, perfection and spotless character, and the blood of the atonement which alone makes propitiation for sin, added because human prayers and worship passing through corrupt humanity are defiled and cannot by themselves be acceptable to God. Christ places the virtue of His righteousness in the censer with the suppliant's petitions and mingles them as they ascend, making them fragrant and wholly acceptable, so that no humble sincere prayer of faith is overlooked but every prayer is heard and answered.

Heavenly Sanctuary Scene

Another angel with a golden censer offers much incense together with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense with the prayers ascends up before God out of the angel's hand. The prayers rise into God's presence with the incense that Jesus offers to the Father from the heavenly sanctuary, mingled with His own merit and spotless righteousness to make them fragrant before God. No humble, sincere prayer of faith is overlooked, but every prayer is heard, honored, and valued in heaven.

The scene is in the heavenly sanctuary, in the holy of holies by the ark and mercy seat. Jesus stands by the ark presenting the prayers to the Father with smoke from the censer, showing His work of mediation for the saints. The prayers rise to Jesus, who offers them to the Father with the smoke of incense from the golden censer, and the rising smoke represents their being offered before God. He presents the prayers and confessions of those who have recognized transgression of God's law, and light resting on Him and the mercy seat accompanies their blessing and gives hope and joy. The incense rising from the censer between the cherubim appears as fragrant, beautiful smoke representing prayers offered in faith, and as it ascends glory comes from God's throne to Jesus and is shed upon those whose prayers have come before God.

The golden altar of incense stands directly before the ark but separated by the curtain, where fire kindled by the Lord burned holy incense day and night and filled the sanctuary with a fragrant cloud extending far around the tabernacle. When the priest offered incense he looked toward the mercy seat he could not see, and as the incense arose like a cloud the glory of the Lord descended upon the mercy seat and filled the most holy place and often both apartments so that the priest was unable to officiate. As the priest in the holy place directed his prayer by faith to the unseen mercy seat, so God's people direct their prayers to Christ before the mercy seat in the heavenly sanctuary, not beholding their Mediator with the natural eye but seeing Him with the eye of faith and with assurance claiming the benefits of His mediation. That cloud of incense with the worshipers' prayers belonged to the temple service and pointed to Christ's sacrifice and mediation for guilty people. The sacred fire God kindled anciently was to be put on censers and offered when the prayers of the people ascended, so that its fragrance would go up before God with the prayers of His waiting, praying people, the same spiritual provision as the living wellspring of water Christ gives to meet spiritual necessities.

The angel with the censer is Christ Himself ministering at the altar of incense in the audience chamber of the Most High. He stands before His Father's throne with the golden censer in His hand, receiving the petitions believers send to heaven and pleading for them. The censer He holds contains His own merits, and He gathers the prayers and praises of His people, joins them to His merits, and presents them to the Father as a sweet savor well pleasing to Him. When sinners humble themselves, confess their sins that they may go beforehand to judgment and be blotted out, and approach God praying for mercy, their prayers come before the Saviour at the altar and He joins His intercession to them, praying the Father that transgressions shall be forgiven, sins pardoned, and rest given. While He pleads in behalf of sinners and the Father accepts the merits of the atoning sacrifice, feeble human prayers that are sincere, confessed with contrition, and mixed with faith ascend with the incense before God out of His hand.

Incense Meaning Explained

The smoke rising before God is made fragrant by what is added to the prayers of those who seek Him, for the incense is the merits, righteousness, perfection, virtues, efficiency and spotless character of Christ placed with their petitions. As they acknowledge those merits, He presents their prayers to the Father with the fragrance of His own perfection, so that even awkward and imperfect words are refined and made acceptable. Prayers inspired by the Spirit ascend mingled with that perfection, and their acceptance and fragrance before the Father come through Him, with answers following. To see Him so interceding in the heavenly temple discloses the greatness and many-sidedness of divine love.

