Sometimes we pick up prophetic clues that have been hidden in unusual places. When we understand that the Almighty, Most High, Eternal Father is sporting with the devil we can understand that the Father is not necessarily concealing things from us, but from our enemy. Our Heavenly Father put the clues in plain sight. Yet once the devil figures it out, the devil then influences others to hide these clues so that we, the children of the Living God, won’t figure it out. This is the case we have with a word that was used for the seventh month. We are to celebrate the first day of the seventh month by reading and sharing one specific subject. We may not have understood this day as later traditions hid the true meaning of what we were celebrating. Interestingly, this celebration is something that we should be teaching everyone, everywhere. As we saw last week the above congregation is the new name of the group that shows up in heaven with Jesus as he takes the scrolls and opens the seals. This group will now be active doing something in heaven while the tribulation is going on. The above congregation will have a very big role at the opening of the seventh seal. The result will be astounding on the earth.
The word Athanim is a derivative of athanasia, and means immortalities, or imperishability. This was the name given to the seventh month of the year, the very same month that we have the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh ha Shanna, the Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkoth. This was a solar month that was later changed to a lunar month. Then the entire name of the month was changed after the captivity. The name Athanim is a plural (im) which in Hebrew means three or more.
1 Kings 8:2 G1722 in G3376 the month G110.1 Athanim G1722 during G1859 its holiday, G1473 G1473 this G1510.2.3 is G3376 [2month G1442 1 the seventh]. G2532 And G2064 [5came G3956 1all G3588 2the G4245 3elders G* 4of Israel].
110 LSJ Gloss:ἀθανασία immortality
Dodson:ἀθανασία immortality immortality, imperishability, freedom from death.
TBESG:ἀθανασία immortality
G:N-F
ἀθανασία, -ας, ἡ (< ἀ-θάνατος, undying; V. MM, VGT, see word), [in LXX:
Refs
Wis.3:4 4:1 8:13,17 15:3, 4Ma.14:5 16:13* ;]
immortality:
Refs
1Co.15:53,54 1Ti.6:16 (cf. Cremer, 285 f.).†
(AS)
Thayer:
1) undying, immortality, everlasting
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Immortal, Immortality
[ 1,,G110, athanasia ]
lit., deathlessness" (a, negative, thanatos, "death"), is rendered "immortality" in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, of the glorified body of the believer; 1 Timothy 6:16, of the nature of God. Moulton and Miligan (Vocab.) show that in early times the word had the wide connotation of freedom from death; they also quote Ramsay (Luke the Physician, p. 273), with reference to the use of the word in sepulchral epitaphs. In a papyrus writing of the sixth century, "a petitioner says that he will send up 'unceasing (athanatous)' hymns to the Lord Christ for the life of the man with whom he is pleading." In the NT, however, athanasia expresses more than deathlessness, it suggests the quality of the life enjoyed, as is clear from 2 Corinthians 5:4; for the believer what is mortal is to be "swallowed up of life."
ἀθανασία
athanasia ath-an-as-ee'-ah From a compound of G1 (as a negative particle) and G2288; deathlessness KJV Usage: immortality.
Interestingly Athanim/Ethanim is only used once in its derivation, and as athanasia only once in the old testament. Athanim/Ethanim is a plural proper noun, while athanasia is a general feminine noun. What does this tell us? The ancients named a month using a word that was rarely used again in scripture. Or was it? It is a proper feminine plural noun meaning immortality, or more correctly “immortalities”. Why was an entire month called Immortalities? Were we supposed to know something about immortality?
The Old Covenant people knew a little about immortality from Solomon. Daniel also mentions eternal life, but then after the captivity Daniel’s words were ignored, Daniel 12:2. Ezra, who rebuilt the temple after the captivity, talked about immortality as well. So did Jesus son of Sirach and Tobit. Do you see a pattern emerging? Someone dismissed all these books (including Daniel which people contend with because it is partially written in Aramaic, and several parts of Daniel’s book were thrown out). Why then did they do away with the entire subject? Aside from these authors, we don’t see immortality talked about until Jesus comes to earth. It seems someone wants us to think that immortality is an unsubstantiated idea only shared by a false Messiah and his followers. However, at the time of the first century, people knew the words of the apocryphal writers, and understood immortality was available for them.
