The prayers of the saints

Excerpt from the book- Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith

Revelation Chapter 5

Verse 8 And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

"Vials Full of Odors."--From this expression we form an idea of the employment of those redeemed one represented by

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the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders. They have golden vials, or vessels, full of odors--or, as the margin reads, incense--which are the prayers of saints. This is a work of ministry such as pertains to priests.

The reader will remember that in the ancient typical service the high priest had many assistants. When we consider that we are now looking into sanctuary in heaven, the conclusion at once follows that these redeemed ones are the assistants of our great High Priest above.

For this purpose they were doubtless redeemed.

What could be more appropriate than that our Lord should be assisted in His priestly work for the human race by noble members of that race whose holiness of life, and purity of character, had fitted them to raised up for that purpose?

We are aware that many entertain in a great aversion to the idea of there being anything real and tangible in heaven. But though the Revelation deals largely in figures, it does not deal in fictions.

There is reality in all the things described, and we gain an understanding of the reality when we get a correct interpretation of the figures. Thus, in this vision we know that the One upon the throne is god.

He is really there.

We know the Lamb symbolizes Christ.

He too is really there.

He ascended with a literal, tangible body, and who can say that He does not still retain it?

If, then, our great High Priest is a literal being, He must have a literal place in which to minister.

If the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders represent those whom Christ led up from the captivity of death at the time of His resurrection and ascension, why are they not just as literal beings while there in heaven as they were when they ascended?

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Reality.

So many would have us FICTIONALIZE God. So many would have us make Him stuff of mythologies, story book fodder. People will throw up in our faces that Zeus is a real god to people, that Diana and others are gods and goddesses and people throughout time have called them real and worshipped and sacrificed to them as if they were real. In the time of the Bible happenings people believed in these false gods. Over and over those false god were proven false.  Who doesn't remember this-- Elijah said to Ahab--

1Ki 18:24  And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

(Do you see what is being said here?  A challenge has been issued- call on your gods, the FALSE gods, and Elijah would call on the LORD he followed, and whichever answered would be GOD.)

1Ki 18:25  And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

1Ki 18:26  And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

1Ki 18:27  And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

1Ki 18:28  And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

1Ki 18:29  And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

(Their gods did NOT answer the challenge, they couldn't they were false gods!  Now I'm not saying evil spirits, of whom Satan is one, can't impersonate things and seemingly bring to life false gods, they can, they are false gods themselves in what they do. Satan himself can appear as an angel of light. All the evil spirits are NOT gods and will never be gods!)

1Ki 18:30  And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

1Ki 18:31  And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

1Ki 18:32  And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

1Ki 18:33  And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

1Ki 18:34  And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

1Ki 18:35  And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

1Ki 18:36  And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

1Ki 18:37  Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

1Ki 18:38  Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1Ki 18:39  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

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The point I'm trying to make is, people want God to be a myth and treat Him as such. He is REAL. Our Savior became flesh and died in that flesh, was resurrected in that flesh and transformed in that flesh, taking on immortal, incorruptible flesh.  In this flesh, the same flesh all humans will inherit upon translation to heaven when Christ returns and raises those who died in Him and those who live in Him, our Savior has live in, in heaven.  In the sanctuary in heaven He is completing the work entrusted to Him, work that will bring an end to evil, and return to God all those who choose to love Him and accept the sacrifice of our Savior. 

Prophecy has come to pass, and prophecy will come to pass.  The prophecy of the return of Christ to find saints living in Him will come to pass and nothing can prevent this from happening.  Babylon ruled- as prophesized. Following Babylon, the Medes-and Persians ruled- as prophesized well in advance. Following the Medes and Persians, Greece ruled and then Pagan and Papal Rome ruled, and then there was a division as predicted. All of it was prophesized!  So why, tell me why the rest will NOT come to pass?  Time will never destroy prophecy.

2Pe_3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance

This is TRUTH!

We must believe that our SAVIOR is a REALITY in heaven.

And in heaven there are real servants of Christ, serving Him, just as here on earth we TRULY serve our Savior.

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The Savior took the BOOK and when He took the book from His Father, the four beasts, the 24 elders all fell down to worship Him!

These had this-

'…golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.'

The PRAYERS of the saints!

These are REAL!

And this is REAL…

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

We are to PRAY always and our prayers are not wasted breath but very important!

Please LORD teach us the importance of prayer, of praying always!

All through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Now and forever.

AMEN.