CHAPTER EIGHT
The Time of Incense
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
This incredible journey of John’s just continues to grow. Already, volumes could…and have…been written about the revelation of the word of God, and about the testimony of Jesus Christ. And volumes more, of all things John saw in heaven. The throne…the one sitting on the throne…the lamb in the midst of the throne…and his opening of the first six seals.
At the seventh seal, the holy book itself is now loosed. Long ago sealed until its time…that time has come. And as the last seal snaps, everything in heaven comes to a stand-still…like the freeze-bell at recess.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Suddenly; the lightnings and thunderings and voices coming out of the throne, have fallen silent. Even the four beasts…who rest not day or night…saying:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
have ceased their praise. Of billions of angels, not one dares to whisper a sound.
The 24 elders and their much royal business are stopped, because silence has the floor. Silence in heaven…probably unheard of to date.
After an intense half hour of dead silence, John next sees seven angels standing before God. To each is given a trumpet. And as the seven prepare themselves to sound; we are turned aside for a solemn moment…and one of great importance. For it is the time of incense.
Recall that Aaron was to take:
Burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and shall bring it within the vail.
As a silent heaven waits…as John waits…as the seven angels wait, trumpets in hand…another angel suddenly appears. He is standing at Aaron’s altar before the Lord. And he carries with him a golden censer, for which he is given much incense.
Once inside the vail…on the 10th day of the 7th month…Aaron was commanded to:
Put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not.
Without the shield of that incense smoke; the extreme glory of God above the mercy seat, would have consumed Aaron in a moment. What solemn moments were these, as Israel trekked through desert and wilderness.
Now a hushed heaven, at last hears the next sound. And lo, it is the
Prayers of all saints.
The angel has…like Aaron…mixed the prayers of all saints with the much incense given to him. And it is these prayers that break the silence…the longest half hour in eternity. They are offered upon that golden altar before the Lord…the vail now rent:
And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
What holy pause is this. The holy book is now opened; and all stand frozen in silence, waiting. And yet judgment tarries, for God to deeply inhale the sweet smoke ascending out of the angel’s hand.
But at length, the pause is over. The angel fills the censer with fire of the altar, and hurls it into the earth. One can almost see him rise up now:
Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
In Israel, this 7th month is a busy one. Passover was on the first month, Abib. First fruits was in the third month, Sivan. But on the 7th month are three major events:
1.
The 1st of the month, was the feast of trumpets.
2.
The 10th of the month…with the censer and the incense…was the Day of Atonement.
3.
The 15th of the month, begins a seven day feast of ingathering. The harvest.
With the censer now cast to the earth, the much noise of heaven resumes. Once again; coming forth from the throne, are voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Earthquakes, by the way, are our trail markers…our time flags…for following along, as the age-old battle concludes before our eyes.
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