Who are the seven spirits in Revelation? This question arises when reading the opening lines of John’s vision in which he refers to “the seven Spirits that stand before his throne” (Rev 1:4). The seven spirits are named again in Jesus’ message to Sardis (Rev 3:1) and twice in the throne scenes of God (Rev 4:5; 5:6).
Some scholars have argued that the seven spirits are taken from Jewish ideas about the seven main angels of Yahweh, or perhaps from the Greco-Roman idea of a plurality of spirits that bring wisdom and knowledge. However, I will argue that the seven spirits represent the Holy Spirit, for three main reasons.
1. John’s use of the number seven
Revelation is an apocalyptic book, so we must be careful not to be too “literal,” especially when it comes to numbers and analogies. The number seven is well attested in the Bible, being used in some form over 800 times. It is often seen as the number of completion or perfection, most notably when seven is associated with the completion of God’s “very good” creation (Gen 1). Throughout Revelation, John uses the number frequently: seven spirits, seven churches, seven stars, seven lamps, seven angels, seven cycles of judgment, etc.
Revelation is an apocalyptic book, which means we need to be careful about being too “literal,” especially when it comes to numbers and analogies.
The vivid imagery, illustrations, analogies, and Revelation’s use of the Old Testament make interpreting it a complicated endeavor. We must not exaggerate this point and assume that Revelation is nothing more than a riddle to be decoded, stripping it of its historical context and its theological richness. However, considering John’s use of seven and its importance in Scripture, it is safe to say that “seven” is probably more than a mere number of spirits.
2. John’s use of Scripture
Part of John’s literary genius in describing his visions is his use of the Old Testament and continuity with the New. In a sense, John clearly sees himself as a prophet signaling the fulfillment of God’s ultimate promises, given his constant references to prophets and the book’s sense of fulfillment of God’s promises. He then uses the visions in creative ways to show how God is bringing a new creation through Christ and the Spirit. It could be argued that John alludes to the Old Testament in almost every verse, but we will only mention a few here.
Zechariah 4:1-14 is one of many key texts to John’s understanding of the role of the Spirit, especially the language of Zechariah 4:6 about the Spirit establishing God’s government on earth. In a clear allusion to Zechariah 4:10, John equates the “eyes of the Lord” in the Zechariah passage with the seven spirits (Rev 1:4, 5:6), where the “seven Spirits of God” are sent to be his eyes on the ground. This language of the eyes of God having an all-encompassing gaze can also be compared to passages such as: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good” (Pr 15:3).
Part of John’s literary genius in describing his visions is his use of the Old Testament and continuity with the New.
In the context of other New Testament writings, John may be thinking of Jesus sending the Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20; Jn 14:26), along with Zechariah’s description of the power of the Spirit that rebuilds the temple (Zech 4:6), which John also describes as God building his temple through the Spirit (Rev 3:12; 11:1) and which finds its eschatological culmination in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:3, 16, 22). The number seven as a sign of the divine fullness of the Spirit could also allude to the translation of the from Isaiah 11:2-3, with its sevenfold description of the gifts and activities of the Spirit of the Lord: wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, mercy, and fear of God.
We see how John links the seven spirits to the being, identity, or activity of YHWH and/or His Spirit in only a few numbered passages, showing that the seven spirits cannot simply be angels or an impersonal force. Instead, we see how John brings together other biblical texts to highlight the divine work of the Holy Spirit in the world.
3. John’s language of worship
Last, but perhaps most notably, John includes these seven spirits in several important worship contexts.
In his opening doxology, the Father, Jesus, and the seven spirits together offer grace and peace. Doxologies in the New Testament always include various formulations of the three persons of the Trinity, and these doxologies are recognized as a phrase of worship and/or a divine blessing for the recipients. If the seven spirits were merely angels, it would be unusual for John to include them both as recipients of worship and as givers of divine blessing, especially since Revelation is quite aware of the difference between true and false worship. In fact, the angels in Revelation refuse to be worshiped on several occasions (Rev 19:10; 22:9).
The Holy Spirit is far from being an ignored character in Revelation; rather, it is a centerpiece of the entire narrative and is worthy of our praise.
As noted above, the throne scenes in Revelation 4-5 show the seven spirits proceeding from the throne as the “eyes” of the Lamb. While every other creature in the sky turns towards the throne, bowing and singing praises to God and Christ, we see the seven spirits coming of throne, indicating that unlike angels or other creatures, they have a place on God’s throne and represent his activity from the throne.
Apart from the doxology and throne scenes, we should note that it is the Spirit who brings John into vision (Rev 1:10) and guides him through the visionary journey (Rev 4:2; 17:3; 21 :10). Being “in the Spirit” and being “carried away in the Spirit” actually seem to be John’s way of receiving this prophetic revelation from God, since he has been commanded to write in a book everything he sees (Rev 1 :eleven). A similar prophetic inspiration is found, for example, in Ezekiel (Ez 3:12 and 11:24). At this point Peter’s statement that God spoke through the prophets, through the Holy Spirit, to make Christ known (2 Pet 1:16-21) also comes to mind.
Therefore, it should not be overlooked that the “seven Spirits” and the phrase “in the Spirit” occur at these key places in the book, showing that at every major turn of the narrative, the Spirit is present and acts as a gatekeeper of the heavenly gate of John.
Praise God the Holy Spirit
In this short essay, we have seen that John uses the language of the “seven spirits” to speak of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Although God and Christ are obviously the focus of the narrative, the Holy Spirit receives worship and bestows grace, has a place on God’s throne, and acts as the agent of revelation when John enters the celestial kingdom.
The Holy Spirit is far from being an ignored character in Revelation; rather, it is a centerpiece of the entire narrative and is worthy of our praise.
Originally posted on . Translated by Sergio Paz.