The seven angels symbolized the ministry down through this Gospel Day, throughout the whole period of the Gospel Day, and now is introduced another angel. This angel is Christ. Several places, at least two in the Revelation, Christ is referred to, or symbolized as an angel. In the 20th chapter, and the 12th verse, “Michael and His angels fought with the dragon and his angels; symbolizing the warfare that took place in the morning church, when the dragon raised up to devour the church. In the Revelation, the 20th chapter, we read: “An angel came down from heaven and laid hold on the old dragon and put him in the bottomless pit.” In this verse, Christ is symbolized as an angel of the early ministry, again.

How do we know that Michael is Christ? Jude, verse 9: “Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee.” And how do we know that Michael is Christ?

In the 12th chapter of Daniel this is also made plain. This is some of the light of the moon, or the Old Testament. So we’re drawing on the light of the moon. We read in Daniel 12: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince that standeth before the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation, even to that same time; and at that time my people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book.” Who is our deliverer? The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ the Righteous!

So, “another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and there was given unto him much incense.” What’s symbolized by the golden altar? And what’s the incense? Psalm 141:2: “Let my prayer come up before thee as an incense.” Revelation 5:8, “the Lamb took the book and broke the seventh seal, the four and twenty elders and the four beast (symbolizing the redeemed of all ages) began to play on their harps and took golden vials full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.” Incense is prayer.

THE GOLDEN ALTAR, INCENSE AND CENSER

In order to understand what the golden altar and the censer is, let’s go back to the tabernacle and consider Exodus the 30th chapter and the first ten verses. There was the tabernacle with two rooms; in the first room the candlestick, which symbolized light, and the shew bread. Before we go into the entrance of the second room, we have a golden altar. Paul said, “these things happened to these people for our ensamples, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” What are these, a type of? We will find out and know where ministers must go to prepare to sound the trumpets. That is, the golden altar, the censer and the fire.

Exodus 30:1, “And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of shittim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breath thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof; the horns thereof shall be of the same. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof and the sides thereof round about; and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. And two golden rings shalt thou make of it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof; upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shal put it before the veil.”

There was a veil that separated the first room from the second. In there where God’s presence was, in the ark of the covenant. There was a veil that kept the priest out. Only the high priest went in once a year. The incense altar, must be, put before the veil, which is before the law. “And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony before the mercy seat” (there’s the mercy seat and there’s the testimony) “that is over the testimony where I shall meet with thee.”

There’s where God met with the high priest---“And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning; when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.” And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense.” The lamp is a type of God’s Word. David said, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet.” The incense is a symbol of prayer. When should we pray? Every morning when we dress the lamp or read the Word, let a little incense go up. Every evening, read and pray. So let it be a perpetual incense. “Men ought always to pray.”

“A perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.” “Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice nor meat offering. Neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements; once in the year shall he make atonement upon it through out your generations; it is most holy unto the Lord.”

BURNING COALS OF FIRE

God said that Aaron, the high priest would take some fire and take some incense and offer it on this altar. But where did the fire come from? You don’t just get fire. He was to get it off the brazen altar. And where did that fire come from? In the 16th chapter of Leviticus, the 12th and 13th verses, you will find the answer.

“And he shall take a censerful of burning coals (the golden censer is the little vessel with which he took coals) from off this altar and with it took some incense and carried it to this incense altar and there burnt incense to God. “And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of burnt incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil; and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not.” This incense had to cover the mercy seat or he would have fallen dead.

Now let’s investigate as to where the fire came from. Fire is also a type of something. We turn to Leviticus, the 9th chapter and read verses 23 and 24: “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord---(they had all their sacrifice on the altar, all fixed, but God said don’t let any man start a fire. They went in and came out and blessed the people and the glory of the Lord moved in) and we read: “And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord.” God said to Moses, “Put the sacrifice on and tie it fast and then get out of the way.” When he blessed the people, the glory of the Lord moved on them and a fire came from God. And we read: “And consumed upon the altar the burned offering and the fat; which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.”

They will still shout, at seeing fire come from God. We have no use for the wild fire, the kind you work up, but holy fire coming down from God will not only cause men to shout His praise, but it will humble their hearts at the mighty presence of God. Glory to God!

It is well known that fire is a type of the Holy Spirit. All through the Bible one of the emblems of the Holy Spirit is that of fire. God’s Word uses an emblem of fire for the Spirit, of water and of wind for the Spirit. Fire is one of the outstanding symbols of the Holy Spirit.

In the book of Leviticus, the 13th verse, God started the fire that was carried to the incense offering. Again, we read: “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar.” Of what is this, a type? When God saves a soul---here is the first altar where Christ died for you. When He saves your soul He starts a fire within you. That fire will burn on throughout life if we don’t let it go out. God starts it, but men must tend and preserve it to keep it going. If that fire has gone out, you know where the trouble is. All this was the procedure under the high priest. [ The End ]