Who are the 24 elders and the 7 Spirits in Revelation?

[LadyCalvinist]

I am in a ladies Bible study and we are going through Revelation. We are in chapter 4 and I am wondering who are the 24 elders?

Are they:
Prophets and Apostles
Angels
Symbolic in some way

Also, what are the 7 Spirits? Are they angels, the Holy Spirit or Christ? Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 13126]

I’d say the numbers are symbolic and represent the Twelve Tribes, the Twelve Apostles and the number of divine completion/perfection.

 

[Phil D.]

As concerns the 24 elders, I've found Charles Ellicott's view to be compelling.

They are the representatives of Christ’s Church and people, of those whom Christ calls His friends, and who are admitted to know what their Lord doeth (John 15:15). Various reasons have been suggested why they should be described as twenty-four in number; they are the twelve tribes doubled, to signify the union of the Gentile with the Jewish Church; they are the two sets of twelve, to represent the two Testaments; they are the twelve Patriarchs conjoined with the twelve Apostles. It will be seen that these were all different forms of the same thought, that the twenty-four elders represent the complete Church of God in the past and in the future, in the Jewish and Gentile worlds; and as such the true spiritual successors, as priests to God, of those twenty-four courses (1Chronicles 24:1-19) arranged by David, and which some have thought gave rise to the use of the number twenty-four in this passage. It is the great united Church. The same thought is touched upon in the double song of Moses and the Lamb (Revelation 15:3), and in the gates and foundations of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12, 14).​

 

[J.C. Philpot]

Could the 7 Spirits be a reference to Isaiah 11?

Isaiah 11

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,
and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 and the spirit of the Lord (1) shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom (2) and understanding (3),
the spirit of counsel (4) and might (5),
the spirit of knowledge (6) and of the fear of the Lord (7);
3 and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord:
and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

 

[Phil D.]

Could the 7 Spirits be a reference to Isaiah 11?

I've pondered this as well, but most commentaries I've seen don't make that direct connection. The common understanding of Isaiah 11:2-3 seems to be that "the spirit of the Lord" is not one amongst seven attributes, but is rather a subject then described by a series of three hendiadys, where a single idea is expressed by two words connected by an "and" - "wisdom and understanding," "counsel and might," "knowledge and the fear of the Lord." In other words, three key aspects of the spirit of the Lord are doubly-described. The NET Bible notes help bring this out (also cf. Prov. 8:14, 9:10).

On the other hand, the Septuagint's translation of these verses does seem to ascribe seven aspects to "the spirit of the Lord" "...and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness; the spirit of the fear of God. He shall not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to report." I've seen one commentator deny that this is a plausible explanation, and one that affirms such a possibility.

Friedrich Düsterdieck:

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The seven spirits are, according to Revelation 4:5, where they appear “before the throne of God,” “spirits of God” himself; according to Revelation 1:6, they are “the sent upon the whole earth,” and peculiar to the Lamb, as the seven eyes thereof. Christ “hath” the seven spirits. Thus they belong to God and Christ himself in a way other than can be conceived of any creature. But they cannot be regarded mere attributes or manifestations, “the (seven) virtues of God’s providence,” “the seven members, as it were, of Divine Providence,” “the most perfect nature of Jehovah,” “the virtues, or what is proclaimed, of the Supreme Divinity,”—which is neither clear in itself, nor consistent with John’s concrete mode of view; nor can the cabalistic [Judaistic] personifications of the divine glory, nor the ten Sephiroth, be here thought of. Essentially, by the seven spirits before the throne of God, nothing else can be understood than “the Spirit” who speaks to the churches, and the Spirit of Christ who makes men prophets. Nevertheless, the sevenfoldness of this one Spirit is not to be explained, and, least of all, by an appeal to Isaiah 11:2, of the assumed “seven energies” of the Spirit; but John’s type is Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:6; Zechariah 4:10. The Spirit cannot be beheld in his essential unity as he is before God’s throne, or as sent forth into all lands; besides, there is need of a concrete presentation, which occurs according to the holy number of seven, representing the divine perfection; thus the one Spirit, who, as in Zechariah, is the treasure of the Church, appears as seven eyes, lamps, or even as seven spirits.​

G. K. Beale

The Spirit is the means by which God effects “grace and peace” and by which the church is encouraged to obedience and witness (cf. v 3). Indeed, the wording “seven spirits” is part of a paraphrased allusion to Zech. 4:2–7 (as is evident from Rev. 4:5 and 5:6), which identifies the “seven lamps” as God’s one Spirit, whose role is to bring about God’s grace (cf. Zech. 4:7: “Grace, Grace”) in Israel through the successful completion of the rebuilding of the temple (see further on 1:12; 4:5; 5:6). That the sevenfold Spirit is “before the throne” highlights its role as an emissary to carry out the bidding of God (4:5) and Christ (5:6) on behalf of their subjects.​

