Who Are the 7 Spirits before the Throne of God in Revelation?

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"John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne"

Revelation 1:4

Overview

Various verses in the book of Revelation reveal that many of the participants in the book are identified with multiple names. The seven Spirits of God are represented by many names. The "holy city" and "Babylon the Great" are other examples of participants in the book of Revelation which have numerous names. Click here to read about other participants and equivalents.

Knowledge of the many names by which various participants in the book of Revelation are called is nearly as critical to the understanding of the book as is the rigid structure by which the book is organized. Click here to see the express statements within the book of Revelation which establish its chronology and rigid organizational structure.

Seven Spirits of God

The "seven Spirits of God" are also the seven lamps and the seven eyes of the Lamb. They are represented in other ways as well. Below are the equivalents which I have seen so far, with the chapter and verse reference from the book of Revelation in parenthesis:

7 Spirits Before His Throne (1:4) = 7 Lamps (4:5) = 7 Spirits of God (4:5) = 7 Spirits of God sent into all the earth (5:6) = 7 Eyes of the Lamb (Christ) (5:6) = 7 Angels who stand before God and blow the 7 trumpets (8:2) = 7 Angels of the 7 Churches who received the 7 letters from Christ (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14) = 7 Spirits before the throne who sent the 7 Letters to the 7 Churches (1:4).

All but the last two equivalents will be clear if you will prayerfully read the scripture references in the order presented. With the exception of the last two equivalents, each scripture contains an EXPRESS STATEMENT which establishes equivalence of one participant with another.

For example:

"There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God" (Revelation 4:5).

This is an express statement of scripture saying that:

seven lamps of fire = the seven Spirits of God.

As I said, with the exception of the last two equivalents, each scripture contains an EXPRESS STATEMENT which establishes equivalence of one participant with another. You must read them to see. I suggest that you take time to read them now... but please read prayerfully.

I will repeat them for your convenience:

(Pause, so you may prayerfully read the above scriptures)

To completely establish the equivalence of the participants in the first six verses above, the equivalence of the first verse, the seven spirits before His throne (1:4) and the sixth verse, the seven angels who stand before God (8:2), is shown in part 2 below.

It will take some explanation to show that:

The seven Spirits of God are the seven angels who stand before God and who blow the seven trumpets.
The seven Spirits of God are the seven angels of the seven churches who received the seven letters from Christ.

This page is organized in three parts:

1) Six Scriptures Describing the Seven Spirits of God

2) The Seven Spirits of God are the Seven Angels Who Blow the Seven Trumpets

3) The Seven Spirits of God are the Seven Angels of the Seven Churches

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture reverences in this page are from the book of Revelation. For example, (1:4) means (Revelation 1:4), (5:6) means (Revelation 5:6), etc.

1) Six Scriptures Describing the Seven Spirts of God

Please prayerfully consider the following six scriptures, which reveal who the seven spirits are and the many names and titles assigned to them.

1) The seven spirits are before God's throne.

"John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:4-5).

Notice that the the seven Spirits join with the Father and Son in sending grace and peace to the seven churches.

2) Seven spirits are sent into all the earth.

"I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth" (Revelation 5:6).

3) The seven spirits of God are the seven lamps of fire before his throne.

"Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God" (Revelation 4:5).

4) The seven spirits are the seven eyes of the Lamb (Jesus).

"I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth" (Revelation 5:6).

5) The seven spirits who are the eyes of the Lamb are before the throne.

"I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth" (Revelation 5:6).

These seven Spirits are before the throne, since they are the eyes of the Lamb and the Lamb is "in the middle of the throne" and "in the middle of the elders". To be in the middle of the throne and elders is certainly the equivalent of being "before his throne" as in 1:4.

6) The Seven Angels who stand before God are the seven angels who blow the seven trumpets of the seven trumpet judgements.

"I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them" (Revelation 8:2).

Prayerful Observation:

There are seven angels who stand before God. And each was given a trumpet. Each of these angels blows one of the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:6,7,8,10,12; 9:1,13;11:7).

2) The Seven Spirits of God are the Seven Angels Who Stand Before God

Are "the seven angels who stand before God" in 8:2 the same as "the seven Spirits who are before his throne" in 1:4? And are "the seven Spirits who are before his throne" the same as the seven angels who blow the seven trumpets? If you will prayerfully consider the following, I believe you will answer "yes" to both questions.

The phrases "who stand before God" and "who are before his throne" appear to be equivalent to each other.

So, the only difference is that 8:2 calls them angels while 1:4 calls them Spirits. Well, an angel is a spirit (Hebrews 1:13-14). So, they really could be the same seven.

THE Seven

In Revelation 8:2, John wrote that he saw "the seven angels who stand before God". And, the definite article "the" is in the Greek text (tous hepta angelous) . The word "the" was not merely supplied by the translator to convey what the translator believed to be the correct meaning of the Greek text. So, 8:2 is referring to "the" seven angels "who stand before God". The same is true of the phrase "the seven Spirits" in 1:4. The definite article, "the" is in the Greek text.

So, John is writing about "the" seven Spirits and "the" seven angels. In other words, a random group of seven is not what John is writing about. When he writes "the seven", John is referring to a special group of seven. The only question is... are two special groups of seven intended or is there only one special group of seven who sometimes are described as Spirits and sometimes described as angels?

The Throne Room

To help provide more insight into this question, we will observe just exactly who is in the throne room as described in Revelation, chapters four and five. We will see if there are two groups of seven in the throne room or just one.

John was called up into the throne room (4:1-2). John sees God the Father sitting on His throne (4:2). We know that this is God the Father instead of Christ because Christ is takes the scroll out of the hand of the one on the throne in 5:6-7. John saw 24 elders on 24 thrones "around the throne" (4:4). Think of "around the throne" as a circle around the throne. John also sees the seven spirits of God "before the throne" (4:5), the four living creatures "around the throne" (4:6-7), a strong angel whose location is not described (5:2). He also saw the Lamb between the throne and the elders (5:6). John heard the voice of myriads and myriads of angels "around the throne" (5:11).

The seven Spirits are said to be "before the throne" in 1:4 and John sees them there in 4:5. But John does not see seven angels in the throne room in addition to the seven Spirits. He only sees the seven Spirits in the throne room. Since the seven angels are described as "who stand before God" in 8:2, I would expect them to be in the throne room. But, as I said, there is only one group of seven in the throne room.

So, most likely the seven Spirits and the seven angels are the same seven. In chapters 4 and 5, God is specifically identifying those who are before the throne and around the throne... those with the highest rank in heavenly authority. It would be incomplete, if they were two separate groups of seven, who were before the throne, for only one group of seven to be mentioned as being before the throne. So, even without an express statement to this effect, it seems clear that there is only one group of seven, before the throne.

So, it seems clear that the seven Spirits before the throne and the seven angels who stand before God are the same. Since the seven angels who stand before God in 8:2 are the seven angels who blow the seven trumpets (8:2), the Seven Spirits of God are also the Seven Angels Who Blow the Seven Trumpets.

This may be easier to see if I use symbolic logic:

7BT = 7BG

7BG = 7Tr

Therefore, 7BT = 7Tr

7BT = 7 Spirits Before the Throne

7BG = 7 Angels Who Stand Before God

7Tr = 7 Angels Who Blow the 7 Trumpets

3) The "Seven Spirits Before His Throne" are the Same as the Seven Angels of the Seven Churches?

The first chapter of the book of Revelation reveals that the book was passed from God through numerous spiritual authorities, one by one, from one to another, until it ultimately reached seven churches. The transmission of the book is described almost like runners passing a baton in a relay race. As we read the book of Revelation, we see that seven angels received the book (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14) and seven Spirits sent the book (1:4).

If seven angels received the book and seven Spirits send the book, with an angel clearly being a spirit, one would conclude that, since no intermediate, spiritual, transmitting, authority between the two are mentioned and since numerous characters in the book go by numerous names, the seven Spirits are identical to the seven angels.

As you read, I will present additional reasons why I believe that the two are equivalents. By the way, the capitalization of the "s" in Spirit, reflects the interpretation of some translators and is not present in the original Greek text.

Seven angels received the book of Revelation from Christ, through John (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14). Scripture doesn't say that the seven angels transmitted the book on to anyone. But the Seven Spirits sent the book to the seven churches (1:4). An angel is a spirit. If the seven angels are the same as the seven Spirits, then the complete transmission process is revealed. If they are the same, then the book passed from Christ to the seven angels (who are Spirits), to the seven churches. In other words, the seven Spirits of 1:4 appear to be the same as the seven angels of 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14.

If this is confusing to you, please continue reading.

God wants us to know the path of transmission for the book of Revelation. That is why God revealed that path in the first chapter of Revelation. God communicated the book of Revelation through authorities that He had ordained. The revelation of Jesus originated in God (1:1). God "gave" the revelation to Jesus (1:1). Jesus gave the revelation to an angel (1:1). The angel communicated the revelation to John (1:1). John communicated the revelation to the seven angels of the seven churches (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14). Seven Spirits communicated the revelation to each church body (1:4). 1:4 says "to the seven assemblies... from the seven Spirits".

