8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand.
And the smoke of the incense,
This smoke is coming from the censer, and apparently the angel has moved closer to God, inasmuch, the smoke is going up before God. Also implied in this is that heaven and the THRONE must be within the atmosphere. Incense cannot burn without oxygen (or atmosphere). Symbolists would argue otherwise. However, John is writing what he saw (Revelation 1:11).
with THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS went up before God out of the angel's hand.
These are prayers of those who have accepted or are accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Jesus Christ (Mark 11:22-25) changes them into SAINT'S PRAYERS as they are floated before the Father.
It is not unusual for prayers to be thought of as incense. David uses the same analogy in Psalm 141:1-2-4.
| Prayer | Reference |
|---|---|
| Those in His name. | John 16:18-24 |
| Those who abide in Him | John 15:7 |
| Those with faith in God | Mark 11:22-25 |
Also, it is significant that the prayers ascended out of the angel's hand. The hand is the "working element" of a Christian.
| We pray to Him with our hands | 1 Timothy 2:8 |
| We are counted by hand | Jeremiah 33:12-13 |
| We eat because we work with our hands | Proverbs 19:24; 26:13-15 |
| The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. | Isaiah 53:10-12 |
| We give our offerings (alms) with our hands | Matthew 6:1-4 |
Other than eating, the HAND of the angel was doing similar to what believer's hands should be doing.