In John's vision he is now in heaven, standing before the throne upon which God---in the three persons of the Trinity---is seated. There are other thrones placed there, and upon them are seated twenty-four elders. Today we are going to talk about why these twenty-four elders most likely represent those who have been redeemed by their faith in the Lord.
John tells us, "Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads." (Revelation 4:4)
First of all, I think we can go ahead and disregard the theory that these are angels. Nowhere in the Scriptures are angels called "elders". They also are never promised white garments or crowns. These are crowns of victory, the type given to winners of athletic competitions, and angels are not promised victor's crowns because they have nothing to overcome. On top of all this, at no time are angels promised a seat with Christ in heaven. So I must agree with the Bible scholars who reject the idea that these elders are angelic beings.
In the Scriptures we always find Israel represented by the number twelve to symbolize her twelve tribes, so these elders don't represent Israel (although members of the nation of Israel are included in their number, as we'll see shortly). Using a number that is double than the number that usually symbolizes Israel indicates that these elders represent an even larger group of people than the nation of Israel. The theory I think fits best regarding the identity of these twenty-four elders is the theory that they represent the redeemed of all ages in history, from the beginning of man's sojourn on earth up until the time Christ calls the church out of the world. This includes the Lord's faithful people of Old Testament times on up til the rapture of the church. The twenty-four elders, seated on twenty four thrones around the throne of God, symbolize the entire body of believers.
These elders are seated, and this is important, for in the Apostle John's day a host would make certain that his most important guests had seats. You may recall from the gospel accounts that when Jesus taught at the house of a Pharisee there were so many people in attendance that most of the guests had to stand; there were even people standing in the doorways and around the windows to hear Him. But Jesus would have been seated while He taught. The other religious leaders and dignitaries present would have been seated. The Lord has honored these elders with seats in His house, and this means they are very important to Him.
They are so important to Him that they are seated close to His throne. If a person hosted a feast, he would place the guest of honor's chair beside his own chair. Everyone else at the feast would know that this person was the guest of honor. So we see that these twenty-four elders are guests of honor in the Lord's house.
Who has been promised seats of honor in heaven? The redeemed. "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6) To whom did Christ make the promise in Revelation 3:21 that they would sit with Him on His throne? To the redeemed, to those who have the victory through Christ over sin and death.
These elders are dressed in white, and that's another clue that they represent the redeemed. The color white in the Scriptures usually stands for holiness or cleanliness. Earlier in Revelation we saw Jesus dressed in white when He appeared to John. The priests wore white to symbolize the holy office they performed. We find white garments promised to the saints of the Lord. We find the bride of Christ wearing white. In Revelation 3 Jesus promised white garments to those who are faithful and victorious. Who else would be seated in heaven around the throne wearing white garments other than those who have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb?
Lastly, these elders are wearing crowns. To whom does the Lord promise crowns? To those whose lives have been redeemed from the pit. (Psalm 103:4) To those who are His people and who humble themselves before Him. (Psalm 149:4) To those who are righteous. (Proverbs 10:6) It is the redeemed who are promised a crown that will last forever. (1 Corinthians 9:25) A crown of righteousness is promised to those who belong to Christ. (2 Timothy 4:8) The crown of life is given to those who love Christ. (James 1:12) The crown of glory that will never fade away is bestowed upon those who belong to the Lord. (1 Peter 5:4) The victor's crown is issued to those who remain faithful and stand firm. (Revelation 2:10) These twenty-four elders are wearing crowns because their victory over sin and death was accomplished by faith in the One who shed His blood for them. Later in Chapter 4, the elders will take off their crowns and lay them at His feet to acknowledge that He alone deserves the glory for their victory.
We can't be 100% certain that the twenty-four elders represent the redeemed of every period of history, but I think there is good evidence for this. Whoever they are, they are going to acknowledge that they owe their seats of honor, their white garments, and their crowns to the Lord. They will recognize that they aren't worthy---on their own---to possess these great honors. So they will cast their crowns at the Lord's feet, declaring, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power."
To conclude our study, I'm including a link to a song below. This song goes perfectly with our passage of Scripture today.
Worthy Is The Lamb
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