The Seven Spirits of God
Dale M. Sides
As a student of end-time prophecy, I am intrigued by the
seven spirits of God mentioned in the book of Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, and
5:6. These verses present an overall picture of celestial beings who are dispatched from God’s presence to carry out His
behest, deliver His word to people, and perform His works of power. While
searching out their identity, I discovered a key that could potentially unlock
increased prayer power, particularly needful in this day and hour.
Conventional teaching on the seven spirits of God is based
upon Isaiah 11, which provides a description of Yeshua the Messiah in His glory
during His millennial reign upon earth. However, as I carefully read through
these verses, I began to realize verse 2 was not referring to seven separate spirits, but to one—the Holy
Spirit (“the Spirit of the Lord”).
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
11:2
Although theologians have taught that these are the same
seven spirits written of in Revelation, the fact that there are only six descriptions causes me to doubt this
doctrine. Instead, I believe this is a listing of the attributes of the one and
self-same Spirit of the Lord—the Holy Spirit who will empower the Lord Jesus
Christ, the king of glory, to reign over the earth.
A Fresh Look
We need to take a fresh look at these seven spirits in
Revelation, free of the traditional doctrine that has permeated the church
through the years.
When I decided to study the seven spirits of God without the
preconceived ideas of theology, I was excited to discover that the seven
spirits are the seven archangels of God who are dispatched from His presence
and sent to the earth. Furthermore, the revelation of their names and functions
has greatly built my faith in the Lord’s ability to deliver His power and word
to help His people, and I believer it will do the same for yours.
The verses we need to look at are the following:
John, to the seven
churches which are in
And to the angel of
the church in
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:5
And I looked, and behold,
in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst
of the elders, stood a Lamb 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
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Revelation 8:2
The first of these verses (Revelation 1:4) speaks of “the
seven spirits before the throne,” revealing that they are in the presence of
God. In Luke 1:19, we read of a spiritual being (an angel) who appears to
Zacharias and identifies himself as “Gabriel, who stands in the presence of
God.”
And the angel answered
and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in
the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad
tidings.” Luke 1:19
While Gabriel is clearly standing in the presence of
Zacharias upon the earth, he still makes it clear that he is standing in God’s
presence as well. Could Gabriel be one of the seven spirits mentioned in the
book of Revelation?
Revelation 5:6 tells us that these seven spirits are sent
out into all the earth. Gabriel was obviously sent out into the earth to speak
to Zacharias. This description also corresponds with records found in Zechariah
1:8–11 and 4:1–10, which validate that there are spirits that the Lord sends to
and fro upon the earth. When studying these records, it becomes clear that
these spirits are angels, much like Gabriel.
Revelation 5:6 also reveals to us that they are the horns
and eyes of the Lamb of God. The horns represent the power of the Lamb (ram)
and the eyes represent the knowledge of Him—what He sees and knows.
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart
is loyal to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9a
In Zechariah 4:1–2 and 5, Zechariah sees “a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on
the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.” When the angel asks
him if he knows what these are, Zechariah answers, “No, my lord.” In verse 10,
we find the angel’s explanation of these seven lamps:
These seven rejoice to
see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, which scan
to and fro throughout the whole earth. Zechariah 4:10b
These seven lamps are “the eyes of the Lord [that] run to
and fro” found in 2 Chronicles 16:9a, and they are the eyes of the Lamb “which
are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth” mentioned in
Revelation 5:6.
Zechariah 1:8–11 gives a description of these beings that
indicates that they appear as men.
I saw by night, and
behold, a man riding on a red horse,
and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red,
sorrel, and white. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who
talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” And the man who
stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro
throughout the earth.” So they answered the Angel of the LORD, who stood
among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the
earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” Zechariah 1:8–11
Although these verses do not specifically say that there are
riders on the other horses, the implication is there. The fact that they speak
to the angel of the Lord also shows their ability to communicate in words, an
ability typically limited to spirit beings—men and angels.
Archangels
I believe what we have seen thus far clarifies that these
seven spirits are, in truth, seven angels who traverse between the throne of
God and the earth to either carry out the Father’s will or to deliver His word.
I further believe that they are archangels—angels who rank highest in power in
God’s kingdom. Michael is mentioned in Jude 1:9 as being an archangel.
Yet Michael the archangel, in contending
with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring
against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude 1:9
Daniel 12:1 reveals that Michael is the prince (archangel)
of the nation of
Gabriel is also believed to be an archangel. The Scriptures
show that he brings knowledge and power to the earth. As we see who the other
five spirits ([arch]angels of the presence) are, we
will gain an understanding of the power they bring to the earth.
Two more archangels are revealed in 1 Enoch 9 and 101
where we are introduced to Uriel and Raphael. They,
along with Michael and Gabriel, observed the horrendous effect that the angels (the
“watchers”) had upon the earth. When they report it to God, He sends Uriel to bring a word to Noah and also to bind and imprison
the disobedient angels.
