Revelation 4:4 “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” [1]
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3. The
Twenty-Four Elders (Revelation 4:4).[2] |
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VISION
TWO, Revelation 4:1–16:21 Chapter 4 III. The Picture of Things Hereafter, Revelation 4:1–5:14 A. The
Throne of God: The Focal Point of History, Revelation 4:1–11 |
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1. John
was given the vision a. He saw an open
door in heaven b. He heard a
commanding voice c. He was called to
“Come up here”: To see things that must take place |
After
this I looked, and, behold, a door was
opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up
hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. |
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d. He was in the Spirit
e. He saw the
astounding sight of God sitting upon His throne |
2 And
immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and
one sat on the throne. |
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2. The
One on the Throne a. His position: He
was sitting as the sovereign Majesty of the universe b. His description:
Indescribable |
3 And
he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the
throne, in sight like unto an emerald. |
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3. The
24 Elders a. Were
seated upon thrones that surround God’s throne b. Were
clothed in white c. Wore
crowns of gold |
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon
the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and
they had on their heads crowns of gold. |
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4. The
majesty of God a. There was
lightning & rumblings of thunder b. There were seven
blazing lamps: The seven spirits of God |
5 And
out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. |
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c. There was a sea
of glass, like crystal 5. The
four living creatures surrounding the throne a. Their position:
They are the beings closest to God, guardians of His throne &
holy presence b. Their
description |
6 And
before the throne there was a sea
of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about
the throne, were four beasts full
of eyes before and behind. 7 And
the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the
third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8 And
the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full
of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. |
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c. Their function:
To glorify & honor God |
9 And
when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the
throne, who liveth for ever and ever, |
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6. The
function of the elders who surround the throne a. To show total
submission & subordination b. To worship the
Lord c. To show the
supreme worthiness of the Lord |
10 The
four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and
worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the
throne, saying, |
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d. To praise the
Lord |
11 Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. [3] |
2.
The Church in the Place (Revelation 4:4)
• The scene at the throne. “Out of the throne proceeded lightnings and
thunderings and voices” (Revelation 4:5).
This was all “the precursors of coming judgment” (Scott).
• The Spirit before the throne. “Seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation
4:5). We noted in Revelation 1:4 this
reference to the Holy Spirit as “seven
Spirits.” The Holy Spirit is but One, but the seven speaks of the fullness
and completeness of His ministry. He will be involved in the Divine judgment
work.
• The sea before the throne. “Before the throne, there was a sea of glass like unto crystal” (Revelation 4:6). The transparency and truthfulness of Divine government are seen in this sea of glass-like crystal. It reflects the glory of the Lord.
“And
round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw
four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their
heads crowns of gold” (Revelation
4:4). Around the throne were twenty-four seats upon which sat
twenty-four elders. We note five things pertaining to these twenty-four and
their seats.
• The chairs. “Seats.” The word translated “seats” is the same word earlier
translated “throne.” These would obviously be lesser seats but would be places
of honor in heaven. Unlike the earth, God’s people sit in high places of honor
in heaven.
• The chiefs. “Elders.” These are representatives of
the church, for later Scripture identifies them as the redeemed. “The … four and twenty elders … sung a new
song … thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation
5:8, 9).
• The count. “Twenty-four.” Why twenty-four? In
answer, Strauss quoting Ironside said, “There are twelve patriarchs in Israel,
and twelve apostles introducing the new dispensation. The two together would
give us the complete four and twenty.” The twenty-four represent all the redeemed—“every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation” (Revelation 5:9).
• The clothing. “Clothed in white raiment.” Revelation 19:8 speaks of this group as “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for
the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.”
• The crowns. “They had on their heads crowns of gold.” In the epistles we learned of various crowns given to the believers for their faithfulness and service. These crowns represent rewards and honor for the redeemed.[4]
3 (Revelation 4:4) Elders
of Revelation: there is the sight of twenty-four elders sitting around
the throne of God. Note what is said about the elders.
1. They
are seated upon thrones that surround God’s throne. This shows that they …
• are near God, being honored with His
presence
• are resting in
God, being fulfilled, complete, and satisfied
• are enthroned
with God, that is, they are given a permanent place in His presence forever and
ever
2. They
are clothed in white. This means that they are clothed in the purity and
holiness of God and of Christ. There is no imperfection in them at all (Re. 3:18–20).
