Revelation Chapter One, The Eternal God And His Spirit

Revelation 1:4 John, to the seven churches which 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.

John employs the first use of the mention of 7 in Revelation. This number, which Biblically signifies completion, occurs 54 times in this book; twice in this verse alone. The choice of using the number seven for the churches John writes to may have particular significance.

The seven churches, according to some commentaries, represent seven eras or dispensations of the church age, which began at the day of Pentecost and concludes with the Rapture of the church and the removal of the Holy Spirit’s unique presence therein. I am not inclined to agree with this line of thinking, though I absolutely understand the basis that it’s grounded upon. Rather, I believe each of these churches (mentioned in chapters 2 and 3), represent the state of Christ’s bride throughout the whole of the church age. In short, there will always be an Ephesus, a Smyrna, etc. At least in spirit, in terms of their spiritual condition and Christ’s prescription for the illness that harms their fruitfulness.

The seven, then, in this instance may well indicate the completeness of the church’s spiritual power, represented by these seven individual church bodies. Ephesus was doctrinally sound but had forgotten their foundation and strayed, Laodicea had become entirely spiritually inert, accepting false teachers and promoting carnal behavior. Every era, every region, at any time will have these seven church-types dwelling in their midst. Until we are called home by our Lord and we leave the earth behind for God and for glory.

John continues his introductory benediction, praying for grace and peace from the one he says is, and was, and is to come. John here describes and defines what we simply express as God’s omnipresence. He is everywhere at once. But since we are linear people with linear thinking (at least on this side of eternity), we can forget that God’s omnipresence means not just spatially, but thorough time as well. Every moment of time is God’s “now.” He never has a yesterday or tomorrow like you and I experience. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8. “But You are the same, and Your years will have no end,” Psalm 102:27. One of God’s most esteemed names, given to Moses, reveals His omnipresent nature, “I AM WHO I AM,” Exodus 3:14. God is the self-existing, eternal One. This is why when God says something, it holds true. He didn’t say it in the past, and then forgot it. Time is something you and I struggle through; we spoke, we speak, we will speak. But God only speaks in the present tense. Whether it is a promise to Israel, a condemnation to the wicked, or a promise of eternal life in Christ through faith, all are His present, as new to Him as they are to each new generation who finds and delights in His word and promises.

The final portion of the verse is also a matter of some scholarly debate. The seven Spirits who are before His throne do not appear to be angels or human ministers. Rather, with this second implementation of the number 7, we find completion being suggested again. This Spirit before God’s throne is complete or perfect, which strongly intimates that this is God the Holy Spirit. We read from Isaiah, when Christ comes forth from David’s lineage, “And the [1] spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the [2] spirit of wisdom and [3] understanding, the spirit of [4] counsel and [5] might, the spirit of [6] knowledge and [7] of the fear of the Lord,” Isaiah 11:2, KJV. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to believers who are made a part of His church, Luke 24:49, John 16:7-15, 20:22, Acts 1:5, 8. Peter confirmed this when he and his fellow apostles were being censured by the Sanhedrin, saying, “And we are witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him,” Acts 5:32.

God the Holy Spirit is the giver of divine gifts in the church, 1 Corinthians 12:4, 8, 9, etc. He gave commandment numerous times, directing disciples on what they should or should not do, Acts 13:2, etc. It is reasonable then to consider that the seven Spirits refer to God the Holy Spirit. To any professing church that rejects God the Holy Spirit, I pray the Lord you repent in haste. If you do not have Him, as Peter attested, you are not obedient to God, are not saved by Christ, and stand in constant jeopardy of His judgment. The Holy Spirit appoints overseers (shepherds, elders, bishops) in the church, Acts 20:28. Any overseer rejecting the personhood of the Holy Spirit is certainly not appointed by Him, and stands self convicted as a counterfeit. At any rate, John gives blessings of peace and grace from the eternal, omnipresent God, and the seven-fold Spirit, and (as we shall read in verse 5) Jesus Christ, making full mention of the Trinity in his opening verses; see also 1 John 5:7.