And all around the throne were twenty-four thrones and on the thrones twenty-four elders were sitting, dressed in white garments with golden victory crowns on their heads. Rev. 4:4.
Through the centuries one of the major issues in Revelation 4 has had to do with the 24 elders in this and other passages. Who are they? Where did they come from? What is their role in the heavenly throne room? The 24 elders surround the throne of God, and each sits on a separate throne. They seem to be heavenly beings of some kind, but the book of Revelation never tells us who they are. Let's take a quick look at some of the evidence.
The book of Revelation has several crucial numbers: 3, 4, 7, and 12. The root numbers for the elder is the number 12. 12 + 12 = 24. This raises the possibility that the elders are somehow related to the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14. The number 144 consists of 12 x 12, while the number 24 is made up of 12 + 12 This combination returns in the description of the New Jerusalem with its 12 foundations and 12 gates. The 12 foundations are connected with the 12 apostles of the Lamb, while the 12 gates are associated with the 12 tribes of Israel.
One popular opinion about the 24 elders is that they are a group of angels. While this may make a certain amount of sense, it is unlikely. Nowhere in the Bible or in early Judaism do we ever find angels called elders. Besides that, nowhere do ancient writings depict them as sitting on thrones, and nowhere do they wear victory crowns (stephanos), as the 24 elders do. Throughout the time and place of the composition of Revelation these terms are always associated with God Himself or with the people of God.
An excellent possibility is that these elders are the heads of the Old Testament and New Testament people pf God. The description of the New Jerusalem might support this. If so, the 24 elders represent all God's believers throughout history, combining the roles of the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes. They represent humanity before God.
Does Revelation 4 imply that the elders are in the heavenly throne room before Jesus arrives there? But then, why not? As the preparation for the inaugural ceremony in heaven got under way, these representatives of humanity would be ushered to the throne room before the ceremony began. This way, envoys from the whole universe--including the human race--would be able to express their approval at the same time of Christ's enthronement.
The bottom line is this: Whoever these 24 elders are, they in some way exemplify humanity before God.
Lord, it is comforting to know that humanity is constantly represented before You. It helps me know that I can trust Your judgment in my case as well.
RSS Feed
