Prophetic Utterances of the Twenty-four Elders
(As taken from the Keys of Revelation, Appendix 12, edited)
Twenty-four Elders (Books)
Josephus and the Latin church fathers mention a division of the Old Testament sacred canon into twenty-two books, corresponding with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. But there is not sufficient evidence that such a division obtained among the Jews themselves. Jerome includes Ruth with Judges, and Lamentations with Jeremiah, numbering twenty-two books; yet in his preface (Prologus Galeatus) to Kings, he admits that quite a few others considered Ruth and Lamentations as separate books to be included in the Hagiographa, bringing the total to twenty-four books.
The accepted Jewish canon is divided into three parts comprising the following books:
THE PENTATEUCH (the Law or Torah) consisting of 5 books
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy
THE PROPHETS (Nebiim) consisting of 8 books
(The Earlier) Historical
1. Joshua
2. Judges
3. 1&2 Samuel
4. 1&2 Kings
(The Later) Major
5. Isaiah
6. Jeremiah
7. Ezekiel
Minor
8. The Twelve
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
THE HOLY WRITINGS (Kethubim or Hagiographa) consisting of 11 books. Thus, the sacred canon consists of twenty-four rolls in all.
1. Psalms
2. Proverbs
3. Job
The Five Rolls
(Megilloth)
4. The Song of Songs
5. Ruth
6. Lamentations
7. Ecclesiastes
8. Esther
9. Daniel
10. Ezra-Nehemiah
11. 1 & 2 Chronicles
To facilitate a comparison, the following Scriptures are cited in the order that the twenty-four books (elders) are listed.
1. The seed of woman will crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15).
“I will make of thee a great nation” (Gen. 12:1–3,7).
“A father of many nations have I made thee” (Gen. 17:3–8).
The antitypical Joseph is set over all the land of “Egypt” (Gen. 41:41–44).
The people are gathered unto Shiloh (Gen. 49:10).
2. Israel will yet see, on a grander scale than previously, “that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians” (Exod. 14:27–31).
“The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exod. 40:34).
3. The Jubilee year is proclaimed throughout all the land (earth) (Lev. 25:8–13).
4. The shout of a king (Jesus) is heard in Israel’s midst (Num. 23:21–24).
Israel “shall eat up the nations,” its “enemies” (Num. 24:5–9).
A Star (Jesus) is to come out of Jacob, a scepter out of Israel (Num. 24:17–19).
5. A prophet like unto Moses is to be raised up (Deut. 18:15,19).
6. The siege and fall of Jericho (Christendom) are to occur (Josh. 6:1–21).
7. A victory follows the work of Gideon (Christ) and the three hundred (Judges 7).
Samson pulls down the Dagon temple pillars (Judg. 16:23–30).
8. A victory follows the slaying of Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
9. Every man will dwell safely under his own vine and fig tree in Solomon’s (Jesus’) reign (1 Kings 4:20–25).
10. All nations flow unto the mountain of the Lord’s house (Isa. 2:2–4).
The government will be upon Jesus’ shoulder (Isa. 9:6, 7; 11:1–10; 32:1–4; 35).
11. The righteous Branch (Jesus) will rule (Jer. 23:5–8).
The promise and New Covenant will go into effect (Jer. 31:31).
12. When the sanctuary is in Israel’s midst, the heathen shall know God (Ezek. 37:27, 28).
God is to be known in the eyes of all nations (Ezekiel 38; 39).
13. Judah is to be saved by the Lord (Hos. 1:7).
God will make a safety covenant with Israel and “break . . . the battle out of the earth” (Hos. 2:18).
Joel 2; 3
Amos 9:11–15
Obad. 17,21
Jonah 1:4–16 (Luke 11:29–32)
Micah 4; 7:16–20
Nah. 1:15
Hab. 2:14,20
Zeph. 3:8–20
Hag. 2:6–9,21–23
Zech. 2:10–13; 3:8–10; 6:12–15; 8:3–8,20–23; 12; 14
Mal. 1:11; 3:4,5; 4:1–3
14. Christ’s victorious Kingdom is to be established (Psa 2).
“Be still, and know that I am God: . . . I will be exalted in the earth” (Psa. 46:10).
“Thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth” (Psa. 67:4).
Solomon’s reign is a type of Christ’s (Psa 72, etc.).
15. “The upright shall dwell in the land, . . . but the wicked shall be cut off” (Prov. 2:21, 22).
“The candle of the wicked shall be put out”; fear Jehovah and King Jesus (Prov. 24:20, 21).
King Lemuel prophetically describes the Church as a good wife (Prov. 31:1,10–31).
16. Job will be called forth from death (Job 14:13–15).
The Redeemer is to stand upon the earth “at the latter day” (Job 19:25).
The latter end of Job (the Church) will be more blessed than the beginning (Job 42:12).
17. Daughters of Zion (the Church) behold King Solomon (Jesus) with the crown (Song of Sol. 3:11).
18. Boaz (Christ) marries Ruth the Moabitess (the Gentile Church) (Ruth 4:13).
19. “Great is thy faithfulness”—Israel was not cast off forever (Lam. 3:22–31).
20. “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked” (Eccles. 3:17; 8:12, 13). “God shall bring every work into judgment” (Eccles. 12:14).
21. Esther (the Church) wins the beauty contest and marries King Ahasuerus (Christ) (Esther 2:17).
Feast of Purim commemorates Jews’ victory over Haman (a prototype of Hamon-gog in Ezek 39:11) (Esther 9:24–28).
22. The God of heaven will set up a Kingdom (Dan. 2:44).
The saints of the Most High are to possess the Kingdom (Dan. 7:18,22, 27).
23. Ezra (type of Christ as Priest) obtains from King Artaxerxes (type of Jehovah) a decree to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 7:11–28).
Nehemiah (type of Christ as King) obtains from Artaxerxes (type of Jehovah) a decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:5, 6).
24. David (type of The Christ in the flesh) is to be succeeded by Solomon (type of The Christ in glory). Solomon is anointed a second time (after the death of David) and sits as governor on the throne (1 Kings 2:10–12; 1 Chron. 29:22).
For more on the "Twenty Four Elders" see Part 28 of this study, here.
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