There are various worship songs mentioning the four and twenty elders of Revelation chapter four. We sing these songs as if these elders are just heavenly beings and what they are doing is just an example for us.

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.

Revelation 4:4 ESV

the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:10-11 ESV

Where do these twenty-four elders come from?

King David desired to build a temple for God to dwell in, but God told him that he had to much blood on his hand and was unable to build it. So God told David that his son Solomon would build it. God preceded to give David the entire plan for the temple. David began to ready everything that would be needed by his son to complete the temple. David even measured out the Gold for each item and stored them for the future building.

Part of this preparation was setting up the priesthood and how they would serve in the temple. In 1 Chronicle chapter, 24 David divided the sons of Aaron into twenty-four priestly divisions, each group would serve two weeks each year in the temple.

I believe that the twenty-four elders spoke of in Revelation is a depiction of the priesthood from 1 Chronicle. Some of the priesthood duties were to prepare and offer sacrifice, and the burning of the incenses. These are both forms of worship unto God.

We are called through Jesus to be part of a royal priesthood, even thou we may not be from the line of Levi. We are designated to prepare ourselves as a living sacrifice, offering our lives to Him that our lives would be as incense unto God.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

Through our worship of offerings and sacrifices, God gives us crowns. We are not able to obtain these through our own efforts but only through Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. There are five crowns mentioned in scripture.

• The Incorruptible Crown – 1 Corinthians 9:25-27
• The Crown of Rejoicing – 1 Thessalonians 2:19
• The Crown of Righteousness – 2 Timothy 4:7,8
• The Crown of Glory – I Peter 5:2-4
• The Crown of Life – James 1: 12

We know by scriptures we are part of the priesthood and we can obtain crowns, and we are seated in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV

We are part and among the twenty-four elders that are at His throne, we are the ones that need to lay down every aspect of our lives at the throne, casting our crowns at His feet and cry “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they existed and were created.”

Application

• Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
• Take time every day to worship your God
• Lay everything at His feet (all the good bad and ugly things)