The 24 Elders of Revelation, Part 2: The Time of Their Appearance

Revelation 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door having been opened in heaven. And I heard the first voice which I [had] heard as of a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show thee things which must take place after these things.”

After what things?

The previous things shown to John were the events of chapters 2 - 3. They describe the era of the 7 lampstands, which represent 7 churches:

Revelation 1:20 “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands are seven churches.”

Jesus told one of these churches that if it failed to do righteous works, He would “remove your lampstand [church] from its place.” 2:5 And over the course of time, all of these seven churches of Asia Minor were eventually removed: none exist today. However, the angels of these churches, the “seven stars in His right hand,” could never be taken out of His hand: they therefore remained to continue their work elsewhere in the earth. These spiritual authorities thereafter established seven characteristic types of churches over seven periods of Church history.

The powers of darkness have their own spiritual authorities, including the seven heads of Satan (12:3), and also the seven heads of the Beast. 13:3 While the dominions of these good and evil spiritual authorities have waxed and waned over the centuries, none have ever ceased to exist.

In the first century A.D., Jesus sent out seven spirits upon the earth to establish seven characteristic church types. The seventh and last church type was originally called the Laodicean church. Most notable among its characteristics were that it was wealthy, but lukewarm in its works of righteousness. Rev. 3:15-17 Such things, of course, are seen in the greater part of the modern Church, particularly in the United States, the world’s leading Christian nation. (In appearance, at least.)

Jesus’ last message to those “who overcome” in this church – and His last message to the whole Church Age – was,

Revelation 3:18 “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire…and white garments…and eye salve, that you may see.”

Gold represents gifts of the Spirit; white garments, righteous works (19:8), and eye salve, ability to attain spiritual wisdom and understanding. The purchase price for these things is our time and our labor in the Lord’s Word and work.

Immediately “after these things” of this materially-wealthy but spiritually-unprofitable church of Revelation 3, there will come the events of Revelation 4:1 and following, wherein God’s throne of judgment is set in place, being surrounded by the 24 Elders. We can reasonably conclude that those things are near to come, because this latter-day church has been corrupting itself and diminishing before our eyes.

But even so, Jesus infers that out of this church, a select group of overcomers will arise and mature on earth.