Do you believe in the sevenfold nature of the Holy Spirit?

[SummaScriptura]

Revelation 1:4-5, gives us a salutation and blessing unique in the scriptures; it says, "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, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth."

This greeting and blessing comes to us from three senders, from him who is, was and is to come, from the seven spirits and from Jesus Christ. One view of this passage is that it reveals an early formula for the Holy Trinity. The number seven in scripture signifies completion and/or perfection. In this view the "seven spirits" can be properly understood as the sevenfold Spirit, placing emphasis on the sevenfold nature of the work of the Holy Spirit, shown elsewhere in scripture.

In another passage in Revelation 5:6, we read, "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."

Here we are given more information about the "seven spirits" mentioned earlier in chapter 1. Here the seven spirits are seen as "eyes" upon Jesus Christ in heaven. The "eyes" of the lamb go out throughout all the earth. Here, John is alluding to an Old Testament passage in 2 Chronicles 16:9, which says, "The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." John is telling us that Jesus possesses these "eyes of the Lord" which traverse the world in which we live.

In Zechariah 4:10, we find similar wording, "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth." Here we are told the eyes of the lord are seven in number, signifying the perfection of God's ability to see all. Zechariah chapter 4, portrays the seven eyes of the lord as torches on a lampstand. The lampstand in view is a seven-branched menorah. God explains to the prophet that the flames on the seven-branched menorah in heaven are to be understood as the eyes of the Lord.

Later, in Revelation 4:5, John writes more on this, "before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God." So here we see again, the seven-branched menorah in heaven and the flames on each branch are viewed as the seven spirits. If you're with me so far, the seven "spirits" are seven torches in heaven, they are also the eyes of the Lord which are upon the Lamb of God.

The sevenfold nature of the Holy Spirit is revealed in Isaiah 11:2. Here in a passsage concerning the Holy Spirit resting upon Messiah we read, "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 the fear of the LORD." Here we see the Spirit in its sevenfold nature upon Christ. Isaiah refers to them as "the Spirit of the Lord" along with 3 pairs of two attributes of God's Spirit.

In Jewish literature (both in and outside the Bible) from the period before 70 AD, these attributes of the Holy Spirit are frequently viewed in pairs. Sometimes one of the pairs is in view, at other times more than one pair is viewed. In Christ the fullness of the sevenfold Spirit of God rested and remained upon Him throughout His earthly ministry.

When Moses built the tabernacle in the wilderness, he was told to build everything accoriding to the pattern shown him on the mountain. Among the items he was to pattern after was a seven-branched menorah which was to remain in the tabernacle, and to remain lit at all times; in this we see an early prefiguring of what would later be revealed as a heavenly reality.

In the Jewish New Testament, by David Stern, John's Apocalypse begins with a vision of Jesus Christ walking among seven golden menorahs. The seven golden menorahs, John explains, are the seven churches to which John sends the revelation. From this perspective each assembly of believers can be seen as a light in the world, and each assembly, each golden seven-branched menorah when fully lit will exhibit the fullness of the sevenfold nature of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Kristos]

hmmm...that's one I haven't really looked into. I will have to put it on my list and do a little reading before I can comment.

 

[Standing Up]

Isa. 11:2 And 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;

The seven fold Spirit. Can you count it?

 

[SummaScriptura]

hmmm...that's one I haven't really looked into. I will have to put it on my list and do a little reading before I can comment.

Here's the footnote on Rev. 1:4 from the Orthodox Study Bible, "Seven is the number of fullness or completion. The seven Spirits of God most likely refers to the Holy Spirit and His several gifts, as this phrase is included in the blessing with the Father and the Son. Alternately the term could refer to the seven archangels who, according to Jewish tradition, stand before the throne of God (Tobit 12:15; see also 1 Enoch 20:1-8; 90:21, 22; Testament of Levi 8:2)."

