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Leviticus 16:18-19 says, “Then he shall go out to the altar that is before Jehovah and make expiation for it, and he shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on and around the horns of the altar. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times; thus he will cleanse it and sanctify it from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel.”
Leviticus 16:12-13 says, “He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before Jehovah, with his hands full of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the expiation cover that is over the Testimony, so that he does not die.”
The above two passages indicate that the priest first needed to make expiation for the people of God at the altar with the blood of the sin offering. Second, when the priest went into the Holy of Holies to burn the incense, the coals of fire that he used were to be taken from the altar.
Exodus 30:9-10 says, “You shall not offer any strange incense on it, or a burnt offering or a meal offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. And Aaron shall make expiation on its horns once a year; with the blood of the sin offering of expiation once a year he shall make expiation for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Jehovah.”
The above passage refers to the incense altar, not the offering altar. The tabernacle had two altars; outside was the offering altar, and inside was the incense altar. The offering altar was bronze, and the incense altar was gold. Both altars were places where expiations were made, and both used the same sacrifice. The tenth day of the seventh month was the Day of Atonement for the children of Israel. On that day the high priest took of the blood of the sin offering and sprinkled it upon the four horns of the altar outside. He also brought that blood with him into the Holy Place and sprinkled it upon the four horns of the incense altar, thus making expiation on both altars.
Revelation 8:3-5 says, “Another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne...And the Angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it to the earth; and there were thunders and voices and lightnings and an earthquake.”
Another Angel here refers to the Lord Jesus. By the following verse, verse 6, we know that the seven trumpets began to trumpet as a result of the Angel casting down the fire of the altar. In other words, the seven trumpets are the answer to those prayers. We need to notice that here it mentions the censer, the incense, and the prayers.
Revelation 5:8 says, “When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which bowls are the prayers of the saints.”
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders each held a harp and golden bowls. The harp is for praising, whereas the golden bowls full of incense are for prayers. In this verse which refers to the bowls, not to the incense. This means that the golden bowls are the prayers of the saints. This interpretation is based on the fact that in chapter 8 the incense and the prayers of the saints are mentioned as two different items. The incense is Christ added to the saints’ prayers. Therefore, the golden bowls here refer to the prayers of the saints.
Both Exodus and Leviticus show that no one can enter into the tabernacle to burn incense before God and draw near to God except by passing through the altar. The altar is the cross. This means that without passing through the cross, no one can be before God and have prayer which is as fragrant incense that is acceptable to God. Hence, we still need to look at the relationship between the cross and prayer.
Although there are numerous aspects of the cross, with relation to prayer there are mainly two aspects. One aspect is signified by the blood that is shed on the altar, and the other is signified by the fire burnt on the altar. When anyone offers a sacrifice at the altar, after it has been accepted by God and consumed by fire, there are only two things in front of him. These two things are the blood around the altar and the coals upon the altar. As the ashes and the coals of fire are mixed together, eventually, what the offerer sees is just the blood and the fire.
The blood and the fire are the two important aspects of the cross in relation to prayer. The ability of a priest to enter the Holy Place to burn incense and pray before God is based on two things: first, that he has brought with him the blood from the offering altar outside and put it on the incense altar; second, that he has brought with him the fire which has consumed the sacrifice offered on the offering altar outside and has put it on the incense altar to burn the incense. The blood on the incense altar inside and the blood on the offering altar outside are one and the same. The coals of fire on the incense altar inside and the coals of fire on the offering altar outside are also one and the same. In other words, the blood on the incense altar inside is based on the blood on the offering altar outside. The fire on the incense altar inside is based on the fire on the offering altar outside. The blood is for redemption of sins; the fire is for termination. Anything that is put into the fire will be terminated. The most serious damage done to anything is caused by fire. Whenever something passes through fire, it is consumed. On the cross the Lord shed His blood for redemption. Through His death He also brought in a great termination. These are the two most important aspects that the Lord accomplished on the cross. Every sacrifice that is placed on the offering altar not only sheds blood but also becomes ashes. The cross results in both redemption and termination. These are the two aspects of the cross.
