The 24-Elders

[Dennis1209]

The twenty-four elders are mentioned six times in Revelation; who are they? In Rev. 4:4, the first mention of these Elders is made, and these Elders suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in Heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. [emphasis added]

After this - after what? Directly after the future history of the churches spoken to by Jesus in chapters two and three. Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; Chapters one, two, and three covered the past and present in John's Day. Chapter four begins the future (hereafter) in the apostle John’s Day (as well as our own).

A door (dimension-gate-portal) was opened in Heaven, and John was commanded with the voice of a trumpet, come up hither. It sure resembles 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Rev. 4:1 begins the heavenly throne room scene, and I believe it symbolizes the church has just been raptured. The 24 seats (thrones) are already there, and now they are occupied with "people" having white raiment and crowns.

Revelation 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

SEATS ~ θρόνος thrónos, thron'-os (THRONES)

From θράω thráō (to sit); a stately seat ("throne"); by implication, power or (concretely) a potentate:—seat, throne. 

Where in the Bible do we see any created heavenly beings sitting down, much less on a throne? White raiment is promised to the churches in Rev. 3:5 that overcome. These seven churches are the church age written in advance.

Crowns of gold ~ Are promised to the churches in Rev. 3:11. The heavenly host is never spoken of as having any crowns or thrones. Crowns are reserved for those believers (church) who overcome and reward for service and dedication to Jesus.

According to the New Testament, believers can receive five heavenly crowns: the imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life. These crowns symbolize rewards for faithful endurance and righteousness. The imperishable crown signifies heavenly rewards that do not decay like earthly treasures. The crown of rejoicing represents joy and blessings in the presence of the Lord. The crown of righteousness is obtained through Christ's righteousness and love for His return. The crown of glory reflects God's splendor and believers entering His kingdom. The crown of life is promised to those who endure sufferings and remain faithful to Jesus, symbolizing eternal life and love for God.

Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

This is a "new song" of redemption; Jesus has now redeemed us, and we are in glorified bodies in Heaven. Jesus redeemed "us" by His blood, not the angels or the heavenly host. The angelic host does not comprise kindreds, tongues, peoples, or nations. Therefore, this represents humanity, those who trust and believe in the Lord.

Many believe the Book of Revelation is written in chronological order, the things that were, are, and will be (past-present-future) from the apostle John's time and perspective. Revelation chapters 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are parenthetical. Take those chapters out, and the Book of Revelation is in chronological order. The sudden appearance of these Elders precedes the slain Lamb of God, receiving the seven-sealed scroll, the beginning of judgment, and the Tribulation. So, these Elders in Heaven are pretribulation saints.

Some interpreters consider the 24 elders to represent God's people glorified: 12 patriarchs and 12 apostles = 24, signifying the union of God's people in the Old Testament and New Testament. John observes the 24 elders as having their crowns in this scene. We know from Luke 14:14 that the believers "will be repaid [crowned] at the resurrection of the righteous," and when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:4). The elders lay their crowns at Christ's feet (Revelation 4:10–11).

Others see the elders as heavenly counterparts of the earthly church. Still, other Bible students regard them, like the living creatures in the following verses, as a distinct class of heavenly beings rather than redeemed human beings because in the doxologies that follow they seem to be separate from, rather than a part of, the multitudes of redeemed saints. This latter view is thought to be least likely, as elders always represent humans everywhere else in the Bible.¹

¹ Halley, H. H. (2000). Halley's Bible handbook with the New International Version. (Completely rev. and expanded., p. 928). Zondervan Publishing House.

For proof of these 24 Elders clearly being one and the same as the Church, one only needs to look at the contextual evidence. Observe such things as:

• The Timing of the 24 Elders.
• The Location of the 24 Elders.
• The Crowns of the 24 Elders.
• The Title of the 24 Elders.
• The Number of the 24 Elders.
• The Position of the 24 Elders.
• The Distinction of the 24 Elders.
• The Redemption of the 24 Elders.
• The Clothing of the 24 Elders.1

Crone, Billy. The Seals: A Panoramic View of the First Half of the Seven Year Tribulation (p. 32). Get A Life Ministries. Kindle Edition. 

