Understanding the Trinity helps us understand that Jesus was God walking on this earth–in a human body!

23 Repent [think differently and act accordingly] at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my heart to you, and make my thoughts known to you.

As we were looking at Revelation 1:4-8 yesterday, there was a phrase concerning the Spirit that was a little unsettling. Let’s look at it:

⁴ John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

A person could conclude that there are actually seven spirits around the throne, and it could be, although they are not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture. Instead, because we have God the Father and God the Son mentioned in this passage, “seven spirits” is usually interpreted as “seven-fold Spirit,” meaning God the Spirit.

In Scripture, the number 7 represents:

• Fullness, completeness and perfection, as in the fellowship of the Trinity;
• Exoneration and healing, as in the Sabbath (seventh) Year, Jubilee (50th year, the year after seven seven’s, which is 49 years), and Naaman’s washing in the Jordan river seven times (2 Kings 5:10-14);
• Fulfillment of promises and oaths; from the root word “saba,” which means “satisfaction and fullness.” Two words come from it: “shaba (to swear)” and “sheba (seven).” An example is Beersheba, which means “well of oath” or “well of seven” for which seven lambs were paid for the use of the well that was there.

By using the number seven, John is alluding to the fact that God is perfectly complete in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Three-in-One. To see the Spirit as anything less than equal with the Father and the Son is to deny the Trinity–not a good thing!

Let us remember that we are loved by the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit. We have been invited into the Fellowship of the Trinity!

Abba, seeing You as the Trinitarian Person that You are helps me interpret Scripture correctly. I see You and the Son as one (John 10:30), and I see You and the Spirit as one in me–along with Jesus (John 14:23, 15:26). You went to great lengths to get us back; may we not take Your sacrifice for granted. Amen.