Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 66:4 (Dec 2023)
Article: The Origin And Function Of The Image Of The Seven Spirits In Revelation
Author: Alan D. Hultberg

JETS 65:4 (December 2023) p. 685

The Origin And Function Of The Image Of The Seven Spirits In Revelation

Alan D. Hultberg*

^* Alan Hultberg is Associate Professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 13800 Biola Avenue, La Mirada, CA 90639. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: This article argues that the image of the seven spirits in Revelation represents the Holy Spirit and not the seven angels of the presence. A close reading of John’s Christological allusions demonstrates that John derived his image from Zechariah 3:8–9 and 4:10 in association with Isaiah 11:2 and 42:1, understanding the seven eyes of the stone in Zechariah 3:9 to represent the endowment of “my Servant, the Branch,” with the Spirit of God. John’s reading is in line with his broader association of passages in the Old Testament that linked the “messianic” persons of the one like a son of man, the Davidic Branch, and the Servant of YHWH (including the endowment of the latter two with the Spirit), evidenced in part by the image of the sword in the mouth of the one like a son of man in Revelation 1:16 and by the identification of the slain and resurrected Lamb as “the root of David” in Revelation 5:5–6.

Key words: seven spirits, servant, branch, Messiah, Revelation, angels of the presence, Old Testament allusions

In the epistolary greeting of Revelation (1:4–5), John includes three benefactors: the One who is and who was and who is to come; the seven Spirits that are before his throne; and Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Scholars have no doubt that the first and third parts of this triad refer to God (or God the Father) and Christ Jesus, but the second has engendered considerable discussion.

There are two primary explanations in the literature of the image of the seven spirits. The first and perhaps traditional view is that it derives from John’s reflection on OT messianic texts, especially Zechariah 4 and Isaiah 11. This view was in part propounded at least as early as Victorinus1 (ca. AD 270) and has many modern proponents.2 The view wa...