Seven Spirits of God | The Council | Messengers

This article will address what the Lord desires to reveal to His end-of-the-age messengers. These are the ones who stand in the council of the Lord, receive a flow of fresh oil, and are anointed with the seven spirits of the Lord. This article will bring clarity and understanding about the seven spirits of God, which many times have not been properly understood or taught. This is meant to bring revelation to the Lord’s apostolic and prophetic ministers and empower them. Revelation is like a key that unlocks doors similar to the key of David (Isaiah 22:22, Revelation 3:7). Without a revealing of God’s truth and purpose, we do not understand in our spirits. Once we understand in our spirit-man, the grace that the Lord desires to release to us can be accessed. Once we access that grace, then we can minister in and release that grace according to the will and purpose of the Lord. 

The Lord is releasing His apostolic and prophetic ministers to prepare His bride, to send out wedding invitations, proclaim the coming of Jesus, to reveal the Lamb in a greater way, and bring the church to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. These messengers must stand in the council of the Lord, and be anointed with fresh oil from the Holy Spirit to be able to complete this task. These messengers must also be able to access the anointings from the seven spirits of God, if they are going to carry out the will of the Lord. The anointings are given for the missional purpose listed above, and are necessary in order the complete the objectives of the Lord. 

Council of the Lord

The word “council” is defined as: “an assembly of persons summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice.” The primary focus of messengers must be standing in the council and presence of the Lord. These messengers are trained by the Holy Spirit to go within their spirit-man where Christ dwells. In that stillness, they access the Lord and stand in His council. The Lord is then able to release revelation and understanding to His messengers which unlocks doors in the spiritual realm to them and the body of Christ. The Lord is now releasing these “revelation” keys and unveiling the mystery that He is. The Lord is also releasing understanding of the seven spirits of God which we will discuss.

The Lord, in times past, rebuked prophets for prophesying according to their own will without standing in the council of the Lord and hearing His word:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the [false] prophets who prophesy to you. They are teaching you worthless things and are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own mind and imagination And not [truth] from the mouth of the Lord. They are continually saying to those who despise Me [and My word], ‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace” ’; And they say to everyone who walks after the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No evil will come on you.’ But who [among them] has stood in the council of the Lord, That he would perceive and hear His word? Who has marked His word [noticing and observing and paying attention to it] and has [actually] heard it? Behold, the tempest of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, A whirling tempest; It will whirl and burst on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has set in motion and accomplished the thoughts and intentions of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it. I did not send [these counterfeit] prophets, Yet they ran; I did not speak to them, Yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned My people from their evil way And from the evil of their decisions and deeds.” (Jeremiah 23:16-22 AMP)

During the time of Jeremiah, like our day, many “prophetic revelations” were given. But Jeremiah actually stood before the Lord and heard His advice. Jeremiah repeated the Lord’s counsel that he received from His council. Counsel is defined as: “advice or instruction given in directing the judgment or conduct of another.” The counsel given to Jeremiah contradicted all the other voices that wanted to give their prophetic prospective without standing before the Lord. This is the dividing line between messengers of the Lord and messengers of the people. The Lord gives His messengers access to the Heavenly council:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you access [to My presence] and places to walk among these who stand here.” (Zechariah 3:7 AMPC)

Standing before the Lord in His council is paramount in the coming days for the Lord’s messengers. The Lord will release revelatory keys and strategies to His church in this way. Standing in the Lord’s council is what gives the Lord’s apostolic and prophetic messengers access to the fresh oil of the Spirit, and to the seven spirits of God. It also makes way for the word of Lord to come forth from messengers as a burning fire:

““Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]?” says the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks the [most stubborn] rock [in pieces]?” (Jeremiah 23:29 AMP)

The Burning One, the Lamb, dwells in us. As these messengers stand before the Lord, His word gets heavier and hotter in their spirits. When it is released, it comes forth like a consuming fire, and a hammer that breaks every stronghold of resistance to Christ:

“We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP)

Sons of Fresh Oil

“He said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl [for oil] on the top of it and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side [supplying it continuously with oil].”” (Zechariah 4:2-3 AMP)

“Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?” Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my Lord.” So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”” (Zechariah 4:11-14 NKJV)

Again, we see the anointed ones, or sons of fresh oil, standing before the Lord and in His council. The context of these passages show us who these anointed ones are. Zechariah is a prophet, to whom this revelation is being given to. Zerubbabel is a governmental figure which has a “wise-master-builder” anointing to build the house of God; a type of apostle. Joshua the high priest is also mentioned in the context, which speaks of the Royal Priesthood we are all called to enter into; and the priestly ministry to the Lord that apostles and prophets must be engaged in so that they can accurately give the counsel of the Lord to His church. 

