Whether you are a Christian or not, you’re probably familiar with the idea that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. What may be new to you or at least uncharted in your theological belief system, is the concept of the seven Spirits of God. If you are already asking yourself, “where is that in the Bible?” let these scripture references reassure you.
Revelation 1:4– John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.
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.
In each of the addresses from the book of Revelation, the word for Spirits in the Greek translation is the word pneuma. This is a multifaceted word which can mean the Holy Spirit, a human spirit, angelic or demonic spirit, life force, vital force, wind, and/or breath. The “S” is capitalized in these verses, indicating divinity. Something else that theologians point to, is the proximity of these Spirits to the throne in Heaven. The placement of the seven Spirits in text, particularly in Revelation 1, with God the Father and Jesus, could be suggestive that the author of the book (John) is giving a Trinitarian greeting, referencing the Holy Spirit as the seven Spirits.
Isaiah 11:2
The verses in Revelation are where the “seven Spirits of God” are mentioned directly, but there are a few others that are often linked to this topic, one of which is Isaiah 11:2. This verse depicts seven Spirits more distinctly, by naming them individually.
Isaiah 11:2- The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Here is a break down of the named seven Spirits in Isaiah 11:2. These may or may not be the same seven Spirits referred to in the Revelation passages.
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 the Lord
Isaiah writes that these seven Spirits will rest upon Jesus. This could also be implying that the seven Spirits are a sevenfold manifestation of the Holy Spirit, whom will rest upon Jesus.
The word for Spirit mentioned in this text comes from the Hebrew word ruah or ruach. The meaning is essentially the same as the Greek word pneuma which is used for the word “Spirits” where the seven Spirits are written of in Revelation. Revelation is part of the New Testament which is translated from Greek, and Isaiah is part of the Old Testament, which is translated from Hebrew.
What else about 7 is noteworthy
In the Bible, the number seven represents fullness or completeness. In total God spent seven days in the creation story; six days creating, and one day for rest. In the book of Revelation, there are seven churches (chapters 2-4), seven angels who stand before God with seven trumpets (Rev. 8:2). There are also seven seals (chapters 5-8), seven signs (12:1-14:20), and seven plagues (15:1-17:18). Some believe that this repetition of sevens suggests that the number signifies completeness and therefore, the Holy Spirit is represented by seven Spirits since He is complete perfection. This does not change the Holy Spirit from being singular. There is just one Holy Spirit, but many feel that the seven Spirits are ways the Spirit of God expresses himself.
Zechariah 4:2-10
Another passage commonly linked to the seven Spirits of God is Zechariah 4:2-10. This is a vision Zechariah has of a golden lampstand which has seven lamps with seven pipes to the lamps and two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand. Zechariah asks an angel in this vision what these all are, and the angel responds in Zechariah 4:6, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” Later in verse 10 he says, “these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
Here is a painting titled “Seven Spirits of God” by artist and itinerant minister Mary Hasz. The lampstand in Zechariah 4 could be the same as the seven lamps from Revelation 4, representing the seven Spirits. Some have imagined the lampstand in this way, where the Spirit of the Lord is the tallest of the stand. The word for Lord in Isaiah 11:2 is Yehova, where we get the word Jehovah from. This word for God could be an all-encompassing way of naming the Holy Spirit and his many functions. The other six Spirits are named in pairs, and thought to be represented by the three sets of pairs of lamps and pipes which intersect the primary center lamp and pipe. This idea would imply that wisdom and understanding are connected, counsel with might, and knowledge with the fear of the Lord.
Encountering the Spirit of the fear of the Lord
Mary Hasz said she has personally encountered the Seven spirits of God, and gave details specifically about the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. Here is her account of the experience:
“While spending time with the Lord, I received the instruction to begin praying that the seven spirits of God would come upon me, especially the spirit of the fear of the Lord. This led me into encounters with the fear of the Lord. After a season of these encounters,the only fear that was left in me was that I did not want to hurt my Father in heaven. I came to understand Father truly is love. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of Father’s love for me. To fear God is to enter the realms of His heart of love.”
The seven Spirits of God and the believer
Prophetess and itinerant minister, Melissa Chalhoub explained that longing for the seven Spirits of God, is one way to grow in relationship with the Holy Spirit. Below is a clip from Melissa’s message at the Ignition conference in Brentwood, Tennessee. The theme of the conference was igniting and sustaining the next move of God. Part of Melissa’s contribution as a speaker was a message on friendship with the Holy Spirit. This is a clip from that message.
Other theories
The view that the seven Spirits of God represent expressions or ministries of the Holy Spirit is probably the most common. Another theory is that these Spirits are seven angels set to oversee the seven churches written about in the book of Revelation. Some interpreters also believe the seven Spirits are angels, but instead linking them to the seven angels in second temple Judaism, otherwise known as the seven archangels. There are others who think the seven Spirits in the Old Testament differ from those mentioned in the New Testament. This idea names the Old Testament seven Spirits from Isaiah 11:2, and names the seven Spirits of the New Testament as follows:
- The Spirit of Truth – Joh 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
- The Spirit of Holiness – Rom 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
- The Spirit of Life – Rom 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
- The Spirit of Sonship – Rom 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
- The Spirit of Wisdom – Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
- The Spirit of Grace – Heb 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot… who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
- The Spirit of Glory – 1Pe 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Conclusions
Understanding the seven Spirits of God is a topic scholars and theologians have studied in depth. There are multiple ideas, beliefs, and theories as to what exactly the seven Spirits of God could be. While the view that they signify the Holy Spirit is widely held, there is still an element of mystery to the topic, and there are books written entirely on differing perspectives. If you are interested in learning more about the seven Spirits of God you could study the scripture deeper or check out some books from the list below.
The Seven Spirits of God by Brian Guerin
The Seven Spirits of God: Experiencing Throne Room Realities by Chris Reed
The Seven-Fold Spirit of God: Accessing the Untapped Dimensions of the Holy Spirit by Keith Miller
Sally JC Journals 