Who Are the 7 Spirits in

Revelation?
DECEMBER 10, 2020 | BRANDON D. SMITH
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Who are the seven spirits in Revelation? This question arises in the opening lines of John’s
vision in which he refers to “the seven spirits who are before [God’s] throne” (Rev. 1:4). The
seven spirits are named again in Jesus’s message to Sardis (Rev. 3:1), as well as twice in the
throne-room scenes (Rev. 4:5; 5:6).

Some scholars have argued that the seven spirits are borrowed from Jewish ideas about
Yahweh’s seven chief angels, or perhaps the Greco-Roman idea of a plurality of spirits that bring
wisdom and knowledge. However, I will argue that the seven spirits represent the Holy Spirit, for
three main reasons.

1. John’s Use of the Number Seven

Revelation is an apocalyptic book, which means we should be careful of being too “literal,”
especially when it comes to numbers and analogies. The number seven is well attested in the
Bible, being used in some form more than 800 times. It’s often viewed as the number of
completion or perfection, most notably when seven is associated with the completion of God’s
“very good” creation (Gen. 1). Throughout Revelation, John uses the number often—seven
spirits, seven churches, seven stars, seven lamps, seven angels, seven cycles of judgment, and so
on.

Revelation is an apocalyptic book, which means we should be careful of being too ‘literal,’
especially when it comes to numbers and analogies.

Revelation’s vivid imagery, illustrations, analogies, and use of the Old Testament make
interpreting it a tricky endeavor. We shouldn’t exaggerate this point and assume that Revelation
is merely a riddle to decode, stripping it of its historical context and theological richness. And
yet, taking into account John’s use of seven and its importance in Scripture, it’s safe to say
“seven” likely refers to more than a mere number of spirits.

2. John’s Use of Scripture

Part of John’s literary genius is his use of the Old Testament and continuity with the New as he
describes his visions. Given his constant quoting of the prophets and the book’s sense of
fulfillment of God’s promises, he clearly sees himself in some sense as a prophet who points to
God’s final promises coming true. He then creatively uses the visions to show how God is
bringing a new creation through Christ and the Spirit. It could be argued that John alludes to the
Old Testament in almost every verse, but we’ll mention only a few here.

Zechariah 4:1–14 is one of many key texts for John’s understanding of the Spirit’s role,
especially the language of Zechariah 4:6 about the Spirit establishing God’s rule on earth. In a
clear allusion to Zechariah 4:10, John equates the “eyes of the LORD” in the Zechariah passage
with the seven spirits in Revelation 1:4 and those in 5:6, where the “sevens spirits of God” are
sent to be his eyes on earth. This language of God’s eyes having an all-encompassing gaze can
also be compared to passages such as Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
observing the wicked and the good” (CSB).

Part of John’s literary genius is his use of the Old Testament and continuity with the New as he
describes his visions.

In the context of other New Testament writings, John may be thinking of Jesus sending the Spirit
to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20; John 14:26), paired with Zechariah’s
description of the power of the Spirit rebuilding the temple (Zech. 4:6), which John also
describes as God building his temple through the Spirit (Rev. 3:12; 11:1) and which finds its
eschatological culmination in the New Jerusalem (21:3, 16, 22). The number seven as a sign of
the Spirit’s divine fullness might also allude to the LXX translation of Isaiah 11:2–3, with its
sevenfold description of the gifts and activities of the Lord’s Spirit: wisdom, understanding,
counsel, might, knowledge, godliness, and the fear of God.
In just a few passages listed here, we see how John ties the seven spirits into the being, identity,
or activity of YHWH and/or his Spirit, showing that the seven spirits cannot merely be angels or
an impersonal force. Instead, we see the way John pulls together other biblical texts to highlight
the Holy Spirit’s divine work in the world.

3. John’s Worship Language

Last, but perhaps most notably, John includes these seven spirits in several important worship
contexts.

In his opening doxology, the Father, Jesus, and the seven spirits jointly offer grace and peace.
Doxologies in the New Testament always include various formulations of the three persons of
the Trinity, and these doxologies are recognized as both a phrase of worship and/or a divine
blessing to the recipients. If the seven spirits were merely angels, it would be unusual for John to
include them as recipients of worship and as givers of divine blessing, especially considering
Revelation’s hyper-awareness of the difference between true and false worship. Indeed, angels in
Revelation reject worship on multiple occasions (Rev. 19:10; 22:9).

It would be unusual for John to include [the spirits] as recipients of worship and as givers of
divine blessing, especially considering Revelation’s hyper-awareness of the difference between
true and false worship.

As noted above, the throne-room scenes in Revelation 4–5 show the seven spirits proceeding
from the throne as the “eyes” of the Lamb. Whereas every other creature in heaven is
turned toward the throne, bowing down and singing praises to God and Christ, we see the seven
spirits coming from the throne, indicating that unlike angels or other creatures, they have a place
on God’s throne and represent his activity from the throne.

Aside from the doxology and throne-room scenes, we should note that the Spirit brings John into
the vision to begin with (Rev. 1:10) and guides him through the visionary journey (4:2; 17:3;
21:10). This being “in the Spirit” and “carried away by the Spirit” actually seems to be the way
John receives this prophetic revelation of God, for he is commanded to “write down everything”
he sees (1:11). Similar prophetic inspiration is found, for example, in Ezekiel 3:12 and 11:24.
Peter’s statement that God spoke through the prophets, by way of the Holy Spirit, to confess the
knowledge of Christ comes to mind here as well (2 Pet. 1:16–21).

So, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the “seven spirits” and the phrase “in the Spirit” occur at
these key places in the book, showing that at every major turn in the narrative, the Spirit is
present and acting as a gatekeeper for John’s heavenly entrance.

Praise God the Holy Spirit

In this brief survey, we have seen that John uses “seven spirits” language to talk about the person
and work of the Holy Spirit. While God and Christ are obviously the center of the narrative, the
Holy Spirit receives worship and bestows grace, has a place on God’s throne, and acts as the
agent of revelation as John enters the heavenly realms.

God the Holy Spirit is far from an overlooked character in Revelation; rather, he is a centerpiece
of the entire narrative and is worthy of our praise.