What are the seven sprits of god, see details?

Question

Revelation 3 WEB
1 "And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write: "He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars says these things: "I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Answer 1

You'll want to reference that back to the Old Testament book of Isaiah

Spirit of the Lord
Spirit of wisdom
Spirit of understanding
Spirit of counsel
Spirit of might
Spirit of knowledge
Spirit of the fear of the Lord

Answer 2

This is the problem with interpretting Revelation literally, when it was symbolic, meaning to give the persecuted Christians during the time it was written hope.
Seven is a symbol for the divine, this is one of the many uses of the number seven in Revelation. Incidentally, the mark of the beast is 666 because that almost divine (7) but not quite.
It's all symbolic. It's not predicting an "end time", and it's not talking about a literal seven spirits of God.

Answer 3

In answer to your question: In my note underneath the chapter, for that verse specifically, it says that the "seven spirits" is another name for the Holy Spirit. And the seven stars are the messengers, or the leaders of the churches.

Answer 4

umm.... its 3. the father, son and the holy spirit.

Answer 5

First, I am not a Greek scholar, but my understanding is that the Greek word used may be better translated the SEVENFOLD SPIRIT of God, where seven is used as the biblical number of completeness, indicative of the Holy Spirit's completeness and perfection, but here is an article that I have read several times about the subject. Personally I think that the first half of the article is pretty good, the second half of the article, where the author tries to define seven specific attributes of the Holy Spirit, may be a bit of a stretch. But even if I am wrong, it does provide some very good material for meditation on the nature and attributes of God.

THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD

by Bill Burns
Faith Tabernacle
P. O. Box 1148
Kremmling, Colorado 80459
http://ft111.com



Have you ever wondered what the seven spirits of God were? Several years ago while I was studying the Book of Revelation, I began to ponder several scriptures that I had read before, but had not sought any spiritual insight into They are:

Revelation 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead."

Revelation 4:5 "And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."

Revelation 5:6 "And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

From these scriptures I could see that Jesus had or held these seven spirits, which are the eyes of the Lord, and are represented by the seven lamps (lampstands) of fire. This concept is also spoken of by the Prophet Zechariah:

Zechariah 4:2 "And he said to me, 'What do you see?' So I said, 'I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.'"

Zechariah 4:6 "So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts."

Zechariah 4:10 tells us that these seven (lamps) are the eyes of the Lord. This also agrees with Revelation 3:6, but also included in the Revelation passage is reference to the seven horns.

So, we have these images to consider:

1. The Seven Spirits--Seven is God's number of perfection. The scriptures said that Jesus had these seven spirits. This concept of perfection or fullness agrees with John 3:34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure." In other words, Jesus had the fullness of the Spirit without limitations which produced God's perfection.

2. The Seven Eyes--These seven eyes represent spiritual vision. Jesus had 20/20 spiritual vision. These eyes represent the ability to see by the Spirit into the Spirit world.

3. The Seven Horns--Prophetically, horns represent spiritual authority (power). Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Again, the number seven indicates complete authority.

4. The Seven Lamps of Fire--Represent the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Zechariah tells us that the temple will be built, "not by might nor by power (of men), but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts." It then stands to reason that the latter temple (New Testament church) would be built by the Holy Spirit. The fire of the Spirit is first purifying, and then the power of the Spirit will be demonstrated through those who are baptized by the Holy Spirit.

It is interesting to me that Elisha sent Naaman to the Jordan River to dip seven times. When Naaman finally did this, he was wonderfully and completely healed. (2 Kings chapter 5) This event was a foreshadowing of the baptism of the Holy Spirit for those New Covenant believers who would seek the promise of the Father.

Jesus Himself was baptized in the Jordan when the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. (Matthew 3:16) He then told His disciples to wait for the promise of the Father before they left Jerusalem (Acts 1:4) and then He said: Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

The seven spirits of God must, therefore, be the One Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:4) who will manifest in the believer's life in seven distinct ways. If we will allow the Holy Spirit to do seven works in our lives, He will bring us into God's completed work, His perfection, in the likeness of Jesus, in the fullness of the Spirit.