The reasons I do not believe this can be refering to the seven archangels are, one, the greeting would then seem to make Jesus' greeting to the seven churches subordinate to the greeting from the seven archangels since Jesus is mentioned last. If the "seven spirits" refers to the Holy Spirit no such subordination is implied since all three persons of the Trinity are co-equal. Two, Revelation 5:6, reads, "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 imagery is consistent with the Spirit resting upon Messiah which we see in the gospels. The sevenfold Holy Spirit are the eyes by which Christ beholds all things. Viewing the eyes upon the Lamb of God as created angelic beings, I believe alters the imagery to something quite different and it would beg the question of whether the uncreated Lamb of God had eyes before the creation of the archangels.

 

[christianmomof3]

The Spirit is sevenfold intensified in the last days to deal with the degredation of the church and of the world during that time.
Here are some footnotes about that:
http://online.recoveryversion.org/outlines.asp?bookid=66

Revelation1: 4
4 John to the 1aseven bchurches which are in 2Asia: cGrace to you and dpeace from 3eHim who is and who was and 4who is coming, and from the 5fseven Spirits who are before His throne,


45 The seven Spirits are undoubtedly the Spirit of God because They are ranked among the Triune God in vv. 4 and 5. As seven is the number for completion in God's operation, so the seven Spirits must be for God's move on the earth. In essence and existence, God's Spirit is one; in the intensified function and work of God's operation, God's Spirit is sevenfold. This is similar to the lampstand in Zech. 4:2. In its existence it is one lampstand, but in its function it is seven lamps. At the time this book was written, the church had become degraded; the age was dark. Therefore, the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God was needed for God's move and work on the earth.
In Matt. 28:19 the sequence of the Triune God is: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here the sequence is changed. The seven Spirits of God are listed in the second place instead of the third. This reveals the importance of the intensified function of the sevenfold Spirit of God. This point is confirmed by the repeated emphasis on the Spirit's speaking in 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 14:13; 22:17.
At the opening of the other Epistles, only the Father and the Son are mentioned; from Them grace and peace are given to the receivers. Here, however, the Spirit is included; from Him grace and peace are imparted to the churches. This too indicates the crucial need of the Spirit to counteract the degradation of the church for God's move. http://online.recoveryversion.org/

 

[GuardianShua]

Revelation 1:5
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Revelation 3:1
"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Revelation 1:19
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

 

[GuardianShua]

Bump

 

[GuardianShua]

What, did I stump the Catholics with my reply?​

 

[SummaScriptura]

What, did I stump the Catholics with my reply?​

Please stop polluting this thread and other threads with your anti-Catholicism. Does everything have to be filtered through the lens of your disagreement with Roman Catholics? You are obsessing. You almost persuade me to rejoin the RCC!

By the way, no one can read your mind, so when you post scriptures and no one sees any reason to reply its not because they're stumped. There's a whole lot of people who have read the same verses as you and they don't come to the same anti-RCC conclusions as you. Roman Catholics have no reason to be stumped by the verses you posted. No one else is stumped either.

I would not be so opposed to your post if you actually had a more humble manner about it. You seem bent on rubbing someone's hypothical nose in the pile of ideas you plop out.

 

[GuardianShua]

Please stop polluting this thread and other threads with your anti-Catholicism. Does everything have to be filtered through the lens of your disagreement with Roman Catholics? You are obsessing. You almost persuade me to rejoin the RCC!

By the way, no one can read your mind, so when you post scriptures and no one sees any reason to reply its not because they're stumped. There's a whole lot of people who have read the same verses as you and they don't come to the same anti-RCC conclusions as you. Roman Catholics have no reason to be stumped by the verses you posted. No one else is stumped either.

I would not be so opposed to your post if you actually had a more humble manner about it. You seem bent on rubbing someone's hypothical nose in the pile of ideas you plop out.

Here is a Catholic idea for you: "for salvation it is necessary that every human creature be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff". Indulgences are for sale again. I was raised a baptist, and I must say, you talk like a Catholic while claiming be a Baptist. Were you ever a Catholic before?
If you are not able to add the highlighted scripture together, then you can ask questions.

 

[SummaScriptura]

Mods please indulge us.

 

[sunlover1]

Where's LLOJ?

 

[SummaScriptura]

Here is the Biblical background: eyes, torches, spirits

Zechariah 4:2, 10b (The Seven Lamps are the Seven Eyes of the Lord)

[sup]2[/sup]And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. [sup]10b[/sup]These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth."