In the Lord’s redemption the cross, on the one hand, redeems us and, on the other hand, terminates us. Everyone who prays to God must be one who has been redeemed by the Lord in these two aspects. If one has not been sprinkled by the blood, before God he is just like Cain, who could neither be accepted by God nor pray. Everyone who is acceptable to God and able to pray needs to be sprinkled with the blood. But please remember, one who can go before God to pray not only needs the redemption of the blood; he also needs to be one who has been consumed at the cross. Nadab and Abihu fell dead before God due to a problem concerning the fire, not concerning the blood. Not having been consumed, terminated at the altar, they went before God to pray according to their natural man. Consequently, not only were their prayers not accepted by God, but even they themselves were struck dead by God. Hence, everyone who learns to pray must not only be redeemed by the blood, but he must also be one who has been terminated and has become ashes. His natural life has been completely terminated by the cross.
The two aspects of the cross are really not hard to understand, since the types in the Old Testament are displayed there as clear pictures. We see that no one could enter into the Holy Place to burn incense and pray to God except by the blood and the fire from the outside altar. If anyone were to go into the Holy Place to burn the incense without the fire that had burned the sacrifice on the altar, he would surely meet the same fate as Nadab and Abihu. So, without the blood and the fire, no one could enter into the presence of God. Without the redemption and the termination of the cross, no one can have access to God. A man may be able to pray a great deal before God, but he should not be overconfident that all his prayers are acceptable to God. The story of Nadab and Abihu is an excellent case in point. Never merely consider, “Oh, didn’t we pray before God?” No! You still need to ask, “What about the redemption and termination of the cross?” Unless you are in the experience of these two aspects of the cross, you will have no way to go before God.
In today’s degraded and deviant Christianity, the common concept is that God answers all our prayers. Yes, brothers and sisters, God is a God who answers prayers. Yet even more often, He is a God who does not answer prayers. Today many often say, “Please pray for me.” This is the slogan of a great number of Christians today. You may see someone coming out of a dance hall yet telling you, “Pray for me.” She may be wearing fashionable clothes and be painted with various colors. You may see someone getting ready to attend a Christmas Eve party. Upon leaving, she may tell a friend, “Please pray for me.” Do you think that God will answer such prayers? Never! Oh, do not be confident that God will answer all our prayers. Many times our prayers before God not only are not answered, but in His eyes they may constitute sinning against Him. We have seen how strictly God dealt with the priests when the tabernacle was first set up and the priests went in before God to offer the sacrifice. If God dealt with the church today in the same way, many would not only suffer spiritual death but even physically die before God.
In the beginning of various matters, God was very strict in order to underscore the principle as an ironclad law. At the time of Pentecost, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and fell dead before God. That did not mean that thereafter anyone who lied to the Spirit would fall dead. Later, many lied yet did not fall dead. However, in God’s sight they had met their death. Nadab and Abihu fell dead because they violated the principles of the cross. To this day, many are still praying in violation of the principle of the cross. Their end is the same. Not only are their prayers not acceptable to God, but they themselves are disapproved of by Him. Their unanswered prayers and God’s disapproval are the same in principle as the suffering of physical death in the Old Testament time. Being against God’s principle, they suffer God’s opposition.
The more you are a praying one, the more you will feel that you are sinful and realize the need for redemption. For example, we can see this condition in Daniel. One of his prayers is recorded in Daniel 9. In that prayer he made very little mention of the thing that he prayed for. On the contrary, most of that prayer was his confession not only of his own sins but also those of the whole nation of Israel. He really understood what it meant to pray before God by the blood of the sacrifice of the sin offering.
If a brother or sister does not confess sins at all in a prayer, it is doubtful whether he has entered the presence of God. One who has no consciousness of sins is not only outside the Holy Place but most likely has not even entered the outer court. He is still outside the white linen hangings. Otherwise, he could not refrain from confessing his sins. This is what is spoken of in 1 John 1: God is light, and if we have fellowship with God and dwell in the light, we will inevitably see our own sins and receive the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, to cleanse us.
Real experiences of prayer are just like this. Whenever you come into the presence of God, you need to experience the redemption of the cross and the cleansing of the blood. The more deeply you enter the presence of God, the more you need to experience the redemption of the cross and the cleansing of the blood. The more deeply you enter the presence of God, the keener your consciousness is of sin, and the deeper your knowledge is concerning sin. Some things in the past that you may have considered to be virtues and merits, you now see as sins. At such a time you tell God, “O God, I can only come into Your presence to pray under the blood of Your Son and with the blood of Your Son. Otherwise, I can’t even come here, let alone pray.” Always realize that whenever you pray, you need to experience the redemption of the cross. Otherwise, you are filthy, unclean, and full of offense.
