Message 147
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 30:1-5; 37:25-28
After so many messages on chapter twenty-nine, we come now to a wonderful matter in chapter thirty — the golden incense altar (30:1-5).
In studying the types in the Old Testament, especially in the books of Exodus and Leviticus, the most difficult thing is to see how to apply these types to our daily Christian life. It is not so difficult to study the types in a doctrinal way or to understand them in a doctrinal way. But to apply these types in a practical way to our daily life as Christians requires a certain amount of experience.
Regarding the incense altar, I would like to ask this question: Why is the incense altar revealed so late in the sequence in the book of Exodus? From reading chapter twenty-five we know that the first item in the tabernacle to be mentioned is the ark. The record then goes on to speak of the table, the lampstand, and the building of the tabernacle itself. As we read chapters twenty-five and twenty-six, we may wonder why there is no mention of the incense altar in this section. Furthermore, chapter twenty-seven describes the bronze altar and the court of the tabernacle; chapter twenty-eight speaks of the priestly garments; and chapter twenty-nine is concerned with the sanctification of the priests. Actually, Exodus 29 is concerned with the priests’ food. Thus, chapter twenty-eight talks about the clothing of the priests, and chapter twenty-nine, their food. It is after all this that we have the description of the golden incense altar in 30:1-5. Therefore, the incense altar is the last item revealed of the furniture within the tabernacle. It is described after the revelation of the tabernacle with the rest of its furniture and the equipping of the priesthood. In other words, the incense altar comes in only after the tabernacle with all the rest of its furniture has been revealed.
We have seen that the incense altar is described after the chapter concerning the sanctification of the priests. When the priests have their clothing and their food, their hands are filled, and they are ready to serve God. By the end of chapter twenty-nine the tabernacle with its furniture is ready, and the priesthood is also ready. Now is the time for the holy service to begin. But with what should this holy service, this priestly service, begin? Some may think that the priestly service ought to begin at the altar of burnt offering, not at the incense altar. However, according to the divine record in Exodus, this service begins at the golden incense altar, which is the second altar.
With respect to the tabernacle, there are two altars: the altar of burnt offering in the outer court, the first altar, and the golden incense altar in the Holy Place, the second altar. In the sight of God, the priestly service begins at the incense altar, at the place where prayers are offered to God. I believe that it will be very helpful to our Christian life to dwell on the importance of the priestly service beginning at the incense altar.
In order to be impressed with the significance of the incense altar, I would ask you to pay attention to the diagram of the tabernacle printed with this message. The entrance to the outer court is on the east, toward the sunrise. The altar of burnt offering and the laver were in the outer court. The tabernacle, a structure thirty cubits long, ten cubits wide, and ten cubits high, was divided into two parts: the Holy Place, measuring twenty cubits by ten cubits, and the Holy of Holies, a cube ten cubits in length, width, and height. The table was on the north side of the Holy Place, and the lampstand was on the south side. The ark, the focal point of the entire tabernacle, was in the Holy of Holies. But where was the incense altar located? It was in the Holy Place, very close to the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
Actually there is some ambiguity in the Scriptures regarding the location of the incense altar. It is difficult to say whether it was outside the veil or within the veil. Regarding the standing place of the incense altar, there is apparently a discrepancy between the mentioning of it in the Old Testament and that in the New Testament. Exodus 30:6 says that the incense altar was put “before the veil,” that is, outside the veil. This indicates clearly that the incense altar was put in the Holy Place, which was outside the veil, not in the Holy of Holies, which was within the veil. But Hebrews 9:4 says that the Holy of Holies has the incense altar. Therefore, many Christian teachers and Bible readers have thought that some error or misconstruction must somehow have occurred. But it is not so! The apparent discrepancy has a very spiritual significance according to a number of points.