Why would the religious leaders change the name of the month after captivity to Tishri? Tishri means “beginning” as for the first month of the civil year. The meaning of the name of the month went from the word “immortalities” to “beginning”? The Greek gives us the accuracy of the original word, the Hebrew definition of this word was changed to “enduring”.
1 Kings 8:2 H6950 ויקהלו assembled themselves H413 אל unto H4428 המלך king H8010 שׁלמה Solomon H3605 כל And all H376 אישׁ the men H3478 ישׂראל of Israel H3391 בירח in the month H388 האתנים Ethanim, H2282 בחג at the feast H1931 הוא which H2320 החדשׁ month. H7637 השׁביעי׃ the seventh https://studybible.info/IHOT/1%20Kings%208
H388 איתנים 'êythânı̂ym ay-thaw-neem'
Plural of H386; always with the article; the permanent brooks; Ethanim, the name of a month KJV Usage: Ethanim.
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions
איתנים
Ethanim = "enduring"
1. seventh Jewish month, corresponding to modern Oct. to Nov.; so named because permanent streams still flowed Origin: plural of H386
TWOT: None Parts of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
TBESH:
אֵיתָנִים
e.ta.nim
N:N-M-T
Ethanim Ethanim = “enduring" 1) seventh Jewish month, corresponding to modern Oct. to Nov.; so named because permanent streams still flowed
The Greek Septuagint is far more accurate than the Masoretic Text. The understanding here is the Father hid a concept of a future event, immortalities, or deathlessness’, in the name of a month that was later changed. Why? Is it possible they did not believe Solomon, Daniel, Ezra, Jesus son of Sirach, or Tobit? At the time of the writing of the Septuagint the people had access to all of these writing, let’s notice what Solomon wrote over three hundred years before the captivity into Babylon.
Wisdom 2:23 For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity. 24 Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that do hold of his (the devil’s) side do find it.
3:1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. 2 In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, 3 And their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. 4 For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality.
5 And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for himself. 6 As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Wisdom/index.htm
The concept of man being immortal was known in all Israel. When Solomon wrote this, the kingdom was one kingdom. Later both the northern and southern kingdom would have known Solomon’s words, that man was created to be immortal and that they could have immortality one day.
In speaking of a wicked generation, Solomon suggests that it is better not to have children because the remembrance of that generation is immortal.
Wisdom 3:19 For horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation.
4:1 Better it is to have no children, and to have virtue: for the memorial thereof is immortal: because it is known with God, and with men.
A memorial is a remembrance, and it is something known by God and by men. Solomon explains how to obtain immortality. He says he himself will be a memorial/remembrance to those who come after him. He is, isn’t he? Did the Masoretes eliminate the Wisdom of Solomon, and the other books, because they speak of immortality? Did they reject immortality after captivity because they went into captivity and later lost the temple in 70 CE?
Wisdom 8:13 Moreover by the means of her (Wisdom) I shall obtain immortality, and leave behind me an everlasting memorial to them that come after me.
8:17 Now when I considered these things in myself, and pondered them in my heart, how that to be allied unto wisdom is immortality; 18 And great pleasure it is to have her friendship; and in the works of her hands are infinite riches; and in the exercise of conference with her, prudence; and in talking with her, a good report; I went about seeking how to take her to me.
The people who were allied to Wisdom before Jesus came receive immortality. Remember how horrid the religious rulers and political rulers were, so much so that the kingdom split, and after over 300 years the Holy Spirit left the temple? To know the Almighty’s power is the root of immortality.
Wisdom 15:1 But thou, O God, art gracious and true, longsuffering, and in mercy ordering all things, 2 For if we sin, we are thine, knowing thy power: but we will not sin, knowing that we are counted thine. 3 For to know thee is perfect righteousness: yea, to know thy power is the root of immortality.
