Month: December 2020

Sunday, 27 December 2020

The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. Revelation 8:7

John just noted that the seven angels prepared to sound the seven trumpets. With that stated, he now says, “The first angel sounded.” The judgments of the trumpets have begun. In this, the eighth chapter of Revelation corresponds to the eighth letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet. The eighth letter, heth, pictures a tent wall, and it signifies “wall,” “outside,” “divide,” and “half.” It is a rich letter that bears the understood meaning of terror or dread as well as destroy. The obvious connection to Chapter 8 is that of the initiation of the trumpet judgments and their resulting terror and destruction.

With the sounding of the trumpet, John sees what was prophesied hundreds of years before he was born. It is that which was anticipated by Peter when he spoke to Israel at Pentecost. Next, it says, “And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood.” Various Greek manuscripts say more precisely, “mingled in blood.”

The result of this first trumpet blast is similar to the seventh plague to come against Egypt before the exodus –

“And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” Exodus 9:23, 24

There are differences though. Along with the hail mingled with fire, John notes that it is “mingled with blood.” As a point of speculation, this could symbolically be representing the blood of the saints who were mentioned in the previous verses. The censer of incense was filled with fire and cast to the earth. As the incense represents the prayers of the saints, it may be an allegorical way of saying that it is their blood that is being avenged. Next, he says, “and they were thrown to the earth.”

This matches the symbolism of the angel casting the censer to the earth in judgment. That judgment has now come. With this thought stated, various manuscripts include after this, “and a third of the earth was burned up.”

With this stated, the question is whether this is referring to the entire earth, or the land of Israel, or a portion of the earth where the particular judgment is directed. It is a general word, ges, that can signify any of these, and the context is what sets the meaning. And further, it is generally inclusive of the inhabitants of the land.

Here, the context is not sure enough to come to a solid conclusion as to which is being described. However, it most likely appears that these trumpet judgments are directed specifically to the land of Israel. This seems especially so from the contents of Chapter 9. Whichever is correct, it next says, “And a third of the trees were burned up.”

This is explicit, but what the words “trees” is referring to can be literal or allegorical. In Judges 9:7-15, there is a parable where trees are equated to rule and authority. This is seen in Daniel 4:14 as well. Jesus speaks of the trees in an allegorical manner as well, such as in Luke 21:29. Whether literal trees, or whether they are allegorical, it next says, “and all green grass was burned up.”

Again, it is a direct statement that appears to be speaking of literal grass. And yet, a question immediately arises as to why “all green grass was burned up,” but only a third of the trees were. And so, an allegorical meaning may apply here as well. Humans are equated to grass elsewhere, such as in Psalm 37:2 (and etc.), and a set number of people is referred to at times in Old Testament prophecy also –

“You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. ³ You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. ⁴ Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 5:2-4

&

“And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
⁹ I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” Zechariah 13:8, 9

With such Old Testament comparisons, it is hard to be dogmatic concerning the nature of what is being described. What is certain is that judgment on a very large scale is being prophesied. After it is accomplished, it will be understood exactly what John is seeing, be it literal or allegorical. However, what seems certain is that this is the time prophesied by Joel and was then mentioned by Peter –

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.” Joel 2:30

Joel prophesied of a time of judgment to come upon the earth (again, it could be the land of Israel only, or the entire earth – the word can mean either) This was then quoted by Peter. Peter was speaking to the people of Israel at that time. The beginning of the fulfillment of his words came to them at Pentecost. However, Israel eventually rejected Christ Jesus and went into the punishment of exile. Now that they are back in the land, the prophecy of Joel will find its fulfillment. Peter’s words to Israel were –

“I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
²¹ And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.” Acts 2:19-21

Taking the context (spoken to Israel while under the law), the events of Revelation make all the sense in the world. Verse 7:14 said (in a literal rendering), “These are the (ones) coming out of the tribulation the great.” It was an indication that the tribulation saints were coming and continued to come out by faith in Christ. The focus is on Israel during their final seven years under the law, and it is also inclusive of any Gentiles who are willing to accept the gospel and believe in what Christ did on their behalf. That is confirmed by Peter here with the words “whoever calls on the name of the Lord.” There is no time that is set. When a person calls on the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.

Life application: If the events described here are literal, and on a global scale (actual trees and grass), just imagine the result on the earth. When the plant life is so quickly destroyed, any rains will then cause mudslides and flooding. Food would then become exceedingly scarce and expensive, and disease will begin to run rampant.

