[aron]

Justification of the ways of God is kind of a goofy premise: I don’t understand God, and God doesn’t need my apologetics. So I was being tongue-in-cheek when I titled this thread “the theodicy of the Spirit”. I instead wanted to examine the ways of the Spirit in a series of ideational vignettes, which are not necessarily any more “real” than someone else's.

For example, what if John’s vision of the seven spirits before the throne in Revelation 1:4 connects to Moses’ golden lampstand? The penultimate image in John’s gospel is perhaps the one at the end of the first chapter, right before the miracles begin: “You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” This scene conceptually frames the miraculous signs that follow.

So think about this: in the tabernacle, as in the temple, there was a lampstand before the throne, with its seven candlesticks focusing their light together. The lamps’ tubes are hollow, and filled with oil, and the lamps always burning. On each side of the lampstand are two spouts, pouring into the base of the lamp. (See Zech 4:11-14; Rev 11:3-12) Now we know the property of fluid: a u-shaped tube that is open on each end will have resting fluid at the same level in both ends! So you could fill the seven lamps using a spout that was opened at the same height. That way they would always burn, and they would never run out -- the flame would be undisturbed, and yet would always be supplied.

Now, the Spirit is being manifested as seven flames burning before the throne, with oil flowing down, in supply, and flowing up to be burned. It is a very dynamic picture. And it suggests that John the apostle wasn’t picturing a newly-intensified spirit, as there were seven flames already burning in the holiest place, long before Jesus was born! To me John's spiritual significance is that there is imagery of a descending and ascending in both his gospel and in Revelation 1:4, 4:5, and 5:6. We don’t have to invent some new property (i.e. “intensification”) for the Sprit, as Moses had been told to make everything in the earthly temple (including the seven lamps burning) when he received the heavenly vision in Exodus 25. See e.g. verse 9: "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."