The Almighty, Most High, Eternal Father is gracious, longsuffering, and merciful toward us. He knows that we are unaware of the spiritual battles that surround us. But when we come to know Him, we recognize the beginning of our immortality is to stop sinning so that we can put on perfect righteousness. Ezra says that there will be people who put on immortality.
2 Esdras 2:44-45 (KJVApocrypha)
44 So I asked the angel, and said, Sir, what are these?
45 He answered and said unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.
Why would someone want to hide this understanding of immortality? This is good news that should have been shared the last two thousand years. Notice what Ezra suggests, he suggests they were promised immortality. Isn’t that what Solomon told us?
2 Esdras 7:48-49 (KJVApocrypha)
48 O thou Adam, what hast thou done? for though it was thou that sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but we all that come of thee.
49 For what profit is it unto us, if there be promised us an immortal time, whereas we have done the works that bring death?
Ezra is saying that they were promised immortality but it is of no profit because they do the works that bring death. Jesus son of Sirach says if people follow the doctrine of life they will please the Lord and receive immortality.
Sirach 19:19 (KJVApocrypha)
19 The knowledge of the commandments of the Lord is the doctrine of life: and they that do things that please him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality.
Where is the tree of life? Who gives the overcomer the fruit from the tree of life in the middle of Paradise, Revelation 2:7? Jesus son of Sirach also says that there is a book of life and those who explain the Lord shall have everlasting life.
Sirach 24:22-23 (DRV)
22 He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.
23 All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth. Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel.
If we listen to the Lord and work for Him we will not sin. If we teach people about Him we will have everlasting life. Where do we read about a book of life? Immortality has always been promised to Israel and the followers of Christ. Tobit says to make alms to purge away sin and one will find mercy and life everlasting.
Tobit 12:8-9 (DRV)
8 Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:
9 For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.
We can start to see a picture emerging of the distortion of immortality, and the month called Immortalities. The first day of the seventh month, Athanim/Ethanim, Immortalities, is supposed to be a memorial, a day to remember the day that the Lord came to earth and spoke to Jacob’s heirs in the wilderness.
Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a rest, a memorial of trumpets: it shall be to you a holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall offer a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord.
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month is a day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation to you; and ye shall humble your souls, and offer a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord. 28 Ye shall do no work on this self-same day: for this is a day of atonement for you, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Leviticus/index.htm
As a day of remembrance we are to memorialize trumpets. This is for a holy convocation, a set apart invited group. As Jesus mentioned twice in Mathew, many are called but few are chosen. This is by invitation, or a group that has been appointed. John told us in Revelation 17 that the group that comes back with Jesus to wage war against the beast are the called chosen and faithful. Again this group is specifically invited or divinely selected and appointed. On the first day of Immortalities they were to remember the Day of the Trumpets. What day was that? The day that the Lord came down in a cloud to speak with them in the wilderness. This is the memorial of trumpets. Although the day that the Lord came to speak with the people didn’t happen on the first day of the seventh month called Immortalities, trumpets are to remind people of this day. Celebrate this day and remember it as the first day of Immortalities.
Exodus 19:9 And the Lord said to Moses, Lo! I come to thee in a pillar of a cloud, that the people may hear me speaking to thee, and may believe thee for ever: and Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, Go down and solemnly charge the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments. 11 And let them be ready against the third day, for on the third day the Lord will descend upon mount Sina before all the people. 12 And thou shalt separate the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mountain, nor touch any part of it: every one that touches the mountain shall surely die. 13 A hand shall not touch it, for every one that touches shall be stoned with stones or shot through with a dart, whether beast or whether man, it shall not live: when the voices and trumpets and cloud depart from off the mountain, they shall come up on the mountain.
