God literally has seven spirits?

[jamil_joseph02]

what is the proper interpretations of these verses which say that God has seven spirits?:

Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne,

Revelation 3:1
To the Church in Sardis ] “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

well, i know some non-Trinitarians who take those verses literally, thus denying that the Holy Spirit is only one. What’s the proper interpretation?

 

[beafedor]

what is the proper interpretations of these verses which say that God has seven spirits?:

Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne,

Revelation 3:1
To the Church in Sardis ] “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

well, i know some non-Trinitarians who take those verses literally, thus denying that the Holy Spirit is only one. What’s the proper interpretation?

I could totally be wrong but I believe that it refers to the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirits:
* The gift of wisdom, by detaching us from the world, makes us relish and love only the things of heaven.
* The gift of understanding helps us to grasp the truths of religion as far as is necessary.
* The gift of counsel springs from supernatural prudence, and enables us to see and choose correctly what will help most to the glory of God and our own salvation.
* By the gift of fortitude we receive courage to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that arise in the practice of our religious duties.
* The gift of knowledge points out to us the path to follow and the dangers to avoid in order to reach heaven.
* The gift of piety, by inspiring us with a tender and filial confidence in God, makes us joyfully embrace all that pertains to His service.
* Lastly, the gift of fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him.
newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm

Can anybody else confirm or deny this?

 

[Barbkw]

I could totally be wrong but I believe that it refers to the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirits:
* The gift of wisdom, by detaching us from the world, makes us relish and love only the things of heaven.
* The gift of understanding helps us to grasp the truths of religion as far as is necessary.
* The gift of counsel springs from supernatural prudence, and enables us to see and choose correctly what will help most to the glory of God and our own salvation.
* By the gift of fortitude we receive courage to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that arise in the practice of our religious duties.
* The gift of knowledge points out to us the path to follow and the dangers to avoid in order to reach heaven.
* The gift of piety, by inspiring us with a tender and filial confidence in God, makes us joyfully embrace all that pertains to His service.
* Lastly, the gift of fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him.
newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm

Can anybody else confirm or deny this?

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are first mentioned in Isaiah 11:2-3. Being that the great majority of the prophecy of Jesus and His mission can be found in Isaiah - and that Revelation is the culmination of prophecy - that sounds correct to me.

 

[catholic1seeks]

A few things to note:

1. The genre of Revelation. The book, of course, is full of images that aren’t literal.
2. The number 7 often symbolizes completeness in the Bible. The 7 sacraments, for example, or forgive 7 X 77, 7 days of the week, gifts of the spirit, etc.
3. Also, the 7 gifts of the spirit (suggested above) are plausible.
4. Maybe there are literally 7 spirits of God, but these spirits refer to special angels.

 

[James224]

what is the proper interpretations of these verses which say that God has seven spirits?:

Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne,

Revelation 3:1
To the Church in Sardis ] “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

well, i know some non-Trinitarians who take those verses literally, thus denying that the Holy Spirit is only one. What’s the proper interpretation?

The most literal meaning is that it is the ministering angels that surround the throne of God. Tobit 12:15 says, " For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord." The Haydock Commentary says this.

Rev 4:5 - And the seven spirits of God, who appear under the form of burning lamps, are seven Angels, as before mention, (Chap. i. 4.) standing ready to execute the divine commands. (Haydock Commentary)