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GOD: How many spirits?
Revelation opens by introducing the three persons of the Godhead. Revelation 1:4–6 we read about “'From the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever,'†Rev. 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. Rev. 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.†Rev. 6: 6 “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.†In Isaiah, we are given the idea what the seven spirits may be, and we need to realize the ‘seven’ is a symbol of completeness: Isa. 11:1 “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2The 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.†Six of the seven spirits (gifts) that will rest or abide in Christ are obvious in verse 2. They are given in three sets of two each. They are wisdom and understanding (both related to the intellect and discernment), counsel and might (both practical in nature), plus knowledge and the fear of the Eternal (which relates to the relationship with the Father). The last of the seven, also recorded in Isaiah 11:2, is easily overlooked. It is the spirit of the Lord (Jehovah), which is found at the beginning of the verse and which makes everything possible We need to remember that the 7 branched candlestick in Holy Place is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit but seven remains a symbol of completeness!