That incense is the blood of the atonement, which alone is efficacious, alone makes propitiation for sins, alone takes away sin, and alone enables sinners to draw near to God. Religious services, prayers, praise, penitent confession, obedience and thanksgiving pass through corrupt human channels and are defiled, and cannot in spotless purity be of value with God by themselves. The Intercessor gathers them into a censer of His own merits where there is no taint of earthly corruption, moistens them with cleansing drops of His blood, adds His own spotless righteousness, and lays them on the glowing fire of His righteousness around the mercy seat, perfumed with the merits of His propitiation, so they come up wholly acceptable and gracious answers are returned. As incense accompanied the blood offering at the mercy seat, so He pleads His blood for sinners, and the merits of His sacrifice cleanse from sin and remain effective regardless of time or events, covering every transgression with pardon.

The incense is also the purity and righteousness of a life of perfect obedience to the law, offered as an inexhaustible fund of obedience, self-denial and self-sacrifice treasured in heaven. That victory was won by offering a broken body to purchase back the heritage and give another trial, by a spotless life, obedience and death for the lost race, and the completed offering is now turned into prayer. The golden censer is waved and the incense ascends bearing the prayers of every soul that receives and believes, with Jesus in the midst of them, and as sincere humble prayers ascend He as Substitute and Surety mingles with them the merits of His own life of perfect obedience to make them fragrant, multiplying the voice of His intercession and giving it His own efficiency to succeed before God. He neglects no one and has pledged Himself to intercede.

The incense is kindled by holy fire, which is the communication between God and humanity opened through Jesus Christ alone. Worship or work offered apart from God's directions does not represent that mediation, and common or strange fire is not to be used in place of the sacred. Tactful personal work for souls rises as pleasant incense not by long sermonizing but by becoming acquainted with individuals, speaking timely words, offering prayer for them, and using tact and ability, kept sacred by habitual communion with God that gives evenness to the ways and right use to words. Only the merit and righteousness of Christ avails anything, placed to the believer's account in rich fullness, for human beings cannot bestow blessing or remove sin. The altar before the veil was therefore an altar of perpetual intercession joined with the altar of continual atonement, showing that God is to be approached by blood and by incense, both pointing to the one Mediator through whom alone mercy and salvation are granted to the repentant believing soul, and that Christ's righteousness alone can make the sinner's prayer acceptable, a truth that kept faith alive through ages of darkness and apostasy until the advent of the promised Messiah.

The incense is faith joined to prayer, for the altar before the mercy seat pictures prayer directed by faith to the unseen Mediator in the heavenly sanctuary, whose benefits may be claimed by trust though He is not seen. Prayers come up like sweet incense because of sincerity and earnestness mingled with faith, requiring minds not diverted from God nor affections separated by conformity to the world, but watching unto prayer and wrestling until victory comes. God hears every prayer offered with that incense of faith, bending low to listen to the humble contrite heart that desires to do His will, and such earnest prayer is of more value in His sight than eloquence of speech or great talents. Every person has access apart from earthly position or voice in councils, senates or parliaments, so that even the weakest may through prayer exert an influence in harmony with the councils of heaven.

Christ Intercedes For Saints

Christ stands as Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor, Substitute, Surety and Representative, presenting the petitions of believers to the Father, joining His merits and His name to their prayers, interceding for them, and Himself bestowing the blessings sought. He presents the prayers of the saints before God with the incense of His own merits, and seeing Him intercede in the heavenly temple gives a clearer sense of the greatness and many-sidedness of God's love. He stands at the altar of mercy and at the altar of incense presenting before God the prayers of those who desire His help, receiving those who turn to Him for refuge and forgiveness.

He places the whole virtue of His righteousness and merits and efficiency as sweet incense in the golden censer with the suppliant's petitions, and as prayers ascend to the throne they are mingled with the fragrance of His righteousness in the cloud of incense. He mingles with lowly human petitions the holy incense of His own merit and the savor of His perfect obedience and righteousness, making them fragrant, beautiful, wholly acceptable and efficacious to obtain what is needed and to prevail with God in peril. Only His merit and righteousness avails anything, placed to the believer's account in rich fullness, and He graciously engages to be Substitute, lifts up believers, and places a treasure house of blessing at their demand so they may draw upon God every moment.