First, the Old Testament record of the incense altar’s standing place implies the closest relation of the incense altar to the ark of testimony, over which is the propitiation-cover, where God meets with His people (Exo. 30:6). The record even says that the incense altar is set “before the ark of the testimony,” without mentioning the separating veil that stands between them (Exo. 40:5).
Second, according to the American Standard Version, 1 Kings 6:22 says that the incense altar “belonged to the oracle.” “Oracle” here means the speaking place of God; it denotes the Holy of Holies, in which was the ark of testimony with the propitiation-cover, where God spoke to His people. Thus, the Old Testament indicated already that the incense altar belonged to the Holy of Holies. (Though it was in the Holy Place, its function was for the ark of testimony in the Holy of Holies. On the day of atonement, both the incense altar and the propitiation-cover of the ark of testimony were sprinkled with the same blood for atonement — Exodus 30:10; Lev. 16:15-16.) Hence, in Exodus 26:35 only the table and the lampstand are mentioned as being in the Holy Place. There is no mention of the incense altar.
Third, the incense altar is related to prayer (Luke 1:10-11), and in Hebrews we see that to pray is to enter the Holy of Holies (Heb. 10:19) and to come to the throne of grace, signified by the propitiation-cover over the ark of testimony in the Holy of Holies. Our prayer often begins with our mind, which is part of our soul, signified by the Holy Place. But our prayer should usher us into our spirit, signified by the Holy of Holies. Due to all these points, the writer of Hebrews had to reckon that the incense altar belongs to the Holy of Holies Hebrews 9:4 does not say that a golden incense altar is in the Holy of Holies, as the lampstand and the table are in the Holy Place in verse 2. It says that the Holy of Holies has a golden altar, since it belongs to the Holy of Holies. This concept fits the whole emphasis of the book of Hebrews — that we should press on from the soul (signified by the Holy Place) to the spirit (signified by the Holy of Holies).
According to the diagram of the tabernacle and the outer court, the ark is the focus. However, in actual practice the center is the incense altar. This indicates that Christ’s interceding life is the center of the divine practice, the divine administration. In the universe there is something that may be called God’s economy, God’s administration, God’s practice. We may use different terms to describe this one matter: economy, administration, practice, dispensation, move, government. All these terms may be regarded as synonymous, as referring to the same thing. This means that God’s economy, dispensation, administration, government, move, and practice all refer to the same thing. God is not idle: He is a God of purpose. He has a purpose, and He is moving, working, acting, dispensing, administrating. This diagram of the tabernacle is a very accurate and detailed picture of God’s administration, God’s economy, in this universe.
When we study the incense altar, we are studying the greatest matter in the universe. There is nothing more central than this. Although we are not politicians, we surely are heavenly statesmen. Furthermore, we are studying universal “politics,” that is, God’s politics. The ark in the Holy of Holies is the central government, our heavenly Washington, D.C. The incense altar may be regarded as our heavenly White House. This means that everything is executed, motivated, and carried out from this divine center. The intercession of Christ is God’s White House. Christ’s interceding life, His prayer life, is the center of God’s administration.
The book of Revelation is a book of God’s administration, a book of divine execution. This book reveals the throne of God and the administration of God throughout the universe. However, the executing center actually is not the throne; the executing center is the incense altar in Revelation 8. Revelation 8:3 says, “And another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him that He should add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” On this altar the prayers of the saints are offered to God, and Christ’s incense is added to these prayers. When the prayers of the saints ascend to God with the incense of Christ, God executes the policies of His administration.
The prayer life of Christ is the center of God’s execution of His government on earth. Revelation 8 indicates this. But some who read chapter eight of Revelation may say, “In Revelation 8 we cannot see Christ’s prayer. We can see only the prayers of the saints.” The saints, however, are one with Christ. The prayers in Revelation 8 no longer are merely the prayers of the individual Christ, but have become the prayers of the corporate Christ. In the matter of the execution that takes place at the incense altar, the saints truly are one with Christ. Therefore, when we speak in this message of the prayer life of Christ, we mean the prayer life of the corporate Christ.
