Zechariah 4:1–14 is one of many key texts for John’s understanding of the Spirit’s role, especially the language of Zechariah 4:6 about the Spirit establishing God’s rule on earth. It could be argued that John alludes to the Old Testament in almost every verse, but we’ll mention only a few here. He then creatively uses the visions to show how God is bringing a new creation through Christ and the Spirit. Given his constant quoting of the prophets and the book’s sense of fulfillment of God’s promises, he clearly sees himself in some sense as a prophet who points to God’s final promises coming true.
Part of John’s literary genius is his use of the Old Testament and continuity with the New as he describes his visions. And yet, taking into account John’s use of seven and its importance in Scripture, it’s safe to say “seven” likely refers to more than a mere number of spirits. We shouldn’t exaggerate this point and assume that Revelation is merely a riddle to decode, stripping it of its historical context and theological richness. Revelation’s vivid imagery, illustrations, analogies, and use of the Old Testament make interpreting it a tricky endeavor.
Throughout Revelation, John uses the number often-seven spirits, seven churches, seven stars, seven lamps, seven angels, seven cycles of judgment, and so on. It’s often viewed as the number of completion or perfection, most notably when seven is associated with the completion of God’s “very good” creation (Gen. The number seven is well attested in the Bible, being used in some form more than 800 times. Revelation is an apocalyptic book, which means we should be careful of being too “literal,” especially when it comes to numbers and analogies.
However, I will argue that the seven spirits represent the Holy Spirit, for three main reasons. Some scholars have argued that the seven spirits are borrowed from Jewish ideas about Yahweh’s seven chief angels, or perhaps the Greco-Roman idea of a plurality of spirits that bring wisdom and knowledge.
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