14 And Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified them, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, Be ready: for three days come not near to a woman. 16 And it came to pass on the third day, as the morning drew nigh, there were voices and lightnings and a dark cloud on mount Sina: the voice of the trumpet sounded loud, and all the people in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses led the people forth out of the camp to meet God, and they stood by under the camp. 18 The mount of Sina was altogether on a smoke, because God had descended upon it in fire; and the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and the people were exceedingly amazed. 19 And the sounds of the trumpet were waxing very much louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. 20 And the Lord came down upon mount Sina on the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 And God spoke to Moses, saying, Go down, and solemnly charge the people, lest at any time they draw nigh to God to gaze, and a multitude of them fall. 22 And let the priests that draw nigh to the Lord God sanctify themselves, lest he destroy some of them.
23 And Moses said to God, The people will not be able to approach to the mount of Sina, for thou hast solemnly charged us, saying, Set bounds to the mountain and sanctify it. 24 And the Lord said to him, Go, descend, and come up thou and Aaron with thee; but let not the priests and the people force their way to come up to God, lest the Lord destroy some of them. 25 And Moses went down to the people, and spoke to them.
Exodus 20:18 And all the people perceived the thundering, and the flashes, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and all the people feared and stood afar off, 19 and said to Moses, Speak thou to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die. 20 And Moses says to them, Be of good courage, for God is come to you to try you, that his fear may be among you, that ye sin not.
Notice Paul’s comparison of the harpazo and the day the Lord spoke to them in the wilderness. Paul explains of the rising up of the dead and the seizing of the living with the same elements as the holy convocation in the wilderness. We see Paul speaks to us regarding clouds, and trumpet blasts, and the voice of God, at the rising up and harpazo, just as God summoned the heirs of Jacob. While we don’t celebrate this particular event on it’s original day, we make it a memorial on the Feast of Trumpets. On Rash ha Shanna/The Feast of Trumpets we remember the trumpet blasts that summoned the children of Israel in the wilderness. This is what Moses said in Leviticus. The majority of people who celebrate the Feast of Trumpets do not understand this.
We also remember the month is called Immortalities, and that man was made to be immortal. We remember, being allied with the Spirit of Wisdom/The Holy Spirit, which is immortality, and we are to remember the first day of the seventh month as a day that brings immortality. If we are still on the earth the day after, on the second day of the month of Immortalities, we prepare for the day of atonement. We now have time to correct our heart and atone for our sin.
Trumpets are used to gather people as well as sound an alarm for the community. But on this particular day, there was to be a memorial for the dead, and a set apart invitation, a holy convocation. Why remember the dead? There is another way to look at this memorial. Those who have died, who were allied with the Holy Spirit/Spirit of Wisdom as Solomon mentioned, will have immortality. They will rise up. We are to remember them, as well as remember our future time of immortality where the corrupted put on incorruption and the living put on immortality. We will meet the dead in the air.
This day is also a rehearsal, but not in the sense that we rehearse the harpazo, but we rehearse the story of the written events that will take place. We are to read and reiterate the details of the above congregation. Rehearse it. Rehearse it on the first day of the seventh month. Sing about it; sing loudly, because we are celebrating and practicing for the day we are gathered and made kings and priests. There are always new people coming to our churches or Bible studies. We are to teach the day of the rising up and the seizing, the harpazo, in the month of Immortalities. The day we teach the details of the above congregation is the first day of the seventh month, the month called Immortalities. Trumpets is a day that we are to commemorate the calling up of the called out.
We see this very specific day was to remind ourselves of a holy, set apart group of people, that will put on incorruption or immortality. Wouldn’t this information have been nice to have been told throughout the ages? For some strange reason the Masoretes eliminated the books that talked about immortality and even changed the name of the seventh month. Was the devil trying to bury this knowledge? This holy group of summoned and invited people has a very important part in heaven.
As soon as Jesus takes the scroll from the right hand of the Almighty Father, we see the beasts and elders fall before Jesus, and there are golden bowls filled with the prayers of the holy ones.