3. They have crowns of gold on their heads. This means that they hold positions of authority; that they are given some duty and responsibility to oversee for God; that they serve God by overseeing some rule and domain; and that others serve under them. Simply stated, they rule and reign for God, serving Him by managing some vast rule and domain of the universe.
DEEPER
STUDY # 1
(Revelation 4:4) Elders of Revelation: Who are the elders of revelation? Note three points.
1.
Opinions Vary And They Differ Drastically. When all the views are considered, the strongest
arguments boil down to three major thoughts.
a. They are thought to be the twelve patriarchs
and the twelve apostles combined—the heads of the believers, of the church of
both the Old and New Testament. That is, they are thought to be the heads and
representatives of all the believers of both the Old and New Testament. The
reasons for holding this position are as follows:
⇒ The
patriarchs’ names are on the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem and the apostles’
names are on the foundations (Re. 21:12, 14).
⇒ A
strong argument for this position is their song which proclaims that the Lamb
“has redeemed us to God.” They call themselves redeemed ones (Re. 5:9, Textus, Receptus, the Greek text used for
the KJV. However, this is disputed.)
⇒ They
are numbered and crowned, whereas spirits and angels are never specifically
numbered or crowned in Scripture.
⇒ Everything
about the elders is said to be a promise to believers: the thrones, the white
clothing, and the crowns.
b. They are thought to be angelic beings, a
council of angelic beings surrounding God (1 K.
22:19; Ps. 89:7; Is. 24:23). The reasons for holding this position are
as follows:
⇒ The
angels are said to be organized in special ranks or orders. The various ranks
are bound to have leaders or elders responsible for overseeing each of the
ranks (Ro. 8:38; Ep. 3:10; Col. 1:16).
Angels are clothed in white (Mt. 28:3; Mk. 16:5;
Jn. 20:12; Ac. 1:10).
⇒ Thrones
are ascribed to angelic beings, and it is assumed that if thrones are, then
angels must be wearing crowns, at least some higher-ranking angels must be.
However, crowns are never said to be worn by angels (Ro.
8:38; Ep. 3:10; Col. 1:16). The angels are related more to the four
living creatures and their function—the function of surrounding the throne of
God and of worshipping and serving Him—than are the redeemed saints. The
picture of the elders is always associated with the four living creatures (Re. 5:8; 8:3; 7:9–11, 13–14; 11:16–18; 14:1–3; 19:1–4).
⇒ A
council of angelic beings are said to surround the throne of God in the Old
Testament (Ps. 89:7; Is. 24:23; 1 K. 22:19).
⇒ Angels
are more likely to offer up the prayers of believers to God than some elder
believers from among the saints of God (Re. 5:8).
⇒ An
angel is more likely to reveal future events to John during his vision than is
an elder believer. This happens later on in the vision of John (Re. 7:13–14).
⇒ Twenty-four
angels are more likely to serve as the counterpart to the elders of Israel (Ex. 24:11).
⇒ Twenty-four
angels are more likely to serve as the counterpart of twenty-four orders of
priests than are believers. The earthly pattern of heavenly things is more
likely to be a pattern of angels than of believers (1
Chr. 24).
⇒ The
visions of the beings surrounding the throne of God is this: there is the great
innumerable multitude of believers, then the angels, then the elders, and then
the four living creatures. The point is that the elders are listed with angelic
beings in contrast to the redeemed (Re. 7:9–11;
19:1–4).
c. In the Old Testament there were thousands of
priests. Of course, they all could not come together at the same time to serve
in the temple. Thus King David, divided the priests into twenty-four groups,
each group to serve two weeks at a time (1 Chr. 24).
One thing needs to be noted. When the twenty-four priests met in the temple
precincts to serve their two-week ministry, the whole priestly house was
represented. Therefore, the elders in heaven are said to be the symbolic
representatives of all the redeemed of
the Lord.
⇒ The
crowns and white robes are promised to the faithful (Re.
2:10; 3:4).
⇒ The thrones of authority and responsibility are promised to the disciples (Mt. 19:27–30).
2. All The Scriptures That Mention The Elders Are
These.
a. The elders sit on thrones surrounding the
throne of God.
“And round about the throne were four
and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,
clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold” (Re. 4:4).
“And they sung as it were a new song
before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could
learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were
redeemed from the earth” (Re. 14:3).
