The first clue is found in the apparel worn by the elders. In this segment chuck missler discusses the 24 elders. The 24 elders in revelation what do the scriptures say. The book of revelation does not tell us distinctly who these 24 elders are, but in chapter 21 we learn about the 12 tribes of israel the names of the patriarchs and the twelve apostles. If the elders of revelation are angels, john would need to say so, since they are described in ways that never apply to angels elsewhere in scripture. Thomas ice pretrib research center and around the throne were twentyfour thrones. However, they are most likely representative of the. The last words of jesus featuring very special guests dr. They are angels of high order representing the unfallen worlds of gods vast creation. I dont have any real conviction on it, but i think it possible that the subject of the 24 elders relates to the 24 divisions of the priesthood, which came into existence in the days of zadok the priest. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
The twentyfour elders repeatedly worship the father see commentary on. The book of revelation is a most fascinating book, said kong hee, senior pastor of city harvest church as he began the much anticipated bible study series on revelations on wednesday, april 22. Now going back to johns vision of the throne room of god in revelation 4 and 5, the phrase sons of god was not used, but rather the four living creatures and the 24 elders were. The four beasts and twentyfour elders revelation 4. The end of the age his people who sleep in the dust will awake to everlasting life. I will be presenting my thoughts on who i believe the elders represent based on scripture mainly in the book of revelation. Friday, may 11, 2012 who are the 24 elders of revelation. Four living creatures understanding the book of revelation with afolabi dollars 6 over the years, ive come to discover that the best way to decode and understand the book of revelation is to interpret it systematically, otherwise wed been. Some theorize that the 24 elders could be comprised of the 12 sons of jacob, israel s tribal patriarchs, plus the 12 apostles, with the two groups representing gods old and new covenants.
It highlights a mysterious imagery of 24 elders surrounding the throne of god and. Four living creatures and 24 elders in revelation are not literal, find out why. This erroneous teaching comes from a mistranslation of revelation 5. They are angels representing the unfallen worlds worlds that never sinner and they constitute the council of heaven. Henry morris argued the rather unique view that the 24 elders are the 24 ancestors of christ, adam to pharez the revelation record. Four living creatures and 24 elders in revelation are not. In revelation 4, a door in heaven is opened, so that john can have a look at heaven. In revelation 5, however, the 24 elders new song is a testimony to their own redemption through the precious blood of christ, and while the angels cannot testify that they have been redeemed, they have nevertheless been witnesses to redemption. They also were not jews because jews had to be kings tribe of judah, line of david or priests tribe of levi, line of aaron and definitely not both. A suggestion that some scholars have made is that there seem to have been twentyfour courses of jewish priests in the first century. There are seven references in revelation to this group and what they are doing. In any event, i believe we all can agree that it is all quite fascinating and above a finite mind.
Can you tell me who or what the 24 elders in revelation represent. These saints are 24 elders seated in the throne room of god as john had seen. This depiction supports a pretrib rapture because from a chronological perspective of. I t is most important to realize that the book of revelation is purely spiritual symbolism and not prophecy at all. However this page is my attempt to bring together the scriptures that do speak of them and some thoughts on what the scriptures are saying in order to put the information before you so you can decide for yourself. Their identity is not given directly but much can be learned by the clues provided. In a nutshell, i dont believe the 24 elders in scripture can be definitively identified. The bible does not specifically provide the identity of these elders. The book of revelation makes several references to a group called the twentyfour elders rev 4. In the book of revelation the return of christ at the end of the seven last plagues, as described in the book of revelation. Divine council 24 elders k emilio revelation studies biblical patterning an interpretive tool to identify the twentyfour elders of revelation around the throne were twenty four thrones, and on the thrones i saw twentyfour elders sitting clothed in white robes and they had crowns of gold on their heads rev.
