Revelation 3:l, "These things saith He That hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars."
Once again as in the previous four ages the Spirit is revealing our gracious Lord to us by setting forth His wonderful attributes. This time as He is standing in the midst of the church, we see Him as the One with the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. We know who the seven stars are, but we will have to find what the seven Spirits refer to.
This same phrase is found four times in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 1:4, "From the seven Spirits Which are before His throne." Revelation 3:l, "These things saith He That hath the seven Spirits." Revelation 4:5, "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne which are the seven Spirits of God." Revelation 5:6, "And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as It had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
To begin with, we know for a certainty that these verses are not teaching a new and contrary doctrine to John 4:24a "God is A (one) Spirit." But this is like I Corinthians 12:8-11 wherein we find ONE Spirit manifesting Himself in NINE ways. Thus we know that the seven Spirits of God mean it is the one and same Spirit coming forth in a sevenfold way. Now in Revelation 4:5 these same seven Spirits are called `lamps of fire burning' before the Lord. Since John always used nothing but Old Testament symbols in the Revelation we go to the Old Testament and find from Proverbs 20:27 that "the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord." These seven Spirits are found to be associated with man. John the Baptist in John 5:35 was called a `burning light' which should actually be translated as 'burning lamp.' Again in Revelation 5:6 the seven Spirits are identified as seven eyes. In Zechariah 4:10, "For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven, they are the eyes of the Lord." It is very evident that the word, `they' refers to men. Thus we see that the eyes of the Lord in this instance are men - of course they will be anointed men, full of the Holy Ghost, for God's ministries are not in the power of men but of the Holy Ghost. Putting our Scriptural discoveries together it is evident that the seven Spirits of God refer to the continuous ministry of the same Holy Spirit in the lives of seven men with whom God identifies Himself very closely. They are His eyes, and they are His lamps. Who these seven men are can easily be seen because the next phrase calls them the seven stars which are already known to us as the seven messengers to the seven ages. How beautiful that is. See, the star was meant to reflect light at night, for the sun has gone. Just so the messenger (typified as a star) to each age was to reflect the light of the Son. They all did this by the Holy Spirit.
Paul was the first messenger and he said in Galatians 1:8 that if any angel, any messenger, any vicar, no matter who he was - if he preached any other gospel than what Paul preached, let him be accursed. Paul knew that after he was gone grievous wolves would come in. He knew that Satan, himself, could appear as an angel of light so how much more his ministers. So he warns that this Gospel would always be the same. Now Paul had baptized in Jesus Name and rebaptized where people had not been so immersed. He set the church in order and taught the proper use of the gifts of the Spirit and confirmed that they were to remain in the church till Jesus came. Thus the next messengers, all the remaining six, would by the same Holy Ghost, burn with the same fire and give the same light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the signs would follow them. Did Irenaeus qualify? Yes. Did Martin? Yes. Did Columba? Yes. Did Martin Luther? Most assuredly. Did Wesley? Yes sir, he had a great ministry and even prayed for his horse to get well and it did. There you are. Seven church ages and seven messengers who were alike, and Paul pronounced a curse on anyone who said he was a messenger but had a different gospel and lived in a different light.
Now does that last statement of mine bear up with the rest of the Word? Yes. It says in the Word that if any man adds to this book or takes from it, he would be plagued and judged unto condemnation by God. God said, "I will add the plagues written in this book or I will take his part out of the Book of Life." Revelation 22:18.
So we see that the Seven Spirits actually refer to the One Spirit of God working out the will and Word of God in different generations. I would like to illustrate that from the Word. The Spirit of God was mightily upon Elijah. Then that same Spirit came upon Elisha in a twofold effect. Then centuries later, the same Spirit Which we call the Spirit of Elijah in order to describe Its ministry, came back upon John the Baptist. One day that same Spirit identified by the same manner of ministry will come upon a man for the end of the Gentile church age. Again: the Scripture says that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power and He went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil. As Jesus went away He told His disciples to tarry until Pentecost at which time the very same Spirit that was upon Him would come back and fall upon them and fill them. Then that `called out' body (the church) would be in His stead upon the earth, taking His place. And because that same Spirit That was in Him would be in them, they would do the very same works. And any people that is truly the Body of Jesus Christ (the true church) will manifest the same works as did Jesus and the Pentecostal church because the same Spirit will be in them. Any other church that does not have the Spirit and the manifestations is going to have to account to God.