One thing is certain: If the Spirit is going to pray through you concerning an important matter, He will first come to enlighten you and to purge your being. Whenever the Spirit is going to bring you into prayer with Him, He needs to purify you once more. And His purification is to first show you your sins and trespasses and then lead you to receive the cleansing of the blood. Under the precious blood you confess your sins one by one to God. You may confess for an hour and conclude with only five minutes of asking. You need to confess your sins thoroughly until you are without fear and are pure and light inside. Then you can pray, saying, “O God, the church has a problem here, the work has a difficulty here, etc. I place all these before You.”
Even in our giving of thanks and praises during the Lord’s table, we should experience the redemption of the cross. Before you go into the Lord’s presence to worship and remember Him, you need to go to the cross. No one can go into the Holy Place without going to the altar. You cannot say, “Oh, a few days ago I passed through the altar, so today I can simply walk straight in.” If you do so, you will fall into spiritual death before God. Although you confessed your sins yesterday and again this morning when you prayed, you still need to confess your sins this afternoon when you pray. And it is useless to confess with mere empty words. You need to have the consciousness of sins. Whenever a person touches God, he will definitely have the consciousness of sin. When Peter saw the Lord Jesus perform a miracle, thus manifesting Himself as God, immediately he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (Luke 5:8). It is here that redemption is necessary. We are not able at any time to stand before God by ourselves but by the redeeming blood of the cross.
One who knows how to pray and can pray is always one who has been both redeemed under the blood and terminated on the cross. In going before God to pray, first you need to ask whether or not you have been terminated. Suppose you wish to pray concerning the gospel, your family, the giving of material things, or the matter of marriage. In each case you need to ask if you have been terminated in that particular matter. You must ask whether you are praying with any self-interest. Whatever you pray for, you need to have a termination in that matter.
Always keep in mind that the fire that burns on the offering altar is the same fire that burns incense on the incense altar. Only the fire that burns the sacrifice into ashes can be the fire that burns the incense. If, without having burned the sacrifice into ashes, the fire is brought to the incense altar to burn the incense, that is called strange fire. You can realize the seriousness of this matter by the fate of Nadab and Abihu. If you have not been terminated in a certain matter, yet you bring that matter into the presence of God in prayer, it is a great offense to God.
Strictly speaking, if one has not been terminated by the cross in a certain matter, it is really not possible for him to pray for that matter. If you have not been terminated by the cross concerning your husband or wife, then frankly speaking, you are not qualified to pray for your husband or wife. Why is it that many times the Lord does not hear our prayers for our own families? The answer is that we have not become ashes. Those prayers were merely natural prayers, prayers of strange fire. Many times when we pray for the church of God and for the work of the Lord, the Lord does not answer. You pray for the Lord’s blessings, yet you do not see the blessings. You have been praying for years, asking the Lord to make the church grow, but the church still has no growth. Your prayers have not been answered because they are prayers of strange fire, natural prayers.
We always have the concept that God will surely hear our prayers because He is merciful and gracious to us. This concept is erroneous. God often does not hear men’s prayers. The reason He does not hear is that we, the praying ones, have not passed through the altar. Some bring with them only the blood of the altar but not the fire. They pass through the redemption but not through the termination of the altar.
Please remember, whenever man goes to burn incense at the incense altar, he must fulfill two basic conditions. He must experience the blood, which tells us that all those who come there to pray have been redeemed and cleansed. He must also experience the fire, which tells us that all those who come there to pray have been consumed and have become ashes.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, if the light of the Lord shines on you strongly, immediately you will not be able to pray for a great number of things. The decrease in the number of your prayers proves that you are being purified. If you recognize that many prayers are prayers of strange fire, you will see that those prayers are neither necessary nor right. You will not dare pray those prayers that are for yourself and not for God’s sake, because they are initiated by you, not by God. After you have been terminated by the cross, there is a great purification of your prayer.
