What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?

      C. S. Lewis and Tolkien must have learned how to write their allegories from the book of Revelation. To be honest I don't always understand the symbolism in the Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings.  In the same way, the symbolism in Revelation can be baffling at times.  And I'd be totally lost understanding the book of Revelation without the enlightening chapters of this Life-Study!

At the bay  yesterday with two of my grandkids.

     Last week I read chapter 18 that covered Revelation 5 which portrays the heavenly scene after the Lord's ascension.  As the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God, Christ is presented here as the One who is worthy to open the scroll, which contains the mysteries of the universe.  When the Lord receives this scroll, we see a scene rich in symbolism:

And when He took the scroll, the four living creatures and at the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb; each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which bowls are the prayers of the saints.  Revelation 5:8 

   I like this excerpt on the bowls and incense given on page 228:  The bowls are "the prayers of the saints" brought to God by the angelic elders (cf. 8:3-4), whereas the incense is Christ added to the saints' prayers. That these worshipers are holding the bowls means that they, as priests, are ministering to God by bringing the saints' prayers to Him. This reveals that before the Christians become priests in the millennial kingdom, the twenty-four elders are priests today (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Revelation. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1976, Print). 

    In this heavenly scene we see how important our prayers are for the fulfillment of God's purpose.  And in the cross reference in Revelation 8 that verse says:  And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the Angel before God.   The footnote in my Recovery Version of the New Testament (You can order your free study Bible that has over 13,000 helpful footnotes). says that the incense is Christ with all of His merit added to the believers' prayers so that they would be acceptable to God. Without Christ added to our prayers, they're worthless.  And in another footnote I learned that only the prayers that cause the incense to rise are effective.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Revelation and some excellent commentary on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Book of  Revelation:
What is the Focus of the Book of Revelation?
What Does the Book of Revelation Show Us About Loving the Lord?
What Does Revelation 4:11 Tell Us About the Purpose of God's Creation?
What are the Golden Bowls of Incense in Revelation 5:8?
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - What are the Two Sides of Rapture Seen in Revelation 14:1
How Does Transformation Produce the New Jerusalem Mentioned in Revelation 3:12?
Taking a Look at Revelation 12:11 - How Do you Overcome Satan's Accusation?
From the Life-Study of Revelation - The Connection Between Revelation & Ephesians 
Why is There is A Rainbow Around God's Throne in Revelation 4:3?
How Do you Get Ready for the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8?