The two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-8 are called to minister in Jerusalem during the final years before the return of the Lord. The Lord will have a company of apostolic and prophetic messengers who will minister in other cities and nations, so that the entire world is accounted for. These ministers, like John the Baptist, are needed to make a people ready for the Lord. The Lord will empower them with the same anointing Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist carried: “The Spirit and Power of Elijah.” These messengers must also have access to the seven spirits of the Lord in order to complete their assignments. Jesus was anointed with the seven spirits of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). His messengers must follow His example.

Seven Spirits of God

Jesus had seven primary anointings that rested upon Him during His earthly ministry. These anointings or empowerments came from the seven spirits of God:

“and the 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;” (Isaiah 11:2 KJV)

Some have taught that the seven spirits of God are the “sevenfold Holy Spirit.” We will examine the scriptures and show that this is not an accurate interpretation. The Bible teaches that there is one God, and that God is one Spirit made up of three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to this understanding of God as “the Godhead.” The Bible does not teach that God is multiple Spirits. If in fact, the Holy Spirit was seven different Sprits, He would not be One. He would be seven different Gods. This reasoning, theology, and teaching contradicts scripture. To say God is more than one Spirit would divide God into multiples. He is One.

In addition, to say that the Holy Spirit only has seven distinct functions, aspects, or anointings is also not scriptural. The Holy Spirit is the eternal Godhead who is a person, and cannot be limited to seven functions or operations. He, as God, is limitless. To limit the Holy Spirit in seven categories actually contradicts the limitless Godhead who cannot be contained. The Holy Spirit is only one Spirit, and the Bible is not trying to confuse us. Teaching from men is what confuses us. 

The seven spirits of God are exactly what the Bible states: spirits. Angels are spirits or ministering spirits. These angels are empowered by the Holy Spirit as all created beings are. However the seven spirits of God are angelic. This simple truth or correction empowers us to be anointed by the grace from the seven spirits of God.

“John, to the seven churches which 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,” (Revelation 1:4 NKJV)

In the above scripture, we see that the seven spirits are before the throne of God. The Holy Spirit is God and He sits on the throne with the Father and the Son. God sits on His throne and ministering spirits stand before His throne. 

““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: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1 NKJV)

Notice in this scripture that Jesus says He “has” the seven spirits of God. The Greek word for “has” also means: ‘to have, to hold, to own, to possess, to have ready, to have at command, subjected to, and to use.’ Jesus possesses and has angels at His command. That would not be true with the Holy Spirit. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One. Jesus is in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is in Jesus. 

“And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” (Revelation 4:5 NKJV)

This is another scripture that is used to teach the Holy Spirit as the seven spirits of God. However the Lord shows that He has made His angels to be messengers or ministers of fire:

“And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”” (Hebrews 1:7 NKJV)

In the Old Testament time period, the Holy Spirit only rested on certain individuals and not everyone. The Holy Spirit was not sent out to all the earth until Jesus ascended into Heaven:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” (John 16:7-8 NKJV)

Yet we see the operation of the seven spirits of God in the Old Testament. They had already been sent out into all the earth:

“And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6 NKJV)

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His…...”” (2 Chronicles 16:9 AMP)

The eyes of the Lord are the seven spirits (angels) of the Lord, and they were sent throughout the earth before the Holy Spirit was (according to scripture). The Hebrew word for “completely” in the above verse can also be translated: ‘made ready, peaceable, perfect, quiet, whole, complete, safe, finished, and full.’ The Lord is looking for hearts that are full of His Spirit, and quiet towards Him. This transcends the messenger ministry and calling. He will empower certain believers with the seven spirits of God who have their hearts completely full of His perfect Spirit. Those who have their hearts quieted from the chaos of this world and full of the Lord will be entrusted with the seven spirits of the Lord at His direction and for His purposes. 

