Does God Have Seven Spirits?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and Tom:I’m struggling through the Book of Revelation, and could you help me understand what the “seven spirits of God” means.Thank you.

Tom:

Dave, I happen to be going through the Book of Revelation.

Dave:

I’m going to let you answer this one.

Tom:

Okay, and you know my answer, I’m just going to give what the scripture says, and then I’m going to lay it all out so all of our listeners can hear all the places in which the Book of Revelation addresses, or uses the phrase, “the seven Spirits of God.”So, let’s start with Chapter 1, verse 4:“John to the seven churches which are in Asia:Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come: and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne:”First time it’s mentioned.Chapter 3, verse 1:“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:These thing saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;”(and that’s referring to Jesus).Chapter 4, verse 5:“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices:and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”And finally, Chapter 5, verse 6:“and I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”Wow! So, you’re throwing it in my court, Dave.Well, Dave, the only way I can understand this is that, you know, there is much symbolism in the Book of Revelation, and “seven” is used, I think, over fifty times in the Book of Revelation, and it always is a number that’s showing perfection or completeness.So, you know, for example, let’s---and then I would like to hear from you on this---but Chapter 5, verse 6, where it says: stood as a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns---horns represent power, so it’s complete power.You know, each time I say, seven, I’m thinking, complete, and seven eyes---

Dave:

Seven days in the week.

Tom:

Well, let me just pick on these three; seven horns being omnipotence, that would represent Jesus as God, seven eyes, omniscience, all seeing, okay, seven Spirits sent forth, omnipresence.So, to me, these are just symbolic and reflecting the attributes of God.

Dave:

That’s very good.Tom, a lot of people say, Well, you can make the Bible mean anything you want, because do you take it literally, or don’t you.You take the Bible literally when it ought to be taken literally.When you can’t take it literally, you don’t take it literally.For example, there in Chapter 4, it’s obviously symbolic, but Tom, it’s more than symbolic, it’s something that’s beyond description.Because, I saw a Lamb as it had been slain, Chapter 5, verse 6, seven horns and seven eyes, and so forth, but wait a minute!Then the next thing you know it’s calling the Lamb the Lion of the tribe of Judah.Now is it a Lamb or is it a Lion?Well, it’s both.Well, how can it be both?Because Jesus came, first of all, to die as the Lamb.He didn’t come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.For example, when he begins to read in Isaiah where it says, He came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, you know, and the healing of the sick and so forth, and then he shut the book.But the next verse says:The day of judgment of our God.So, he didn’t come to bring judgment at that time.How could he let men crucify him?He’s almighty God!So you have some contradictions, and what is really going on here, you know---

Tom:

I have to interrupt you, Dave, you don’t mean contradictions in terms of ---

Dave:

Thank you, it seems to be contradictory, how can he be a Lamb and a Lion at the same time?And then you get to the last chapter of Revelation, and it’s the throne of God and of the Lamb.The Lamb is sitting on the throne, but see, I believe that forever he will bear the marks of Calvary in his hands, his feet, his side.He was crucified for us, he was led as a Lamb to the slaughter, to the sheep before it’s shearing is done.We use that kind of language, but it doesn’t mean he’s literally a lamb, and he doesn’t appear literally as a lamb.But when you understand what he represents, then it’s like a lamb.But then, No, No, he’s like a lion, he’s all powerful, he conquers.So, I would agree with you, Tom, when it’s talking about seven horns, seven eyes, seven Spirits.Again, it’s not seven literal Spirits, because we know there is one Holy Spirit, one Father, one Son and one Holy Spirit.So, it’s indicative of the omnipresence, as you said, the omniscience, all knowing, all seeing of God.

Tom:

Hey Dave, you know it’s difficult for some people to read the Book of Revelation, because they won’t understand everything, absolutely everything.

Dave:

It’s difficult for me.

Tom:

Right, but on the other hand, if we look at it as, this figurative language, these symbols, they represent attributes of God.And as you said, we’re finite, not only fallible and so on in our understanding, but God does say, Come let us reason together.So he gives us enough to point to, it seems to me, his attributes, his character.Look at the description of Jesus when he is first revealed to John in Revelation---what, a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth?What does that mean, except we know what the two-edged sword is, it is the Word of God.

Dave:

Right, eyes like a flame of fire, feet burnished as brass burning in a fire, and so forth.But it’s that way all through Revelation, because Tom, it is talking about something that is beyond our comprehension at the moment.It can’t be described in the language we have.So it’s using the language that we have to describe something that is indescribable in our language, and we have to look at it that way.Now that doesn’t mean the whole Bible is symbolic, it is not, but this is obviously symbolic, and I think you explained very well what it is symbolic of.