Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 8:1-5 is about the opening of the seventh seal.
Revelation 8:3-4
8:3 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.
8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.
It is about the worship prayer of the saints on the throne of heaven.
There are two things that we learn in the worship prayer as follows:
ad. 1. The Golden Altar of Incense.
Exodus 30:1,3
30:1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood
30:3 "And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.
The Golden Altar of Incense is made of acacia wood which is overlaid with pure gold, so the wood is not seen anymore.
The wood refers to the fleshly man.
The color of acacia wood is black. It refers to the sin.
So, the acacia wood refers to the sinful fleshly man who cannot easily repent and worship God. Therefore, he must be overlain with gold.
The gold refers to the holiness of Holy Spirit. So, we need the help of Holy Spirit to worship God.
The fact found in the wood which is overlaid with gold is that Holy Spirit kills the flesh with all of its characters, desires, and deeds or the sins up to the peak, namely the sins of eating drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.
Romans 8:13
8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
After the wood is overlaid with gold, we can live in righteousness and holiness. We come near God until we can worship Him.
Romans 8:26-28
8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Holy Spirit helps us who are in the weaknesses of the flesh, so we can worship God with groanings which cannot be uttered. It means as follows:
Exodus 30:3
30:3 "And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.
There are horns which are overlaid with gold on the Golden Altar of Incense.
2 Kings 13:21
13:21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
The horn contains the bone substance. It refers to the power of resurrection.
The horns which are overlaid with gold refer to the power of resurrection in Holy Spirit. We can experience it through the worship prayer.
The horn is useful in two things as follows:
God blesses you.
Revelation 8:1-5 is about the opening of the seventh seal.
Revelation 8:3-4
8:3 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.
8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.
It is about the worship prayer of the saints on the throne of heaven.
There are two things that we learn in the worship prayer as follows:
- The Golden Altar of Incense.
- The Incense.
ad. 1. The Golden Altar of Incense.
Exodus 30:1,3
30:1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood
30:3 "And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.
The Golden Altar of Incense is made of acacia wood which is overlaid with pure gold, so the wood is not seen anymore.
The wood refers to the fleshly man.
The color of acacia wood is black. It refers to the sin.
So, the acacia wood refers to the sinful fleshly man who cannot easily repent and worship God. Therefore, he must be overlain with gold.
The gold refers to the holiness of Holy Spirit. So, we need the help of Holy Spirit to worship God.
The fact found in the wood which is overlaid with gold is that Holy Spirit kills the flesh with all of its characters, desires, and deeds or the sins up to the peak, namely the sins of eating drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.
Romans 8:13
8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
After the wood is overlaid with gold, we can live in righteousness and holiness. We come near God until we can worship Him.
Romans 8:26-28
8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Holy Spirit helps us who are in the weaknesses of the flesh, so we can worship God with groanings which cannot be uttered. It means as follows:
- Worshiping God with a broken heart. We feel that we are neither worthy nor able with our many weaknesses, and sins. We only hope fully to God.
The broken heart also means that we do not feel anything that flesh feels but only the anointing of Holy Spirit and the Love of God. - We can worship God with tongues which are given by Holy Spirit.
Exodus 30:3
30:3 "And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.
There are horns which are overlaid with gold on the Golden Altar of Incense.
2 Kings 13:21
13:21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
The horn contains the bone substance. It refers to the power of resurrection.
The horns which are overlaid with gold refer to the power of resurrection in Holy Spirit. We can experience it through the worship prayer.
The horn is useful in two things as follows:
- Holding out or defending ourselves.
The worship prayer has power to hold out or the one of protection for all of us.
Romans 8:33-36
8:33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
On the throne of heaven, Jesus prays to defend all of us who are accounted as a sheep for the slaughter.
Through the worship prayer, we can hold out so:- We do not fall in sins up to the peak.
- We do not fall from faith when we face test and impossible problem.
- We are not condemned, but we get the forgiveness of sins and salvation.
18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
In the worship prayer, there is the horn of salvation.
It means that there is power of resurrection of Holy Spirit, so we can keep the salvation which we have received from the sacrifice of Christ. - We do not fall in sins up to the peak.
- To attack and fight against enemies or the trinity of Satan.
The ways to fight by the power of Holy Spirit are as follows:- Being quiet and calm.
Isaiah 30:15-16
30:15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,
30:16 And you said, "No, for we will flee on horses" --Therefore you shall flee! And, "We will ride on swift horses" --Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
Being quiet means that we do the introspection in our life by the sharpness of the sword of the word of God. If there is sin, we must repent.
Being calm means that we control ourselves and do not hope to other people, so we can pray.
1 Peter 4:7
4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
The storm of the sea of the world which is blown by Satan with the power of death can be faced only by the power of Holy Spirit, namely being quiet and calm.
Being quiet and calm is the same as stretching our hand, surrendering and crying out to God.
Mark 4:37-39
4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
4:38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
The sea becomes calm. It means that the heart is peaceful, so there is no fear and all things become easy and light.
When we have been peaceful, God has taken over us and we only wait His time. - Being patient and persevering.
John 7:6
7:6 Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
We can be patient in suffering. It means that we do not grumble but give thanks to God.
We can be patient in waiting the time of God and do not look for other way outside the word, because it is only a dead lock and perdition.
We persevere in doing three main services to God in the shepherding pen as follows:- The Golden Candlestick or the perseverance in doing General Service.
- The Table of Showbread or the perseverance in doing Bible Study Service and Holy Communion.
- The Golden Altar of Incense or the perseverance in doing Prayer Service, Fasting Prayer Service, and All Night-Long Prayer Service.
James 5:10-11
5:10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Job faced a full test but he had patience, perseverance, and stretched out his hand to God. So, God stretched out His hand with the power of resurrection of Holy Spirit to heal him doubly, namely physically and spiritually.
Job 23:10-11
23:10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
23:11 My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside.
Spiritually, Job received a pure and perfect faith which could welcome the second coming of Jesus.
Daniel 5:29
5:29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel also had to be tested until he got the faith which was like the pure gold. - The Golden Candlestick or the perseverance in doing General Service.
- We only cry out "Abba Father", namely being honest and obedient.
Romans 8:15
8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
On the last day, we will face the famine in the world until the time when Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
The widow of Zarephath was honest and obedient to make cake first for God, so she was preserved until the time when Antichrist rules over the world.
1 Peter 5:5-6
5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.
Being honest and obedient is the same as stretching our hand to God. So, He will lift our life up in due time. Being lifted up means being used to glorify His name and we will be also glorified for sure until we are on the glorious clouds when He comes for the second time.
- Being quiet and calm.
God blesses you.