Incense in Revelation

Incense is the symbol of prayer to the Lord. In Revelation, it is used to represent the prayers of the saints. The book of Revelation is clear that the incense is a sweet savour of what real communion and covenant fellowship with God can be like when His people pray according to His Word and with humility.

The altar of incense was situated directly in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where the ark of the covenant rested. So it was a very holy altar. Whenever the priests offered incense at it, they were showing that their prayers were sweet-smelling to the Lord and that they enjoyed a relationship of covenant peace with him, because the blood of Christ had paid for their sins.

As the incense was burned on the altar, it filled the Most Holy Place with its sweet aroma and a sweet smell permeated the whole tabernacle. The angels who surrounded the throne of God could then smell that sweet fragrance of the prayers of His covenant people. It is a very important point that the altar of incense represents God’s place of meeting with His people.

When an angel carries the incense to the golden altar in heaven, it means that he is carrying the prayers of the saints and that they have reached the Lord in heaven. The angel then fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth. This is not just a symbolic act of burning incense; it is a warning that God is about to judge the wicked and bring upon them severe judgment and destruction.

At this time, the 24 elders (who represent God’s worship council) and four living creatures fall down in adoration before the Lamb of God and sing a hymn that proclaims that he is worthy to take the scroll of redemptive history from the hand of God and open it. This is such a kingly act of the Lord that it causes those around the throne to rejoice.

When the angel takes the censer and throws it to the earth, the result is a very dramatic scene of hail and fire mixed with blood that consumes a third of the trees and green grass and a third of the ships and marine life. As a result of this, a third of the sun, moon and stars experience some kind of blackout for a period of three days. The purpose of this dramatic spectacle was to teach the people of God that they needed not rely on their own efforts to please the Lord but that the blood of Jesus Christ was sufficient to ensure that their prayers reached him in heaven and were pleasing to him. This is also a reminder to us today that we must always rely on the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our salvation and for assurance that our prayers reach God in heaven and are acceptable to him.