As prayers ascend the human voice is not heard alone but blends with the voice of Christ whom the Father always hears. He receives the prayer in the sanctuary where He ministers and presents the supplication before the Father as His own request and His own desire for the person praying, made beautiful and fragrant by the incense of His perfection. In His name the petitions ascend, and the Father lays open the treasures of grace and hears and answers them.

He stands beside the one who approaches the mercy seat, encircling him with His human arm while grasping the throne of the Infinite with His divine arm. As soon as a child of God approaches with the first utterance of penitence and appeal for pardon, He espouses the case as His own, regards that person as His client, proclaims Himself the personal Intercessor, pledges His mediation, and takes up the pending case in the court of heaven to gain the suit. When sinners humble themselves, confess their sins that they may go beforehand to judgment and be blotted out, and pray like the poor publican for mercy, their prayers come before the Saviour at the altar and He joins His intercession to them, praying the Father that their transgressions shall be forgiven, their sins pardoned, and rest given to them, pouring mercy and grace and truth into the soul and securing acceptance. The believing, penitent soul who dies to self at the foot of the cross may be assured the suit is gained, pardon is written, and persevering prayer in the name of Jesus will receive an answer.

He intercedes not as a mere petitioner but as a Conqueror claiming His victory, able to save to the uttermost because He ever lives to make intercession. He turns the merit of His sacrifice into prayer, and the prayers of the saints ascending to the Father in His name are made fragrant with the incense of His own merits, multiply the voice of His own intercession, and receive His own efficiency to succeed before God. His victory was won by offering His broken body to purchase back God's heritage and give man another trial, by His spotless life, obedience, and death on the cross for the lost race, and His offering being complete He holds before God the censer containing His own spotless merits together with the prayers, confessions, and thanksgiving of His people.

He gathers the prayers, confessions, thanksgiving and praises of His people into the censer of His own merits in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. Perfumed with the fragrance of His righteousness and the merits of His propitiation upon the glowing fire of His righteousness around the mercy seat, they ascend as a sweet savor wholly and entirely acceptable, so that pardon covers every transgression and gracious answers are returned. He joins them to His merits and presents them to the Father as well pleasing to Him, asking that those given Him may be with Him where He is to behold His glory.

He stands before His Father's throne with the censer receiving the petitions believers send to heaven and pleading for them as the believer's hope and crown of rejoicing. He does not leave weak people to fight in their own finite strength but gives His Holy Spirit that they may grow into His likeness, be rooted and grounded in Him, take hold of immortal life, and be loved by the Father as He is loved. He turns no weeping, contrite person away but freely pardons those who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration.

Prayers Heard And Answered

No humble, sincere prayer of faith is overlooked, and every prayer is heard in heaven. Every prayer offered in earnest, living faith ascends before God at His throne, where all heaven is interested in the work going on upon the earth. There ministering angels wait to instantly obey the mandate of Jesus Christ to answer it, so believers should keep a firmer hold on God and pray persistently, even in the night hours, for God to work upon the hearts of the people. When His people are in great need of wisdom and the rich current of grace from the Source of all power, their prayers come up to Him, and He answers by coming to teach and lead and guide them by His Holy Spirit. The prayers of God's faithful people are thus honored in heaven as they ascend before God with the incense from the angel's hand, giving assurance that they are heard and valued.

Even prayers not spoken fluently are received in the sanctuary where Christ ministers. Sincerity, contrition, and faith matter more than polished speech, and His righteousness refines and makes acceptable even prayers expressed in awkward or imperfect words. Jesus presents the prayer to the Father as His own desire for the person praying, made beautiful and fragrant by the incense of His perfection and love. Unworthy, erring, feeble, sinful mortals are thereby linked with the infinite God and have the privilege of speaking to their Maker with words that reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. The cry of the soul cannot die away into silence or be lost, but rises above the din of the street and the noise of machinery to the heavenly courts, where God hears it.

