Who are the 24 Elders?

Heather R · 2021-03-29T08:46:13Z

Hi all :bye: These questions were asked on another post, but I thought it made more sense to make a new post with this info. Honestly, I find this concept really neat to explore. I kinda find all the concepts neat the explore, though :unsure: :whistle: Question: did you say or did you not say who the 24 elders are? The popular view out there is they probably represent the 12 sons of Jacob and 12 Disciples/(Apostles). Or will the 24 elders all be Church Saints only? I like popular concepts, but only if they're also correct lol. In this case, the explanation to who the elders are is given in a few different spots. One of the things about Revelation is that it's a book of prophecy. Where are prophecies typically kept? In the Old Testament. The exception to that would be the Gospels and the two mysteries that Paul told us about. However, the OT prophesied that Gentiles would be in the Millennial Kingdom. Paul just explains how they get there re: the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 2-3) and the rapture of the church (I Thess 4, I Cor 15) which is the facilitation of Zechariah 14's prophecy of Jesus returning WITH all His saints. Outside of those things, all your prophecy that isn't in Revelation is going to be in the OT. The NT might provide more explanation about it, but you'll find the concepts originate in the OT. Revelation is the same; it's going to expound upon concepts from the OT and use the NT, where necessary, to further explain the concepts. Having said that, where do we see a group of 24 people in the OT? In I Chronicles 24. I Chronicles 24:1 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office. 3 And David distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service. 4 And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers. The number 24 relates to the priesthood established by David in the OT. That concept translates to the book of Revelation, but it does not regard the OT priesthood. There are two points of evidence in Revelation 4 which allow us to understand this. The first pertains to John seeing God sitting on the throne who is to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone. Those are also OT references, as the jasper, sardine, and emerald from Rev 4:3 all relate to stones found in the breastplate of the high priest. The jasper is the last. The sardius is the first. In Revelation 1, we were introduced to God as the Alpha and Omega. The visual representation that John sees of that is the first and last stones in the breastplate, representing the God of the "first and last" tribes of Israel, and necessarily everyone else in between. However, the order is reversed. Why so? Because the last shall be first and the first shall be last. The first group to which the Kingdom was offered rejected it. Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Enter the dispensation of the grace of God where Gentiles are invited to partake of heavenly promises through faith in Christ. The second group to which the Kingdom has been offered will get to it first, and this will occur while the Kingdom is still in heaven. Thus, we must be changed before we get to it, because I Cor 15:50 tells us flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Thus, in Revelation 4:3, you see the reverse order of the jasper and sardine stone, representing the last being first and the first being last. This points us to a redemption of the second group of people the Kingdom was offered to... the grafting in of the wild branches who were adopted into God's family and also called His sons. Further evidence that this imagery regards us and not Israel is found with the rainbow round about the throne in sight like unto an emerald. The emerald is the fourth stone in the breastplate, and it represents the tribe of Judah. This piece if imagery is vital to understanding the group of elders that Revelation 4 next shows are NOT an OT priesthood, but a NT priesthood. The Levitical priesthood established in the OT no longer exists. It will never exist again. Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should ri...

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You are most welcome!

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