Quote:
Originally Posted by Mephibosheth
[COLOR=DarkGreen]But don't you think it odd that where the writer (John) uses imagery in relation to the 'seven spirits of God', he immediately qualifies it. For example: 'the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God' which are 'the seven spirits of God'...or...'the lamb had seven horns and seven eyes' which are 'the seven spirits of God'. There is no such qualification in reference to the 'seven angels'. Instead you use the somewhat vague link that the angels are 'standing before the throne of God', so they must be the seven spirits of God because they were described as being 'before the throne', too. Which is all true...well, the lamb was also 'standing'. The 'four living creatures' were also 'standing'
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I see your point. Well, maybe it is a little more crowded there, in front of the throne, than I had surmised. I had simply assumed that it would be pricey real-estate, so to speak. The whole thing about seven angels standing there is that it is just seven. Not sixty five or twenty two or whatever. Again, that makes the twenty four elders further out, i.e. further away. So that there would only be seven, in front of the throne, and not seven plus seven more, makes more sense to me.
John is presenting us a hierarchy in the heavens. So seven doesn't share with another seven (so I surmised). There are only seven entities. Angels, and spirits, eyes, stars, flames. All the same thing. But that is just my logic. Maybe there are seven angels, and seven flaming spirits as well. And Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7 is irrelevant here. Right?
Remember that in the gospel records, John and James wanted to be at Jesus' right and left hands in the kingdom. I am carrying that over here. John, (I argue) was acutely aware of one's relative position. But my carrying over the gospel of John into the Revelation of John is simply my logic. It may not be shared by others.