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...And
when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls
full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 4:4, 8
John has a vision
of heaven and sees twenty-four elders on thrones with crowns of gold on their
head. These are highly respected
individuals who received commendation for what they did in life.
The twenty-four elders could be:
·
The leaders/sons of
the 12 tribes + 12 apostles
·
24 special
humans/pastors who did noteworthy things, the V.I.P. section
·
24 angels
·
24 divisions of
Israelite priesthood (1 Chronicles 24)
·
A figurative
representation of all people or all leaders – Old and New Testament believers
represented by the witness of these twelve tribes and twelve apostles.
The Greek word for
elder is presbus which means elderly,
senior, older in reference to a person.
Elders are found
starting in Numbers and Leviticus as wise, respected men who made important
decisions. The Holy Spirit rested on
them and they prophesied. Elders appear
throughout the OT as trusted leaders and into the NT as leaders of the church.
The twenty-four
elders could represent the respected leaders from the OT and NT who have gone
before us. They represent respected
human authority who praises God from a respected place of honor.