One can see how the plagues of the four horsemen can quickly come to pass with just the sounding of this first trumpet. And yet there are six more trumpets to go. The world will begin a cataclysmic tailspin. Things will get progressively worse, not better, as the judgments unfold.

If the events are allegory, the horrors that are coming are no less terrifying. One-third of the leaders and the people they lead will be consumed. But what is seen as a terrifying ordeal is also seen to be a time of grace. Despite the judgment coming upon the earth, for those who call on the name of the Lord, salvation will result. Their physical bodies may die, but their souls shall be saved.

This is the purpose of the judgments. In them, God will judge the world for having taken a perverse path, but these judgments are also intended to wake up the world to return to the sound path offered through Jesus. God could just destroy the entire world in a flash. But He mercifully gives those who survive apocalyptic events the chance to turn to Him. It is reflective of the petition of Habakkuk 3:2 – “In wrath remember mercy.” The Lord does remember mercy, even in His wrath. This is sure because He took all of the cup of His wrath and passed it to His Son in order to redeem man. Peace with Him can now be obtained by accepting the work of Christ. Call on the Lord today. Call on JESUS.

Oh God, how sobering it is to see what the results of our sin are. Rather than humbling ourselves and being obedient to You, our Creator, we dismiss You, mock You, and only bring calamity on ourselves. Help those of us who have come to You through Christ to be lights to those around us before the great judgments that Your word says are coming actually begin. May we be responsible with the time set before us. Amen.

Saturday, 26 December 2020

So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Revelation 8:6

With the opening of the seventh seal being complete, the focus now turns to the sounding of the trumpet judgments. This is based on verse 8:2 that said, “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” This was followed by the angel with the incense being offered before God and the casting of the censer to earth. With that complete, John now states, “So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets.”

As noted before, and without claiming this dogmatically, this is speaking of the seven Spirits before the throne of God. Being called angels does not mean they are created beings. Rather, and as noted, the word translated as angels signifies a messenger. It is a title elsewhere applied to the Lord Jesus, and there is no reason to exclude this representing seven of His roles being played out in a heavenly apocalyptic scene. Just as Christ opened the seven seals, so now, He may be the One to sound the seven trumpets.

And there is no logical contradiction in saying each is the Lord. Jesus is the One on the throne (5:1), He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5), He is also the Lamb as though it had been slain (5:6), He is also the Angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living God (7:2), and He is also the Angel with the censer (meaning the Mediator) before God (8:3). He is each of these at the same time. As such, we are seeing the work of God in Christ being relayed in individual roles as He works out the unfolding narrative. Again, this is one possibility, and these could simply be seven created angels. The text does not provide enough information to be dogmatic either way.

With this understood, it says these seven angels (messengers) “prepared themselves to sound.” The Greek means, “prepared themselves to sound the trumpets.” In other words, they have brought the trumpets to their mouths in preparation for sounding.

Life application: The events leading up to this verse have brought the world to the point of the trumpet judgments that will follow. Angels have been used in history as God’s ministers of such judgment, including the land of Egypt when they enslaved Israel –

“He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.” Psalm 78:49

These coming trumpet judgments will be directed at the world at it is actively working against Israel, God’s covenant people. Similar to the opening of the seals, the first four trumpets will come as a group. This will be followed by two distinct trumpets, and then a last trumpet. The symmetry in these different judgments is remarkable and shows a consistency of how judgment is dealt with by God.

As He doesn’t change, this is to be expected. Everything is following a plan known to Him and being worked out by Him. And yet, He grants man free will in the process of these things. His foreknowledge does not negate our free will though. We must willingly come to God through Christ in order to be saved. If you have never done this, today is the day. Don’t hesitate. God loves you enough to have sent His own Son to die for your sins. He loves you enough to have sent JESUS.

Lord God, we know that You hear the prayers of Your people and that You are always there to defend them. We can look at past events recorded in the Bible, and we can see how faithful You have been to Your people. And so, we know that You will be the same towards us today. What have we to worry about when You are always attentive to our needs and our protection? Thank You for this. Amen.

Friday, 25 December 2020

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:5

This verse now continues the thought of the previous verses. The angel having the golden censer stood at the altar and presented incense – the prayers of the saints. Those prayers (the smoke of the incense) ascended before God. With that complete, and with the prayers having gone through the Mediator of those prayers (Christ Jesus), judgment of those on earth in response to those prayers, is God’s reply. As it says, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.”

