God allows us to use all of our senses when we are in Church. When we are in the Church we see, hear, feel and even smell what it would be like in Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ. What is this sweet aroma (smell)? This is the smell of Incense being burnt. “In every place incense shall be offered unto My Name” Malachi 1:10
"Let my prayer rise like incense before You” Psalm 141:2 St. John was able to see heaven and write about it in the Holy Bible, this is what he saw: “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hands.” (Revelation 8:3-4) When we are standing in Church it is as we are standing Heaven! We use incense in our Orthodox church because God Himself Commanded that incense should be used in our worship. In The Old Testament: 1- God commanded Moses to build a separate Alter of incense. "You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood” (Exodus 30:1) 2- God gave great care to the Alter of incense. God commanded that the Alter of incense be overlaid on all sides with pure gold, have a horn of gold, be carried on two rings overlaid with gold, and be placed before the veil that’s before the Ark of covenant where he would meet with Moses.. (Exodus 30:3-6) 3- God gave Moses the recipe of making the sweet incense. “And the Lord said to Moses: "Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.” (Exodus 30:34) 4- God forbade anyone to make incense for oneself because it’s holy for The Lord. “But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people." (Exodus 30:37-38) 5- God commanded that incense is only offered by the priests. Any one is allowed to pray but not anyone allowed offering incense. Please read the story of Korah, dathan, and Abiram. (Numbers 16:31-32) In The New Testament: God revealed to St. John the beloved a beautiful scene in heaven; +++ 24 priests having golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints “Now when He ( The Lord Jesus Christ) had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 5:8 +++ An angel who was given much incense to offer them before the golden Alter in heaven before the throne of God. “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.” Revelation 8:3-4 There are many lessons we learn from using incense;
1- Offering our life to The Lord Jesus: as the small particle of incense is burned to it offer a sweet aroma, every believer can offer time, efforts, energy etc. as a sweet aroma to the Lord. 2- Incense doesn’t stay down; it always rises to the sky. It raises our eyes to heavens. 3- As incense rises as a sweet aroma to the Lord and everybody enjoy the sweet smell, we learn how to be a sweet aroma that diffuses the fragrance of Christ in every place. “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 4- Incense is a reminder of the cloud which, in the Old as well as the New Testament, served as a symbol of God’s presence among us. The transfiguration is an example of God’s Presence shown by a cloud. “A cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him” Luke 9:34-35 +++There is no single verse in the Holy Bible commanding the cancellation of incense+++.
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