24 Elders In Heaven Before Christ?
Apr 27, 2006 · Posted in Emails, ResurrectionHello,
I have been trying to figure out who are the 24 elders and I came to your article. You make some good points but something doesn’t add up for me. If the 24 elders are the firstfruits that were redeemed when the Messiah resurrected, then why are they mentioned in Revelation chapter 4 and the Lamb that was slain isn’t mentioned until Revelation chapter 5. I don’t know, maybe I’m just nitpicking Thank you for your time,
May YHWH bless you and keep you,
Levi
Well, the more disturbing part for me is not the chapter separation but the fact that at first no one was found worthy to open the scroll, then suddenly a slain lamb is found worthy. Is this to denote a time gap or is it just to emphasize the importance of Jesus’ sinless and sacrificial life ? If so, then that means the 24 elders are present chronologically before Christ and my theory about them rising together after the Jesus’ resurrection cannot be right. But it’s hard to say that Revelation 5 intends that meaning for sure.
However, when Paul talks about everyone falling in one of three resurrections and that the first one Christ was in included “firstfruits” (plural), that’s to me is much clearer and would point to Messiah and the firstfruits with him coming together:
1 Corinthians 15:22-24 (HCSB) — 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: [#1 - 1st century] Christ, the firstfruits; [#2 - post trib] afterward, at His coming, the people of Christ. 24 [#3 - post mil] Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power.
I have to go with what the clearest scriptures say when a less clear passage could be taken to have a contradictory meaning.
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