Clark - The seven spirits

Copyright 2015 Will Clark

Published by Will Clark at Smashwords

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A nation can survive itsfools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason fromwithin. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is knownand carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst thosewithin the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all thealleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For thetraitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to hisvictims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals tothe baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots thesoul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night toundermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic sothat it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. Thetraitor is the plague. Marcus TulliusCicero, 58 B.C. Speech in the Roman Senate

For those unaware, the Bibles book ofRevelation was written by the apostle John who was exiled on theIsland of Patmos, which is just off the western side of Turkey.When John wrote Revelation, that area was considered Asia. Johnwrote seven letters to what was at that time the seven churches inAsia Minor. Johns words to the seven churches, and the writingsthat followed, were given to him by Jesus in a vision. Johnswriting says the words were written as they were given to him.

Revelation begins by John expressing how hiswriting began; with a great voice behind him. After a briefintroduction from Jesus, John was instructed to write certain wordsto each of the seven churches. Those seven churches were: Sardis,Laodicea, Smyrna, Pergamos, Philadelphia, Thyatira, and Ephesus. Abrief review of each of those sites will be discussed in anotherchapter.

Many things are deeply coded in this writing,requiring the reader to consider the hidden meaning of every word.For example, the word stars is used throughout Revelation. Jesusgave John one of these codes by explaining two important cluesbefore he began to write. In reading the remainder of Revelationone might think stars falling from Heaven might mean actual brightand glowing stars. Thats not the case. Jesus explained that codein the first chapter, verse 20: The mystery of the seven starswhich thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven goldencandlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches;and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the sevenchurches. The angels referred to the leaders of thosechurches.

In other places those angels could beinterpreted as people or believers. Some are not necessarilybelievers in Christ. Stars written in this book are notnecessarily the bright stars we see in the nighttime sky.

Ephesus was the church on the sea coastnearest to Johns location on Patmos. It was considered the mostbeautiful city and the church where John last taught before he wasexiled by Roman Emperor Domitian. He was released by Emperor Nervawhen he succeeded Domitian. John was thought to be aboutninety-five at that time, when he returned to Ephesus to live outhis days. He was thought to have lived past a hundred, the onlyapostle to have escaped execution.

He brought Mary to Ephesus after thecrucifixion. A site high on a hill above Ephesus is identified asthe place of her last home. A foundation was unearthed there, andthe home was rebuilt. You can see a photo of that house, and learnmany other interesting things about Ephesus on an internetsearch. I visited the site in 1973, while in the military, assignedto Turkey. I eventually visited the sites of all seven of thoseancient churches.

The towns all have different names now, orare only ruins near a city by another name. For example, Pergamosis now identified as Bergama. Smyrna is now known as Izmir. Ephesusis near Seljuk. Sardis is near Salihli. The ruins of Philadelphiaare only a few old arched stone structures locked behind two largegates in the town of Alasehir. The ruins of Laodicea rest in aplain below an old Roman resort named Pamukale, in the hills nearHierapolis. Thyatira exists of a few stone ruins in the city ofAkhisar. John begins his letters to the seven churches in the firstchapter, Verse 4:

1:4, John to the seven churches which are inAsia; Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and whichwas, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which arebefore his throne. This is the first introduction of the sevenSpirits. There is no suggestion or indication what they are orwhat they might be. Jesus is the one John references as which is,and was, and which is to come, referring to his birth, death, andhis return as the Messiah in the future. Those seven Spirits arealso coded, and I will reveal them as soon as I put some of theother pieces together where they might have more understanding andmeaning.

The Seven Spirits of God; what are they?After they are introduced in reference 1:4, above, their mentioncontinues throughout Revelation:

3:1, And unto the angel of the church inSardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits ofGod, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou has a name,that thou livist, and art dead.

3:6, 3:13, 3:22: He that hath an ear, let himhear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

4:2, And immediately I was in the Spirit:and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on thethrone.

4:5, And out of the throne proceededlightnings and thunderings and voices; and there were seven lampsof fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits ofGod.

5:6, And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst ofthe 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 seveneyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all theearth.

5:12, Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is theLamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, andstrength, and honour, and glory, and blessings.

It seems some important information isscattered and coded in Revelation, and when placed in a certainorder seems to give a clearer message, although still not perfectlyclear as would be stated in current language. In this case, itseems the seven Spirits are very important in Gods realm. They arementioned several times in key positions, and all those positionsseem interrelated.

Reference 5:12 says the Lamb, Jesus, wasslain to receive those seven things. The earlier reference 5:6 saysthe Lamb had those seven Spirits of God sent forth into all theworld. Into all the world must mean the world of believers. IfGod and Jesus already had those things just for themselves whywould they send them into all the world if not for other people,believers, to be influenced by them or use them. Simply, they wouldserve no other purpose except to be acknowledged and or used. Thequestions: do we acknowledge those seven Spirits given to us, andhow are we prepared to use them?

Perhaps Johns written statement in 4:2 givesa condition that must exist before one can receive the sevenSpirits. And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, athrone was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. What is theclue to receiving those seven Spirits? Johns statement that he wasin the Spirit would suggest that to receive something from God, onemust be in the Spirit of God. Perhaps this implies, or stronglypurports, that one must be a believer to allow a channel to receivethose gifts, including the gifts of the seven Spirits. Perhaps theyshould be explored separately and individually? Power is the firstSpirit acknowledged in reference 5:12, so lets consider how powercould be one of the Spirits given to us, and what it mightsuggest.