Seven Spirits before the Throne

“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.” Revelation 8:2 AMP

This is a very clear scripture of the seven spirits or angels standing before the throne of God. These are very high ranking angels that carry tremendous power delegated by the Holy Spirit. Not only are they entrusted with seven powerful anointings, but they are also entrusted with releasing powerful judgments throughout the earth. 

When the Holy Spirit started speaking to me about writing this article, He reminded me of a message I listened to about 11 years ago by the late Neville Johnson (a prophet and founder of ‘The Academy of Light’). I recall Neville speaking about the seven primary angels before God’s throne. He stated that each of the seven spirits of God had myriads of angels under them, and they carried those anointings to people. For example, the angel of wisdom had many spirits under him who would carry the anointing of wisdom to people. Neville said that Charles Finney, a powerful evangelist and revivalist, had an angel of the fear of the Lord assigned to him. When Finney would preach, crowds would fall under a terrible godly fear and conviction. People would be in agony for their souls until they chose to repent and accept Christ as savior. 

I also remember Neville saying that the spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2), releases a powerful prophetic and preaching anointing. Jesus spoke of this first angelic anointing:

“And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”” (Luke 4:17-19 NKJV)

Sometimes when I am writing I will feel the spirit of revelation come upon me. For example, the Holy Spirit will give me a subject that He wants me to write on, but I don’t have hardly any revelation to put into a readable format. As I sit before the Lord in His presence, I receive counsel and start to write. Then as I write, more understanding comes. Sometimes I’ll be writing and it feels like a firehouse being left wide open. I’ll start to get scripture verses that connect and line up to validate what the Lord wants me to say. I believe this is an example of sitting under the anointing of the spirits of wisdom and revelation. The flow originates from the Lord, through His angelic messengers, to us. 

David’s mighty men fought under the anointing from the spirit of might. One of them could supernaturally kill hundreds of men at a time. The spirit of might was empowering them, as was the case with Samson. William Branham ministered in  powerful prophetic revelation and miracles, because of the angel assigned to him. The angel would be present with him while he ministered. The seven spirits of God will stand beside the Lord’s messengers and empower them to minister in miracles and healings in the coming years. 

Authority 

I feel like the Lord is desiring that His messengers seek Him in regards to the seven spirits of God. When we understand the truth behind how these anointings are released, we can operate in them at the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants to release the seven spirits of God from Isaiah 11:2, so that His messengers can accomplish His plans and purposes. The seven spirits of god were overjoyed to see authority given to the apostolic and prophetic ministers:

“Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know (recognize, understand fully) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [as His messenger] to you. Who [with reason] despises the day of small things (beginnings)? For these seven [eyes] shall rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord which roam throughout the earth.”” (Zechariah 4:8-10 AMP)

The plumb line speaks of authority given to apostolic and prophetic ministries to measure, build, and judge the house or temple of the Lord (God’s people). The seven spirits of God are very involved in the building of the Lord’s house. We can see that they were even sent to the seven churches in Revelation 1:20. The Lord is giving His apostolic and prophetic messengers a plumb line to measure the depth of the church, and determine how much of Him is in her. Those churches who do not want Christ to increase in them will be judged. Those who humble themselves before the living God and recognize their spiritual property (lack of the fullness of Christ), will be shown grace and given more of Christ unto the measure of the stature of His fullness. 

The seven spirits of God are rejoicing because they have been assigned to help the messengers in this process. They desire to partner with the messengers to lay the foundation of Christ, build a temple for the Lord to rest in, and bring the church to the “perfect man.” The Spirit of God is empowering the seven spirits of the Lord to help us in this most desperate hour. The seven spirits of the Lord are directly connected to the plumb line given to the Lord’s apostolic and prophetic vessels.

On January 14, 2022, the Lord gave me the following scripture and the Holy Spirit came upon me in power indicating the importance of it:

“Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you. And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit! [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23 AMPC)

A week later later, I shared what the Holy Spirit had told me with a friend. She told me that a messenger of the Lord had just used that same verse while preaching at a conference in Tennessee. He had spoken about it in the same context that the Holy Spirit had showed me. Divine authority being restored to the apostolic and prophetic messengers. I believe the Lord gave me this verse the same day it was preached at the conference in Tennessee. I listened to the message a month later. It’s sometimes good to have another witness as it helps ensure we are hearing accurately from the Lord.