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It is possible that Isa. 11:2ff. (LXX) is included along with Zechariah in the background of the “seven spirits,” since this text is alluded to in Rev. 5:5–6 (cf. “root” of Isa. 11:1 in 5:5 and the mention of “the seven spirits of God” in 5:6; note also the use of Isa. 11:4 in 1:16). Isa. 11:2ff. (LXX) shows that God’s sevenfold Spirit is what equips the Messiah to establish his end-time reign, and this idea is already implied in Rev. 1:4b, since 3:1 expands it by explaining that Christ “has the seven spirits of God” (the Living Bible renders well the phrase in v 4: “the seven-fold Spirit”; similarly in 1 En. 61:6–62:4 the Elect One possesses the sevenfold Spirit from Isa. 11:2 in order to praise “the Lord of Spirits” for transferring to him the role of eschatological judgment over “the kings … who hold the earth” [cf. Rev. 1:5]).​

There seems to have been a consensus amongst earlier Protestant commentators that the seven spirits of God in Revelation is a reference to the Holy Spirit himself. Here are several examples:

Francis Junius (as translated in the notes of the 1599 Geneva Bible):

That is, from the Holy Ghost which proceedeth from the Father and the Son. This Spirit is one in person according to his subsistence: but in communication of his virtue, and in demonstration of his divine works in those seven Churches, doth so perfectly manifest himself, as if there were many Spirits, every one perfectly working in his own Church, wherefore after Rev. 5:6, they are called the seven horns and seven eyes of the Lamb, as much to say, as his most absolute power and wisdom: and Rev. 3:1. Christ is said to have there seven Spirits of God, and Rev. 4:5, it is said, that seven lamps do burn before his throne, which also are those seven Spirits of God. That this place ought to be so understood, it is thus proved. For first grace and peace is asked by prayer of this Spirit, which is a divine work, and an action incommunicable, in respect of the most high Deity. Secondly, he is placed between the Father and the Son, as set in the same degree of dignity and operation with them. Besides he is before the throne as of the same substance with the Father and the Son: as the seven eyes and seven horns of the Lamb. Moreover, these spirits are never said to adore God, as all other things are. Finally, that is the power whereby the Lamb opened the book, and loosed the seven seals thereof when none could be found amongst all creatures by whom the book might be opened, Rev. 5. Of these things long ago, Master John Luide of Oxford wrote learnedly unto me. Now the Holy Ghost is set in order of words before Christ, because there was in that which followeth, a long process of speech to be used concerning Christ.​

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Matthew Poole:

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And from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; it is very difficult to determine what is meant by the seven Spirits here before the throne:we read of them also, Revelation 3:1 4:5 5:6. Christ is described, Revelation 3:1, as having the seven Spirits of God. It is said, Revelation 4:5, that the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, are the seven Spirits of God; and Revelation 5:6, that the Lamb’s seven eyes were the seven Spirits of God. This is all the light we have from Scripture. Some think they are seven angels that are here meant. We read, Revelation 8:2, of seven angels that stood before God; and in Revelation 15:6-8, there is a like mention of seven angels; and Zechariah 4:2,10, Zechariah had a vision of seven lamps, and seven pipes, which, Revelation 1:10, are said to be the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. But John saluting the churches with grace and peace from these seven Spirits, and joining them with Christ, they do not seem to be creatures, angels, that are here meant, but such a Being from whom grace and peace cometh. Others therefore understand by them, the seven workings of Divine Providence in his management of the affairs of the world, with relation to the church, of which we shall read after; but this also seems hard. The sense seems to be, and from the Holy Ghost, who, though but one spiritual Being, yet exerteth his influence many ways, and by various manifestations, called here seven Spirits, because all flow from the same Spirit. They are therefore called, Revelation 4:5, burning lamps; the Holy Ghost descending in the appearance of fire, Acts 2:3, 4, and being compared to fire, Matthew 3:11. They are called the Lamb’s seven eyes and seven horns, Revelation 5:6. Christ had the Spirit without measure; and the Holy Spirit is oft called the Spirit of Christ. This seemeth the best sense.​

John Gill:

However, it does not seem likely that [seven] angels should be placed in such a situation between the divine Persons, the Father and the Son; and still less that grace and peace should be wished for from them, as from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ; and that any countenance should be given to angel worship, in a book in which angels are so often represented as worshippers, and in which worship is more than once forbidden them, and that by themselves: but by these seven spirits are intended the Holy Spirit of God, who is one in his person, but his gifts and graces are various; and therefore he is signified by this number, because of the fulness and perfection of them, and with respect to the seven churches, over whom he presided, whom he influenced, and sanctified, and filled, and enriched with his gifts and graces.​

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