393. 'And there were given unto him many incense-offerings for him to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar that is before the throne' signifies propitiation lest the angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom should be hurt by the spirits of the satanic kingdom who were below. By 'incense-offerings' and by 'the golden altar' is signified the worship of the Lord out of spiritual love (n. 277, 392); by 'prayers' are signified the things that are of charity and consequently of faith in worship (n. 278); and by 'the saints' [or 'holy ones' (sancti)] are understood those who are out of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and by 'the just' those who are out of His celestial kingdom (n. 173). It can be established from these [references] that here it treats of those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. Here, by 'many incense-offerings offered with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar' is signified propitiation, lest they should be hurt by the spirits of the satanic kingdom that was below, because propitiations and expiations used to be made by means of incense-offerings, especially whenever dangers were menacing; as can be established from these [statements]:-
When the congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron and they were infected with a plague, Aaron took fire from off the altar, and put incense in a censer, and ran between the living and the dead so that he might expiate, and the plague was stayed Num. xvi 42-50 [H.B. xvii 7-15].
The altar of incense was placed in the tent before the propitiatory that was over the ark, and every morning when the lamps were being trimmed, incense was burnt upon it Exod. xxx 1-10.
And it was commanded that as often as Aaron might enter within the veil, he should burn incense, and the cloud of incense should cover the propitiatory, lest he should die Lev. xvi 11-13.
It can be established from these things that propitiations in the Israelitish representative Church were made by burnings of incense; in like manner here, lest they should be hurt by the satanic spirits who were below.
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