These are the seven facets or manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life:

1. The Spirit of Justification: "...you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." We are all justified because of God's grace and by our faith, and it is the Spirit of God who draws us and empowers us to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior (1 Corinthians 12:3). This is the first work of the Spirit when one is born again.

2. The Spirit of Sanctification: 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "...God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth." Sanctification is the process of God's grace by which the believer is separated from sin, purified by life lived in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16, 25 and Romans 8:1-14) The fruit of the Spirit will begin to manifest as we yield to the process of sanctification.

3. The Spirit of Life: Romans 8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." This is the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) which makes us the sons of God (Romans 8:16-19). We can now live in the resurrection power of Christ where the operation of the gifts of the Spirit cause our lives to become supernatural. The Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies. Healing and strength will come into our bodies of flesh (Romans 8:11) as well as giving us a glorified body in that day.

4. The Spirit of Truth: John 14:17 "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." The truth will set us free. The truth will bring revelation knowledge as we are taught by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth will reveal Jesus to us (John 15:26). Vision will be given to lead us into all truth and reveal the kingdom to us. Deception will be removed, and the lies destroyed.

5. The Spirit of Wisdom: Ephesians 1:17, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Not only will the Spirit give us a knowledge of Jesus, but it will give us insight into His mind and what He is doing (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). The Holy Spirit is our teacher (John 14:26).

6. The Spirit of Deliverance: Matthew 12:28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are delivered from sin and by that same Spirit demons are cast out and the powers of darkness are defeated.

7. The Spirit of Prayer: Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Ephesians 6:18 tells us that all prayer should be done in the Spirit.

These are the seven profound works that the Holy Spirit will do in our lives. If we allow Him to do these works in and through us, He will perfect us. There are other names of the Holy Spirit in scripture such as the Spirit of holiness, burning, etc. However, they will all be identified in the seven functions which I have listed.


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Hope this helps! God bless!

Answer 6

This is a commentary from Rev.1:4, seven spirits are mentioned there as well. I know this is lengthy, but it is thorough and explains it well.

