The 24 Elders of Revelation, Part 7: The Heavenly Priesthood

The 24 Elders of Revelation are the chief leaders of the courses of the Melchizedek priesthood who serve in the heavenly sanctuary. Of which there was made an earthly anti-type, wherein King David established 24 courses of priests, having 24 chiefs over them, to serve in the earthly temple. 1 Chr. 24:1-19 David explained his act by saying, “All this the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, even all the works of the pattern [Heb. tabnyth: literally, structure].” 1 Chr. 28:19 Just like Moses was told: “make them in their pattern/tabnytham that you were shown in the mountain.” Ex. 25:40; Heb. 8:5

Both of those earthly structures, Mosaic and Davidic, were fashioned after heavenly ones which existed before their earthly counterparts:

1 Chronicles 28:11 … Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof… 12 And the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD… 13 And for the courses of the priests and the Levites… 19 “All this,” [said David], “the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, even all the works of the pattern.”

Hebrews 8:4 …on earth…there are priests who offer gifts according to the law, 5 who serve an upodeigmati (under-exhibit/under-example) and shadow of the heavenly things…according to the pattern [tupos: model, shape] shown [Moses] in the mount. … 9:23 It was necessary therefore for the upodeigmata/under-examples of the things in the heavens should be purified with these [the blood of animal sacrifices]; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these [the blood of Jesus].

The Book of Revelation in many places describes the heavenly sanctuary (naos), having priests, an altar of sacrifice, a golden altar of incense, a golden censer, seven lamps of fire, and “the ark of His covenant.” The original sanctuary with all of its priestly offices and ordinances are in heaven, and all of their earthly counterparts were made in the likeness thereof. So there were 24 Elders in the heavenly sanctuary during the time of David, therefore long before the time of Jesus. Now, whether or not these 24 Elders in David’s day will be the same ones that John foresaw at the end of the Church Age, the Scriptures do not tell us. What we are told is that there has been since ancient times a Melchizedek-level priesthood of men near to the Presence of God in heaven.