Zechariah 3:8-9 (The Branch-Stone Posesses Seven Eyes)

[sup]8[/sup]Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. [sup]9[/sup]For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.

2 Chronicles 16:9

[sup]9[/sup]For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."

Isaiah 11:2 (The Sevenfold Holy Spirit Abides Upon Messiah)

[sup]2[/sup]And the Spirit of the LORD[sup]1[/sup] shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom[sup]2[/sup] and understanding[sup]3[/sup] , the Spirit of counsel[sup]4[/sup] and might[sup]5[/sup] , the Spirit of knowledge[sup]6[/sup] and the fear of the LORD[sup]7[/sup] .

Revelation 1:4 (Grace and Peace from the Seven Spirits)

[sup]4[/sup]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, [sup]5[/sup]and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

Revelation 3:1 (Christ Has the Seven Spirits)

[sup]1[/sup]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.

Revelation 4:5 (The Seven Torches are the Seven Spirits)

[sup]5[/sup]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.

Revelation 5:6 (The Seven Eyes are the Eyes of the Lamb)

[sup]6[/sup]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-branched menorah is the figure from the tabernacle that illustrates this heavenly reality:


.........6............4............2............1............3...........5...........7

The design is of one piece.

There are four pipes. The central one supplies them all with oil. Three of the four pipes each connect two of the torches. You will notice the passage from Isaiah 11:2 above has three pairs of two as well, mirroring this design.

The Holy Spirit is actually the fire on each.

The stand represents the host, or witness who is the one from whom light shines to illumine all who are in darkness. In the O.T. Israel was to be that witness, a lampstand. In the N.T. each of us is to be a lampstand, but especially the local church is.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus walks among the seven churches. Each church is represented in Revelation as its own lampstand, its own Menorah. Each church should hold up Christ for the nations to be illumined by His light. But it won't do to only have one of the torches burning; each church is to strive to present a mature witness which exhibits each of the seven torches fully lit. The Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, and the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord.

Foursquare churches? No. Sevenfold? Yes.

 

[Standing Up]

Nice OP.

It's tough to find an accurately reproduced menorah. I think it too shows the 3-1 God (Father, Son, Spirit). The menorah is one piece. Each of the two-fold branches comes out from a knob.

 

[SummaScriptura]

Do you think this one's accurate?

From the Arch of Titus in Rome.

 

[Standing Up]

Do you think this one's accurate?

From the Arch of Titus in Rome.

No idea one way or the other. It may be from Solomon's temple, but not enough detail to see if it mimics the instructions from Exodus.

You mentioned the 7 churches.

Are you thinking each one is a whole lamp. Or 7 branches are the 7 churches, that is, each branch is a church. I'd lean to the former.

 

[SummaScriptura]

"I turned around to see who was speaking to me; and when I had turned, I saw seven golden menorahs; and among the menorahs was someone like a Son of Man." Rev. 1:13 (The Jewish New Testament)

I think David Stern has it right here. Each church is to be a host for the full spectrum of the Holy Spirit's working.

 

[SummaScriptura]

No idea one way or the other. It may be from Solomon's temple, but not enough detail to see if it mimics the instructions from Exodus.

The relief in the photo is on the Arch of Titus in Rome. It was created by Domitian for his brother Titus in the late first century. It perhaps contains a reasonable facsimilie of the menorah taken from Jerusalem's 2nd temple in AD 70.

 

[LiturgyInDMinor]

Nice pics!!!

 

[Standing Up]

The relief in the photo is on the Arch of Titus in Rome. It was created by Domitian for his brother Titus in the late first century. It perhaps contains a reasonable facsimilie of the menorah taken from Jerusalem's 2nd temple in AD 70.

There's stuff about bud, knop, flower 3 of 3 on each branch and then 3 of 4 on the center branch. Some think that points to the 27 NT and 39 OT for a total of 66 books. Others disagree. Anyway, it's tough to find the 'exact' symbolism in various pictures of the menorah. Most folks don't think it means anything.