PRAYER, FIRE AND INCENSE : What Goes Up Must Come Down - Our prayers arise from our humble earthly habitation unto their heavenly destination. The angels, acting as altar attendants, take their censers and fill them with much incense (which is the prayers of the saints). The angels become the heavenly cantors, swinging our prayers and praises before our Lord. Then they take the censers and fill them with the fire on the altar and throw it back down on the earth. Signs and wonders follow as what went up is cast back down on the earth.

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Prayer, Fire and Incense

What Goes Up Must Come Down

James W. Goll

In January 1993, I traveled to the Czech Republic with a group of intercessors to join the believers there in “christening” their new nation to the Lord.

While standing on the platform before Don Drapal’s Christian Fellowship of Prague, a series of words seemed to fall into my mind.

“Have you considered the multidirectional dimension of prayer?”

This sentence captured my attention, but I did not have time to ponder it, as it was time for me to deliver my next statement.

Then the words, “Remember, what goes up must come down!” burst into my conscience.

What was the Lord trying to tell me? Does prayer have more than one direction?

My thoughts were quickly taken to Revelation 8:3-5:

“And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”

I could begin to see it. What goes up does come down!

Our prayers arise from our humble earthly habitation unto their heavenly destination. The angels, acting as altar attendants, take their censers and fill them with much incense (which is the prayers of the saints).

The angels become the heavenly cantors, swinging our prayers and praises before our Lord. Then they take the censers and fill them with the fire on the altar and throw it back down on the earth.

Signs and wonders follow as what went up is cast back down on the earth.

Let the Fire on the Altar Come Tumbling Forth

A pastor’s wife from the State of Washington was in one of the early renewal services in Toronto and “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit when the voice of the Lord whispered to her and said: “Do you remember all of the prayers that you have prayed for revival? This is the beginning of that.”

Since then, the fires of God have come roaring out from places like Toronto, Canada, Pensacola, Florida, London, England, Kansas City, Missouri, Redding, CA, Pemba, Mozambique and many other locations.

More than anything else, prayer is man’s invitation sent heavenward for God’s response to be cast earthward — the human exchange for the heavenly!

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 gloriously depicts this principle:

“Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, ‘Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.’”

This is what we yearn for! We have seen it happen here and there — in Toronto, London, and Pensacola, and then in many other cities across the globe. But we must have more, Lord!

We want to see God’s glory fill the earth. It will happen through exchange.

Prayer ascends. Incense arises. Man’s smoke signal to His Highest Chief arises declaring, “Send forth the fire!”

Heavenly fire from the altar comes crashing down and the glory of the Lord fills His house once again.

What goes up must come down.

Let’s present ourselves on God’s altar as our spiritual service of worship. Let’s offer up the continued sacrifices of praise and the incense of prayer. And let us continue to do so until the angels take their censer, fill it to the brim, and cast Heaven’s fire on the altar back down into our earthly dwelling places again.

Even so, let the fire on the altar come tumbling forth. Let God’s priests prostrate themselves before Him.

May His glory invade and pervade His house until all God’s people cry, “Amen and Amen!”

Tending the fire on the altar with you!

James W. Goll

This article has been adapted from James Goll’s book The Lost Art of Intercession, Chapter 2 on “Restoring the Fire on the Altar.” For a limited time, you can purchase the NEW: Tending the Fires of Intercession Curriculum Kit for 58% Off! This bundle includes The Lost Art of Intercession book along with the Tending the Fires of Intercession Study Guide and 12-Lesson Class in your choice of format. Order your curriculum kit today and learn to keep the fire burning continually on the altar of prayer—so it will NEVER go out!

