24 Elders of Revelation 4 and 5 by Thomson W
24 Elders of Revelation 4 and 5
by Thomson W, Student in theology
The study on the 24 elders from Revelation chapters 4 and 5 has various interpretations as to who are these 24 elders? Where they are from? Are they the saints redeemed from earth at the resurrection of Christ? Is it a literal or symbolic number? There could be many possible explanations on this subject of 24 Elders, however this Article will seek best to analyze what could be a better interpretation of this subject. This Article will mainly address the following questions
1. Is it a literal or symbolic number?
2. Are they saints redeemed from the Earth at Christ’s resurrection?
3. Are they the representatives of the unfallen worlds?
Literal or symbolic number?
The book of Revelation itself is a highly symbolic
book. Revelation chapter 4 begins with a symbolic description of the holy God,
most likely to be God the Father (Rev 4:3). The details presented in portrayal
of God the Father is agreed to be symbolic by many scholars in present Christendom,
for example the text which says “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a
sardine stone” (Rev 4:3). Now consider this, God does not have a literal
appearance of a stone but John here symbolically compares the magnificent
glorious and holy appearance of God, trying to explain the unexplainable
appearance of ” Most Holy God” in human terms.
Revelation chapter 4 not only presents the mysterious 24 elders but also 4 living creatures present before the throne of God. Consider the living creatures present before the throne of God. They are portrayed to have six wings, and also have faces of lion, calf, man and of an eagle (Rev 4:7-8). These 4 living creatures are paralleled with what is seen by Isaiah the Prophet (Rev 6:1-3). These are the ‘Seraphims’ says the Prophet Isaiah, and they are in the very presence of God. Now it is clear that God is being ministered by numerous number of angels and not just 4, "And ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him" (Dan 7:10). And Jude also writes: "behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints "(Jude 1:14). Ezekiel, in chapters 1 and 10, gives similar descriptions of these beings but he only calls them cherubim. Hence the number 4 cannot be a literal number. These four beasts are associated with the tribes of Israel which were divided into four groups with one of the tribes leading each group:
| Beast | Meaning | Lead tribe | Location |
| Lion | Strength | Judah | East |
| Calf/Ox | Service | Ephraim | West |
| Man | Intelligence | Reuben | South |
| Eagle | Swiftness | Dan | North |
Hence forth even the number 24 should not be interpreted as a literal number, rather a symbolic number.
Are They the Saints Redeemed from the Earth at
Christ’s Resurrection?
A very common interpretation is that the 24 elders are the people or some of the people who were resurrected after Jesus (Mat 27:52-53) and were taken to heaven with Him. So far, this is the most possible explanation, and the following passage is used in support of it:
“And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before
the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours,
which are the prayers of saints. 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 5:8-10)
Notice that as the 24 elders (along
with the four beasts) are singing, they say they have been made "kings and
priests." Earlier in Revelation, John includes himself among a group who
have been washed from their sins and made to be kings and priests. “And washed us from our sins in his
own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his
Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:5-6).
However, as
commonly accepted as this interpretation is, there are some difficulties with
it. It reads that both the four beasts and the 24 elders are singing the song
and it would seem strange that both of these groups would be equivalent to
those raised with Jesus as they are so often mentioned as two groups separate
from each other. It is hard to imagine the description of the four beasts “full
of eyes before and behind… six wings” (Rev 4:6-8) as applying to people that
Jesus took with Him to heaven.
It turns out
that there is also a translation issue here in the King James Version that is
corrected in most modern versions. As good as the KJV is, it is not without its
own challenges. Some of the
phrases in Rev 5:9-10 would be more accurately translated. Here are some
examples of different versions using the more correct third person pronouns:
King James Modern Translations Versions hast redeemed us has redeemed men (v9) BBE hast made us hast made them (v10) ASV we shall reign they will reign (v10) NIV
These
resurrected saints could have not made their way into heaven while their
Saviour Himself did not make His
way into heaven as mediator between God and man. Notice what Paul writes about Christ leading
a multitude of captives into heaven: “When he ascended up on high, He led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Eph 4:8). It
is not until Christ ascended into heaven that the saints from earth entered the
heavenly court. Hence these 24 elders cannot be the saints that are redeemed
from the earth at the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Even in the
writings of Ellen White we see it clear that the saints were with Christ and
were presented to God the Father only after Christ’s ascension into heaven
after 40 days: “He enters into the presence of His Father…. He presents to God
the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great
multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming” (DA 834.2).
Hence with all the interpretation presented above, it is clear that the 24 elders present in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 cannot be the saints that are redeemed from the earth at Christ’s
resurrection.
Are They
the Representatives of the Unfallen Worlds?
Then what possible interpretation could be of who
these 24 elders are? It is clear that these 24 elders are not the people or some of the people who were resurrected
after Jesus. Could these be the
sons of God mentioned in the book of Job? “Now
there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the
Lord” (Job 1:6). This interesting
incident takes place in heaven itself as
in Job chapter 1 there seems to be a heavenly council, in which the sons of God
came to present themselves before God.
Who are these sons of God? These beings cannot be the angels because nowhere in the scriptures are the angels
being called as sons of God. “When the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job
38:7). It seems that these
sons of God were present even before this
earth was created and the morning stars mentioned in this text could be a reference made to the angels. Hence this Bible passage is most likely
making a reference about beings from other worlds who are present at this council.
The Bible is clear that God created not only this earth
but also the other worlds. The author
of the book of Hebrews writes: “Whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by
whom also he made the worlds” (Heb 1:2). Notice He writes ‘the worlds’ in a plural form and also
elsewhere in the same book:” Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God” (Heb 11:3). Then the possible interpretation could
be that these 24 elders are the Sons of God from the ‘unfallen worlds’.
Here is what Ellen White writes about the throne
room mentioned in Revelation chapters
4 and 5: “Here is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise…. the sons
of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled. The heavenly
council before which Lucifer had accused God and His Son, the representatives
of those sinless realms. (DA 834.1). She
states that the Elders
present here are the representatives of the unfallen worlds.
Hence, with the proper analysation on this
subject of 24 Elders, it is safe to
conclude that these mysterious 24 Elders are the ‘Sons of God’, “the
representatives of the unfallen worlds”.
©Copyright 2020 All rights reserved by Journal of Theological Studies Online
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire