Who are the twenty four elders of Revelation?

[hobie]

We see several text of the twenty four elders in scripture..
Revelation 4:10-11
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, 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.

Revelation 5:8-9
8 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. 9 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 to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

So what do these twenty four elders mean and where do they come from. The Levitical priesthood was divided into twenty-four courses and it was there at the time of Jesus. We see its continuance in Zacharias in Luke 1:5-9, when the angel came to tell him while he was in the temple that he would have a son, who was John the Baptist.
Luke 1:5-9
"5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord."

John in Revelation, saw four and twenty elders seated upon four and twenty seats, and they worshiped the Lamb, saying, 'Thou hast redeemed us 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.'

Revelation 4:4
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.

Revelation 5:8-10
8 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.
9 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 to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

In this we see the antitype of the twenty-four courses of priests. The chiefs, or elders, of each course have seats of honor, and they are kings and priests after the order of Melchizedek. Now we see the following in Matthew 27:50-53..
Matthew 27:50-53
"50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

We see in Matthew the first fruits of those who rise from the dead after the resurrection of Christ, do they constitute the four and twenty elders? We see in Ephesians a clue: Ephesians 4:8 'Wherefore he saith, When he [Christ] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.' The marginal reading is, he led a 'multitude of captives.' Is there a answer hidden in plain sight?

 

[jswauto]

The 24 elders in Revelation are not explicitly identified in Scripture. But the strongest, text‑anchored interpretation — and the one that best fits your instinct — is:

They represent the completed people of God: 12 patriarchs (Israel) + 12 apostles (the Church).

That’s the canonical reading. But let me walk you through the breakdown so you can drop this straight into your Christian mind.

The Three Serious Interpretations (Ranked by Scriptural Strength)​

1. The 24 Elders = The 12 Tribes + The 12 Apostles (Most likely)​

This view fits:

• Revelation’s own structure (Rev 21:12–14 literally pairs 12 tribes + 12 apostles as the foundation of the New Jerusalem).
• Their crowns (Greek stephanos = victor’s crown, always used of redeemed humans).
• Their song (“You redeemed us by Your blood” — textual variant, but early manuscripts support it).
• Their thrones (Jesus promised thrones to His apostles in Matt 19:28).
• Their priestly identity (“kings and priests” — language used of redeemed believers).

This interpretation sees the elders as symbolic representatives of the whole redeemed people of God across both covenants — not necessarily the literal individuals, but the office they represent.

This is why the instinct is right: 12 Israel + 12 Apostles = 24 It’s the only number in Scripture that naturally yields 24 in a redemptive-historical way.

2. The 24 Elders = The Heavenly Priestly Order (Levitical 24 Courses)​

This is the view the CH thread you’re reading is arguing.
It’s not wrong — it’s actually very insightful — but it’s typological, not literal.
Why it has weight:

• David divided the priesthood into 24 courses (1 Chr 24).
• John sees heavenly liturgy mirroring earthly liturgy.
• The elders hold harps and bowls of incense (priestly imagery).
• Revelation is full of temple symbolism.

This view says:

The 24 elders are the heavenly “chief priests” of the redeemed order — the antitype of the 24 earthly priestly divisions.

This is elegant, but it doesn’t explain:

• why they wear victor’s crowns
• why they sing of being redeemed
• why they sit on thrones
• why they appear before the resurrection of the saints in Rev 20

So it’s a strong symbolic layer, but not the primary identity.

3. The 24 Elders = The Firstfruits Raised in Matthew 27 (Least likely)​

This is a leaning view in the discussions.
It tries to connect:

• Matthew 27:52–53 (saints raised at Christ’s resurrection)
• Ephesians 4:8 (“He led captivity captive”)
• Revelation 4–5 (elders already in heaven)

The idea is:

The resurrected saints ascended with Christ and became the 24 elders.

The problem is:

• Matthew never says 24 were raised.
• Revelation never says the elders were resurrected humans.
• The elders appear symbolic, not biographical.
• The timing doesn’t require resurrected saints to be enthroned before Rev 4.

It’s creative, but it’s not text-driven.

The Textual Profile of the 24 Elders (What Revelation Actually Shows)​

1. They sit on thrones​

Only promised to redeemed humans (Rev 3:21; Matt 19:28).

2. They wear white garments​

Always the clothing of the redeemed (Rev 3:5; 7:9).

3. They wear golden crowns (stephanoi)​

Never used of angels. Always used of believers.

4. They sing of redemption​

Depending on manuscript:

• “You redeemed us by Your blood” (majority text)
• “You redeemed people by Your blood” (Alexandrian text)

Either way — they are connected to redemption.

5. They act as priests​

They hold bowls of incense = prayers of the saints.

6. They appear before the judgments begin​

Meaning they are already enthroned when the Lamb takes the scroll.
This profile fits redeemed humanity, not angels.

So who are they?​

The best synthesis:​

The 24 elders are the heavenly representatives of the redeemed people of God — the 12 tribes (Old Covenant) + the 12 apostles (New Covenant).

They are not necessarily the literal patriarchs and apostles sitting there already — but they represent the completed covenant people.
Just like:

• The 12 gates = 12 tribes
• The 12 foundations = 12 apostles
• The 24 elders = the unified redeemed community

This is the only interpretation that:

• fits the number
• fits the crowns
• fits the thrones
• fits the priestly imagery
• fits the redemption language
• fits Revelation’s own symbolic architecture

Short Summary​

Scripture never names the 24 elders directly, but the strongest interpretation is:

They represent the completed people of God — 12 tribes of Israel + 12 apostles of the Lamb.