It is both amazing and crucial for us to see and realize that the execution of God’s administration is motivated by the prayers offered to Him from the incense altar (see Rev. 8).
In Rev. 6 the saints who were martyred pray from underneath the altar, asking the Lord desperately that He would vindicate and avenge them, so the Lord gives them a white garment and tells them to wait until their number is complete. Then in Rev. 8 the living saints pray, and Christ as Another Angel adds the incense, and God pours out His judgement.
We need to be impressed with God’s intention and be infused with His desire so that we may pray one with Him at the golden incense altar for what is on His heart, for the carrying out of His economy on earth.
However, many times we feel just like the widow in Luke 18:1-8 who had an opponent who persecuted her, and she kept pestering the unrighteous judge to make justice; we may feel that our God is not answering our prayers, even though we pray for His purpose and His move, and He does not avenge and vindicate. Will the Lord not answer our prayers? He will do so speedily, but when He comes, will He find faith on the earth?
We need to learn not to pray in our natural feeling, anger, or frustration, but receive the Lord’s burden, allow the Lord to impress us and burden us with what is in His heart, until we can no longer tolerate the current situation but ask the Lord to come and vindicate and manifest Himself!
Oh saints, aren’t you tired of the great human image – the human government? Don’t you want this image to be smashed to pieces and the kingdom to be manifested? The Lord in His heart has a greater longing for His bride to be made ready, for the Body to be built, and for His kingdom to be manifested, and He wants to gain many saints to pray one with Him at the golden incense altar so that He may advance and add the incense, and the heavens will act!
Oh, how we need to learn to be the right kind of person who can pray one with the Lord at the golden incense altar so that He may have a way to carry out His economy, build up His Body, and consummate this age!
Carrying out Christ’s Intercession in our Prayers of Intercession in Oneness with Him
The incense altar, the place from which the activities at all the other places in the tabernacle and the outer court are motivated, and the executing center of God’s administration, signifies Christ praying, Christ interceding.
After His resurrection and ascension, the individual Christ has become the corporate Christ, and today before God not only is the individual Christ interceding, but the corporate Christ – the Head (Christ) with the Body (us) – is interceding as well (see 1 Cor. 12:12; Acts 12:5, 12).
The intercessor today is not only Christ Himself but Christ with His Body: Christ as the Head intercedes in the heavens, and the church as the Body of Christ is one with Christ to intercede on earth. As members of the Body of Christ, parts of the Body-Christ, we need to cooperate with Him in His ministry of intercession by carrying out His intercession in our prayers of intercession (Rom. 8:34, 26-27; 1 Tim. 2:1).
Christ intercedes for us according to God, and we need to cooperate with Him in prayer, petition, and intercession for all men.
The incense altar signifies Christ as the Intercessor to maintain the relationship between God and His people (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34). We need to participate in Christ’s interceding life (vv. 26-27; 1 Tim. 2:1; Eph. 6:18-19; Col. 4:3; 1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1; Heb. 13:18). If we have a clear view of the incense altar, our prayer life will be revolutionized. Instead of being occupied in prayer with material needs or personal concerns, we will pray for the executing of God’s purpose, for the carrying out of the divine administration, and for the dispensing of God’s supplying grace (1 Tim. 2:1; Rom. 8:26-27). At the incense altar as the center of the divine administration, we will become intercessors, interceding for others and for the Lord’s interests. (Witness Lee, The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4275)
In Acts 12 we see that James was killed, and Peter was put in prison, but the church prayed fervently for him, and the Lord miraculously released him from prison. The church did not pray merely for Peter’s release but for the heavens to intervene, because it was not the time for him to die yet. The next day, Herod the king spoke to please the people, and God struck him. This is God’s administration.
We need to learn to be one with Christ in His ministry of intercession, being joined to Him to cooperate with Him in His way of interceding. As members of the Body of Christ, we need to be open to the Lord and allow Him as the Head to infuse us with His burdens, His desires, and His intentions, and we will participate in His interceding life.
If we have a clear view of the incense altar and enter into its experience today, our prayer life will be revolutionised, and we will pray not merely for our own needs but for the executing of God’s purpose, the carrying out of the divine administration, and the dispensing of God’s supplying grace.
Lord Jesus, we want to cooperate with You in Your ministry of intercession by carrying out Your intercession in our prayers of intercession. Lord, revolutionise our prayer life so that we may pray not merely for our needs and problems but for the executing of Your purpose, the carrying out of Your administration, and the dispensing of Your supplying grace. Lord, as members of Your Body we want to be one with You as the interceding Christ and enter into Your ministry of intercession at the golden incense altar!