And from the seven Spirits which are before his throne - After all that has been written on this very difficult expression, it is still impossible to determine with certainty its meaning. The principal opinions which have been held in regard to it are the following:
I. That it refers to God, as such. This opinion is held by Eichhorn, and is favored by Ewald. No arguments derived from any parallel passages are urged for this opinion, nor can any such be found, where God is himself spoken of under the representation of a sevenfold Spirit. But the objections to this view are so obvious as to be insuperable:
(1)If it refers to God as such, then it would be mere tautology, for the writer had just referred to him in the phrase “from him who was,” etc.
(2)it is difficult to perceive in what sense “seven spirits” could be ascribed to God, or how he could be described as a being of “Seven Spirits.” At least, if he could be spoken of as such, there would be no objection to applying the phrase to the Holy Spirit.
(3)how could it be said of God himself that he was “before the throne?” He is everywhere represented as sitting on the throne, not as before it. It is easy to conceive of angels as standing before the throne; and of the Holy Spirit it is more easy to conceive as being represented thus as ready to go forth and convey a heavenly influence from that throne, but it is impossible to conceive in what sense this could be applied to God as such.
II. The opinion held by Grotius, and by John Henry Heinrichs, that it refers to “the multiform providence of God,” or to God considered as operating in seven or many different ways. In support of this Grotius appeals to Rev_5:12; Rev_7:12. But this opinion is so far-fetched, and it is so destitute of support, as to have found, it is believed, no other advocates, and to need no further notice. It cannot be supposed that John meant to personify the attributes of the Deity, and then to unite them with God himself, and with the Lord Jesus Christ, and to represent them as real subsistences from which important blessings descend to people. It is clear that as by the phrase, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,” and by “Jesus Christ, the faithful and true witness,” he refers to real subsistences, so he must here. Besides, if the attributes of God, or the modes of divine operation, are denoted why is the number seven chosen? And why are they represented as standing before the throne?
III. A third opinion is, that the reference is to seven attending and ministering presence-angels - angels represented as standing before the throne of God, or in his presence. This opinion was adopted among the ancients by Clemens of Alexandria Andreas of Cesarea, and others; among the moderns by Beza, Drusius, Hammond, Wetstein, Rosenmuller, Clarke, Prof. Stuart, and others. This opinion, however, has been held in somewhat different forms; some maintaining that the seven angels are referred to because it was a received opinion among the Hebrews that there were seven angels standing in the presence of God as seven princes stood in the Persian court before the king; others, that the angels of the seven churches are particularly referred to, represented now as standing in the presence of God; others, that seven angels, represented as the principal angels employed in the government of the world, are referred to; and others, that seven archangels are particularly designated. Compare Poole, Synoptists in loco. The arguments which are relied on by those who suppose that seven angels are here referred to are briefly these:
(1) The nature of the expression used here. The expression, it is said, is such as would naturally denote beings who were before his throne - beings who were different from him who was on the throne - and beings more than one in number. That it could not refer to one on the throne, but must mean those distinct and separate from one on the throne, is argued from the use of the phrases “before the throne,” and “before God,” in Rev_4:5; Rev_7:9, Rev_7:15; Rev_8:2; Rev_11:4, Rev_11:16; Rev_12:10; Rev_14:3; Rev_20:12; in all which places the representation denotes those who were in the presence of God, and standing before him.
(2) it is argued from other passages in the Book of Revelation which, it is said (Prof. Stuart), go directly to confirm this opinion. Thus, in Rev_8:2; “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God.” So Rev_4:5; the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, are said to be “the seven Spirits of God.” In these passages, it is alleged that the article “the” designates the well-known angels; or those which had been before specified, and that this is the first mention of any such angels after the designation in the passage before us.
(3) it is said that this is in accordance with what was usual among the Hebrews, who were accustomed to speak of seven presence-angels, or angels standing in the presence of Yahweh. Thus, in the Book of Tobit (12:15), Raphael is introduced as using this language: “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.” The apocryphal Book of Enoch (chapter 20) gives the names of the seven angels who watch; that is, of the watchers (compare the notes on Dan_4:13, Dan_4:17) who stand in the presence of God waiting for the divine commands, or who watch over the affairs of people. So in the Zendavesta of Zoroaster, seven amshaspends, or archangels, are mentioned. See Prof. Stuart, in loco.
To these views, however, there are objections of great weight, if they are not in fact quite insuperable. They are such as the following:
(1) That the same rank should be given to them as to God, as the source of blessings. According to the view which represents this expression as referring to angels, they are placed on the same level, so far as the matter before us is concerned, with “him who was, and is, and is to come,” and with the Lord Jesus Christ - a doctrine which does not elsewhere occur in the Scriptures, and which we cannot suppose the writer designed to teach.
(2) that blessings should be invoked from angels - as if they could impart “grace and peace.” It is evident that, whoever is referred to here by the phrase “the seven Spirits,” he is placed on the same level with the others mentioned as the source of “grace and peace.” But it cannot be supposed that an inspired writer would invoke that grace and peace from any but a divine being.
