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Beginning with chapter 13, we have been dealing with the various aspects of prayer based on the Old Testament types. We have covered the matter concerning the cross and prayer based on the relationship between the offering altar and the incense altar. We have covered the matter of life supply and prayer based on the relationship between the table of the bread of the Presence and the incense altar. Based on the relationship between the golden lampstand and the incense altar, we have also covered the matter of life illumination and prayer. Now, based on the type of the incense altar itself, we will see the necessity for prayer to be in resurrection.
In spiritual experience, the outer court of the tabernacle denotes the earth, the earthly aspect, whereas the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies denote the heavens, the heavenly aspect. Whatever is heavenly is in resurrection. The table of the bread of the Presence signifies that the Lord is our bread of life. This is of the heavenly aspect and is, therefore, in resurrection. The golden lampstand indicates that the Lord is our light of life. This is also of the heavenly aspect and in resurrection. The incense altar, which denotes man’s prayer before God, is entirely something in resurrection.
Whenever the Bible speaks of man going before God to burn the incense, it invariably refers to man going before God to pray. For example, Luke 1:9-10 says that Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense. Then it refers to the people praying outside at the hour of the burning of incense. Also, Revelation 5 and 8 say that the burning of incense before God is the prayer of the saints ascending to God. Therefore, to burn the incense is to pray.
Among the spices that are burnt on the incense altar, the principal one is frankincense. In the Bible frankincense specifically signifies resurrection, just as myrrh denotes death. The frankincense that was burnt on the incense altar is a symbol of resurrection. When the sweet-smelling savor ascended, there was altogether an atmosphere in resurrection. Hence, according to the type in the Old Testament, man going before God to burn incense is entirely a matter in resurrection. This indicates that man’s prayers before God must be in resurrection.
Although we are praying on earth today, strictly speaking, every prayer must be in the position of ascension. And although we who pray are humans, every prayer needs to be in resurrection. For our prayer to be acceptable to God and be considered by God as a sweet-smelling savor, it must be in ascension and in resurrection. There is no burning of incense, no prayer, at the offering altar. All the incense must be burnt at the incense altar. I believe this picture in typology is very clear.
In the tabernacle setting one must pass through the offering altar, the laver, the showbread table, and the lampstand, and then arrive at the incense altar. This entire picture is for one thing: that man may go before God to burn incense, that is, to utter prayers before God by drawing near to God and contacting God. Such prayer is absolutely in resurrection.
What is resurrection, after all? We will look at it from three aspects:
Resurrection is a state of having passed completely through death and having risen from death. To be in resurrection is different than to be alive. To be alive is the original state without having passed through death. To be in resurrection is to have passed through death and to have been raised up. That which is not in harmony with God, that which is not of God, and that which cannot last eternally is completely terminated once it goes into death. But that which is of God, compatible with God, and eternally existing can pass through death and emerge in resurrection. Hence, to pray in resurrection means that man should pray not according to himself or according to his natural being. He should not pray according to those things that cannot remain eternally or according to those things that are incompatible with God. Rather, he must completely go through the cross, which is to pass through death. Then he will be able to pray in resurrection.
In John 11:25 the Lord Jesus said explicitly, “I am the resurrection.” God is the resurrection. Even in the Old Testament, God was already the resurrection. Some may ask, “Before the incarnation, in the Old Testament age, how can you say that God was the resurrection?” Please remember, with God there is no time element of before and after. There is only the matter of His eternal nature. God is life, and this life is resurrection.
A certain brother once said something very meaningful. He said, “A grain of sand is finished and cannot come forth after it is buried in the ground. On the other hand, once a seed is buried in the ground and encounters death, it becomes resurrected and breaks forth.” This is true. The unbelievers are finished when they go into death. However, Christians should be afraid that they might miss death, for whenever they go into death, the function of the life within them becomes manifest. Unbelievers are afraid of the environment of death, but Christians should welcome it. Whenever Christians fall into death, it is an opportunity for them to live by being resurrected. This life, which is God Himself, is resurrection. He never fears death. On the contrary, He welcomes death, because through death He can manifest Himself as resurrection. Now we see what it means to pray in resurrection. To pray in resurrection is to pray in life. It is to pray in God who fears not death and to pray in God who passes through death and still lives.