Prayers coming from sincere, humble hearts are heard by God wherever they are uttered. When placed in the golden censer of the Saviour's merits and breathed by the Spirit of Christ they will surely be answered, and petitions from sincere, humble hearts with sanctified desire surely reach Him like letters sent from earth. Access to the Father is through Christ, who as Intercessor discerns sincerity, pities weakness and strengthens infirmity, and prayers placed in that golden censer are accepted by the Father, who gives what is asked. The thanksgiving, praise, and prayers of believers ascend to heaven before God, and Jesus mingles with them the fragrance of incense, which is His own merits, His own virtues, and His own righteousness, and answers then come from God. Christ intercedes with a censer containing His spotless merits and the prayers, confessions, and thanksgiving of His people, and perfumed with the fragrance of His righteousness these ascend to God as a sweet savor and are wholly acceptable, so that pardon covers every transgression.

This is the work now going on in the heavenly sanctuary in the great day of atonement. Christ as the great High Priest stands before the mercy seat in the most holy place, as the earthly high priest stood before the ark in the typical day of atonement, and makes intercession and atonement. He takes the prayers offered by humbled, repentant, contrite hearts confessing their sins and presents them to the Father mingled with the incense of His own righteousness. The Father hears and grants pardon, pardon is written opposite their names, and the sins of those who offered those prayers are pardoned, so people living now should constantly humble their hearts before God with confession and repentance. Jesus stands within the sanctuary above as Advocate and Great Intercessor at the altar of incense with the golden censer in His hand, and while He is pleading in behalf of sinners and the Father accepts the merits of the atoning sacrifice, feeble human prayers that are sincere, confessed with contrition, and mixed with faith ascend with the incense before God out of His hand. As soon as a seeker approaches the mercy seat in faith, Christ regards that person as His client, espouses the cause and makes it His own, standing before the Father as Substitute and Surety, so the believing, penitent soul who dies to self at the foot of the cross may be assured the suit is gained, pardon is written, and persevering prayer in the name of Jesus will receive an answer.

Christ as Mediator presents believers' petitions to the Father and intercedes for them, joining His merits and His name to their prayers as the incense that makes them acceptable, and He Himself bestows the blessings sought. As prayers ascend to the throne of God they are mingled with the fragrance of Christ's righteousness, so the human voice is not heard alone but blends with the voice of Christ whom the Father always hears. Christ places His merits and efficiency in the golden censer to offer them with the sincere prayers of His people, and the prayers of His dear contrite children are mingled with the fragrant merits of His perfections and ascend to the Father in the cloud of incense. Therefore it is essential to pray much and not cease to pray, believing with faith that what is asked will be received for Christ's sake and that what is asked in Christ's name will be done that the Father may be glorified in the Son, to be received with thanksgiving. As soon as a child of God approaches the mercy seat with the first utterance of penitence and appeal for pardon he becomes the client of the great Advocate, who espouses his case as His own and presents the supplication before the Father as His own request, proclaiming Himself the personal Intercessor and pledging His mediation.

The call is for much united prayer in faith in Christ's Word, using His precious name and acknowledging His merits before the Father to unlock heaven's storehouse and draw from the divine treasury. Believers are to hold fast faith and draw near with a true heart in full assurance to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, especially for the salvation of souls for whom Christ gave His life. Intercession is the golden chain which binds finite man to the throne of the infinite God, as the sincere suppliant importunes the throne and Jesus who purchased him with His own blood takes up his petition. Christ as great High Priest and Advocate places His righteousness on the side of the suppliant and blends His own prayer with the human prayer, bearing up the requests with the incense of His righteousness to the Father before God. Prayer is to be as the breath of the soul, with silent requests ascending unto God wherever we may be, without ceasing, and prayers are to ascend continually, not in the name of any human being but in the name of Christ the Substitute and Surety, drawing upon God every moment in faith.