JAMES W. GOLL is the president of God Encounters Ministries and has traveled around the world sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding study guides and is the author of more than forty books, including The Seer, The Lost Art of Intercession, The Coming Israel Awakening and The Lifestyle of a Prophet. James is the father of four wonderful children with a growing number of grandchildren, and makes his home in Franklin, TN.

https://godencounters.com/prayer-fire-and-incense/

FRANKINCENSE - Wise men, or magi, visited Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, when he was a year or two old. For the young Jesus, this gift symbolized His divinity or His status as high priest, as frankincense was a key part of sacrifices to Yahweh in the Old Testament. Since His ascension to heaven, Christ serves as high priest for believers, interceding for them with God the Father. Incense is still used in some rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Its smoke symbolizes the prayers of the faithful ascending to heaven.

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What Is Frankincense?

A Costly Gift Fit for a King

by Jack Zavada

Frankincense is the gum or resin of the Boswellia tree, used for making perfume and incense.

The Hebrew word for frankincense is labonah, which means "white," referring to the gum's color.

The English word frankincense comes from a French expression meaning "free incense" or "free burning."

It's also known as gum olibanum.
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Frankincense in the Bible

Wise men, or magi, visited Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, when he was a year or two old.

The event is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, which also tells of their gifts:

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11, KJV)

Only the book of Matthew records this episode of the Christmas story.

For the young Jesus, this gift symbolized His divinity or His status as high priest, as frankincense was a key part of sacrifices to Yahweh in the Old Testament.

Since His ascension to heaven, Christ serves as high priest for believers, interceding for them with God the Father.

A Costly Gift Fit for a King

Frankincense was a very expensive substance because it was collected in remote parts of Arabia, North Africa, and India.

Gathering frankincense resin was a time-consuming process. The harvester scraped a 5-inch long cut on the trunk of this evergreen tree, which grew near limestone rocks in the desert.

Over a period of two or three months, the sap would leak from the tree and harden into white "tears."

The harvester would return and scrape the crystals off, and also collect the less pure resin that had dripped down the trunk onto a palm leaf placed on the ground.

The hardened gum might be distilled to extract its aromatic oil for perfume, or crushed and burned as incense.

Frankincense was widely used by the ancient Egyptians in their religious rituals. Small traces of it have been found on mummies.

The Jews may have learned how to prepare it while they were slaves in Egypt before the Exodus.

Detailed instructions on how to properly use frankincense in sacrifices can be found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

The mixture included equal parts of the sweet spices stacte, onycha, and galbanum, mixed with pure frankincense and seasoned with salt (Exodus 30:34).

By God's command, if anyone used this compound as personal perfume, they were to be cut off from their people.

Incense is still used in some rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Its smoke symbolizes the prayers of the faithful ascending to heaven.
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Frankincense Essential Oil

Today, frankincense is a popular essential oil (sometimes called olibanum).

It is believed to ease stress, improve heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, boost immune function, relieve pain, treat dry skin, reverse the signs of aging, fight cancer, as well many other health benefits.

Jack Zavada

ormer newspaper reporter, technical editor for the U.S. Department of Defense, and public relations director.

Author of Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.

Owner of Christian website inspiration-for-singles.com.

Experience

Jack is a freelance writer who concentrates on Christian topics. During his 45 year career, he has written thousands of newspaper and magazine articles covering areas from sports and business to the Bible and theology. His Christian website for singles, founded in 2005, receives thousands of visitors every month from over 150 countries.

Jack worked as a newspaper reporter and Associated Press wire editor, then served as a technical editor at the United States Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USA-CERL), operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. He also worked as publications editor for an Illinois utility company and as communications director for a national nonprofit organization. He has written about Christianity for the Dotdash/About.com network since 2008.

Education

Jack earned his master's degree in English Composition at Illinois State University in 1982. He concentrated on teaching writing in the community college and served an internship teaching technical writing. He also received a B.Sc. in English Literature from ISU in 1973.

Publications

Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges, (2017, Pine Cone Press).

Single and Sure, (2008, ebook).

How to Master Your Money, (2009, ebook).

Outsmarting Loneliness, (2010, ebook).