To be in resurrection also means to be in the Holy Spirit. Once the Lord Jesus entered into the realm of resurrection, He entered into the Holy Spirit. All the experiences that you and I have in the Holy Spirit today are in resurrection. In other words, only those who are in the Holy Spirit are able to touch the reality of resurrection. The Holy Spirit is the reality of resurrection. The Lord Jesus entered into resurrection. To be in resurrection is to be in the Holy Spirit, and to touch the Holy Spirit is to touch resurrection. Praying in resurrection is praying in the Holy Spirit.
Within the resurrected Spirit, there are both the elements of God and the elements of man. This is typified by the incense mentioned in Exodus 30, which was composed of frankincense plus other spices. The anointing oil was also composed of elements representing both God and man. It is very hard to separate the incense from the anointing oil. In the spiritual reality, the reality of the incense is the anointing oil, and the reality of the anointing oil is the incense. In other words, the reality of resurrection is the Spirit, and the Spirit is resurrection itself. To touch the Spirit is to touch resurrection. However, never consider that man is altogether annulled in the experience of prayer. On the contrary, every part of man, such as his mind, will, emotion, desires, insight, judgment, and volition, may be renewed in the Spirit and be mingled with the prayer in resurrection. The mind of prayer, the emotion of prayer, and the will of prayer, which we have mentioned in the past chapters, are items in resurrection.
Hence, resurrection means that everything of man is terminated and everything of God is manifested. Resurrection is also God being life to man, and it is the very Spirit. To pray in resurrection is to pray in the Spirit. Having understood the meaning of resurrection, we can understand why prayer needs to be in resurrection.
Every time we pray before God, we need to deeply experience death and resurrection. For example, you may pray for the church or for the work of God. If you remain for a time somewhat quiet before the Lord, you will have an inner realization that there are so many natural and human elements in your prayer. You will discern the presence of human ideas, desires, inclinations, choices, and demands. At this time, if you are careless and negligent, you will feel as if you are offering a prayer of strange fire or strange incense. This is not the incense of the sweet spices that God wants. You will sense that God will not listen, and you will also condemn yourself within. If you have learned the lessons precisely, once you come to this point, you will not be able to utter a word. First, you need to pass through the cross. You need the cross to do a separating and purifying work so that the natural things may be thoroughly removed. Otherwise, you will have no way to pray.
When we first got saved, it was very easy for us to open our mouth before God. It seemed that we were very relaxed and prayed freely for anything. But gradually, as we learned the lessons, we could no longer pray for many of these things before God. Later, as we knelt to pray, we had the inner sensation that in those matters we still had our inclinations, desires, choices, prejudices, ideas, and biases.
Sometimes we notice that two brothers are at odds with each other, and we intend to pray for them. But as we are about to open our mouth, we realize that there is something not right within us. Our emotion is moved. We have some prejudice in the matter. Unless we deal with our situation first, we will not be able to pray before God. Also, in praying for our material needs, often we discover that we are very much in ourselves and not in resurrection. Therefore, we simply cannot utter any words. Such experiences prove that we have learned a great deal before God.
When those who have not learned the lessons go before God, they are really daring and are not afraid to pray for anything. I know of someone who went before God and prayed, “O God, You see how much that person has hurt me; You must stretch out Your hand to give him a heavier blow than he has given me.” And some sisters who have been offended by their husbands would pray with weeping and crying, “O Lord, You must vindicate me; You must extend Your hand to deal with my husband.” By listening to such prayers, you know those individuals probably have not even entered the gate to the outer court of the tabernacle. That is why they are so daring. If a person has really entered into the Holy Place, touched the altar of incense, and learned some lessons, he would not be able to pray in such a way. Many times he is unable to pray but can only groan.
