Extracts and comments from Revelation Chap. 8 V.5d & Chap. 9 V.13a & b.
Chapter 8
V.5
And the angel took the censer, and filled it with (c)fire of the (d)Alter, and cast it into the Earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
(d) "Alter"; this Alter in Heaven, is the only one which can be used to understand the eternal meaning. Any Earthly system can only be of the Enemy. The Hebrew word is "Misbeah" (Str. 4196), which means "place of sacrifice". In this case the holy fire which has been taken from it and added to the prayer/incense, is cast onto the Earth, and is clearly the beginning of Jehovah's "vengeance", on the peoples of the Earth, for their rejection of His Son (Messiah Christ), and the persecution of His people Israel! There is another "Alter", (Ex. 30:1-10) & (Ex. 40:5), "most holy to Jehovah", Ex. 30:10, which is called the "incense Alter", made of wood covered in gold, which is that symbolised by the gift of the "wise men". This stood in the Tabernacle, and Temple of Solomon in the "holy place", which was divided off from the "most holy place", or "holy of holies", by a curtain. This is the curtain that was rent from the top to bottom in the Jew's Temple at the moment that Christ gave up the Spirit on The Cross. The priest once a year made atonement by sin offering on its horns, (Ex. 30:10). Incense was offered morning and night (Ex. 30:7-8) with strict formula incense (Ex. 30:9) which included frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense and myrrh were also used for the anointing oils for the priest, before he met with Jehovah (Ex. 30:23-38). It is profoundly notable that in the Temple of the Millennial (Ezk. 40 +), that there will not be an Alter of incense! The reason is clearly that the gold, frankincense and myrrh of Christ have served their purpose, in the death, and resurrection of Christ, and fruition in the Body and the Overcomers. Christ and His people will no longer be a future prospect, but will be together in Jerusalem, at the appointed time.
Chapter 9
V.13
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four (a)horns of the (b)golden Alter which is before God.
(a) The Alter has 4 horns, the number 4 denotes reference to material creation (App. 10), pertaining to Earth, "to things under the sun", and things terrestrial. Its combination (3 + 1) and (2 + 2), 3 denoting "completeness", and also "resurrection"! One denotes "unity and commencement", which was illustrated in Genesis, and will be again in the future Ages. (2 + 2), 2 denotes difference if in disagreement. However, if in agreement "testimony is conclusive", (App. 10). As it is obvious that the Father (Jehovah) and the Son (Christ) are in agreement, the one voice corresponds interestingly to the oneness of Zech. 14:9. Coming from the incense Alter, (see next comment) adds huge force to the coming events. So the Earth number 4 (horns) on the incense Alter, embodied for the Jews n the past the atonement, and in the future resurrection and new beginning. The fact that this Alter was positioned in the Tabernacle and later the Temple "in the holy place", with the veil between it and the "most holy place", and also that incense was offered twice daily (frankincense and myrrh), (symbolic of the future death of Christ); and also that the "prayer of the saints", was intermingled with the incense (Rev Chapter 8 V.4) illustrates graphically the sanctity to the Father of this whole symbol. It is a fact that the future Millennial Temple will not have an incense Alter (Ezk.). It is also a fact that Christ and the Father (Jehovah) are together in the future Temple, "and Their Name shall be One", (Zech. 14). Since Christ's death, the veil between the holy, and most holy place has been removed, which is still the condition of this Age in which we live, and in Heaven, the golden Alter is "before God"! We see from V.13, that the voice from the horns is one, which the writers think is the voice of the Father and Son in unity. We see that from the following verses that instead of atonement, refuge and help, the horns (which also denote power)! are about to order an event!
(b) This "golden Alter"; (see notes Rev Chapter 8 V.5) is the Heavenly original of the Tabernacle copy. The horns on the copy received the once a year sin atonement by the high priest (Ex. 30:10). The one voice of the horns is almost certainly the ultimate sin offering of the "Lamb of God". They originally represented help, refuge and atonement (Ex. 25:2, & Ex. 27:2-3), but as shown below and above something has changed.
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