Of this, Albert Barnes states the following –

“By the former it had been shown that there would be much prayer offered; by this it is designed to show that, notwithstanding the prayer that would be offered, great and fearful calamities would come upon the earth. This is symbolized by casting the censer upon the earth, as if the prayers were not heard any longer, or as if prayer were now in vain.”

The analysis says, “notwithstanding the prayer that would be offered,” as if the prayer is ineffective. But that is not the case. The prayers of the previous verses have been heard. They are the prayers of the tribulation saints of Chapter 6 –

“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelation 6:10:11

It is not that God is ignoring the prayers and that prayer is now in vain. Rather, God has heard the prayers – offered through His Mediator – and there is now a response to those prayers. There is a time where God’s wrath will be poured out on nations for the shedding of blood. It is a precept that goes all the way back to the book of Genesis and which is explicitly stated in Joshua.

The sin of bloodshed eventually rises to a level where the Lord will respond. How much more so when it is the blood of His saints, and they are crying out for the avenging of their blood. As it says in Psalm 72 –

“Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15

The imagery is that the world has spilled its fill of blood and it is now to be judged. Taking fire from the altar and casting it upon the earth is a sign of impending judgment. The symbolism goes back to Ezekiel 10 –

“Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, ‘Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.’ And he went in as I watched.” Ezekiel 10:2

In Ezekiel 11, the reason for this is seen –

“Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, ‘Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. ⁶ You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”’” Ezekiel 11:5, 6

The blood of the slain of Jerusalem called out for vengeance, and it came – symbolized by the taking of coals from the fire. The same is true now in Revelation. The prayers have been heard, and the divine response is issued: Judgment time has come. No incense is added to the coals now, symbolizing no mediation for those who are on the earth that have their hands bloodied with the blood of the saints. They can cry out to God until their throats are sore, but He will not hear. Without the mediation of Christ, their prayers are in vain.

John next says, “And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” The wording is similar to verse 4:5, but in a different order and with the addition of “earthquake.” The idea is that of commotion and the striking of fear and awe into the hearts of those on the earth. It is reflective of what the Lord says of these times (as He describes in detail in Luke 21) and the state of man when they come –

“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Luke 21:26

But the accompanying display of noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake are also similar to the great display that occurred when the Law of Moses was received on Mt. Sinai. The judgment on the world is based on this standard, which no one can meet. As Paul says in Romans 3:20 –

“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The law was given to show us our desperately sinful state and that we needed something more…the righteousness of Christ. The world has rejected this and will now be judged based on the standard set forth in the law and not on Christ’s imputed righteousness, of which they lack. Only the saints who trust in Christ alone, and not on some other standard of righteousness, are to be saved. The rest will perish in their unrighteousness.

The word translated as “noises” is the same word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 14:8 to describe the blast of a trumpet. In Zephaniah, the prophet anticipated this coming day of destruction and the blast of the trumpet, warning what would occur at some point in the future –

“The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
¹⁵ That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
¹⁶ A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.” Zephaniah 1:14-16

Life application: The prayers of the saints were for the avenging of their blood and also a petition for the coming of God’s kingdom. Because the Lord hears the prayers of His people, their blood will be avenged, and His kingdom will be ushered in.

God has given His word and allowed the world over two thousand years to learn it and apply its truth – that of salvation through Christ alone. When the Day of Judgment comes, the world won’t be able to say they weren’t afforded abundant opportunity to accept the gospel and call on Christ.

And so, two truths can be considered to close out this verse. The first is that God has given man a path to being saved, and that path is through Christ Jesus. The second is that God does, in fact, hear that call leading to their salvation. Once saved, the prayers of His people are heard because of the mediation of Christ. We should never feel our prayers are not heard, even if it seems a response is not forthcoming. Being in Christ means that we are intimately joined to Him. Our prayers are heard, and they are holy because of Christ. God will respond to them according to His wisdom.

Let us trust that this is so and let us never fail to thank our God for having sent His Son to make this possible. He is our faithful High Priest who mediates for us. He is JESUS.

Oh God, when we are given the heavenly insights into Your great throne room, it allows us to understand how You tenderly receive the prayers of Your people and how You do act on them. We know that every prayer of Your saints is precious to You and that in Your wisdom You respond to them at just the right moment in history. Thank You for hearing our prayers. Amen.