However, they are most likely representative of the church. The twentyfour elders of revelation listed by name. So the weight of biblical evidence falls on the likelihood that the 24 elders of revelation represent redeemed humanity. Study the bible online using commentary on revelation 4. In addition to this thesis that does well in surviving occams razor, the book of revelation provides sufficient evidence in interpreting. Yet the 24 elders of revelation have very specific features. First, they are not jews exclusively because they were redeemed from every nation and tongue. He wrote, around the throne were twentyfour thrones, and on the thrones i saw twentyfour elders sitting, clothed in white robes. The 24 elders in the book of revelation are not redeemed human beings. There are some who falsely claim that the 24 elders are taken from saved mortals. During my study of the book of revelation, i decided to dig deeper into the identity of the 24 elders that are first introduced to john in revelation 4. What one believes regarding the identity of the 24 elders would shape what and how they believe regarding the rapture not at all, pre, mid, post and more importantly what they believe regarding the book of revelation.
Around the throne were twentyfour thrones, and seated on the thrones were twentyfour elders, clothed in white garments. The 24 divisions or orders are described in 1chronicles 24. One of the 24 elders is called upon, instead of an angel that normally explains things in revelation, because they are the only ones within gods throneroom. So, the 24 elders of the bible book of revelation, are there as representative of the entire group of the 144,000 corulers, who will rule with jesus as kings and priests, for the 1,000 years, in jehovah gods heavenly kingdom. The reference to the 24 elders in the book of revelation can be first found in revelation 4. The book of revelation describes a group of people known as the twentyfour elders, who surround the throne of god in heaven and who sing his praises. Please explain the twentyfour elders standing around the throne of god. Who are the 24 elders mentioned in the book of revelation.
Those who do evil are thrown into the furnace of fire. The 24 elders first appear in revelation 4 and are described as sitting around the throne in heaven. However, some information is provided that allows us to rule out some possibilities and consider a few options. Revelation of the 24 elders part 1 by leo tavares the book of revelation, the last book of the bible, is the most mathematical book of the bible at its surface text.
Please subscribe for the entire bible study of revelation. Since the 24 elders of revelation represent the church in heaven, this means that the churchthe body of christ and his brideis complete, since she has received her rewards i. Most of the book of revelation, often contrary to popular belief, actually deals. Twentyfour elders appear in the book of revelation 4. Rather, it is a book of mystical teaching, relating especially to the esoteric experiences of the evolving consciousness. It is the view of this author that the 24 elders described in revelation 4 and 5 are not the raptured human church, as many teach, but that the 24 elders are nonhuman, heavenly beings who serve as counterparts to human overcomers.
The explanation that follows fails to answer the question, merely explaining that the 144000 are brought from mankind, while the 24 elders are the same group viewed in heaven. There are three clues that the bible gives about the identity of the elders. On the one hand he says they do not represent the church, but in the same sentence affirms the false idea that this proves the rapture occurs before the tribulation. This is in contrast to the traditional view within christianity which says that the 24 elders are the redeemed people, representatives of the church on earth, and not angels. Marla ilona subject 24 elders of book of bible book of revelation descriptionanswers the question who are the 24 elders of revelation. I dont know that anyone can tell you with certainty exactly what or who the 24 elders represent, but i will try to give you a reasonable explanation of them. Ford identified the 24 as the great men of the faith listed in sirach 4449, although few have been persuaded by her argument. In his commentary on the book of revelation larkin states the the 24 elders are the 12 sons of israel and the 12 apostles. The twentyfour 24 elders in revelation who are they. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels.
It talks about the ongoing battle between the kingdom of god and the kingdom of darkness. The whole priesthood of old was represented by 24 elders 1chr. Alternatively the 24 elders may refer to the dualistic 24 celestial archetypes that are divided into two as 12 and 12 archetypes each sharing each others respective dual quarters of an archetype element, shared in pairs of two. This list is simply the combination of the hebrew patriarchs rev. The 24 elders are mentioned five times in the book of revelation as follows. The controversy over the 24 elders jon pauliens blog. The revelation climax book tries to cover this with the question why is it that these overcomers yuchh.