(3) that as two persons of the Trinity are mentioned here, it is to be presumed that the third would not be omitted; or to put this argument in a stronger form, it cannot be supposed that an inspired writer would mention two of the persons of the Trinity in this connection, and then not only not mention the third, but refer to angels - to creatures - as bestowing what would be appropriately sought from the Holy Spirit. The incongruity would be not merely in omitting all reference to the Spirit - which might indeed occur, as it often does in the Scriptures - but in putting in the place which that Spirit would naturally occupy an allusion to angels as conferring blessings.
(4) if this refer to angels, it is impossible to avoid the inference that angel-worship, or invocation of angels, is proper. To all intents and purposes, this is an act of worship; for it is an act of solemn invocation. It is an acknowledgment of the “seven Spirits,” as the source of “grace and peace.” It would be impossible to resist this impression on the popular mind; it would not be possible to meet it if urged as an argument in favor of the propriety of angel-invocation, or angel-worship. And yet, if there is anything clear in the Scriptures, it is that God alone is to he worshipped. For these reasons, it seems to me that this interpretation cannot be well founded.
IV. There remains a fourth opinion, that it refers to the Holy Spirit, and in favor of that opinion it may be urged:
(1) That it is most natural to suppose that the Holy Spirit would be invoked on such an occasion, in connection with him “who was, and is, and is to come,” and with “Jesus Christ.” If two of the persons of the Trinity were addressed on such an occasion, it would be properly supposed that the Holy Spirit would not be omitted, as one of the persons from whom the blessing was to descend. Compare 2Co_13:14; “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
(2) it would be unnatural and improper, in such an invocation, to unite angels with God as imparting blessings, or as participating with God and with Christ in communicating blessings to man. An invocation to God to send his angels, or to impart grace and favor through angelic help, would be in entire accordance with the usage in Scripture, but it is not in accordance with such usage to invoke such blessings from angels.
(3) it cannot be denied that an invocation of grace from “him who is, and was, and is to come,” is of the nature of worship. The address to him is as God, and the attitude of the mind in such an address is that of one who is engaged in an act of devotion. The effect of uniting any other being with him in such a case, would be to lead to the worship of one thus associated with him. In regard to the Lord Jesus, “the faithful and true witness,” it is from such expressions as these that we are led to the belief that he is divine, and that it is proper to worship him as such. The same effect must be produced in reference to what is here called “the seven Spirits before the throne.” We cannot well resist the impression that someone with divine attributes is intended; or, if it refer to angels, we cannot easily show that it is not proper to render divine worship to them. If they were thus invoked by an apostle, can it be improper to worship them now?
(4) the word used here is not “angels,” but “spirits”; and though it is true that angels are spirits, and that the word “spirit” is applied to them Heb_1:7, yet it is also true that that is not a word which would be understood to refer to them without designating that angels were meant. If angels had been intended here, that word would naturally have been used, as is the case elsewhere in this book.
(5) in Rev_4:5, where there is a reference to “the seven lamps before the throne,” it is said of them that they “are,” that is, they represent “the seven Spirits of God.” This passage may be understood as referring to the same thing as that before us, but it cannot he well understood of angels; because:
(a)if it did, it would have been natural to use that language for the reason above mentioned;
(b)the angels are nowhere called “the spirits of God,” nor would such language be proper.
The phrase, “Spirit of God” naturally implies divinity, and could not be applied to a creature. For these reasons it seems to me that the interpretation which applies the phrase to the Holy Spirit is to be preferred; and though that interpretation is not free from difficulties, yet there are fewer difficulties in that than in either of the others proposed. Though it may not be possible wholly to remove the difficulties involved in that interpretation, yet perhaps something may be done to diminish their force:
(1) First, as to the reason why the number seven should be applied to the Holy Spirit:
(a) There would be as much propriety certainly in applying it to the Holy Spirit as to God as such. And yet Grotius, Eichhorn, Ewald, and others saw no difficulty in such an application considered as representing a sevenfold mode of operation of God, or a manifold divine agency.
(b) The word “seven” often denotes a full or complete number, and may be used to denote what is full, complete, or manifold; and might thus be used in reference to an all-perfect Spirit, or to a spirit which was manifold in its operations.
(c) The number seven is evidently a favorite number in the Book of Revelation, and it might be used by the author in places, and in a sense, such as it would not be likely to be used by another writer. Thus, there are seven epistles to the seven churches; there are seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials of the wrath of God, seven last plagues; there are seven lamps, and seven Spirits of God; the Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes. In Rev_1:16, seven stars are mentioned; in Rev_5:12, seven attributes of God; Rev_12:3, the dragon has seven heads; Rev_13:1, the beast has seven heads.
(d) The number seven, therefore, may have been given to the Holy Spirit with reference to the diversity or the fulness of his operations on the souls of people, and to his manifold agency on the affairs of the world, as further developed in this book.
(2) as to his being represented as “before the throne,” this may be intended to designate the fact that the Divine Spirit was, as it were, prepared to go forth, or to be sent forth, in accordance with a common representation in the Scriptures, to accomplish important purposes on human affairs. The posture does not necessarily imply inferiority of nature, anymore than the language does respecting the Son of God, when he is represented as being sent into the world to execute an important commission from the Father.