Mr. Lincoln for the Defense, (2011, ebook).

Killers on my Trail, (2012, ebook).

The Jesus Comic Book, writer and illustrator, (2016, ebook).

Rebel Town, (1976, Ace Books).

The Wolfer, (1978, Ace Books).

Penwhistle's Prize, (1980, Ace Books)

West of the Pecos, pen name James Calder Boone, (1988, Ballantine Books).

https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-frankincense-700747
 

THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS - "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." This is not an outward beauty, for the prophet told of Christ that "when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" Rather, it is a beauty of character . . . an inward righteousness. During the reign of King Jehosophat the prophet had predicted a great victory if Israel would just believe and let God do the fighting. II Chronicles 20:21-22 records, "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army." In glorifying God's beauty Jehosophat enjoyed a tremendous victory. Today believers should seek to meditate upon God's beauty and let it radiate from our lives. "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us."

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The Beauty of Holiness

BY DAVID WOETZEL, B.S.

"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 29:2).

When King David transported the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he delivered a special psalm into the hands of Asaph and the other musicians.

In it he exalted the Lord: "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (I Chronicles 16:29).

Psalm 96:6 discusses this beauty: "Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary."

Verse 9 gives further clarification when it states, "O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth."

This is not an outward beauty, for the prophet told of Christ that "when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2).

Rather, it is a beauty of character . . . an inward righteousness.

It was the searching of this beauty that became David's life mission: "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple" (Psalm 27:4).

This Scriptural phrase occurs again during the reign of King Jehosophat.

The prophet had predicted a great victory if Israel would just believe and let God do the fighting.

II Chronicles 20:21-22 records, "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army."

In glorifying God's beauty Jehosophat enjoyed a tremendous victory.

Still today believers should seek to meditate upon God's beauty and let it radiate from our lives. "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us" (Psalm 90:17).

The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) wants people to know that God’s Word can be trusted in everything it speaks about—from how and why we were made, to how the universe was formed, to how we can know God and receive all He has planned for us.

After almost 50 years of ministry, ICR remains a leader in scientific research within the context of biblical creation. Founded by Dr. Henry Morris in 1970, the institute exists to conduct scientific research within the realms of origins and Earth history, and then to educate the public both formally and informally through graduate and professional training programs, through conferences and seminars around the country, and through books, magazines, and media presentations.

https://www.icr.org/article/beauty-holiness

ETERNAL REWARDS - Christ was worth far more than anything the disciples would be giving up in this life, but Jesus brings the conversation full circle with a promise to repay each person for what they have done. Since this promise of rewards is coming from Jesus, we can conclude that it is not wrong to be motivated by rewards. Rewards are mentioned throughout scripture and we continue to see them being used as motivation for our actions. Just as we would offer an incentive for our children to do the right thing or a boss offers an employee an incentive to work harder, God is offering His children an incentive as well. God has promised incentives, but in their pure, eternal form in the next life. While scripture promises so many wonderful rewards for those who are faithful, we need to remember that an eternity with God is our ultimate reward.

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Eternal Rewards

Is It Wrong to Want Eternal Rewards?

Brad Graber

Have you ever struggled with the idea that you sometimes find yourself being obedient to God because you desire the rewards He’s promised? 

Is it selfish to want to receive those things?  Shouldn’t you want to do the right thing purely out of a love and desire to please God? 

These are all questions many Christians have wrestled with at some point.  The idea of not being motivated by the rewards He’s promised sounds good on the cover, but does it hold up when tested against scripture?

Rewards in Scripture

In Matthew 16:24-27 we read, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”  

Here we see Jesus explaining to His disciples the sacrifices one will need to make in this world to follow Him. 

The disciples already understood that Christ was worth far more than anything they would be giving up in this life, but Jesus brings the conversation full circle with a promise to repay each person for what they have done. 