By adding Uriel and Raphael to the
list that was previously made up of only Michael and Gabriel, we now know the
names of four of the seven spirits. We will soon see who the remaining three
are.
Angels of the Presence
The book of Job records that there are certain angels that
come in and go out of the presence of God.
Now there was a day
when the sons of God [angels] came to present themselves before the LORD, and
Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you
come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on
it.” Job 1:6–7
It is commonly believed that Satan (Lucifer) was at one time
an archangel. Whether that is true or not, the point is that there are certain
angels who come into the presence of God and
go to and fro upon the earth. It seems clear that the seven spirits referred to
in Revelation are such angels, and it seems equally clear that Michael and
Gabriel are two of them.
The apocryphal book of Jubilees2 holds another
clue concerning the identity and function of these seven spirits. They are
referred to as “the angels of the presence” in Jubilees 2:1 and 18, 15:27, and
31:14. Jubilees 2:1–2a reveals that it was one of these angels of the presence
who gave Moses the word to write about the history of creation.
And the angel of the presence spake to Moses according to the word of the Lord, saying:
Write the complete history of the creation, how in six days the Lord God
finished all His works and all that He created, and kept Sabbath on the seventh
day and hallowed it for all ages, and appointed it as a sign for all His works.
Jubilees 2:1–2a
Although this angel is not named, he may very well have been
Gabriel since he has the scriptural reputation of being a messenger angel.
Also, Revelations 8:2 reveals that these seven angels who
stand before God are the same seven angels who will blow the seven trumpets
during the Great Tribulation. This fits within the context of them bringing
God’s word and will to the earth.
Names of the Seven
Spirits
Enoch goes a step further by actually naming the angles and
even revealing their functions:
And these are the names
of the holy angels who watch. Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and
over Tartarus. Raphael,
one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men.
Raguel,
one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the
world of the luminaries. Michael,
one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind
and over chaos. Saraqael,
one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. Gabriel,
one of the holy angels, who is over
From these verses, here are the names of the seven spirits
of God and their jurisdictions.
1) Uriel—over
the world and Tartarus
2) Raphael—over the spirits of men
3) Raguel—takes
vengeance on the world of the luminaries
4) Michael—set over the best part of
mankind and over chaos
5) Saraqael—set
over the spirits who sin in the spirit
6) Gabriel—over
7) Remiel—set
over those who rise
Each of their names ends with “el” meaning “of” or “from
God.” In 1 Enoch 20, verse 1 calls them “the holy angels who watch.” The
authorized canon of the Scriptures reveals Michael and Gabriel already as two
major angels (archangels), so their inclusion in this list helps to validate
that the other five angels are of equal stature. Jubilees and 1 Enoch may not
have been authorized by the “powers that be;” however, they are viewed by many
theologians as reliable sources of study. Some (if not most) of these
archangels have been referred to throughout the centuries—in fact, many of them
appear in paintings and other forms of artwork.
Notice also that these archangels are the ones who watch.
They are the eyes of the Lamb of God mentioned in Revelation 5:6. Yahweh has
assigned to each of them specific job descriptions, with their own powers and
functions. This reveals that the order in God’s kingdom is far greater than
most of us have recognized.
To receive a revelation of this amazing order, I suggest
that you read 1 Enoch 20:1–8 (as set forth above) and the subsequent listing a
number of times. Also, if you record the names and functions of these seven
spirits in your memory, it may serve you well when you are led by the Holy
Spirit into strategic-level spiritual warfare, as it has me.
A number of years ago while ministering in
Colossians 2:18 warns us against worshipping angels;
however, to know the names and functions of the seven spirits before the throne
of God is not worshipping them. We can receive a greater revelation of the
glory and magnitude of God’s power by increasing our perception of His reign.
The book of 1 Enoch provides examples of these functions being perfectly
carried out as these angels instruct Enoch about the affairs of God’s kingdom
and universe.
The seven spirits of God are dispatched from His throne.
They are the angels of the presence of God who go to and fro throughout the
earth as the horns and eyes of the Lamb of God. They bring God’s power and word
to the scene whenever and wherever they are ordered. They have names and
functions and they are at work even today to perform the will of Yahweh. We can
rejoice in this!
The LORD has
established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom
rules over all. Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who
excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Psalm
103:19–20
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Notes
1. Access the Book of Enoch online at: http://www.lmci.org/BookofEnoch-PDF.pdf.
2. Access the Book of Jubilees online at: http://www.lmci.org/TheBookofJubilees-PDF.pdf.
3. Closing Gates of
Hell may be ordered online at: http://lmci.org/showitems.cfm?CategoryID=15.
© 2009 by Liberating Ministries for
Christ International, Inc.