Revelation 5:8 G2532 And G3753 when G2983 he took G3588 the G975 scroll, G3588 the G5064 four G2226 living creatures G2532 and G1501.8 twenty-four G4245 elders G4098 fell G1799 before G3588 the G721 lamb, G2192 [2having G1538 1each] G2788 harps, G2532 and G5357 bowls G5552 made of gold G1073 being full G2368 of incenses, G3739 which G1510.2.6 are G3588 the G4335 prayers G3588 of the G39 holy ones.
2368
θυμίαμα
thumiama thoo-mee'-am-ah From G2370; an aroma, that is, fragrant powder burnt in religious service; by implication the burning itself KJV Usage: incense, odour.
4335 LSJ Gloss:προσευχή prayer
Dodson:προσευχή prayer, a place for prayer
(a) prayer (to God), (b) a place for prayer (used by Jews, perhaps where there was no synagogue).
Thayer:
1) prayer addressed to God
2) a place set apart or suited for the offering of prayer
2a) a synagogue
2b) a place in the open air where the Jews were wont to pray, outside the cities, where they had no synagogue
2b1) such places were situated upon the bank of a stream or the shore of a sea, where there was a supply of water for washing the hands before prayer
προσευχή
proseuchē pros-yoo-khay' From G4336; prayer (worship); by implication an oratory (chapel) KJV Usage: X pray earnestly, prayer.
Let’s remind ourselves who these holy ones are. They are the redeemed. The only ones who can sing this new song are the redeemed. The only beings redeemed are humans. Only the redeemed will be bought by Jesus’ blood. Only humans will be made kings and priests on the earth during the millennial kingdom. The beasts and elders have been collecting the prayers of the holy convocation in golden bowls. The holy summoned and invited ones are now called the above congregation.
John is trying to describe what is in the bowl by calling it incense. The prayers are burning in a golden bowl. Our prayers are burning like incense and as the beasts and elders fall before Jesus they present our prayers. The prayers of the saints are burning, they are not stagnant, cold, and lifeless. They are alive like fire. They are contained. Tobit tells us that Raphael presents our prayers.
Tobit 12:15 (KJVApocrypha)
15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.
The seven holy angels who go in and out before the Holy One all have assignments. Raphael’s assignment is to present the prayers of the saints. They are then collected in bowls, and the beasts and elders are holding on to them. Enoch tells us that Raphael is the angel over the spirits of men, which is why presenting the prayers of the saints to God is part of his job. In Romans, we see the Holy Spirit interceding with us too.
At this point, all the beings in heaven, including the redeemed above congregation, make declarations together. As Jesus is opening the seals, peace is taken off the earth. It is now the day of vengeance. The saints are in heaven interceding for those on earth. In Revelation 6, the seals are opened and now the seventh seal is about to be opened.
As the sixth seal opens it announces the wrath of the Lamb. Humans have been killing humans on the earth and the population is dwindling. The woman, Babylon and the Beast are both on the earth and anyone who does not align with either of them are being murdered. As the last seal is opened we see that the events about to take place are storms and seismic activity due to the prayers of the saints. Now we see the above congregation, the holy convocation, having vengeance and recompense against the children of wrath. Amazing. The children of wrath have persecuted the children of the Living God their entire lives. As these seals have been about humans and their sin, this last seal being opened gives the saints their opportunity to rebuke the children of wrath.
Revelation 8:1-2 (KJV)
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
As we just saw, Raphael is one of the seven angels who presents the prayers of the saints. Now the seven angels are given the seven war trumpets that Jesus had. There is silence for about 30 minutes in heaven. The saints are quiet. What does this tell us? First of all, heaven is a noisy place, but more specifically, the saints have been praying. From the time when we first see the saints in heaven, to the opening of the last seal, the saints have been praying, interceding, rebuking, and worshipping.
This is war, and the saints are praying for the Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The saints, the above congregation, now know all the evil that has plagued the earth for six thousand years. They also now understand that evil fallen beings plagued other sons of God for far longer than humans. The above assembly has been assembled as Jesus’ emissaries and Jesus’ warriors. The time has come for their prayers to be sent to the earth and it is quiet for thirty minutes in heaven. Thirty minutes to collect all the prayers ever prayed. Thirty minutes to assemble the words with golden frankincense. Thirty minutes for the saints to recognize what is about to happen. Thirty minutes for the saints to realize they should have prayed more.