The prayers of God's people rise before Him, and their cry for deliverance during persecution comes before God, who hears them. In the time of trouble, the saints cry day and night for deliverance, and their cry comes up before God. This includes the time of Jacob's trouble, when the persecuted saints' cries for deliverance come before the Lord as they cry day and night.

Individual Christians, families, and churches on earth are closely allied to heaven, and God has a special interest in His militant church. The angel who offers the smoke of the fragrant incense acts for the praying saints, carrying the morning and evening prayers of every praying household up before God with the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour. Through that blood the angel finds access to God in behalf of those who pray, for the incense represents the blood of the atonement, which alone is efficacious, alone makes propitiation for sins, alone takes away the sin of the world, and alone enables sinners to draw near to God. The heavenly universe beholds every praying household, and morning and evening it takes notice of every praying household as prayer and praise from hearts filled with love for Jesus, offered in every family in the morning and at the cool sunset hour, ascends to heaven before God with the Saviour's merits presented in its behalf. The threshold is flushed with glory for every church that will love God and keep His commandments, as Christ as Advocate offers up the incense of His own merits in behalf of His people in the opened temple in heaven, a ministry in the inner courts of the celestial temple seen with spiritual eyesight gained by study, meditation, prayer, and applying the golden eyesalve, as faith cuts through the hellish shadow of Satan, filling the heart with a sense of the immensity and diversity of the love of God, quickening insensible hearts, and bringing light into the soul to discern wonderful things out of the Word.

Atonement And End Time

The rising cloud of incense is tied to the priestly work that comes before the atonement in the Most Holy Place, and its meaning is that the door of mercy stays open until the antitypical atonement is finished. It shows the work now going on in the heavenly sanctuary in the great day of atonement, where Christ as great High Priest stands before the mercy seat as the earthly high priest stood before the ark, making intercession and atonement for humbled, repentant hearts. He takes the prayers of contrite hearts confessing their sins that they may go beforehand to judgment and be blotted out, presents them to the Father mingled with the incense of His own righteousness, joins His intercession to them as Advocate and Representative, and the Father hears and grants pardon with pardon written opposite their names. He pours mercy and grace and truth into the soul and secures acceptance in the Beloved, so that those living now should constantly humble themselves under the mighty hand of God with confession and repentance like the poor publican praying for mercy.

The altar before the veil was an altar of perpetual intercession joined with the altar of continual atonement, showing that God is to be approached by blood and by incense. Both point to the great Mediator through whom alone mercy and salvation are granted to the repentant, believing soul, for the incense ascending with the prayers of Israel is His merits and intercession, His perfect righteousness imputed through faith, which alone makes the worship of sinful beings acceptable. As incense accompanied the blood offering at the mercy seat, He pleads His blood for sinners, and the merits of His sacrifice are accepted by God to cleanse from sin, with the atoning sacrifice remaining effective regardless of time or events. The cloud of incense ascending with Israel's prayers in the solemn sanctuary service typified the grand truth to be revealed through successive generations that Christ's righteousness alone can make the sinner's prayer acceptable to God.

Through age after age of darkness and apostasy faith was thus kept alive until the advent of the promised Messiah, for the whole Jewish economy was founded on Christ and the service of the Jewish priesthood continually pointed to His sacrifice and intercession. The cloud of incense with the worshipers' prayers in the temple service pointed to His sacrifice and mediation for guilty people, and His merit is the incense that mingles with the prayers of those who repent and receive pardon, mercy, and grace. Need of His intercession is constant, so day by day, morning and evening, the humble heart must offer up prayer, to which answers of grace and peace and joy will be returned. The verse also reveals mercies mixed with judgment, for while the Lord goes forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for iniquity He has a people whom He will preserve. The elements of nature are placed in the power of angels under His jurisdiction, held back until the seal of the living God is placed upon those who love God and keep His commandments.

