![]() 4):ġ Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. For instance, Zechariah receives a vision which sheds much light on this topic (Zech. Later we read, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. Second, while angels speak to the churches, so does the Spirit. Thus, we could render this as “the sevenfold Spirit.” Mentioning the Holy Spirit in the midst of this would fit with a complete Trinitarian understanding of God. The focus is on God the Father (v.4) and God the Son (v.5). Morris holds this view-even though he concedes that it is indeed “an unusual way of designating the Holy Spirit.” A number of arguments support this view:įirst, this would fill out the Trinitarian context of chapter 1. OPTION #2: This is referring to the Holy Spirit. Mark 8:12)… Angels are contrasted to spirits in Acts 23:8-9.” Only rarely are angels called “spirits” in the NT (Heb. Walvoord writes, “The word spirit (Gr., pneuma) is commonly used of evil spirits, that is, demons or fallen angels of the human spirit (cf. ![]() If these are angels, why not identify them as such, as he does consistently throughout the rest of the book? By contrast, John never specifically refers to the “Holy Spirit” in his book.įifth, the term “spirit” ( pneuma) is normally used of demons or fallen angels in the Bible. In fact, angels are mentioned in almost every chapter of Revelation (with the exception of chapters 4 and 13). Under this reading, John would be mentioning the “Father, Son, and Holy Angels.” A reference to the Trinity seems to fit much more naturally in the context.įourth, John never refrains from mentioning angels in Revelation. While the later context refers to angels (chapters 2 and 3), the opening of the book focuses on God. In chapter one, John focuses on God-not angels. ![]() Third, the context doesn’t point to angels. But if this is true, who or what are the seven spirits? Clearly, these two are different. Of course, the seven stars are angels (Rev. Second, John differentiates between “the seven Spirits” and “the seven stars” (Rev. ![]() That being said, other passages place the Father, the Son, and angels together (Lk. This seems to conflict with commands against angel worship later in the book (Rev. 1:4) would come from seven angels, rather than from God himself. However, this view has a number of problems:įirst, it’s odd that “grace and peace” (Rev. Advocates of this view note that “the seven spirits who are before His throne” (1:4) correspond to “the seven angels who stand before God” (8:2). Mounce holds that these seven angels would correspond to the seven angels of the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. OPTION #1: This is referring to angels sitting before the throne of God. RESPONSE: Commentators hold two main options: Is he referring to the Holy Spirit or to the seven angels that guard the seven churches? 1:4) What are the seven spirits mentioned here?ĬLAIM: John writes of “the seven Spirits who are before His throne” (Rev.
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