“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne — the angel (likely a high priest figure) at the golden altar mingles incense with saints' prayers (proseuchē), uniting heavenly worship with earthly intercession. The incense (thymiama) carries the prayers upward (Psalm 141:2); this establishes that the subsequent judgments are responses to the persistent cries of the persecuted.