The Seven Spirits of God and the Seven Systems of the Enemy

[Aaron56]

In Revelation the Seven Spirits of God are mentioned 4 times: 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, and 5:6

For example, Chapter 3 verse 1 begins with "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars..."
You can find the seven spirits of God mentioned first in the Old Testament in Isaiah 11:

1There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
The Seven Spirits are Lordship, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might (power), knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. On the main, these represent the intrinsic qualities of the Lord. They are outlined so that we may understand the character of the Lord.

In Daniel Chapter 7 we have an account of the 4th beast that appears in the earth; initially having 10 horns but then, losing three, is left with only 7.

And notice what is said about the 4th beast:

Verse 19, This is Daniel writing in the first person: "Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet..."

In verse 23, an angel gives and answer to Daniel's inquiry: "Thus he said (the angel), The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."

The point here is that this 4th beast that arises at the end of the age is not like a typical kingdom. We should not wonder which nation or empire represents the 4th beast. It is not like a nation we are familiar with since it is "diverse from all kingdoms". The historical empire of Rome may have similar qualities but its range was certainly not "the whole earth" as is specified in Daniel 7:23.

However, if we understand that the enemy always presents a counterfeit to the true kingdom of God, like an anti-Christ to Christ, tares to wheat, etc. we can look to the true to understand the form of the counterfeit. So, in the culmination of the age of men, when the division in the earth clearly marks those of God and those who are of the devil, the established counterfeit of the enemy will be the alternative to the seven spirits of God: Lordship, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might (power), knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. The enemy will provide man a way to obtain something similar to all these character attributes, without the divine empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Aaron56]

"This calls for a mind with wisdom."

"[There was a 4th beast] It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns."

The heads are 7 systems of influence: business or commerce, domestic affairs or family, education, government or law, communication, arts, and religion.

I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous [or blasphemous] words.

There are 10 rulers over these systems represented by horns. Perhaps three horns over the religious systems are supplanted by one little horn that speaks blasphemy. Since all nations will succumb to the power of the Beast it would make sense that three rulers would convene under one, ultimate religious authority. Ecumenical councils have included Muslims, Jews, and Christians for years. Ironically, they claim a "brotherhood" that is not found in God's word.

Any similarities this last Beast or mountains have with historical kingdoms is to aid in our understanding as they appear in the earth. Rome, for example, had all the trappings of a singular kingdom that ruled every aspect of human life. It even sat on 7 hills. But it wasn't global, no kingdom has been since the beginning of time, but there is no doubt it would have seemed that way with limited travel.

This calls for a mind with wisdom, not just a mind that has studied history. People of wisdom understand the times and know what the people of God should do.

So, let history inform you, but don't look for men in funny hats out of hyphenated regions (Medo-Persia) to suddenly reappear again from antiquity. The systems of the world are here and already functioning. And one, unifying, blasphemous message is woven through them all: "with human effort, all things are possible."

 

[Komentaja]

The point here is that this 4th beast that arises at the end of the age is not like a typical kingdom. We should not wonder which nation or empire represents the 4th beast. It is not like a nation we are familiar with since it is "diverse from all kingdoms". The historical empire of Rome may have similar qualities but its range was certainly not "the whole earth" as is specified in Daniel 7:23.

The whole earth does not necessarily mean the entire planet in the Bible, the third kingdom in Daniel 2 is also said to rule the entire earth, and Greece never did.

Just like "all the nations" in the Bible usually means the nations around Israel. "Far north" means areas around Turkey.

 

[Aaron56]

The whole earth does not necessarily mean the entire planet in the Bible, the third kingdom in Daniel 2 is also said to rule the entire earth, and Greece never did.

Just like "all the nations" in the Bible usually means the nations around Israel. "Far north" means areas around Turkey.

Right. You also have to consider "It was different from all the beasts that were before it". So were looking for a type of kingdom different from the template of the others.