Harps and Bowls - By Jim Tharp, 2000

And as He took the scroll, the twenty-four Elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp and golden vials filled with incense -- the prayers of God's people! (Rev. 5:8, TLB)

Then another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; and a great quantity of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people, to offer upon the golden altar before the throne. And the perfume of the incense mixed with prayers ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Then the angel filled the censer with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed and rumbled, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake. Then the seven angels with the the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts. (Rev. 8:3-6, TLB)

As we turn to the book of Revelation in these times, we all need to be reminded of a classic observation on this final book of the Old Testament made by Dr. Jack W. Hayford in his new work, E Quake, "the book of Revelation will never make sense as a collection of prophecies until it is approached as a handbook on worship!" (p. 11).

In Revelation Five, John saw "in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals." While the search was on for someone "worthy" to open the scroll, John wept much, "because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and to break its seven seals." (v. 4).

The scroll symbolizes the will of God for the complete sweep of human history, His perfect plan of redemption, healing and restoration of the human race to its true destiny, His purpose for all of creation as revealed in the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why no one was found worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. But finally, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, "stood a Lamb as though it had been slain (One who had the marks of the cross, having suffered for sin, having removed the curse of Satan and having triumphed forever over evil). The arrival of the Lamb to execute the will of God in judgment on the earth and eviction of all sin and darkness in the opening of the scroll and the breaking of the seven seals reminds us that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Person in all the human race whom God has appointed Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and Judge (Acts 17:31) and Perpetual Ruler (Isa. 9:6-7; Col. 1:13-20).

We need at this time to observe carefully what the twenty-four elders were holding as they worshiped the Lamb who was about to break the seals on the scroll: they had harps and bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (v. 8). Harps are instruments of worship, of healing, of freedom, of power, of praise, of deliverance. In the early days of their relationship, when a distressing spirit would come upon King Saul, David would play the harp and the distressing spirit would depart from him (I Sam. 16:23). So today, praise and prayer are mighty forces. Our praises must precede the actions of the Lamb. When we are filled with praise, the Lord goes into action, and it's only a matter of time before the will and purposes of God are recovered in our lives, in our ministries, in our churches, in our families and in our world.

Let us note that at the very outset of the judgment process, before the breaking of the first seal, "the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" are brought forth as a critical focus for the Lamb (5:8). Then comes a solemn pause at the opening of the seventh seal -- "silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Rev. 8:1). This breathtaking apprehension is expressed as a dreadful silence before the apocalyptic finale. All celestial beings are hushed in solemn respect of the powerful prayers of the saints who have prayed the will of God to pass across the ages of history, as the Just One Himself pauses to decide to what extent such intercession must prevail and determine the outcome of all things. Notice that the angel "was given much incense, that he would offer it with the prayers of all the saints... The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand" (8:3-4). Wesley Duewel sees this "fragrant incense" as the intercessions of Christ. He writes, "His fragrant intercession is added to the prayers of God's children for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth. Fire from the altar, symbolic of the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, is added to the combined prayers of Jesus and His saints, and all is poured out upon the earth. Immediately there follows the seven trumpets as outlined in the subsequent chapters of Revelation. These awesome demonstrations of God's power work dramatically to speed the accomplishment of God's will on earth and the total defeat of Satan "(Touch The World through Prayer, pp. 223-224).