Experiencing the Golden Incense Altar by Participating in Christ’s Interceding Life
If we see a vision of the golden incense altar, we will realize that God has an economy, an eternal purpose, a move, and a divine administration, and we will enter into the experience of what we have seen. To experience the golden incense altar today is to become the kind of person who can pray intercessory prayers with Christ at the golden incense altar.
Often our way of praying is a big hindrance to God, and our not praying is also a problem; we need to not only “start praying” but become a person who can pray intercessory prayers with Christ at the incense altar for the carrying out His economy and His divine administration.
God doesn’t need more “prayer warriors” – He doesn’t need “prayer heroes” but many members of the Body who pray with Christ at the golden incense altar.
However, we cannot pray intercessory prayers one with Christ at the incense altar if we are not the right kind of person, because our prayers represent ourselves. For example, if a thief were to pray, he would pray according to what he is. When the Apostle Paul prayed, he prayed in a way to represent his person; similarly, when the Lord Jesus prayed, we all saw what He is and what’s in His heart.
We need to go on from experiencing Christ’s redemption (the altar in the outer court) to enjoying Him as the serving life supply (the bread of the presence) and the shining One (the golden lampstand) until we become the right kind of person, the person who can offer intercessory prayers (the golden incense altar).
We need to get into God and be fully one with the Lord so that our being may be in God and we would be fully mingled with God as we pray the intercessory prayers He needs in order to move His hand, accomplish His economy, release the supply of life, and carry out His administration.
Prayer is simply man cooperating with God and co-working with God by allowing God to express Himself and His desire through man, and thus accomplish His purpose. Our prayers represent ourselves – our very person, revealing who we are, what we are, and where we are.
Whether we are IN God or outside of God is indicated by the way we pray. We need to learn to pray by allowing God to express Himself and His desire through us.
We need to participate in Christ’s interceding life (see Eph. 6:18-19; Col. 4:3; 1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1; Heb. 13:18) by being the proper kind of person who offers the intercessory prayers at the golden incense altar for God to accomplish what He desires on earth.
Lord Jesus, under the cleansing of Your blood we want to learn to pray the intercessory prayers that You need by praying. Lord, we are ready and willing to allow You to express Yourself and Your desire through us and thus accomplish Your purpose. Make us the right kind of person, those who participate in Christ’s interceding life to cooperate and co-work with God in prayer for the fulfillment of His purpose. Lord, bring our whole being in You and have Your way in us through prayer!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, brother Ron Kangas’ sharing in the message for this week, and Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1635-1639 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (3), week 5 (week 29), The Golden Incense Altar.
- All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
- Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
# Let us work together with the Lord through prayer, / Praying every time and everywhere. / He will not accomplish His will on His own; / Seek Him ‘till His purpose is made known. / Make us those who’re one with You in prayer, / Echoing the things for which You care. / Lord, do make us one so that Your heart’s desire we share; / In this age, Lord gain Your men of prayer. (Song on Cooperating with Christ in prayer)
# Pray with one accord in spirit, / Supplicate relatedly; / Seek the Lord, His mind, His leading, / In the Spirit’s harmony. (Hymns #779)
# God needs men who pray; / Those who lay the tracks for Him; / God’s economy is carried out through men of prayer. (Song on being men of prayer)
About aGodMan
When we come to [the golden incense] altar, our unique taste, our only interest, is to pray….What kind of prayers shall we offer at the incense altar?…The prayer we offer at the incense altar will be intercessory prayers. Whenever we open our mouth to pray at the incense altar, the prayer that will issue forth will not be personal, individual prayer. It will be intercessory prayer. Here we no longer have any interest in ourselves or in our welfare. Instead of considering ourselves and praying for ourselves, we intercede for others. At that time we shall be in our experience a real member of Christ, a genuine part of the Body-Christ, the corporate Christ. Furthermore, that will be the time when we cooperate with Christ in His ministry of intercession. He intercedes in a particular way, and we cooperate with Him in His way of interceding. This means that we carry out His intercession in our prayers of intercession….Here we are truly one with the Lord. (Witness Lee, Life-study of Exodus, p. 1635)
Amen…the ministry of intercession is needed but many are not aware about it.. Intercession is a kind of fighting for our brothers enjoyment that the Lord as our High Priest intercede to each one of us that we may come forward with boldness to the throne of grace..