Furthermore, we need to realize that whenever we pray in the spirit, Christ is praying in our praying. The New Testament speaks of praying in the Lord’s name. To pray in the name of the Lord Jesus is to pray in Christ. When we pray in this way, Christ is actually the one praying. For example, suppose you go to a bank to carry out a transaction in the name of another person. Will the bank honor your name or the name of the person you represent? To be sure, the bank will not recognize your name; instead, it will recognize the name of the person represented by you. In a very real sense, because you are representing that person, you are that person, for you are acting in his name. In like manner, when we pray in Christ’s name, we pray in Him. Also, when we pray in Him, Christ is actually the one praying. He prays in us; He prays in our prayer. In the sight of God, all the proper prayers of the saints and of the churches are prayers of Christ and are included as part of Christ’s intercession.
The Bible is a picture book. The picture portrayed in the Bible as a whole corresponds to the diagram of the tabernacle and the outer court. There is one book in the Bible that can be regarded as representing the entire Bible. This representative book is the Gospel of John.
The Bible begins with the words, “In the beginning....” The Gospel of John begins in a way that is very similar. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Speaking of the Word, which was with God and which is God, John 1:3 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being which has come into being.” Everything that has come into existence has come into being through Him. Thus, in the Gospel of John we have the matter of creation.
The Old Testament has much to say about the tabernacle. We also find the tabernacle in the Gospel of John: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). The record in John is a record of the tabernacle. In this Gospel Jesus Christ Himself is God’s tabernacle.
Speaking of the Lord Jesus, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Here we have the altar. In chapter three of John we have the laver, for this chapter speaks of the washing that comes through regeneration. Because regeneration is a kind of washing, Titus 3:5 uses the expression “the washing of regeneration.” This regeneration that washes us is the laver.
As we go on from the altar in chapter one of John and the laver in chapter three, we come to the showbread table in chapter six. The bread on this table is in verse 33: “For the bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
The lampstand is in chapter eight. In verse 12 the Lord Jesus says, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Therefore, we have the tabernacle, the altar, the laver, the table, and the lampstand.
Where in the Gospel of John do we find the ark? The ark is in chapters fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, three chapters that reveal the Holy of Holies. Here we see that we can enter into God, into the place where God is. These chapters also speak of Christ’s death and resurrection. By His death and resurrection Christ has prepared the way for us to enter into the Holy of Holies, that is, to come into God Himself.
The incense altar can be found in John 17. In this chapter we have Christ’s prayer of intercession. The four Gospels record other occasions when the Lord Jesus prayed, but no record of Christ’s prayer is as adequate, excellent, and marvelous as that found in John 17. All the saints and all the churches need to learn how to pray from John l7. The prayer in this chapter is a model, a pattern, of the prayer of the corporate Christ. Thus we all must learn to pray this prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus. I do not mean, however, that we should merely recite the prayer recorded in John 17. Rather, we must learn to pray in the Lord’s name in the same way He prayed. The prayer in John 17 should become our prayer.
If it were not for the incense altar, no one would come to the altar of burnt offering. No one would repent and come to the altar to confess his sins. It is the prayer at the incense altar that motivates sinners to come to the altar of burnt offering. Because of this prayer, one day we repented. Do you know the reason you repented? You repented because the incense altar, the heavenly White House, sent forth a message urging you to repent. Thus, without the incense altar, the altar of burnt offering cannot function, and no one can repent.
Some may have the experience of repentance, but they may not yet be regenerated. Thus, there is the need of more prayer at the incense altar. Either Christ Himself as the Head or the church as the Body needs to pray, “O Father, look at these people. They have repented, but they have not yet been regenerated. Father, forgive their sins and regenerate them.” As a result of further prayers from the incense altar, others will be motivated to come to the laver. They will want to plunge into the laver and be immersed in the Spirit.