Christ is still standing at the altar of incense presenting the prayers of His saints before God at the right hand of God, the only one who can avail as intercessor, having given His life that sinners might be saved through faith in His name. His intercessory ministry is still continuing with only a little longer of mercy left, while He is preparing heavenly mansions, and now is the time for preparation by putting on the beautiful garments of His righteousness and proclaiming His warning message in clear, distinct lines. It will soon end when He gives into the hands of the angels around His throne the vials of His wrath with commission to pour them out upon rebellious subjects until everything opposed to the principles of God's government is consumed, and when the angel steps down from the mercy seat it will be too late.

The verse stands among solemn events yet to transpire in the final conflict when every form of evil springs into intense activity, evil angels unite with evil men, all the world takes one side or the other, and the battle of Armageddon is fought. Trumpet after trumpet is to be sounded and vial after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth, with these scenes of stupendous interest right upon us. They are sure indications of the presence of Him who has directed in every aggressive movement, who has accompanied the march of His cause through all the ages, and who has pledged Himself to be with His people in all their conflicts to the end of the world. He will vindicate His truth and cause it to triumph, supplying His faithful ones with motives and power of purpose and inspiring them with hope and courage and valor in increased activity as the time is at hand, while the Captain of the Lord's host stands at the head of the angels of heaven to direct the battle. That day must find none sleeping but all wide awake as wise virgins having oil in vessels with lamps, sustained by the power of God with the power of the Holy Ghost upon them.

The passage belongs to John's account of the book in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, written within and on the backside and sealed with seven seals. That book is the roll of God's providences, the prophetic history of nations and the church, containing divine utterances, authority, commandments, laws, the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal, and the history of all ruling powers in the nations. It holds in symbolic language the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth's history to its close.

Worship In Daily Life

Morning and evening prayer from a home where God is worshiped and love is practiced rises before Him as sweet incense, while His mercies and blessings descend upon those who pray. Fervent, thankful prayers of God-fearing parents and of mother and children are borne upward by angels as fragrant incense and answered with returning blessings and tidings from above. The Lord has a special interest in the families of His children on earth, so praise and earnest prayer of faith offered in every family in the morning and at the cool sunset hour ascends with the Saviour's merits presented in its behalf, and morning and evening the heavenly universe takes notice of every praying household. Petitions thus carried reach Christ as He ministers in the heavenly sanctuary and pleads His merits for His people.

Silent, fervent prayer offered while doing daily work rises before the throne of grace like precious holy incense and keeps the heart fixed upon God. Such prayer is as acceptable as if offered in the sanctuary, bringing the soul into communion with God and bringing peace and strength. Keeping the heart turned toward God in this way sustains the believer against Satan, thwarts his designs, and preserves the Christian's peace under the Holy Spirit's guidance, showing how Enoch walked with God. The silent prayer of the soul finds Christ present to help in time of need.

The voice of prayer joined with the melody of holy song and grateful praise ascends to God as sweet incense in constant acknowledgment of Him as Giver of all blessings and in entire dependence upon Him. Words of penitence and grateful praise come up before God in His heavenly sanctuary, and workers building His institutions are to let prayers and holy songs so rise as they seek His help. Day by day there is need of Christ's constant intercession so that work established for uplifting suffering humanity is not in vain, and those doing it must take time to worship God and seek His counsel in humility and earnestness as laborers together with God whom He Himself watches over.

Humble offerings ascend with prayer as a fragrant memorial, for angels present even gifts that seem poor before God's throne and they are accepted. When money is used according to God's purpose, deeds of benevolence and good works rise to heaven like incense and lead converted souls to praise and thank God. Prayers and sacrificial gifts of believers, even in deep poverty, express grateful faith and rise like fragrant incense, and prayer joined with alms-giving expresses love to God and to fellow men in the two great principles of the divine law.

Faithful attention to the little things of daily life ascends to God as holy incense, and kind, encouraging words in the family circle breathe a sweet perfume that goes up before Him. Soft, peaceable words, politeness, tender regard of brother for brother and of parents and children, manifest love as kindness, gentleness, forbearance and longsuffering and bring an angel presence into the home. When these little things are performed they become great and increase to large proportions, stamping a Christlike impression upon character, whereas where such order is lacking the presence of angels is not felt and character is not garrisoned with right habits.