Some may ask, “As we have thus been terminated, why do we need to even consider praying? Since we have become ashes that neither speak nor think, everything has been terminated. What more, then, do we need to pray about?” Ashes do mean that everything has been terminated. Do not forget, however, that the fire that burns the ashes is still there to burn the incense before God. When we studied the Old Testament types, we became clear that the incense refers to the Lord’s resurrection and the fragrance of the Lord in His resurrection. Where the Lord is, there is resurrection. Wherever you and I have been terminated, there is the manifestation of Christ. We first pass through the redemption of the cross before God, accept the termination of the cross, and truly become ashes before God. Then, immediately, Christ becomes the incense that we burn before God.
Strictly speaking, therefore, prayer is both Christ Himself and the expression of Christ. A prayer that is good, right, proper, true, and acceptable to God is the expression of Christ. If you are terminated on the cross, Christ will live out of such a termination. In the case of prayer, Christ is lived out in the prayer. In the case of living, the resurrected Christ is the living. In the ministry the resurrected Christ is the ministry. Only such a prayer can be acceptable before God and be considered a prayer of sweet-smelling savor. This is a prayer of one who has passed through the cleansing of the blood and the termination of the fire, thus allowing Christ to come forth from within.
Hence, brothers, if you really have a vision of this, you will prostrate yourself before God, confessing your filthiness and your naturalness. You will not be able initially to utter any other prayer. You will see the need to be cleansed by the blood and consumed by the fire. You will say to God, “I am an unclean person, and I am also a natural man. To this day I am still in my natural self. I need Your blood to cleanse me and Your fire to consume me. I need the cross to redeem and also to terminate me.” Brothers, when you thus allow the cross to terminate you, you can, in a practical way, experience Christ coming forth from you. It is this resurrected Christ who becomes your prayer, the incense which you burn before God. You may not pray many prayers, but those that you do pray will be answered by God.
Revelation 8 clearly shows two things: the prayers of the saints, and the Angel, that is, the Lord Jesus, bringing much incense. The incense refers to the resurrected Christ. This incense is added to the prayers of the saints.
May I ask you, brothers and sisters, can the Lord Jesus add the incense to all your prayers? No. If you wish to have the Lord Jesus in resurrection added to your prayer, your prayer surely must pass through the redemption of the blood and the termination of the cross. The prayers in Revelation 8 were prayers of death and resurrection, so once the incense of those prayers was presented before God, there were immediately thunders and lightnings poured down on earth. This means that God both hears and answers those prayers of ours that are in death and resurrection.
Revelation 8 shows how God in His administration is going to judge this age. But this judgment is waiting for the prayers of those who have received both the redemption of the blood and the termination by the cross. It is waiting for the prayers of those who have been resurrected to seek after His heart and who stand on the position of death, thus allowing the resurrected Christ to be joined with their prayers. Those, thence, will be tremendous prayers that can judge and end this age. We repeat, the reason that they are able to pray for such high and great things is because they have been terminated at the cross and are able to allow the resurrected Christ to be added to their prayers. This is the meaning of the incense being added to the prayers.
We have said before that true prayers are the Christ in us praying to the Christ in heaven. Here, then, we have a problem. As we are men of many opinions, how can Christ find a way to come out of our prayers? To allow Him the way, we need to pass through the cleansing of the blood and the termination of the fire. Terminated ones have no opinions. At the cross we receive redemption and termination. Then the Christ in us can be united with us and put us on to pray. Consequently, our prayer is Christ. When Christ thus expresses Himself through us, that is the incense being added to our prayers.
Some say that the incense here refers to the merits of Christ. This is so, but it refers even more to the resurrected Christ. It includes His merits, all that He is, all that He has accomplished, and all that He does. The resurrected Christ with all His work and fruits is the incense. As long as we receive the redemption of the blood and are in the termination of the cross, the Christ in us is joined with us. Then when we pray, it is Christ who prays. At such a time our prayer is the expression of Christ. As a result, before God these prayers are the incense that is acceptable to God and will be answered by God.
Prayers before God must be of two aspects. They include man’s prayer and the incense of Christ’s resurrection added to that prayer. In Revelation 5 there are only the prayers of the saints — only the golden bowls with no incense added to them. Therefore, there is also no answer to prayer. Answers to prayer are based on the fact that incense has been added to that prayer. In chapter 8 there is a complete picture. There are the prayers of the saints, and there is also the resurrected Christ added as incense to those prayers. Both are being offered before God. At the same time, there are also the answers to prayer being poured down. This is the ultimate result of prayer based on the experience of the cross.
