The Cherubim And The 24 Elders

Q

I have come across a point that was raised to me on a message board, and have looked all over the place for an answer, and have remained stumped. The group raising the point wants to know why the 4 living creatures are singing the song in Rev. 5:8-10 if the 24 elders are the church? In other words, why would the 4 living creatures sing this song, since they weren’t redeemed by the blood of Christ?? Their argument is that the 24 elders are angels. I see them as the church because of the excellent reasons you mentioned in your articles, but again I have remained stumped on why the 4 living creatures are signing as well?? Can you shed any light on this?? Thank you and God bless.

A

I don’t think their argument has any merit. They all sang because the Lord had finally begun the process of redeeming the Earth. In verse 11 the angelic host joins in and are distinguished from the elders. They aren’t among the redeemed either. By the time we get to verse 13 every created thing in Heaven on Earth and under the Earth is singing. They can’t all be angels.

Specifically concerning the song of the redeemed, it has been translated in both the 1st person and the 3rd person, and different translations use different tenses. Why can’t the 4 Cherubim use the 3rd person while the Church uses the 1st?

And if the 24 elders are not the Church, but angelic figures who assist in ruling the cosmos, why don’t the two definitive views of the Throne of God in Ezekiel 1 & 10 show them? Did God come to the realization that He needed help running things somewhere along the way and appoint some assistants?