Prayer and praise and worship have always gone from earth to heaven, to the altar of incense before the throne; but now those prayers, praises, and worship, are going back to earth. When every word prayed comes back to earth what will happen? What will it do? This is the wrap up of the opened seals. The last seal is the opportunity for the holy convocation, the above assembly, to partake in the tribulation as the heavenly synagogue of the Lord. This is the first battle the saints partake in. The saints conclude this last seal on behalf of their Lord. The trumpet judgments are the wrath of the Lamb and the bowl judgments are the wrath of the Father. It seems fitting for us take prayer seriously as it will be used as a weapon against the humans on the earth.
David prays that his prayer would be set forth before the Father as incense. There is a measure of knowledge that both David and Solomon had that we may have lost.
Psalm 141:1-2 (KJV)
1 LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Even though David writes as if he is unsure the Father hears him, we have the words of Jesus to reassure us. The Father sees us and knows what we have need of before we ask, Matthew 6. Therefore invite the Father’s will on the earth, as his will is done in heaven. This is a powerful way to pray.
On the night that the destroyer was sent out to kill the first born in Egypt the destroyer passed over the houses with blood on the door posts. There is more to the story, as Solomon tells us, than just blood on the lintels. They prayed.
Wisdom of Solomon 18:21-22 (KJVApocrypha)
21 For then the blameless man made haste, and stood forth to defend them; and bringing the shield of his proper ministry, even prayer, and the propitiation of incense, set himself against the wrath, and so brought the calamity to an end, declaring that he was thy servant.
22 So he overcame the destroyer, not with strength of body, nor force of arms, but with a word subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers. …
…25 Unto these the destroyer gave place, and was afraid of them: for it was enough that they only tasted of the wrath.
The Israelites prayed in their houses with blood on the door posts, and their words subdued the destroyer. The destroyer was afraid of the Israelites. Interesting. As we know, “the destroyer” is title for Apollyon/Abaddon/Gog the Locust King. This very powerful destroyer, Apollyon, was afraid of the Israelites who offered prayers the night he passed by.
Revelation 8:3 (KJV)
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
The golden altar of incense is before the throne in heaven. In Revelation 5 the prayers of the saints were in golden bowls held by the beasts and elders before the throne. Now we see that there is also an altar of incense here. The scent of frankincense is technically olibanic acids derived from Boswellia trees in a resin form. The word censer is not the round incense burner on a chain that priests use to wave around in mass. The censer is the frankincense resin itself, and it is golden frankincense. Frankincense comes in many shades, but this shade is golden and on earth it was burnt in the temple at the time of the multitudes praying.
Frankincense is an offering made along with prayer and is part of the priestly temple function. Connecting the smoke and scent with the words of prayer and worship has a connection that we seldom think of. Our words have a frequency which is probably compatible with frankincense. The frequency of the smoke and the frankincense carry prayer and worship into the atmosphere, past the interference of demonic beings. Prayer, before Jesus’ death, had to go though the lower air, past the prince of the power of the air. The holy aroma of the offering is like a spiritual bug repellent to the fallen spiritual beings. They know that scent is holy and pure to the Creator, the Living God. The satan cannot interrupt, or stand in the way of temple praise at the altar of incense. Today, the Holy Spirit changes this dynamic for us as we are the temple and there is no earthly temple. But this will change when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way and there is another earthly temple. The daily sacrifices will resume in this earthly temple and after about three and one half years the son of perdition will enter into the holy of holies and claim that he is god as he sits on the mercy seat and does not die.
If it is/was Raphael’s job to present the prayers to the Father, the incense in the temple was part of the holy formula for getting prayers past the lower air. Daniel enlightened us regarding the spiritual war that hindered Gabriel from bringing Daniel his answer to his prayer. All the prayers of the saints of all time have been collected and all the prayers of the above congregation are about to shake the earth.
