What are the Seven Spirits of God?

Discipleship Devotional, January 15th, 2025

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
-Revelation 3:1 (KJV)

Four times in the book of Revelation, the Bible mentions the term “seven Spirits of God,” and this would usually spark questions in the mind of any Bible student. It surely did in mine. What does this mean? Does God have seven Spirits? What are these seven Spirits? To answer this question, it is important to note the special use of the word “seven” in the book of Revelation. The use is so profound that many theologians agree it represents wholeness, completeness, and perfection. Simply put, the seven Spirits of God speak of the fullness of the Spirit of God.

Thankfully, we don’t have to guess what this is about because the scriptures list these seven components that make up the fullness of the Spirit. Firstly, take note that our anchor text tells us who has the seven Spirits of God—Jesus. This means Jesus has the fullness of the Spirit of God. After all, the Bible says that God did not give the Spirit to Him by measure. (John 3:34) In other words, God gave Him the Spirit without any limitations.

Having noted this fact about Christ, let’s take a look at where Isaiah, prophesying about Christ, listed the seven Spirits that would rest on Him:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the 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;
-Isaiah 11:1-2 (KJV)

Therefore, the seven components that make up the fullness of the Spirit are:

The Spirit of the Lord
The Spirit of wisdom
The Spirit of understanding
The Spirit of counsel
The Spirit of might
The Spirit of knowledge
The Spirit of the fear of the Lord

When all components are functioning, we are walking in the fullness of the Spirit. The seven Spirits of God were also symbolized by the seven lampstands in the book of Revelation. Interestingly, when we look at the Jewish lampstand, or menorah, that God instructed Moses to place in the temple, it was one lampstand with seven burning flames. This was because Moses saw a vision of Heaven, and God told him to replicate everything he saw in the heavenly tabernacle within the earthly one. This is the picture seen above.

“Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
-Exodus 25:37-40

So Moses saw into heaven and saw what John saw in Revelations. John saw the seven lampstands which he was told are the seven spirits of God. When we see Moses’ illustration of it, we see that it’s not seven different lamps but one lamp with seven burning flames. So it’s not seven different spirits, but one Spirit with seven different streams.

Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for Your Spirit that You have given us in Christ. In Christ, we now have the Spirit without limitations. Glory to God.