Revelation 4:4 Devotion

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”

(Revelation 4:4)

The identification of these beings is the subject of much debate. The number of them, twenty-four, certainly points us to the church in both testaments, the twelve tribes in the Old Testament and the twelve apostles in the New. Given their function before the throne, these elders are probably angelic beings who are the heavenly representatives of God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments. While the earlier vision in Revelation 1-3 viewed the church in light of its earthly struggles, this vision views the church in light of its heavenly identity. If the elders depicted here are indeed connected to the angels of the seven churches, this should remind us that the church on earth must find its true identity in heaven, where God and the Lamb are worshiped in Spirit and in truth. Therefore, what is done on earth in the churches must be conducted in the light of what is even now being done in heaven.

(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)