Verse 4 says, “And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” The elders in this verse are not the elders of the church, but the elders of the angels, because here, before the Lord’s second coming, they are sitting on thrones already (cf. Matt. 19:28; Rev. 20:4). In God’s creation, angels are the most ancient ones. In the Bible there are different types of elders: the elders of the Israelites, the elders of the churches, and, as here, the elders of the angels. The elders of the angels are the elders of the whole creation of God. That they sit on thrones with golden crowns on their heads indicates that they must be the rulers of the universe until the millennial kingdom, when the authority to rule the earth will be given to the overcoming saints (Heb. 2:5-9; Rev. 2:26-27; 20:4). The white garments with which they are clothed reveal that these angelic elders are sinless, having no need of the washing by the blood of the Lamb as do the redeemed saints (7:14).
These twenty-four elders are clothed in white garments and have golden crowns on their heads. That they are clothed in white garments and have “a harp and golden bowls full of incense” (5:8) indicates that now they are also priests before God, whereas, in the millennial kingdom, the reigning overcomers will be the priests of God and of Christ (20:6). These twenty-four angels must be the universal priests. Their golden crowns indicate that they are also ruling ones. They are priests serving God and kings reigning over His creation. Before the creation of man, God had the leading angels as His priests and ruling instruments. According to Ezekiel 28, before Satan fell, he was such a one. He was God’s priest and also a king. Even when the Devil, Satan, tempted the Lord Jesus, showing Him “all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in a moment of time,” he said, “To You I will give all this authority and their glory, because to me it has been delivered, and to whomsoever I want I give it” (Luke 4:5-6). The world was given him before the Adamic age. Thus, there was an age during which God gave authority to Satan, making him a king to reign over that universe. Likewise, these twenty-four elders were God’s priests and kings.
The number of the angelic elders, twenty-four, is composed of two times twelve. Twelve is the number of the completion of God’s administration (Matt. 19:28). David divided both the priests and the Levites into twenty-four groups (1 Chron. 24 and 25) to carry out God’s administrative service. The number twenty-four indicates that, before the church is installed to replace them, the angelic elders are the ones who carry out God’s administration. Twelve times two signifies strengthening by doubling, indicating that the divine administration carried out by the angelic elders is strong.
In the Bible, the number of the living creatures, four, always stands for the four ends that cover the whole universe or the whole earth. In Genesis 2:10 the one river became four heads to reach the entire earth. In Jeremiah 49:36 are the four quarters of heaven, and in Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1; and 20:8 are the four corners of the earth. Hence, the number of the living creatures reveals that they represent all the creatures on earth and in heaven except the angels, who are represented by the twenty-four elders.
Verse 6 says that “in the midst of the throne and around the throne” there were “four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.” According to verse 8, they are also “full of eyes around and within.” The most striking feature of the four living creatures is their eyes. They are full of eyes in front, behind, and within, and they can see in any direction without turning. Eyes are for living things to receive light and vision. That the four living creatures are full of eyes indicates that they are absolutely not opaque, but are crystal clear on every side and in every aspect. Christians should be like that, full of eyes. When we are full of eyes, we are transparent. If a person has no eyes, he is completely opaque. Our eyes make us transparent. If we had hundreds of eyes over our body, both within and without, our whole being would be transparent. In the presence of God, we, the redeemed people, should be like this.