Thursday, 24 December 2020

And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Revelation 8:4

A literal rendering of the Greek is, “And went up the smoke [of] the incense, the prayers of the saints, out of [the] hand [of] the angel, before the God.”

The word “with” is inserted but not necessary. Verse 5:8 says that the incense is the prayer of the saints. There is no reason to deviate from that here. The Douay-Rheims captured the correct sense, saying –

“And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.”

With this understanding, but still using the NKJV as a reference, taking the previous verse together with this one will provide the context –

“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” Revelation 8:3, 4

This was immediately after the silence in heaven of verse 1 and the giving out of the seven trumpets to the seven angels who stand before God. In saying “the prayers of the saints,” it is most certainly referring to what was said in Chapter 6 –

“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelation 6:10, 11

There is a cry for the avenging of the blood of these tribulation saints. The white robe indicates they are saints, purified through their faith in Christ. This verse now begins with, “And the smoke of the incense.”

The incense was first described in Exodus 30 as that being used in the tabernacle. As noted, each ingredient pointed to Christ. It was typical of His life as an offering before God. The incense of His perfect life is now completely mingled together as “the prayers of the saints.”

In other words, the two are as one. What happens to the saints is as if it happened to the Lord. This is explicitly revealed in Acts 9 –

“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. ⁴ Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
⁵ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’
Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” Acts 9:4, 5

Jesus asked, “Why are you persecuting Me?” And yet, Saul had been persecuting the believers in Him. The persecution of Christ Jesus’ people is a direct attack again Him. Likewise, the prayers of Christ to God includes the prayers of His people. This is why the Bible uses the term “in Christ” again and again. There is no separation between the two. In fact, this unity is so strong that Paul says this of believers –

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16, 17

Believers in Christ are so united to the Lord Jesus that they actually become joint heirs with Him as children of God. Understanding this, the result of the prayers for avenging their blood can be nothing less than a sure and decisive response. The outcome is assured as the smoke and prayers “ascended before God from the angel’s hand.”

As noted in the previous verse, the angel (Greek: messenger) is Christ Jesus. He is the Messenger of the Covenant, He is the High Priest, He is found in the censer and in the incense, He is the Avenger of the blood of His people. He is all of these things and so much more. He is the God/Man; the point between the finite and the infinite. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The fact that this ascends from the hand (the humanity of Christ) to God (His deity) means that action will be taken. The Lord will respond and avenge, and His judgment will be decisive.

Life application: Our prayers are made acceptable to God, not because they are prayers of any given human beings, but because they are prayers made by believers in the work of Jesus Christ. It is He who makes our prayers acceptable to God. Ephesians gives us this insight when speaking of His fulfillment of the burnt offering sacrifices of the Old Covenant –

“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians 5:2

Jesus’ life and work became an “offering and a sacrifice to God.” When we call on Him, we receive life and justification because of what He did. Paul then gives an insight into the prayers being offered by the angel in this verse –

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

We, including our prayers, are “the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” As will be seen in the verses ahead, the prayers to God for His kingdom to come, and the requests for His justice to be served, will be responded to. This is because God in Christ is faithful to His people. He will not turn away from giving them justice. He is our near Kinsman, He is our Avenger of blood, and He is the Lord God Almighty. He is JESUS!

It is so wonderfully beautiful to see how Your word fully supports itself in every way. What came from the hand of the prophets and apostles is that which speaks to the work of Jesus Christ. And it is astonishingly fulfilled in every detail in Him. Thank You for Your wonderful, beautifully crafted, and trustworthy word, O God. Thank You and Amen.

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Revelation 8:3

The previous verse spoke of “the seven angels who stand before God.” One of the options (the preferable one to this commentary) is that they are the same as “the seven Spirits who are before His throne” in Revelation 1:4. The Greek word “angels” simply means “messengers.” The coming Christ is called an angel in the Old Testament, demonstrating that the term is acceptable to be applied to Him. As the seven Spirits are seven aspects of the Lord (see Revelation 1:4 commentary), there is nothing doctrinally wrong with this view. Now, in this verse, it says, “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.”

The Greek reads, “over the altar,” or “upon the altar.” It is the same Greek word, epi, or upon, that is used again in this same verse. The altar speaks of the golden altar of incense first described in Exodus 30:1-10 – every single detail of which pointed to Jesus Christ. The incense altar was originally placed outside of the veil in the Holy Place. As it says in Exodus 30:5, it was to be “before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony.”

