As we continue reading in Revelation past the Seven Churches, there is no further mention of them, prompting a common teaching that the rapture of the Body of Christ must occur at (Revelation 4.1). According to this teaching, the "four horses" discussed in (Revelation 6), have come to be typified as the "four horses of the apocalypse", supposing that those events occur after the Church has been removed from the earth. Indeed, this view is further argued by noting the command to John that he "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this", an action thought by some to be emblematic of the entire Church being raptured at the conclusion of the Church Age after the previous discussion of the Seven Churches. Of course, the time frame for this command to John could just as well be put in the first century when John actually received the command, but in the absence of any historic evidence to the contrary, interpretations like this one have become generally accepted within the Christian community. 

However, in light of our studies so far, if we were inclined to accept such a proposed interpretation, it must follow that all of the findings concerning the prophetic nature of World War II, the duplication of Israel's restorative timeline with the Davidic kingdom since 1948, that seven-year timeline indicative of Daniel's 70th Week from 1988, and all of the prophetic events since 1988, have been omitted completely from the Revelation account! But a conclusion of this sort is quite incompatible with the historic or imminent nature of those events just enumerated, because the Revelation professes to span the entire period of the End Times leading up to the Lord's return. Therefore, it should most certainly include these notable events somewhere in its chapters.

We will recall in our study of the the "Olivet Discourse", that the Great Tribulation must occur during the Times of the Gentiles, because those times include (Luke 21.24), and the Gospels indicate that the apocalyptic upheaval identified in (Matthew 24.29; Mark 13.24; and Luke 21.25) will occur "immediately" thereafter. Consequently, if that same apocalyptic upheaval could also be identified in the Revelation, we would have found a set of concordant texts in both the Olivet Discourse and the Revelation from which we could determine when Apocalyptic Times begin within the Revelation.

Only one apocalyptic event congruent to the above Olivet Discourse one is found in the Revelation, and it is located in (Revelation 6.12-17) under the title of the "sixth Seal". The obvious parallel between this Revelation text and the Olivet Discourse ones just cited, is certified by the following commentator's reference to that specific Revelation text.

The concordance of these particular texts has great potential value for this study of the End Times. Since the same Apocalyptic event occurs in all three of the Synoptic Gospel accounts of the Olivet Discourse, and we know from (Luke 21.24) that it occurs immediately after the conclusion of the Times of the Gentiles, this event provides a complementary way to also divide Apocalyptic Times within the book of Revelation from those events preceding those times. Such a division of Revelation is invaluable, because it enables the Revelation text prior to Seal 6 (Revelation 6.12-17) to be correlated with the historic material developed in The Prophets Speak thus far. 

On this basis alone, we may postulate that everything in the Revelation prior to Seal 6 should occur prior to Apocalyptic Times, whereas only Seals 6-7 should occur during Apocalyptic Times following the Times of the Gentiles.

"24 Elders" are mentioned for the first time in a scene about the throne of God, immediately after John was caught up into Heaven. Since Apocalyptic Times leading to the Lord's second return should not occur until Seal 6, at a much later time, we are no longer constrained to suppose that these "24 Elders" must be the raptured Church, but are free to explore their other possible identities.

The word "elder" (presbuteros 4245) is a word used in a variety of applications. It was used to describe the members of the great council of Israel's Sanhedrin. It may also refer to overseeing bishops, and presbyters who presided over Christian assemblies, or even city managers and administrators of justice, The word as used in the Bible may refer to either Jews or Gentiles, but always conveys the idea of people held in high esteem, or who are of advanced age and lived in former times.

For example, (Hebrews 11) describes the faith of certain "elders" who lived in Old Testament times, citing famous Gentiles and Hebrews out of ancient history. This fact prompts an inspection of those "elders" beginning with Adam until the formation of the nation of Israel.

The portion of genealogy appearing in the above chart is taken from (Luke 3.23-38) so that three observations can be made. 

1. This Luke genealogy is constructed in such a way that it directs our attention to all of mankind from Adam to Messiah, showing how that very first prophecy of a coming Savior in (Genesis 3.15), was fulfilled through the virgin Mary, whose genealogy this is.

2. It identifies precisely "24" generations of Biblical "elders" from Adam until the progenitors of national Israel, whose descendants afterward received the Law through Moses (Exodus 1.1-5). 

3. Since the "first key" above indicates that that Seals 1-5 should relate to the Times of the Gentiles, and since these "24 Elders" are seen already in the Heavenly realms at the advent of the visions about to be given to John, their presence would be timely for the 24 generations of Old Testament Elders just listed, who lived prior to the arrival of the New Testament. 

(Romans 5.12-15) 12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.  13 For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.   15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ abounded to many."  NKJV

An answer to the above question begins to take form. The generations of Gentiles who lived prior to the formation of Israel and giving of the Law with Moses comprised a unique group of people. They lived during a time span when there was no knowledge of God's Law, it not yet having been communicated to mankind. Nevertheless, death reigned during that period, because all did in fact transgress the provisions of God's Law, albeit in ignorance.

Now with the coming of Abraham, that Gentile from Ur of the Chaldees, the Lord made a Covenant with his descendants through Isaac and Jacob, who were to be given special promises and a special inheritance. However, the rest of the world of Gentiles who lived before and after Abraham, remained in darkness concerning the specifics of those covenantal promises God was undertaking.

