Revelations 5:6

[askandanswer]

(New Testament | Revelation 5:6)

6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the 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 seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

 

We discussed this verse in Sunday School today and no one was able to shed any light on who or what the seven Spirits of God are or what they do, or what is their relationship to the Spirit of God mentioned in many other places throughout the scriptures? . This is the only verse that I know of in the scriptures that refers to God having more than one Spirit. Is there anyone here who can shed light on these questions? Also, is there any significance in the fact that in this verse, Spirits is spelt with an upper, rather than a lower, case S? 

 

 

(Topical Guide | G God, Spirit of:Entry)

God, Spirit of (see also Holy Ghost; Holy Spirit; Light of Christ)

Gen. 1:2 S. of G. moved upon the face of the waters

Gen. 41:38 man in whom the S. of G. is

Ex. 31:3 I have filled him with the s. of G.

1 Sam. 10:10 S. of G. came upon him, and he prophesied

1 Sam. 11:6 S. of G. came upon Saul

1 Sam. 19:20 S. of G. was upon the messengers

2 Chr. 24:20 S. of G. came upon Zechariah

Job 33:4 S. of G. hath made me

Isa. 61:1 S. of the Lord G. is upon me

Matt. 3:16 S. of G. descending like a dove

Matt. 12:28 cast out devils by the S. of G.

Rom. 8:14 led by the S. of G., they are the sons of God

Rom. 15:19 signs and wonders, by the power of the S. of G.

1 Cor. 2:11 of God knoweth no man, but the S. of G.

1 Cor. 2:14 natural man receiveth not the things of the S. of G.

1 Cor. 3:16 ye are the temple of God ... S. of G. dwelleth in you

1 Cor. 6:11 sanctified ... justified ... by the S. of our G.

1 Cor. 7:40 I think also that I have the S. of G.

1 Cor. 12:3 no man speaking by the S. of G. calleth Jesus accursed

Eph. 4:30 grieve not the holy S. of G.

1 Jn. 4:2 Hereby know ye the S. of G.

1 Ne. 17:52 so powerful was the S. of G.

1 Ne. 19:12 sea shall be wrought upon by the S. of G.

Alma 5:47 spirit of prophecy ... by the manifestation of the S. of G.

Alma 9:21 (3 Ne. 7:21) Having been visited by the S. of G.

Alma 24:30 once enlightened by the S. of G.

Alma 61:15 S. of G., which is also the Spirit of freedom

Hel. 5:45 Holy S. of G. did come down from heaven

D&C 46:17 to some is given, by the S. of G., the word of wisdom

D&C 68:1 proclaim the everlasting gospel, by the S. of the living G.

D&C 121:26 God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy S.

Moses 1:27 did not behold, discerning it by the s. of G.

Moses 6:26 S. of G. descended out of heaven

Moses 6:65 S. of G. descended upon him, and thus he was born of the S

See also Ps. 143:10; Rev. 3:1; 4:5; 5:6; 1 Ne. 20:16; Jacob 7:8.

 

[james12]

Joseph Smith changes this verse quite significantly in his inspired translation. It reads: 

 

And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having twelve horns and twelve eyes, which are the twelve servants of God, sent forth into all the earth.

This of course is much more understandable, indicating the twelve apostles of the Lamb, who will judge the tribes of Israel and work to bring forth kingdom of God on the earth.

[Connie]

Revelation is one of those books that often needs to be read symbolically.  Here is what Alonzo Gaskill has to say about the symbolic meaning of the number 7:  "The most common of all symbolic numbers, it represents fullness, completion, wholeness, spiritual perfection, and totality. In Egypt it symbolized eternal life." (from The Lost Language of Symbolism)

[zil]

One of the keys to understanding scripture is the footnotes.  I would never try to understand the Revelation of John without checking the footnotes (for the JST version specifically, and links which might aid in understanding).  I'm kinda surprised no one in your class spotted the JST footnote - looking is a habit with me.

 

I also frequently use the institute manuals (I love the Gospel Library, which lets me take these and more everywhere).  I'll now speculate and say that horns could be symbolic of a warning voice (horns sounded before / in battle way back in the day) or of power (animal horns for fighting / protection) and that eyes are both observation and light.

 

And, here's what the manual says:

John described the Lamb in his vision as having many horns and eyes. In the scriptures, horns are often a symbol of power (see 1 Samuel 2:10; Psalm 75:10). Eyes often symbolize light and knowledge (see D&C 77:4). The Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 5:6 indicates that the Lamb had “twelve horns and twelve eyes, which are the twelve servants of God” (in Revelation 5:6, footnote b). Since the Lord’s people in ancient Israel were numbered as twelve tribes and the Lord organized His Church with Twelve Apostles, the number twelve can symbolize divine government and organization, or the priesthood. This verse may suggest that all priesthood power and knowledge is centered in the Lamb of God.

 

FWIW.

[Vort]

The most obvious thing that jumps out at me is that the "seven horns" and "seven eyes" have reference to the "seven Churches" that John addressed at the beginning of the Revelation. In modern terms, these "seven Churches" would be called the "seven wards" or "seven branches", meaning seven congregations of the kingdom of God. This seven-horned lamb (mixed imagery -- a lamb with horns and an [exceedingly] odd number of eyes) seems to stand in contrast to the seven-headed beast mentioned later, which represents the wicked kingdoms of the earth. My understanding of this imagery is:

• Horns represent power (of various types)
• Heads represent leaders or ways of thought (i.e. the Lamb's head being Christ verses a filthy, abominable beast with multiple leaders and even more horns)
• Eyes represent knowledge, as John mentions previously, the Lamb having seven eyes in this vision

So branches of God's kingdom vs. wicked earthly kingdoms. John surely knew, and imo the congregants probably had some idea, of the coming apostasy; perhaps the revelation was given as a comfort to them.

 

As I have said before, the book of Revelation is a mystery to me. I believe it to be real and inspired divine revelation, but its imagery does not fit naturally into my own way of thinking, so it leaves me baffled.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Vort

[LeSellers]

Whenever the question is “what does it mean in Revelation?”, the first place I check is Section 77. It may not be as complete as we'd like, but there are often indicators available to help, even when the question is not covered explicitly.

2 Q. What are we to understand by the four beasts, spoken of in [Revelation 4:6]? A. They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator, John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.

3 Q. Are the four beasts limited to individual beasts, or do they represent classes or orders?A. They are limited to four individual beasts, which were shown to John, to represent the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation, in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity.

4 Q. What are we to understand by the eyes and wings, which the beasts had?A. Their eyes are a representation of light and knowledge, that is, they are full of knowledge; and their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc.

5 Q. What are we to understand by the four and twenty elders, spoken of by John?A. We are to understand that these elders whom John saw, were elders who had been faithful in the work of the ministry and were dead; who belonged to the seven churches, and were then in the paradise of God.

The issue of seven v. twelve spirits is one question and methinks it's been resolved. But who were/are the twenty-four elders and the beasts?

God Himself answered that question for us.

Lehi