Brothers and sisters, I am convinced that when Romans 8:26 says, “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered,” it is due to our ignorance of the principle of resurrection. Many times we pray in ourselves, and when the Spirit forbids us within, we do not know how else to pray. Suppose we go to visit a brother who is sick, and we are very clear inside that God’s hand is upon him for some reason. But his wife, who is also a sister, naturally hopes that her husband will be quickly healed. At such a time it is very hard for us to pray. Sometimes we would try to do her a favor by praying, “O Lord, You are omnipotent, and You are able to raise the dead. O Lord, Your intention is to give peace and not to send woes; surely You will cause our brother to be healed.” When we are praying in this way, we know that we are merely trying to please her. Ordinarily, under such circumstances, we have no way to pray. We cannot say, “O Lord, we thank and praise You, for it is You who are doing a work in this brother.” As we do not dare pray in this way, we can only groan. Because we cannot measure up to the principle of death and resurrection, many times the Holy Spirit has to pray with groanings in us. Since we cannot pray for this brother in either a negative or a positive way, we can only allow the Spirit to intercede in us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
I have met a number of brothers and sisters who prayed boldly for their families, enterprises, and children. The contents of their prayers were nothing but asking for blessings, longevity, and peace. Moreover, they even had the scriptural basis, saying, “O God, You are rich in mercy, and You would never make us suffer. As You have given us Your Son, so there is not one good thing that You would withhold from us.” When I was young, I could not explain why my inner sense could not agree with this kind of prayer. Gradually, I found out that such prayer was not the burning of incense on the incense altar. Rather, it was a prayer that had not passed through death. It had not been seasoned by experience before the Lord and was uttered carelessly.
We often feel that to pray for certain things would almost be an insult to God. We do not dare to pray in such a way. There is an inner prohibition, an inner condemnation. This comes not because we are told anything by anyone; rather, it comes as a spontaneous feeling within when we are about to pray. As we are about to open our mouth, we feel that in us there are still our desires, our goals, and our selections. Once we feel this way, we do not dare to pray anymore. After such a purification, whatever remains for which one can pray and dares to pray is a prayer in resurrection. This kind of situation varies from person to person. It is not absolute but relative. In any case, the more deeply and strictly you have learned the lessons, the smaller the sphere of what you can pray and dare to pray becomes. One who prays most effectively has the most limited sphere of prayer. Only those who do not know prayer enjoy a broad sphere of prayer. No other place requires us to pass through death and resurrection more absolutely than does the incense altar. This is the requirement of prayer.
I met a brother who when he debates with someone speaks strongly and convincingly. He argues fiercely and feels that he is right in everything. But after the debate is over, when everyone begins to pray, his first sentence is a confession, saying, “O Lord, all the words that I have just spoken are an offense to You; do forgive me.” Thus, you see, once a man comes to pray, he immediately encounters the requirement of death and resurrection. Not only the words but even our inner intents and motives are made manifest at the incense altar. Hence, in helping others, we do not need to argue so much. The best thing we can do is to bring them before God. Once they pray, they know immediately that they are still natural. They have not passed through death and come into resurrection.
Among the children of God today, there is a very wrong concept. Some keep telling others that to pray one must have faith in order that God might answer his prayer. When people talk about prayer today, immediately they talk about faith. Brothers and sisters, please understand that faith is not something that you can have as you will. The most important requirement of prayer is not that you have faith but that you are able to pass through the offering altar and arrive at the incense altar. Prayer is a matter of death and resurrection, not a matter of faith.
Prayer is entirely a matter between the two altars, the offering altar and the incense altar. Anything that is condemned of God, anything that is incompatible with God, and anything that cannot last eternally must be dealt with and terminated at the offering altar. You need to burn the incense before God with the fire taken from the altar of burnt offering. It is not necessary to worry about having faith concerning anything that you can pray for. God is your faith. Surely God will answer any prayer that is in resurrection. You only need to learn the lesson of death and resurrection and to pray under that principle. Then you will have the guidance to pray, the words to pray, and the faith of prayer. If you are in resurrection, you cannot help but believe, and God will certainly answer your prayer.
Hence, when Romans 8 speaks of prayer, it does not mention the matter of faith at all. It says only that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know for what we should pray as is fitting, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. The prayer in Romans 8 is entirely not a matter of faith but a matter of praying with groanings in the Spirit. That groaning is in death and resurrection. For example, a brother may have offended you, criticized you, judged you, and attacked you so that you can no longer bear it. When you go before God to pray, you intend to accuse him, but the Spirit will not allow you to do so. Rather, He wants you to pray for that brother and ask the Lord to be gracious to him. Many times you cannot pray thus, but you can only groan continually. This is the principle of death and resurrection.
Always keep this principle. When Korah and his company rebelled, Moses told them to take their censers and burn incense in them. According to the spiritual meaning, that burning of the incense exemplifies praying in the natural being and outside resurrection. Such prayer not only cannot bring in blessings but will encounter God’s judgment and bring in spiritual death. Hence, we must learn to offer prayers in resurrection that will be acceptable to God. Only such prayers will have authority and be of value. Now we understand the necessity for prayer to be in resurrection.
