v6. Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God sent out into all the earth.
…“the sevenfold Spirit of God?!” what does the sevenfold Spirit of God mean?
I searched for more references
Revelation 3:1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of the One who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.
Wow! I have been studying the church of Sardis. How did I miss that?
And also; Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the sevenfold Spirit before His throne,
Also; Revelation 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and rolls of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.
I searched for commentaries, some say it refers to Isaiah 11:2 where these attributes of the Spirit are listed
1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Strength
5. Knowledge
6. Fear of the Lord
That’s six. Not it.
Maybe the fruits of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-control
That’s nine. Not it.
Some point to Romans 12 listing different gifts given by the Spirit.
1. Prophecy
2. Serving
3. Teaching
4. Encouraging
5. Giving
6. Leading
7. Showing Mercy
Well that’s seven but that’s not it either since there are other lists of gifts of the Spirit elsewhere in scripture that list other gifts too.
Such as 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 where the list looks like this;
1. Wisdom
2. Knowledge
3. Faith
4. Healing
5. Working of miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Distinguishing between spirits
8. Speaking in various tongues
9. Interpretation of tongues
There are clearly more than seven gifts of the Spirit so that is not what the sevenfold Spirit of God is referring to.
I found commentaries from charismatic groups that add an “anointing” to the Isaiah list and call it the sevenfold anointing of the Spirit. Not satisfied with this.
The Spirit is called the Spirit of truth in John 16 and in Revelation 19:10 “ … the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” Wow!
What can the sevenfold Spirit of God mean?
Traditional denominational commentaries suggest that it is symbolic because much of Revelation is symbolic. Ok but symbols symbolize. What does it mean?!
My thoughts thus far:
In Revelation 1:19 Jesus himself gives us the meaning of the symbols used
This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.…
and in Revelation 5:6 it says “…seven horns and seven eyes, represent the sevenfold Spirit of God.”
and in Revelation 4:5 it says …“This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.”
therefore; the sevenfold Spirit of God is what is being symbolized it is not a symbol.
I believe it has a prophetic meaning. I am still studying this but here is a clue from vs 6 it says “… sent out into all the earth.” This is where I will begin my study. More later.
