In Revelation 1:4, the word "seven" is used a couple of times. Once to the "seven churches" John is writing to. And the second to the "seven Spirits." What do you all think is the meaning of "seven" in both? What does it mean or represent? I believe it is something significantly important.
Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Handful of thoughts:
Supposedly, there is a thing called Biblical numerology in which numbers indicate concepts. Seven is the idiom for perfection or completeness. The seven churches, therefore, indicates
all of the Church, not just seven congregations. Seven spirits, likewise, means all the Spirits. That could be true but in the absence of scripture itself defining any example of any numerology I don't accept the premise. Perfection wouldn't apply in this text because the congregations are clearly not yet perfect or perfected.
The seven groups of those called out (which is what the word "
ecclesia" actually means) were seven actual congregation experiencing travail at the time Jesus revealed Revelation to John. Since the theme of overcoming exists in all seven letters it is reasonable to infer travail was being experienced in all the congregations but that does not mean a numerology exists. The universalness has to do with the common theme, not the number. We know from other scripture Christians persecuted everywhere during the time John penned Revelation.
The seven Spirits is something different. In Isaiah 11:2 the following is stated,
Isaiah 11:2
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.
The grouping would indicate three different Spirits but if taken individually then there are six. The Holy Spirit
(the word "holy" denotatively means separate and connotatively means separate for sacred purpose so, therefore, the Holy Spirit can be understood as the Separate and Sacred Spirit of God) would be the seventh. However, scripture also lists many other spirits/Spirits of God, such as the Spirit of Death. Angels are also spirits, spirits who minister to those who will inherit salvation so the correlation of the seven spirits with the seven congregations as probably angels assigned to minister to those congregations' congregants.
I do not read the "
before the throne" to necessarily be a reference to specific locale that is solely in heaven because scripture elsewhere states heaven is God's throne and the earth is His footstool so any angels attending to the churches would necessarily also be before the throne. If that is not the case then there are fourteen angels, not just seven. Seven of the fourteen are on earth attending the seven congregations while seven other spirits are before the throne, or there are seven angels ministering to the seven congregations while the seven spirits before the throne are not angels but some other type of spirit (see the aforementioned Isaiah 11:2). Since, as a genre, apocalyptic literature is rife with symbolism and figurative language it would not be unusual for God to speak about His own wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and awesomeness being "
before" Him. The existence of the word "
before" being applied to an omnipresent being is prima facie odd in and of itself, so the language is not literally spatial. Since the heavens also encompass the earth, this is all the more so. An angel overseeing the congregation in Pergamum doesn't have to fly over to Laodicea (the two churches among the seven that are furthest from one another) in order to ascend to heaven. Each angel can "ascend" from whatever point on earth he departs because the heavens surround the earth.
Folks like Michael Heiser assert the relevance of extra-biblical Judaic mythology but I'm reluctant to accept that. Content from "
The Unseen Realm" or "
Supernatural" is interesting, but I'll stick with scripture alone rather than scripture+plus mythology. The New Testament frowns on the Judaization of Christian teaching and the New Testament also informs us of the fact the Judaic view of things was often very incorrect. As you all have read me say many times, Tanakh is always correct, but Judaism is often wrong. Judaism is not the lens or filter through which Revelation is to be understood (with the possible exception of Revelation observing errors in Judaism or among the Jews
(such as the persecution of the seven ecclesias congregants).
It's also worth noting none of the seven churches, and therefore none of the angels, is in Israel. All that content has nothing whatsoever to do with Israel (and by extension, the Jews). In point of fact, the word "
Israel" is found only three time in the entire book of Revelation and not one of those mentions refers to the geo-political nation-state of Israel. Just saying.