“And the four and twenty elders and the
four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen;
Alleluia” (Re. 19:4).
b. The elders cast their crowns before the
throne of God.
“The four and twenty elders fall down
before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and
ever, and cast their crowns before the throne” (Re.
4:10).
c. The elders worship God.
“And when those beasts give glory and
honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and
worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the
throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created” (Re. 4:9–11).
“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 [Greek,
men] 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. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Re.
5:8–11).
“And the four beasts said, Amen. And
the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever
and ever” (Re. 5:14).
“And all the angels stood round about
the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the
throne on their faces, and worshipped God” (Re.
7:11).
“And the four and twenty elders, which
sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God” (Re. 11:16).
“And they sung as it were a new song
before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could
learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were
redeemed from the earth” (Re. 14:3).
“And the four and twenty elders and the
four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen;
Alleluia” (Re. 19:4).
d. One elder encourages John when he weeps.
“And one of the elders saith unto me,
Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Re. 5:5).
e. One elder brings the progress of saints to
God.
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of
the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (Re.
5:6).
f. One elder explains part of the vision to
John.
“And one of the elders saith unto me,
Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Re. 5:5).
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Re. 7:13–14).
3. Note
Two Significant Points.
a. The elders are mentioned right along with
God, Christ, the living creatures, angels, and with the redeemed believers who
are already in heaven. They are set apart or distinct and different from each
of these. Therefore, if the elders are angels as some believe, they are the
leaders or elders of the angels. If they are believers, then they must be
leaders or elders from among believers.
b. John nowhere says
who the elders are. He only speaks of them as part of the vast array of
heavenly beings who worship and serve our God and His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
(Remember: the purpose of The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible® is to present only what the Scripture says, not to give personal opinions. The beat of our heart is to be true to the Word of God and to let the Word speak for itself. This we do to the best of our ability. We leave the declarations of denominational and theological positions up to the individual minister of God and to those who feel called to make such declarations. Our call with The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible® is only to outline the Scripture and to develop the points of the outline to the best of our ability. Our prayer is that this approach will help you to get into the Word of God more and more and help you to expound the Word more and more to God’s dear people.) [5]
“Twenty-four thrones surrounded him,
and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold
crowns on their heads.” Revelation 4:4 NLT
Surrounding
God’s throne were twenty-four thrones
with twenty-four elders sitting on
them. These elders fell before God in worship (Revelation 5:14; 11:16; 19:4), continually
praising him (Revelation 4:11;
5:9–10; 11:17–18; 19:4). One of them served as a spokesman (Revelation 5:5; 7:13).
The elders joined with the four living creatures to present the prayers of the
saints to God (Revelation
5:8).
John did not identify these
twenty-four elders. Evidently, the worship they were providing was more
significant than who they were. Scholars have proposed several possibilities
for the identity of these twenty-four elders:
• Because there were twelve tribes of Israel
in the Old Testament and twelve apostles in the New Testament, the twenty-four
elders (twelve plus twelve) in this vision represent all the redeemed of God
for all time (both before and after Christ’s death and resurrection). They
symbolize all those—both Jews and Gentiles—who are now part of God’s family.
The twenty-four elders show us that all
the redeemed of the Lord are worshiping him.
• The twenty-four
elders are the heavenly counterpart of the twenty-four priestly ranks who
served the temple (1 Chronicles 23:6; 24:7–18).
• Most likely, the elders are an angelic
group providing this worship, and the reference to twenty-four remains
speculative. Their continuous praise supports this view and the fact that they
serve with, but are distinguished from, the four living creatures (Revelation 4:11; 5:9–10;
11:17–18; 19:4). The twenty-four elders are beings who live in heaven
and worship God at his throne (Revelation 14:3). Though they are crowned and dressed in white,
they clearly do not represent the church. These leaders sing of human
believers, not about themselves (Revelation 5:9). In view of their actions, such as worshiping and
offering bowls of incense, they seem to be a special order of angels.
God …
is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible.
The Scots Confession [6]
Revelation 4:4 "Twenty-four smaller thrones surrounded His, with twenty-four Elders sitting on them; all were clothed in white, with golden crowns upon their heads."
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[1] The
New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[4] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical
Bible Expositor: Revelation.
Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[5] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
[6] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible
Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
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