8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And another angel came and stood at the ALTAR, holding a golden censer;
Bible scholars are divided as to who this ANGEL is. Some believe that he may be Christ Himself; others believe he is just another ministering angel. There are several passages in the Bible which may lead a person to believe that Christ visited the earth as a messenger angel.
Hagar, Sarai's maid, sees an 'angel of the Lord' in Genesis 16:9-13, and ends up referring to the angel as "Thou art a God who sees".
The initial encounter of Gideon was with the angel of the Lord in Judges 6:11-18. Later, 'the Lord' said He would be with Gideon.
The background to Samson's birth announcement in Judges 13:2-20, Manoah's wife saw the angel of the Lord who brought her the message of her new baby to be a Nazirite. When Manoah entreated the Lord if this true, he went through a most fascinating dialogue. The angel of the Lord said His name was incomprehensible (usually an attribute of Christ's name). Furthermore, the 'angel of the Lord' ascended out of Manoah and his wife's sight in the smoke of the ALTAR they had built. This is curiously parallel to the angel standing at the alter in this verse.
The high priest, alone, carried the censer, fire pan full of coals, as a sin offering for himself, Leviticus 16:11-14.
This mediating role is Christ's alone between God and man as Paul describes in 1 Timothy 2:1-7.
Interestingly, there never has been a reference to Christ ever appearing back on earth as an angel after His ascension. However, Paul indicates in Hebrews 13:1-6 that we may have entertained angels without knowing it. Was Christ one of them?
and much incense was given to him,
The incense for the altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-6) was made of 4 spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense (Exodus 30:34-38). Some scholars equate this to the four offices of Christ: King, Servant, Son of Man, and Son of God. See Revelation 4:7. Thus, the much incense may be the prayers of Jesus Christ Himself before the THRONE.
that he might add it to the PRAYERS of ALL the saints upon the golden ALTAR which was before the THRONE.
Most likely these prayers are prayers for revenge like those of the martyrs under the altar (Revelation 6:9) and the "cursive" psalms: Psalm 35:4-6, Psalm 59:13-15, Psalm 83:13-18, and Psalm 109:6-20. This type of prayer really does not have a place during the church age, but now with the seventh seal opened, it's time for vengeance.
Incense also is very closely tied to Christ's name. Malachi, in Malachi 1:6-14, rebukes defiled offerings and the priests who permit them. He indicates that incense is offered to the greatness of His name.
As an observation, even the prayers coming from us are tainted with the sin curse. But the mixing of the much incense, Christ's prayers, covers our terrible sin curse odors with the sweet smelling fragrance of Christ's mediations. This parallels the blood of Christ making us spotless such that we can be presented before God, Revelation 7:9,14.