Day 88

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” Rev 4:4

Who are they? Where did they come from? What is their role in the heavenly throne room? The 24 elders are around 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 and they have never been mentioned before in scripture. Could they be those raised from the dead at the time of Jesus’ resurrection, as mentioned by Matthew in Matt27:51-53?

The book of Revelation has several crucial numbers: 3, 4, 7, and 12. The root number for the elders is the number twelve. 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 is made up of 12 x 12; 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.

These are not angels. Nowhere in the Bible or in early Judaism are angels ever called elders. Nowhere are they ever depicted as sitting on thrones, and nowhere do they wear victory (stephanos) crowns, as the 24 elders do. Throughout the time and place when Revelation was written, these terms are always associated with God Himself or with the people of God.

It would seem the 24 elders represent all God’s believers throughout history, combining the roles of the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes. Whoever these 24 elders are, they in some way represent humanity before God.