In short, these Elders are men. Angels are never mentioned as wearing or promised crowns in the Bible, but, men are (James 1:12; 2 Tim 4:8; Rev 2:10). Men are promised to be both kings and priests (Rev 5:10). I prefer this view as opposed to the alternate view.

We cannot say with certainty who the twenty-four elders are. They are variously understood as angelic beings, as the redeemed people of both the OT and NT, and as NT saints only. The fact that they are crowned and enthroned suggests that they are saints who have been judged and rewarded.¹¹ MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.; pp. 2361–2362). Thomas Nelson.

This "crown" is στέφᾰνος -ου, ὁ στέφω ⓐ crown, wreath, garland¹

¹ Montanari, F. (2015). In M. Goh & C. Schroeder (Eds.), The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek. Brill.

Comparable to wreaths awarded to competitors in Rome (as Paul witnessed) for winning the race, unto the end.

This is Daniel's foreview of the "Judgment Seat of Christ."

While the "Thrones" were placed (ready for those who should be found worthy to occupy them) they were as yet unoccupied. Their occupancy awaited the outcome of the Judgment. Now as the "Thrones" that John saw were occupied by crowned Elders. Then those Elders must have passed the "fiery test" of the Judgment of Reward (2. Cor. 5:10, 1. Cor. 3:11–15), and received their crowns. Those Crowns are five in number. The "Incorruptible Crown." 1. Cor. 9:25–27. The "Crown of Life." Rev. 2:10. The "Crown of Glory." 1. Pet. 5:2–4. The "Crown of Righteousness." 2. Tim. 4:8. The "Crown of Rejoicing." 1. Thess. 2:19–20.

That these "Elders" were REDEEMED MEN is further evidenced by the "Song" they sung.

And they sung a NEW SONG, Saying, Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the Seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast REDEEMED US TO GOD BY THY BLOOD, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God KINGS and PRIESTS; and we shall reign on the earth." Rev. 5:9–10.

Now this could not be said of angels, or any other created heavenly beings, for they have not been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, nor are they to be "Kings" and "Priests" on the earth. While the "Elders" sit on Thrones and wear Crowns, they are not dressed in royal robes but in "white raiment," the garment of a Priest. They are the members of a "ROYAL PRIESTHOOD." 1. Pet. 2:9. That the time has not yet come for them to reign is clear, for they are engaged in Priestly duties, having "Golden Vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints," in their hands. Rev. 5:8. These saints are not the saints of the Church, but the Jewish saints on earth during the "Tribulation Period," whose prayers are so beautifully prewritten in the Psalms.

That the "Elders" will be given the right of Judgment is clear. Writing to the Corinthians Paul says—"Do ye not know that the Saints shall JUDGE THE WORLD.… Know ye not that We shall JUDGE ANGELS." (The Fallen Angels.) 1. Cor. 6:2–3. The time when this right of Judgment is conferred on the "Elders" (Saints) is given by John as after the binding of Satan, and just before the Millennium—"I saw THRONES, and they (the First Resurrection Saints—THE ELDERS) sat upon them, and JUDGMENT was given unto them." Rev. 20:4.

The word "Elder" in the majority of places where it is used in the Scriptures means the representative head of a city, family, tribe or nation, so the "Four and Twenty Elders" are representative of the redeemed human race. But why 24 Elders? Twenty-four is the number of the Priestly Courses as given in 1. Chron. 24:1–19. When David distributed the Priests into "Courses" he found there were 24 Heads of the Priestly families, and these 24 Heads he made representative of the WHOLE PRIESTHOOD. As the "Elders" are representative of both the Old and New Testament Saints, and the Old Testament Saints are represented by the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and the New Testament Saints by the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, they together make up 24 representative characters. This distinction is clearly brought out in the description of the New Jerusalem, where the 12 Foundation Stones are named after the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, and the 12 Gates after the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Rev. 21:10–14.

While the Four and Twenty Elders are representative of the Old and New Testament Saints, they do not, as a whole, represent the Church, for the Church is composed only of New Testament Saints. The Old Testament saints are merely the Friends of the Bridegroom. But the fact that the New Testament Saints, as represented by the Twelve Apostles, are required to make up the 24 representative characters (Elders), is additional evidence that the Rapture of the Church takes place before the Tribulation.¹

¹ Larkin, Clarence. The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture. Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919. Print.

ALTERNATE VIEW

TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS ARE GATHERED AROUND THE THRONE (4:4)

In one sense, chapters 4 and 5 are built around a series of concentric circles of heavenly officials surrounding God's throne. The rainbow is "around" the throne, then the four living creatures, then the 24 elders surround the throne in 4:4, and finally the entire heavenly host encircle the throne in 5:11. This is the imperial court of God, rendering all human royalty paltry in comparison. The point for John's original audience is that God and not Caesar is worthy of worship.

There is debate over the identity of these elders. The key is their twofold description: "dressed in white," with "crowns of gold on their heads." Many believe these are human beings, probably the 12 tribes plus the 12 apostles (= the whole community of saints), because angels are not called elders and do not wear white or gold crowns in Revelation. Others believe these are indeed angelic figures, for in Psalm 89:27; 1 Kings 22:19, and Job 15:8, God sits in a council of angels. Angels are "thrones … authorities" in Colossians 1:16 and wear white in Matthew 28:3 and John 20:12. The gold crowns would then refer to their royal function under God. In short, the 24 elders/angels form the council of Heaven.

Moreover, there are no human figures in this throne room scene, and throughout the Book, the elders with the living creatures are the worship band of Heaven. In 5:8 the elders hold golden bowls with the prayers of the saints; in 7:13–14 they are angelic interpreters explaining the symbols; in 14:3 the 144,000 sing a "new song" before the living creatures and elders. The most likely option is that these are heavenly beings who reign with God and are part of the heavenly retinue standing before his throne. Wearing white means they share the purity and holiness of God, and the gold crowns indicate they play a ruling function in Heaven.

The number 24 would allude, then, to the 24 orders of the priesthood in 1 Chronicles 24:4–5 and signifies their priestly ministry in Heaven. They are the priests of Heaven: leaders of heavenly worship (4:10–11; 5:8), heavenly mediators and interpreters (7:13–14), and those who present the prayers of the saints to God (8:3–4). They serve God "day and night" (4:8) in Heaven. The elders are a ruling class of heavenly beings who encircle the throne and lead heavenly praise, thus exhibiting a priestly role.¹

¹ Osborne, G. R. (2016). Revelation: Verse by Verse (pp. 100–101). Lexham Press.

[Revelation Man]

On 6/2/2024 at 9:33 AM, Dennis1209 said:

That these "Elders" were REDEEMED MEN is further evidenced by the "Song" they sung.

And they sung a NEW SONG, Saying, Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the Seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast REDEEMED US TO GOD BY THY BLOOD, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God KINGS and PRIESTS; and we shall reign on the earth." Rev. 5:9–10.

Yes indeed my brother, I might add in another cross reference, in Rev . 1:6 and in Rev. 5:9-10 we see these men mentioned as being Kings and Priests unto God. In 1 Chronicles 24 we are given the 24 Orders of the Priesthood. I think the 24 Elders is a semi veiled reference unto the 24 Orders of the Priesthood, and its showing the raptured Church in heaven as being Kings and Priests unto God. 

I also think Rev. 4:4 has three reference points back to the church age, Rev. 2:10 CROWNS (along with Rev. 3:11) Rev. 3:5 (White Raiment/Robes) and Rev. 3:21 (we will sit on Thrones). Its very obvious God is telling us the Rapture of the church happens, which ends the Church Age (Rev. 2 & 3) in Rev. 4:1 and everything after this is the Hereafter (70th week on).

The problem is people have agendas and they get in the way of the facts.

 

[Stewardofthemystery]

Let us not forget that God choose “heads”over the 12 tribes of Israel and they were called “elders”.

And that these 12 tribes = 144,000 were already redeemed from the earth per the words of God.

Revelation 14:3

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, “which were redeemed from the earth.”