It also says here that these seven stars, or seven messengers to the seven ages are in His hand. He is holding them. You know right away that if they are held in His hand they are associated with His power. That is what the hand signifies. It signifies the power of God! And authority of God. Not one of them came in his own power and authority. That is what Paul said. No man would dare to. It takes the authority of God and the power of the Holy Ghost. The Gospel is preached by the authority of God in the power of the Spirit. These men were all empowered by the Holy Ghost. They all stood up to the world. They could do that. They were full of God. They were SENT or authorized by God NOT by self or other men.
Now they had what the world could not have. Jesus said that when He went away He would send His Spirit Which the world could not receive. That is right. The world, or world systems could not receive Him. That is what organization is - it is world system. Show me a world system church that is full of the Holy Ghost. I want to see it. If you can show me such a church you are finding a mistake in the Word. No sir. Not one of these messengers was organized. Either they were put out or got out because they were convicted of the sin of organization. How can the Holy Spirit possibly be in organization when it is organization that takes the place of the Spirit and denominations take the place of the Word? Remember, "Organization" is "DEATH". It just can't be any other way. If the world takes over, the Spirit departs.
Yes, the Spirit is not seven Spirits but ONE. He will always be the same and act the same. And the seven messengers will have the same Spirit and teach the same Word and have the same power. And if the church is the true church it will have the very same Spirit and Word and acts of power that they had at Pentecost. By experience it will be a Pentecostal church; and there will be tongues, and interpretation and prophecy and healings. God will be in the midst of her and God will declare Himself in the midst of her as He always has. Hallelujah! And she will be UNorganized. Don't forget that.
Now we can see that Jesus Christ is revealing Himself through the ages by His Spirit in the messengers. They are as Moses was to the children of Israel. As he had the revelation for his day, so each messenger had God's revelation and ministry for that day. Thus when we see that the messengers are in His hand, we see the Lord identifying Himself with these men and granting them His power. It is not enough that He has associated Himself with the whole church, which we saw when He was seen standing amongst the seven golden lamp-stands. Nor is it even enough that we see the five fold ministry of Ephesians four (apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, pastors). For in each age the church goes astray, and it is not just the laity but the clergy group - shepherds are wrong as well as sheep. Then God brings Himself on the scene as the Chief Shepherd in the ministries of these seven men to lead His people back to the truth and the abundant power of that truth. God is in His people - all of His people, for if any man has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His. And He is the Word. That would be the Word recognized in the people. But He has placed a special leadership in these men of His own choosing and through the determined counsel of His own will. They appear once in each age. It is the same Spirit in them. What a far cry is this from the heresy of Rome. They have a man of their own choosing - one after the other - none producing the power of God - none abiding in the Word of God - each one differing from the one before him and adding what he desires as though he were God. God is not in it. But He is in His messenger and he who would have the fullness of God would follow the messenger as the messenger is a follower of the Lord by His Word.
"He that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars." Revelation 3:1. As this same Lord identified Himself with man in the incarnation, He is again identifying Himself with man by His Spirit within man. "These are mine," saith the Lord. The seven Spirit-filled messengers are the Lord's. They may be repudiated. They may be questioned. Indeed, to human minds they may not even seem to qualify - nevertheless, they are the messengers for their age. God used an Abraham (he lied), He used a Moses (he rebelled), a Jonah (he disobeyed), a Samson (he sinned), a David (he murdered). He also used a Joshua, and a Joseph. And those with severe blemishes far outnumber those whose histories seem to be perfect. ALL WERE, AND ARE HIS. None dare deny that. He used them by and through the Holy Spirit that He put within them. To their own Master they stood or fell. And in them all was accomplished the sovereign will of God. Let external history attempt to refute this, it still stands. The Eternal God still walks amongst the golden lamp stands and sends His messengers by His Spirit with the Word to the people of every age. 7ch035.htm