Revelation 1:4
Revelation 1:4 John to the seven
churches that 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,
·
John greets the 7
churches that are in Minor Asia.
·
He greets in the name
of God of Trinity.
·
“Who is, who was and
who is to come” these words refer to God Almighty.
·
“The seven spirits
“refer the seven characteristics of one Holy Spirit.
The Number Seven
The number seven is the most commonly used number in the Bible.
The meaning of the number seven is “complete” or “perfection”. We can tell the number seven is the key
number of the Bible.
Some examples:
- · The World was created in 7 days (including the Day of rest).
- · Jacob worked 7 years for Leah & 7 years for Rachel.
- · Passover.
- · Moses turned water into blood for seven days.
- · When Joshua and team went to capture Jericho they involved 7 priest, 7 trumpet,7days.
- · Joseph 7 years plenty of food growth and 7 years famine.
- · The last 7 words Jesus told on cross from mathew 24.
·
Genesis 7:4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and
forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the
face of the ground."
·
Genesis 7:10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
In Revelation also there are plenty of situations where
number 7 is used
- · Rev.1:4,3:1,4:5,5:6 – 7 Spirits
- · Rev. 1:4, 20 – 7 Churches
- · Rev. 1:12 – 7 Golden lamp stands
- · Rev.1:16 – 7 Stars
- · Rev.5:1 - 7 Seals
- · Rev.5:6 – 7 Eyes of Lamb
- · Rev. 8:2 - 7 Angels with 7 trumpets
- · Rev.10:3 - 7 Thunders
- · Rev.12:3 - 7 Heads of the dragon
- · Rev. 13:1 – 7 Heads of the beast
- · Rev.15:1 – 7 Angels having 7 plagues
- · Rev.15:7 - 7 Golden bowls full of the wrath of God
- · Rev.17:9 – 7 Mountains, 7 kings
The seven Spirits of God are mentioned four times in the
Book of Revelation:
Rev 1:4 -
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;
Rev 3:1
- "And to the angel of the church in Sardis
write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven
stars." I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you
are dead.
Rev 4:5 -
And From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings
and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire,
which are the seven spirits of God,
Rev 5:6 -
And between the throne and the four living creatures and
among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven
horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all
the earth.
The seven Spirits do not mean
seven different Spirits, but the seven characteristics of the One HOLY SPIRIT.
1st
Corinthians 12:4,11 There
are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the Spirit is the same.
7 Spirits are 7 personalities/attributes/Operation
We can divide the Holy
Spirit into 3 major parts-
·
Fruits of the Holy Spirit -
Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness
( altogether 7)
·
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
– 1 COR 12:8-10 wisdom,
knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of
spirits, kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues (altogether 9)
·
Roles of the Holy Spirit
A common teaching on the seven Spirits is that Book of Isaiah 11:2. "The "seven
Spirits" likely represent the sevenfold ministry of the Spirit as depicted
in Isaiah 11:2."
Isaiah 11:2 reads, "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."
1 — the Spirit of the Lord;
2 — the Spirit of wisdom;
3 — the Spirit of understanding;
4 — the Spirit of counsel;
5 — the Spirit of might;
6 — the Spirit of knowledge;
7 — and the Spirit of the fear of
the LORD.
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The thing which we should
understand clearly is, these characteristics are not limited to HIS role in
heaven.
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