Revelation 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
The prayers of the saints were in golden bowls when the above congregation first got to heaven. Now we see the smoke of the incense and the prayers mixed in the hand of the angel at the altar of incense. The seventh seal is starting. The prayers of this holy convocation are volatile. They are starting to burn and smoke. Smoke is rising. The prayers of the above congregation are mixed into the smoke, and the mixture comes out of the hand of the Angel in the face of God.
It might be a good time to notice that our prayers are important. Our time spent in prayer is not wasted. Our prayers are heard, even when we think they are not answered. Every word spoken in prayer is going to hit the earth as a punishment to those who have rejected Jesus. Think of the chaos that will ensue.
Revelation 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
The angel takes the frankincense resin from the altar of incense and throws it to the earth. All the words the saints have prayed, all the worship, all the praises, are collected together with golden frankincense and thrown to the earth. Immediately the words and frankincense cause noise, thunder, lightning, and earthquakes. The praise and worship and prayers of the above congregation harms the humans left on the earth. So far these seals have caused humans to harm humans, now it is the prayers of the saints that is harming humans. Do you realize what the people on earth hear? They hear all the uttered words of the saints. The word “voices”, or “sounds” is phōnē. They hear all the prayers all the worship, all the praises, and the mixing with frankincense means it is a holy offering that burns for a long time.
Prayer has always been powerful, but now the earth is going to feel the power of prayer. There is positive and negative electrical charges in the air. Electromagnetic radiation is emitted. The earth is seizing and reeling. The frankincense and prayers have breeched the lower air, and are back on the earth with a frequency that disrupts the air and the land. Since the saints have been taken off the earth the level of sin has grown exponentially. The prayers of the saints thrown to the earth will be in their ears, in their nostrils, and in their eyes. It may make the people on earth mad; that is, crazy and angry.
The words from the above congregation will be in their heads. They won’t be able to stop it. Those prayers will sting, like static electricity. At the same time the ground will rise and fall in waves as earthquakes and aftershocks do. People will feel as if they are standing on the sea, with motion sickness, all the while hearing, seeing, smelling the prayers, praise, and worship of the saints. The prayers of the above congregation are not only an assault on the senses of all humans, it is affecting the earth. We know from Romans 8 that the earth is in travail waiting for the apocalypse of the children of the Almighty, Most High, Eternal, Father. At this point the revealing is only a few short years away and as the next event unfolds, the sounding of the trumpets, the earth will start fighting against the people on the earth.
The seventh seal is very disorienting. This seems like something that may make people repent and call on Jesus as Lord and Savior, but chances are that people will only further harden their hearts. People are so frightened at the sixth seal that they will want to die, and now they are assaulted with the prayers of the saints as lightning, thunder, smoke, and earthquakes.
We see the need for us to praise and worship while we are on the earth. Not one word falls, it all goes to the heavenly altar of incense and then it comes back down at the seventh seal. In this we realize the more we worship and pray now, the more our words will ignite the earth in the seventh seal. We should be intentional about our prayer, praise, and worship, and we know those words will all come back to earth in power. We can change our prayer focus today, knowing what the future holds. Now the angels will start blowing the trumpets and the earth will rebel against humans.
Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
We can now see what the saints, the above congregation, will be doing in heaven from the time of the entering into heaven, to the time of the seventh seal. The seismic event of prayers being thrown to earth will be spectacular. The month called Immortalities, is the month that we are supposed to prepare ourselves. We have holy days to help cleanse our hearts until the time we either rise up or are seized. We should be rehearsing the stories and prophecies that the Holy Spirit gave us to all those who do not know. There is an entire day set aside for the holy convocation, the future above congregation, to celebrate and share with others. The clues hidden in the first day of the seventh month have been covered up. However, we can now memorialize trumpets on the first day of Immortalities.
The saints have another engagement. We will search out where the above congregation is in heaven next week, and what they will be doing with Jesus at the mid-point of the tribulation.