Among those Gentiles was that faithful remnant, some of whom are identified in (Hebrews 11). They needed a Savior just as all who would come after, but were not privy to any specific promises concerning the nature of their redemption. They were confident of a future salvation by a God whom they trusted, but died before those promises could be articulated through the prophets of Israel.

When those promises were finally revealed, they involved an earthly inheritance that would include Gentiles, just like the ones promised to Abraham and his progeny, but their fulfillment would have to await Israel's future reward in the Millennial Kingdom. Thus, the prayers and expectations of these pre-Law Gentiles would logically rest on the same promises of a Millennial Kingdom given by the prophets to Israel.

1. Boaz represented the first full generation of Israelites who inherited the Land, thereby initiating the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament Covenant given through Moses.

2. Boaz is also the name to be associated with the introduction of the Gentiles into God's Old Testament Covenant for Israel, as the following commentator discerns.

Indeed, that Ruth was the beginning of the Gentile  redemptive link to Israel's Covenantal promises is further affirmed by the following prophetic relationships.

3. Conversely, Shealtiel is also inexorably bound to Gentile presence in the ancient world, but in another way, for he, along with his generation of Israelites were taken into Babylonian Exile. As such, he represented Israel's final generation who experienced the annulment of God's Covenantal "marriage" with that nation.

Therefore, when the "24" generations of Boaz through Shealtiel are regarded inclusively, they signify not only the introduction of the Gentiles into Old Testament Israel's Covenantal promises, but also define the remaining span of that Covenant until God annulled it. 

Consequently, when these two sets of "24" generations are combined, a portrait of the Gentiles throughout the period of the Old Testament emerges. The first set of "24" generations directs our attention to the Gentiles who lived prior to the formation of Israel and the giving of the Law, whereas the second set of "24" generations to those Gentiles who lived during the period when Israel possessed the Promised Land in fulfillment of that Covenant. 

Accordingly, those "24 Elders" seen by John when he was first translated into Heaven at the advent of the Times of the Gentiles, appear to typify two economies of Old Testament redeemed Gentiles covered by God's Redemptive Plan, each earmarked by "24" generations, one "without the Law" and the other "under the Law". 

Angelic creatures are also described by the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel in the Old Testament. They are called "Seraphim" by Isaiah, and "Cherubim" by Ezekiel, and each are described in sufficient detail to permit their comparisons with these Revelation "Living Creatures". 

Although Ezekiel's Cherubim possess some features like the Revelation Living Creatures, it is evident they cannot be the same beings. The Cherubim are locked together instead of being independent, they each have four faces instead of one, they each have only four wings instead of six, and they do not speak while the Revelation Creatures constantly cry "holy, holy, holy is the Lord".

Isaiah's "Seraphim" could conceivably be seen to be the Revelation Creatures, if only Isaiah had been able to see their eyes and faces, for all their other features appear to be the same. This raises a question:

If the Seraphim are the Living Creatures, why would John, but not Isaiah, be permitted to see their faces? 

The question posed in this form is hard, but it becomes easy when posed in another way: 

Notice several things about this prophecy:

• It is the Seraphim who are first called upon to administer Isaiah's cleansing before he can receive the prophecy about to be given to him.
  

• The prophecy itself concerns Israel and a future time when they will become blinded to the truth so that they will refuse to turn to the Lord.
  

• When Isaiah inquires "Lord, how long?", he is told that this blinding will last until the Land has become utterly desolate and its inhabitants have been removed far away.

But this is precisely the situation that prevailed for almost 1900 years following Israel's rejection of their Messiah, until their renewed opportunity for a kingdom in the 20th century! Hence the Seraphim are seen in conjunction with a prophecy pertinent to Israel's Covenant-to-Kingdom period, and are the very ones who are given authority to administer Isaiah's cleansing of iniquity before certain aspects of that period may be revealed to him.

Actually, the faces seen by John have already been associated with the Old Testament by many Bible scholars. They may be related to the Tribes of Israel as they were originally organized by Moses at Mount Sinai, around the wilderness Tabernacle, shortly after the Exodus out of Egypt (Numbers 2). Jewish tradition holds that these four principal Tribes each carried an ensign or standard depicting a living being; Judah (Lion), Reuben (Man), Ephraim (Calf/Ox), and Dan (Eagle). Since Ezekiel also saw those very same faces on the Cherubim, although in a different order, and since his prophecy also pertained to Israel, we have a solid basis for connecting the faces with that wilderness organization of the Tribes of Israel.

Surely this assertion must put a question on readers' lips --- how could the Tribes of Israel possibly represent the New Testament Covenant-to-Kingdom period, for those Tribes existed only in the Old Testament, where their activities are fully discussed in the books of Joshua and Judges? However, the answer to this question is forthcoming when we recall that Israel's Redemptive Timeline placed the Old Testament Covenant-to-Kingdom period of Joshua and Judges in juxtaposition with the New Testament Covenant-to-Kingdom period, thereby providing a clue that there must be something about these corresponding time frames that have common characteristics.

The following quote from a well known Bible commentator on the period of the Judges also alerts us to this possibility.

Yes, when we undertake our later study of the Revelation Seals 1-4, which coincidentally are each administered by one of the four Living Creatures in the order of the faces given in (Revelation 4.7), we will discover there are a surprising number of "parallels" between these two "Covenant to Kingdom" periods.