«　WEEK 40　DAY 5　»

　　Rev. 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 coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.

　　4:5 And out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

　　In Revelation, the sequence of the Triune God is different from that found in Matthew. In Matthew 28:19 the sequence of the Triune God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But in Revelation 1:4 and 5 the sequence is changed. The seven Spirits of God are listed in the second place instead of the third. This reveals the importance of the intensified function of the sevenfold Spirit of God. This point is confirmed by the repeated emphasis on the Spirit's speaking in 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 14:13; and 22:17. At the opening of the Epistles, only the Father and the Son are mentioned, from whom grace and peace are given to the receivers. Here, however, the Spirit is also included, from whom grace and peace are imparted to the churches. This also signifies the crucial need of the Spirit for God's move to counteract the degradation of the church. (Life-study of Revelation, p. 37)

　　In Revelation the Spirit occupies the second place in the sequence of the Divine Trinity…because in this book the age has been changed from the Son to the Spirit… The age is the age of the Spirit, and in this age the Spirit has been intensified.

　　Because the Spirit in 1:4 is the intensified Spirit of God, He is called the seven Spirits. The seven Spirits are undoubtedly the Spirit of God because They are ranked among the Triune God in verses 4 and 5…The number seven here does not refer to seven different spirits but to one sevenfold Spirit.

　　Seven is the number of completion in God's dispensational move, whereas twelve is the number of completion in God's eternal administration. For example, God created the earth in six days plus one Sabbath day…For God's move today, the church has the number seven. In the book of Revelation the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls are all for God's dispensational move. Thus, the sevenfold Spirit is the intensified Spirit in God's move today.

　　In substance and existence, God's Spirit is one; in the intensified function and work of God's operation, God's Spirit is sevenfold. It is like the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2. In existence it is one lampstand, but in function it is seven lamps. At the time the book of Revelation was written, the church had become degraded, and the age had become dark. Therefore, the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God was needed for God's move and work on the earth. We all are familiar with three-way bulbs, light bulbs that can be switched to three successive degrees of illumination…In like manner, the seven lamps on the lampstand were the sevenfold intensified light. In the four Gospels the Spirit of God was onefold because at that time there was not the need for so much light. However, after the church had been degraded and the age had become exceedingly dark, there was the need for the Holy Spirit to be intensified sevenfold. In this way the one Spirit of God has become the sevenfold Spirit. In existence the Holy Spirit, like the lampstand in Zechariah, is one, but in function the Holy Spirit is seven.

　　The seven Spirits of God are the seven eyes of the Lamb (Rev. 5:6; Zech. 3:9; 4:10). Our eyes are for our moving. If we are blind, it is very difficult to move. In God's move today, Christ as the Lamb of God has seven eyes. The seven eyes of the Lamb are also for watching, observing, and transfusing…How can you realize that someone loves you? Love is transfused through the eyes… When Christ looks at us with His seven eyes, we may be terrified at first. Eventually, however, these seven eyes will transfuse Christ's element into us. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 37-39)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msg. 4