Today many saints are starving spiritually. In Anaheim we have the burden to pray that these hungry ones will come to the showbread table to feed on Christ. Although many are starving, they are not willing to come to Christ to enjoy Him as their life supply. Of the millions of Christians on earth today, how many are feeding on Christ at the table? The vast majority do not even have a small basket of food, much less a table. By this we see there is the need of much more prayer at the incense altar so that the believers will be motivated to come to the table in the Holy Place to enjoy Christ as their life supply.
I have learned that gradually more and more believers are taking the way of the Lord’s recovery. The number is still small and the progress is slow, but it is an undeniable fact that more of the Lord’s people are coming to His dining table. I have received many letters of appreciation from saints telling me how they have been nourished through the Life-study Messages. Not long ago I learned that there is a church in Costa Rica, a country located in Central America. A letter from the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, informed me that there is a church in that city and seeking ones in nearby localities as well. The saints in these places appreciate the nourishment they receive from the Word. They are dining at His table. Christ the Head and so many of the churches are praying for this.
Prayer is going on in the heavenly White House not only that the believers will be nourished through the Word, but also that they will be enlightened. Light always comes after the showbread table. In the Holy Place first we come to the table to be nourished and then to the lampstand to be enlightened. The sequence is the same in the Gospel of John. In John 6 we have the feeding, and in John 8 we have the light. When we are fed, we shall receive light. However, if the saints are to be fed and enlightened, there must be prayer for this offered at the incense altar.
After we experience the feeding and the enlightening in the Holy Place, we need to enter into the Holy of Holies to touch God’s testimony. In the Lord’s recovery we do not care merely to carry out a work; we are here for the carrying out of God’s testimony. In a very real sense we are not in a field laboring; rather, we are in the Holy of Holies touching the testimony. However, some of the churches have not yet come into the Holy of Holies to contact God’s testimony. Instead, they are still in the Holy Place at the showbread table. These churches need more prayer. I am concerned for those of us who are still at the table and who have not yet come into the Holy of Holies to touch the central point of the tabernacle, God’s testimony. There is the need of more prayer concerning this. I believe that this prayer is being offered at the incense altar.
As the incense ascends through the burning at the golden altar of incense, the execution of God’s administration is taking place. This execution is God’s answer to the prayers offered at the incense altar.
Can you explain why you are in the Lord’s recovery? Not many were urged to come this way by friends or relatives. On the contrary, some of them may have held you back and told you not to attend the meetings of the church. But even though others may have tried to hold you back, you have come this way because of the incense altar. Therefore, if we are asked what caused us to come into the Lord’s recovery or who sent us here, we should answer that we were motivated and sent by the incense altar.
Some of those who oppose the Lord’s recovery made a decision some years ago to do whatever they can to destroy the recovery. But I am not afraid of what opposing ones determine to do. On the contrary, I regard the opposition as a confirmation that we are in the Lord’s way. Do you know why opposition comes? It comes because we are motivated by the prayer at the incense altar. In fact, the more opposition there is, the more divine motivation we have. The opposers are busy, but the Intercessor and also the intercessors are more busy. Eventually, the prayer from our White House will prevail. It is a serious matter for anyone to deal lightly with the heavenly White House, the center of God’s administration.
I believe that if we consider John 17 in the light of what we have covered in this message, our appreciation of this chapter will be greatly increased. The intercession in chapter seventeen of John implies the effectiveness of the altar of burnt offering, the riches of the showbread table, the brightness of the lampstand, and in particular the Holy of Holies with the ark of testimony. John 17 truly is the incense altar in the tabernacle, the place from which the activities at all the other places in the tabernacle are motivated. It is the incense altar that causes people to come to the altar of burnt offering, to the laver, to the showbread table, to the lampstand, and to the ark in the Holy of Holies. The prayer of the Lord Jesus recorded in John 17 is a marvelous picture of this incense altar.
