God is surrounded by twenty-four enthroned elders. The identification of these elders has produced much debate. It has been proposed that the twenty-four are •heavenly beings, either cosmic counterparts to the twenty-four priestly divisions of Israel or divine representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles; •glorified human believers representing all believers; •Old Testament believers (cf. Heb 11); or •nonhuman members of the divine council.16
