The Seven Spirits and Seven Angels of Revelation

It is only in the Book of Revelation that we find a reference to both seven spirits and seven angels. This study is suggestive that the two are in some way related.

Seven spirits

There are only four (4) occurrences of the seven spirits of God mentioned in the Book of Revelation as follows.

1. Revelation 1:4-5a: John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

2. Revelation 3:1: And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

3. Revelation 4:5: From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven lamps of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

"seven lamps of fire." The Greek for "lamps" is lampas (G2985) which is understood to mean either a handheld "torch" (sometimes merely a clay vessel) or a lamp that uses a wick saturated with oil. These lamps correspond to the seven lamps of the candlestick in the tabernacle. These lamps are the seven spirits of God.

4. Revelation 5:6: And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

"with seven horns and with seven eyes." The Lamb has seven horns representing power, and seven eyes representing knowledge (or omniscience). These horns and eyes are the seven spirits of God, suggesting that God and/or Christ directs His power and knowledge through the seven spirits.

Related Bible verses

• Hebrews 1:7: Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
• Hebrews 1:14: Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
• Psalm 104:4: he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

Seven angels

Seven angels of the seven churches.

• Revelation 1:20: As for the mystery of the seven stars that 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.

Seven angels having seven trumpets.

• Revelation 8:2: Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
• Revelation 8:6: Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Seven angels with seven plagues. These seven last plagues are in seven golden bowls which are then poured out (Revelation 16:1) by the seven angels.

• Revelation 15:1: Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.
• Revelation 15:6-8: and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
• Revelation 16:1: Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
• Revelation 17:1: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,
• Revelation 21:9: Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

If the "wrath of God" (Revelation 15:7; 16:1) is poured out by angels, why could we not imagine that God's mercy, love, and goodness had been previously poured out by angels as well? In other words, why could not those bowls have been previously filled with the spirit of God and poured out on mankind previously?

The two references, Revelation 17:1 and 21:9, read very similarly. However, the first is talking about the great prostitute and the second is talking about the Bride. They have parallel wording but are speaking of complete opposite "women" representing complete opposite "cities" wherein the dwellers of these cities are of complete opposite characters.