Since this promise of rewards is coming from Jesus, we can automatically conclude that it is not wrong to be motivated by rewards. 

If it was wrong, that would mean Christ is tempting us, which we know He cannot do.

In Hebrews, we see the faith of Moses on display.  

Hebrews 11:26 tells us “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”  

Nothing demonstrates a person’s faith more profoundly than their actions and Moses gave up great wealth in this life for the promise of greater things in the future.  He fully understood the value of eternal rewards.

Rewards are mentioned throughout scripture and we continue to see them being used as motivation for our actions. 

Here are just a few examples:

Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High…”

Luke 14:13-14 – “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Just as we would offer an incentive for our children to do the right thing or a boss offers an employee an incentive to work harder, God is offering His children an incentive as well. 

Our response reflects our understanding and our faith in His promises.  If we truly understand and believe, why wouldn’t we trade a fleeting pleasure in this life for an eternity of that pleasure in its perfect form?  

After promising a reward for fasting in secret, Jesus made this point himself when He said in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Sin’s Effect

Are we being selfish to desire God’s rewards though?

Let’s start with the reminder that our desires are rooted in creation. 

We’re told in Genesis 1:31 that after God created all things, He said it was “very good.” 

Following God’s declaration that everything was good, man rebelled by sinning and as a result our eyes were opened (in a bad way). 

We suddenly became aware of how to pervert the good things of God’s creation for immediate self-gratification. 

Satan uses this awareness as a tool to tempt us to fulfill the desires God built into us in ways that He has forbidden and will ultimately harm us.

You don’t have to look far to see the ways people sinfully and destructively seek out things like power, pleasure and possessions in the world around us. 

It’s because of these abusive perversions that we think someone’s desire for power, pleasure or possessions must but sinful. 

However, the problem isn’t so much in what we desire, but in when we desire it. God made us to desire these things and He even promises these very things as rewards in scripture as we’ll see below. 

The problem is that we desire power, we desire pleasure and we desire possessions in this life. 

In our sinful states, we’re just not capable of managing them properly. So, instead of wanting them now, our desire should be to have them for eternity instead, when the curse of sin has been wiped away and we can receive these gifts as they’ve been intended. 

We can see in the following verses that God has promised these very incentives, but in their pure, eternal form in the next life.

2 Timothy 2:12 – “if we endure, we will also reign with him;”

Psalm 16:11 – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Matthew 19:27-29 – “Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

Instead of seeing our desire for rewards as wrong, maybe we should ask ourselves if it’s possible that our desire for rewards is actually too weak? 

CS Lewis may have said it best in the following quote from his sermon The Weight of Glory.

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

God is our Ultimate Reward

While scripture promises so many wonderful rewards for those who are faithful, we need to remember that an eternity with God is our ultimate reward. 

We read in Psalm 16:5-6, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”

In the picture of heavenly worship of Christ that is portrayed in Revelations 4:10-11 we read, “They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’”  

While eternal rewards are something to be sought after, here we see the elders laying the very crowns that were given as rewards before the throne in worship because their value pales in comparison to Christ.

The final chapter of the Bible paints a picture of eternity that is too great to even comprehend until we get there.  

Revelation 22:3-5 tells us “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

If we really believe in the promises of scripture, our lives should reflect our faith just as Moses’ life did when he gave up the treasures of Egypt because he knew even that vast wealth paled in comparison to the rich reward that awaited him for all eternity. 

Desire power, pleasure and possessions, but do so as God intended, in heaven, free from sin. 

Only a fool would trade the rich rewards of heaven for the fleeting shadows of pleasure we can get in this life.

Brad Graber, CFP® has been working with clients on personal financial planning and investment issues since 1996.  He invests his time mentoring and educating individuals on ways to be better stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them.

Brad is a specialist in personal financial planning issues including retirement planning, investment management and charitable giving optimization.
https://investingintruth.com/is-it-wrong-to-want-eternal-rewards/