The authority that the Lord is restoring was demonstrated by Peter when he prophesied to Sapphira that she would be carried out dead like her husband (Acts 5:9-11). Peter did not operate in the fullness of this authority, but the full measure is being restored. It will be restored to the same level as Moses and Elijah carried. Moses turned water into blood as a judgement against people resisting God. Elijah called down fire on enemies of the Lord that were coming to kill him (2 Kings 1:10). 

But we are not to call down fire on people, some might argue. After all, Jesus rebuked his own disciples for trying to call down fire on people like Elijah did, right (Luke 9:54-56)? Jesus rebuked his disciples because they were not yielding to the will of God, but operating out of their own human understanding. John the Baptist and Jesus were sent to proclaim the good news and the favorable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1-3). That was Jesus’ assignment. But that was two thousand years ago. Now at the end of the age, the Lord is preparing the world and church for His judgments. Because the Lord is preparing people for His judgment, the Lord is now commanding His messengers to declare the second part of Isaiah 61:2, “the day of vengeance of our God.” 

Messengers must preach the day of vengeance in order to prepare people. This was not the ministry of Jesus, and that’s why He stopped short of quoting that portion of scripture. But that message is for our time, because we are rapidly approaching the coming of the Lord. The Lord will start releasing His vengeance and judgment as the seals of Revelation Chapter 6 are opened. His messengers/witnesses will be given the authority that Moses and Elijah carried to call forth judgments on the earth:

“And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in sackcloth.” These [witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These [two witnesses] have the power [from God] to shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophesying [regarding judgment and salvation]; and they have power over the waters (seas, rivers) to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every [kind of] plague, as often as they wish.” (Revelation 11:3-6 AMP)

As we can see, these end-of-the-age messengers will not be rebuked by the Lord for calling down fire on the wicked. They will be commissioned by the Lord and walking in His authority to kill the wicked with fire. This is the Spirit and Power of Elijah in operation again through the Lords messengers. The Bible only mentions these two witnesses, but there will be a company of witnesses spread throughout the world. The Lord will have His witnesses giving testimony of the Lamb to the church and the world. Just as the Lord used Moses to release His judgments on Egypt, He will use His messengers to release His vengeance on various cities and regions around the world.

This global company of messengers will operate in the seven spirits of the Lord. They will only be doing what the Lord commands them to do (like Elijah and Moses). The witnesses will know when to strike the earth with plagues, famines, and other judgments because they are operating in the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Paul prayed:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” (Ephesians 1:17 NKJV)

Paul understood the seven angels or spirits of the Lord. Paul didn’t pray, “give to you the seven-fold Holy Spirit.” We can glean understanding from what is revealed in scripture if we are willing. 

Conclusion 

When I was spiritually immature, I had child-like faith. I would walk in the woods, pray, and cry out for the seven spirits of the Lord one by one. I would ask for the spirit of fear of the Lord, and in faith I would look up into the sky. As I would do that, an intense power would come upon me from above, to the point that I had to kneel down on the ground. During that time in my life, I did not possess a great enough measure of Christ in me to handle the full measure of those anointings that were released. But the Holy Spirit was showing me the reality of them. Many have been like me, allowing Christ to crucify their self-life so He can become greater in them. As Christ increases in you, the seven spirits of God will begin accompanying some of you. There will be a steady flow of those anointings in the coming days to accomplish the Lord’s purposes before His return. 

Around November 1st of 2021, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Gathering of the Messengers.” Recently I have begun to see the manifestation of this. This is another indicator to me that things are progressing rapidly. The Lord is moving and we are very near to the return of Jesus. The Lord is bringing His messengers together so that He can prepare them for their end-of-the-age ministries to the church. The anointings on these ministers will be so powerful and intense that the Lord will be able to prepare His church very rapidly. The seven spirits of God are being released. I pray this brings a greater understanding of how the Lord is operating in these times. May the bride be made ready for the Bridegroom.

-Ty Unruh (2022)