In our previous post, we detailed how the 7 nations that Israel was instructed to drive out of the Land of Canaan were really nations of hybrid Nephilim beings (fallen angel/human), totally evil, and though they no longer exist as people groups today, they still exist as unseen demonic spirits or entities that influence people. These are the 7 unholy spirits and are the opposite of the 7 spirits of God.
But what are the 7 Spirits of God? Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase before or perhaps this is new to you. Let’s talk about this because it’s really a fascinating subject. I can’t say that I’m totally able to comprehend the fullness of this, but we can begin to peel back layers of the onion and gain some level of understanding. Let’s start with where we see this phrase in Scripture. The book of Revelation is the place to start because it’s where we see the phrase “7 Spirits of God”. John, a Disciple of Jesus Christ, actually SEES the Throneroom of God during his exile on the Isle of Patmos. He describes this experience in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible.
Revelation 1: 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
Revelation 1: 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelation 4:5: Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
What does John see? He’s seeing JESUS CHRIST in His Glory. Jesus is standing in the middle of the 7 Golden Lampstands. What are the 7 Golden Lampstands? This is the 7 Candle Menorah that stood in both the Tabernacle and the Temple of God. This is NOT the 9 candle Menorah that is seen at Hanukkah, but rather the 7 candle Menorah which was detailed in Exodus 25. The pattern for the Lampstand was given to Moses when he met with God on Mount Sinai (the same time he received the 10 commandments).
Exodus 25: 31 “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. 33 Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower—so for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34 and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.
35 A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.36 Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. 37 Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain
The Menorah has a total of 7 branches, three on each side and one in the middle. Seven is the number of completion, think 7 day week, 7 Old Testament Festivals, 7 colors of the Rainbow. Although the Menorah had 7 branches, it was important to make it with one piece of hammered or beaten gold. Also noticeable is that the Menorah resembled a tree. In Jewish tradition, the menorah is reminiscent of the Tree of Life from the creation story. The Menorah was placed in the Holy Place on the opposite side of the Table of Shewbread and the Golden Incense Alter. Every day the High Priest would light the Menorah. It was the only light source in the Tabernacle. When lit, it would illuminate the Table of Shewbread, which represents Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. The middle Candle of the Menorah is known as the Shamash Candle, or the “Servant Candle“, and is used to light all of the other candles. All of the candles in the Menorah faced inward, toward the Shamash candle.
Here we have this very specific golden lampstand, made of a single piece of “beaten gold” with the servant candle in the Middle, the only light in the room, lighting up the Holy Place, shining on the Table of Shewbread. This speaks of the Unity and Oneness of God, the Light of the world, the bread of Life, the Servant who was fully human, fully God (pure gold), who was beaten and gave His life for the world. This is the Menorah, this is the seven spirits of God.
John saw Jesus standing in the middle of the 7 Golden Lampstands, the Menorah. The middle of the Lampstand is the Shamash, the Servant Candle. Jesus was known as the Suffering Servant. This middle candle is also known as “The spirit of the Lord”.
Now let’s go into the Old Testament for additional understanding of the 7 Spirits of God. Speaking of the Messiah…
Isaiah 11:1: Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
These are the seven spirits of God as seen in the 7 Candle Menorah.
Notice how each of the branches is connected to another? The Spirit of YHWH, is Jesus, the CENTER candle…we see this in the book of Revelation. Then, each branch is connected to the branch on the other side. For instance the Spirit of Knowledge is connected to the Fear of the Lord. Knowledge will produce within us the Fear of the Lord. The Spirit of Council is connected to the Spirit of Strength of or might. When we receive God’s Council we are strengthened. The Spirit of Wisdom will grant us the ability to understand the things of God. The 7 Spirits of God, Jesus at the center, is the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
When we read the first few chapters of Revelation…
- Jesus HAS the 7 Spirits of God (Revelation 3:1).
- The 7 Spirits of God ARE the 7 burning LAMPS.(Rev. 4:5)
- Jesus walks among the 7 Golden Lampstands (Revelation 1:12-20).
- 7 Golden Lampstands are the seven churches (Rev. 1:20). A Lampstand is a stand that holds up a lamp. The Lampstands are the Churches that hold up/contain the 7 Spirits of God.
So what are these Scriptures telling us? These 7 Spirits, outlined in Isaiah 11:1 – 2, are the FULLNESS of the Holy Spirit that we find in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. As it was in the Tabernacle and the Temple, the MENORAH (the 7 Spirits of God) ILLUMINATES Jesus the Christ, the Bread of Life (Table of Shewbread). During the days of the Temple, this light was hidden inside of thick curtains in the Holy Place. However, once Jesus died on the Cross,the VEIL was torn in half from top to bottom, and the LIGHT of the MENORAH (Jesus the Christ), HIS HOLY SPIRIT, shone out upon the world for ALL to SEE!
The work of the Holy Spirit is to shed light on Jesus Christ so that we know Him alone as “the way, the truth, and the life,“ the only way to the Father. And this work the Holy Spirit accomplishes through Christ’s Word, for His Word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path,” to paraphrase Psalm 119. Through God’s Word, the Spirit sheds light on Christ that we may see Him and none other.
These 7 Spirits were UPON the 7 Churches that were outlined in the book of Revelation. These 7 Churches have multiple interpretations, all of which are correct.
- There were 7 literal churches in the days of John,
- There have been 7 Church Ages, and
- There are 7 types of Churches and even more specifically Christians in the Last days.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon each of these “Churches”; however, the letters in the book of Revelation shows Jesus WARNING these Churches to either stay faithful, hold fast, repent, and be “overcomers”, OR…potentially LOSE their lampstand (their LIGHT, their ANOINTING of the HOLY SPIRIT).
One example of this…Revelation 2:
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
Christians now live with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus’ shed blood on the cross as the atonement for our sins and we ask Jesus to come live inside of us. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we receive an anointing of either wisdom, strength, counsel, knowledge, etc. Christians receive the anointing of at least one of the seven Spirits of God. These are our Spiritual Gifts promised to us in 1st Corinthians 12. Jesus operated in the FULLNESS of the 7 Spirits of God, as they all point to HIM. All the candles in the Menorah face inward, towards the Shamash candle, the Servant Candle. Christians contain the in-filling of the Spirit; however, we may not yet be operating to our FULLNESS potential. This is something that we may see COME ALIVE in these last days…We have MUCH to look forward to!
1st Corinthians 2:9: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it even entered into the heart of man the things that God has for those who LOVE HIM.
Matthew 9:15: But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
John 14:12:“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
Acts 2:17: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit 🕊️on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams;18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,
I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit🕊️
And they shall prophesy.
Jesus’ original Hebrew Name, Yahushua is marvelous.💕 Yahushua means YHWH’S SALVATION, or YHWH SAVES. When written in this Hebrew script we can see seven flames at the top of the letters. If you place a picture of a Menorah over the letters those seven flames will stand atop the seven branches of the Menorah, exemplifying the awesome fact that Jesus IS the Light of the World!!! 💡 This is no accident! It’s the beauty and depth of Hebrew—God’s language!