Please recognize that it was the seven Spirits who transmitted the revelation to the seven assemblies.

I wondered if God would communicate to His children through angels in the Post-Pentecost Age of the Indwelling Holy Spirit. He does. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-8. Then in Acts, 8:26 an angel communicated with Philip the apostle: "But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza" (Acts 8:26).

Assuming that the seven Spirits before God's throne ARE the seven angels of the seven churches... the steps of divine communication were: God - Jesus - Angel - Apostle - Angels of the Seven Churches - Seven Congregations.

So, we have six levels of authority in the transmission. Since seven is God's number of completion, I would expect to see seven levels, instead of six. The Holy Spirit is a likely choice for the seventh, since the Holy Spirit indwells all believers and teaches us all things (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27) . In fact, those two scriptures argue that the Holy Spirit must be involved. But, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned anywhere in the book of Revelation. Possibly we are to see Him as the seventh of an incomplete six authorities in the transmission.

But, if the seven Spirits before God's throne are NOT the seven angels of the seven churches, we end up with two incomplete series of steps, neither of which trace the message from God to the seven congregations. The two incomplete communication series resulting from this assumption are:

1) God - Jesus - Angel - Apostle - Angels of the Seven Churches

2) Seven Spirits before God's throne - Seven Congregations

One could propose that the book is conveyed in this way:

angels of the seven churches - Holy Spirit - Seven Spirits before God's throne

This would make a total of seven authorities and complete the transition from God to the congregations. But the Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity, is God. So, it seems strange to limit the role of the Holy Spirit to being in between the seven Spirits and the angels of the seven churches.

It seems more scriptural to see the Holy Spirit as being involved in all four steps from Jesus to the congregation. This is consistent with Jesus being in authority over the Holy Spirit at the present time (Ephesians 1:20-21). This requires the seven Spirits before God's throne to be the same as the seven angels of the seven churches, or we would have eight authorities instead of seven.

For the above reasons, it seems most scriptural for the seven Spirits before God's throne to be the same as the seven angels of the seven churches.

Once the written text of the book of Revelation was received by the congregation, the Holy Spirit who teaches all things (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27), taught the congregation its meaning, apparently through angels. Angels are involved in delivering messages from God. The Greek word for angel is angelos, meaning messenger. It is translated as either messenger or angel depending on context. Some examples of angels communicating messages in the current age are 14:6-10, Hebrews 1:13-14 and Hebrews 13:2. Demons communicate as well (1 Timothy 4:1-3).

One may wonder how John communicated the revelation to angels. This happened as John wrote the book. Angels can read. God does transmit His plans to angels through humans (Ephesians 3:10).

So, the seven letters are sent from Christ to the seven angels of the seven churches (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14). The seven angels send the seven letters to the seven churches (1:4).

Summary and Comment

The "seven Spirits who are before his throne" (1:4) are "the seven Spirits of God" who are "in the middle of the throne" (5:6), who are "sent out into all the earth" (5:6), who are fellow senders the seven letters to the seven churches (1:4), who received the seven letters from Christ (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14).They are the "seven lamps" (4:5), are the "seven eyes" of the Lamb (5:6) and are the seven angels who blow the seven trumpets (8:2).

Based on the detail of spiritual authority revealed in the book of Revelation, I suspect that the seven Spirits are angels who report directly to Christ, through whom He works His will, making disciples and, in the book of Revelation, bringing about the end time judgements on Satan and his followers.

The seven Spirits are revealed as eyes to Christ. They appear to be the seven most highly ranked angels, with myriads of angels answering to each, all with the charge of God to do His will, all seeing and executing God's will as instructed. Some may say that Christ doesn't need others to work His will. He doesn't need them. But scripture is clear that God uses men and angels to execute His will, at His command.

On a different note, possibly, the seven angels who received the seven letters to their respective churches (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14) are responsible for thousands of churches. Or, possibly the seven churches are figures for the seven spiritual domains of the seven angels before the throne.

More Information

The seven Spirits of God are just one of many examples in the book of Revelation wherein different participants in the book are represented by different names. To learn about other participants in the book of Revelation who are called by multiple names, click the first link below to open "Participants and Equivalents in the Book of Revelation".

Additional Help on the Book of Revelation

What Does Matthew 24:34 Mean? This Generation Will Not Pass

To read about the timing of the rapture with respect to the tribulation and many other chapters on Biblical prophecy, click the link at the top of this page labeled "17 Chapters on Prophecy".