This “angel” or “messenger” is also another unveiling of Christ Jesus, as will be noted as the commentary progresses. Other than on the Day of Atonement, where the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place once a year, nothing except the twice-daily wafting of this incense ever entered the Most Holy Place. The veil stood between the two demonstrating that access to God was restricted until the time set by Him.

However, the altar in heaven is in the very throne room of God, not outside a veil. The tabernacle was made by Moses to be a type, or picture, of the true throne of God. But until Christ died, access to God was restricted. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn in two at that same moment signifying that full and free access to God had been restored through His torn body. He is now that point of access for the redeemed of the Lord.

In heaven, there is no separation between where the incense altar is and where the throne is, because there is no need to separate redeemed man from the presence of God. All who are received into heaven have come through the sacrifice of Jesus. That this angel stands “over” or “upon” the altar is important. As noted above, the altar of the tabernacle prefigured Christ in every detail. No created angel would be allowed to stand “over” or “upon” Christ in this capacity.

It is true that the angels of God are said to be ascending and descending upon (epi) the Son of Man in John 1:51, but that is a different context with a different purpose. Here, the altar is a representation of Christ. The angel (the Lord) stands upon the altar and, as it next says, “He was given much incense.”

The incense at the tabernacle was first described in Exodus 30:34-38. Again, every single detail of that incense prefigured the Person of Jesus Christ. The studies on these things should be reviewed to understand all of these magnificent details. There, standing upon the altar, and with the incense, it says that this Messenger “should offer it with the prayers of all the saints.”

Under the Mosaic covenant, it said, “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.” This was the duty of the high priest (or his designated representative who performed the function in his stead). It was a mediatorial role on behalf of the people. As has been seen in a previous commentary, and as will be stated explicitly in Revelation 8, the incense reflects the medium in which the prayers of the people are transmitted to God.

It says in 1 Timothy 2:5, 6, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” As the altar, the incense, and the one who offers the incense all were typical of Christ under the Old Covenant, and as there is now one Mediator between God and men, this Angel, or Messenger, is the Lord Jesus. It is another revelation, or unveiling, of His many duties before God.

Of this particular duty, He offers the incense “upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” The throne of God in the Mosaic Covenant was represented by the Ark of the Covenant. It is the place where the glory of the Lord was fixed. The way the ark was situated for the poles to carry it reflected a throne. And, again, every detail of the construction of this ark, the things placed inside of it, and so on, all of these minutely pictured the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

In this verse is seen a marvelous demonstration of the mediatorial and intercessory role of Jesus in His humanity then transmitting the prayers of the saints to the throne of God (where He sits in all rule and authority) in His deity. He is the point between the finite and the infinite. He is the incarnate Word of God. He is the Mediator between God and man.

Life application: The prayers in this verse are being offered directly to God with much incense. They are the many prayers of all of God’s people in anticipation of the coming of His judgments which then lead into the coming of His kingdom.

God’s wrath at sin, and His judgment upon the world, must come first in order to cleanse the world. After this happens, then there can be the establishment of this kingdom. The prayers of the saints are coming now, and they precipitate the great trumpet and bowl judgments upon the earth. God hears and responds to the prayers of His people. Now that they are being brought before Him in great numbers, it means that the time of wrath is at hand.

But those prayers offered to God are only those from the people who have called out to Jesus. God does not, nor indeed can He, hear the prayers of those who are not Redeemed by Jesus. To say otherwise is to say that God does not need Jesus to mediate the prayers of the people. It is no different than saying that there are more paths to God than through Christ Jesus alone. It is heresy.

The makeup of the incense in the Old Testament said, “Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people” (Exodus 30:38). The implication is that only this incense (typical of Jesus as noted above) is acceptable to God. Any other incense (meaning prayer apart from Christ) is abominable to Him.

The typology clearly reveals that believers are never to pray to God with people from other religions, or from false cults. To do so is to acknowledge that their prayers are just as acceptable to God as are those of true believers. Such can never be implied. Be sure to never mix the holy with the profane. There is one Mediator, and God only accepts the prayers of those who belong to that Mediator. He alone is the access point between God and man. He alone is our High Priest. He alone is JESUS!

Lord God, it is incredible to imagine that the prayers of ages and ages of saints reach even to Your throne. And yet, because of Jesus, our prayers are brought before You. He is our great High Priest who comes to You with them. Yes, our Father in heaven, thank You for Jesus who brings us near to You in prayer. Amen.