The term “seven Spirits of God” is mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
These seven Spirits are all listed in one verse in Isaiah 11:2.
In this article, you will learn what are the seven spirits of God and who the term refers to.
Contents
The seven Spirits of God in Revelation
The seven Spirits of God are mentioned four times in Revelation.
The verses don’t directly tell us who or what the seven Spirits are. Still, by studying them, we can conclude that the seven Spirits of God is the Holy Spirit.
The seven Spirits refer to the Holy Spirit’s fullness, completion, and perfection.
In Revelation 1:4-5, St. John sends grace and peace from God (usually refers to God the Father in the New Testament), from the seven Spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ.
The passage is a Trinitarian passage, where grace and peace are sent from all three persons of the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is referred to as the Seven Spirits.
Revelation 1:4-5
John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood—
Revelation 3:1 builds up the interpretation. It says that someone has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. The same person has the Spirits and the stars.
From Revelation 1 and 22, we learn that Jesus is the person who has the stars. The Holy Spirit is also referred to in two places in the Bible as “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9, 1 Peter 1:11).
Revelation 3:1
“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.
In Revelation 4:5, the seven Spirits of God is described as “seven lamps of fire” connected to the Holy Spirit in Zechariah 4:1-6.
Revelation 4:5
Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
In Revelation 5:6, a Lamb who has been slain “having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.”
In Revelation 5:6, you see a slain Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes. The Lamb is, of course, Jesus, and He has the seven Spirits of God again in the verse. “The horns” represent power, dominion, and might, and “the eyes” represent understanding and knowledge.
Revelation 5:6
I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, 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.
The number seven means fullness, completion, or perfection. God completed creation in six days and declared it “very good.” His resting on the seventh day completes the act of creation.
In Zechariah 4:10, “seven eyes” are “the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.” The seven eyes see and cover all of the earth. No place is uncovered by them. So, the Holy Spirit is all-knowing and omnipresent.
The Holy Spirit has perfect dominion, sovereignty, understanding, and knowledge. As shown in the next section, these are the 3rd and 5th Spirits of God in Isaiah 11.
The seven Spirits of God in Isaiah 11
Isaiah 11:2 lists the seven Spirits of God.
Isaiah 11:2
Yahweh’s Spirit will rest on him:
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.
Even though Revelation speaks about the seven Spirits of God, it can be described as a sevenfold Spirit of God. Isaiah 11:2 lists seven aspects of the Holy Spirit.
From the verse, we get the seven Spirits of God as follows:
- The Spirit of the LORD
- The Spirit of wisdom
- The Spirit of understanding,
- The spirit of counsel
- The Spirit of might
- The Spirit of knowledge
- The Spirit of the fear of Yahweh.
The Messiah has the seven Spirits of God
Isaiah 11 prophesies about the Messiah and the Messianic age. Verse 1 is a famous Messianic verse, which states that the Messiah comes from the tribe of Judah, from the line of King David, because He is a descendant, a branch out of the roots of Jesse, King David’s father.
He will bear fruit, i.e., do the Father’s will, and the sevenfold Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him.
Isaiah 11:1
A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse,
and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
This connects with another messianic passage in Zechariah 3:8-9, where God will bring out His servant, “the Branch,” who is “a stone” with “seven eyes,” referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
In both of the above verses, the Old Testament speaks about the Messiah having the Spirit of God.
As mentioned, in the New Testament, Jesus has the Holy Spirit. He is with the Spirit and in the Spirit. The Spirit is with Jesus from His conception to the cross, resurrection, and ascension.
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