Tactful personal work for souls in addition to preaching rises before God as pleasant incense and is a potent agency for good. The offering is not long sermonizing but becoming acquainted with individuals, speaking a timely word, offering prayer in their behalf, and preserving strength to labor in season rather than wearing oneself nervous and debilitated. Habitual communion with God keeps this offering sacred by giving evenness to the ways and right use to words, so that common or strange fire is not used in place of the sacred.

Costly self-denial such as giving up the company of beloved children to serve the Lord is a heart gift whose fragrance is precious to God like sweet incense, faithfully recorded and to be rewarded. The prayers of parents that a child would love and fear God find a place in heaven, and even the prayers and sobs of children for a lost person ascend as sweet incense as one step to bring back the lost sheep.

Christ's righteousness is the incense accompanying the believer's obedience, giving every act a divine fragrance before God. Human beings cannot make obedience perfect by their own strength but must seek the Saviour's help with humility and contrition and mingle His merits with all they do, revealing the fruits of His Spirit in every action.

Angels ascend and descend between heaven and earth as on the ladder Jacob saw, carrying believers' prayers to God and bringing back needed help for house-to-house gospel work and church to church. Prayers of children dedicated to God, including their praise and prayers of faith, are heard by ministering angels and carried to the Minister in the sanctuary who offers His merits in their behalf, and even simple prayers of children who give their hearts to Jesus are mingled with the incense of His spotless merits and ascend made fragrant by His purity and loveliness. Angels observe seeking families and listen to every petition, and this traffic of prayer and supply sustains enterprises undertaken in faith when lack of faith sees no means, calling believers to put on every piece of God's armor and go forward longing for souls.

Seeing with spiritual eyesight the opened temple where Christ as Advocate offers the incense of His own merits with prayers in the inner courts of the celestial temple fills the heart with the immensity and diversity of God's love. That eyesight comes by study, meditation, prayer and the golden eyesalve, as faith cuts through Satan's hellish shadow, and the threshold is flushed with glory for every church that loves God and keeps His commandments. The sight quickens insensible hearts, brings light to discern wonderful things in the Word, and turns murmuring and complaining into songs of praise and thanksgiving in union with the heavenly choir round the throne.

Christ puts into the hands of His people a censer filled with the incense of His righteousness, the merits of His virtue and the holy fragrance of His character. He gives it to those who are meek and lowly, filled with the Holy Spirit and clothed as priests, joining them to God to plead His name for themselves and others with pledge of answer, for their supplications offered through Christ prevail with God and at the same time give out infinite grace. Earnest pleading for that fragrance is of value, while justifying self and accusing others forfeits the blessing.

Placing sacred fire upon censers with fragrant incense makes a firm connection between divine power and the human agent, giving men and women privilege as co-partners with God in warning the world to be fulfilled only by using the facilities He provides. Truth presented simply in Scripture then carries power to convict and convert souls, as figured by the golden censer.

The prayer of Christ at His baptism cleft through Satan's hellish shadow to the sanctuary, to the very throne of God, and still carries with it the prayers of every hungering soul thirsting after spirituality and righteousness. The Father's answer of acceptance in the Beloved rests on believers through that prayer without break to the present, His merits and righteousness giving fragrance to their prayers as holy incense. Therefore the weakest, most oppressed and suffering child of God has hope in Jesus Christ, infinite power through faith to lay hold on the divine nature and escape worldly corruption, and no soul needs to faint or be discouraged.

Through His righteousness sincere, humble, earnest, persevering prayer ascends and is accepted and made wholly efficacious, availing much to obtain facilities to lift the standard of truth and to prevail with God in peril as Jacob did. Humble, heartbroken intercessions in service for Christ rise alongside work for sinners, and prayers for the suffering and oppressed are presented before the throne and preserved in heaven's imperishable record.