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224 The Tabernacle in His shed blood makes our prayers avail before the "throne of grace." To attempt to pray to God, apart from faith in the cross of Jesus, is to offer "strange :fire," as it were, upon the golden altar. The pagan prays, but to a false god; the Mohammedan prays, but to a man; the Buddhist prays, but to yet another man; the rationalist prays, but not in the name of the Lord Jesus; and God has promised to answer only the prayers of those who go to Him in the all-prevailing name of "the Lamb of Calvary." Make no mistake about it, my friend. "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him ( note well the words, 'by him'), seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8 :34). Not only was the fire from the brazen altar to be used to burn the incense; but once a year, on the Day of Atone- ment, Aaron was also to take the blood from the altar of burnt offering, and put it on the horns of the golden altar. That was the high day of the year. It was the only day when Aaron could enter the Most Holy Place to sprinkle the blood on and before the mercy seat. And even as he sprinkled the blood, he also took in his hand the golden censer, with its fire, and with sweet incense in his hand, to burn it there, "lest he die." Having shed the blood of the innocent victim, he-a living priest-sprinkled the blood and burned the incense before the Shekinah Glory.
The Tabernacle Our Lord Jesus shed His precious blood "once for. a~." On the morning of His resurrection, as the e_ver-hv~g Priest, He ascended into heaven to present His atomng blood before His righteous Father-within the veil! (See John 20: 17.) In His resurrection He is our unchanging Priest, presenting our prayers to the Father, praying for us Himself. Because He Himself bore "our sins in his own body on the tree," He has the right to plead our cause in the court of heaven. Because "he hath appeared to put a-way sin by the sacrifice of himself," He has every right «now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9: 26, 24). Did not the prophets foretell the "sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow"? (See I Peter 1: 11). No wonder the hosts of heaven bow down before Him, saying, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing"! (Rev. 5:12) . The Incense--A Symbol of Prayer That the incense was a symbol of prayer, is clearly seen from Scripture: "The four living creatures (R. V.) and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours (i.e., 'incense'), which are the prayers of saints" (Rev. 5 :8). "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" (Rev. 8:3). "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2).
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