Conroy Reynolds's Blog

The Seven Spirits of God are referred to several times in
Revelation. The fact that every time John sees them, they are before throne of
God seems to underline their importance. Furthermore, the context suggests they
are deeply involved in the activities for the salvation of the world. However, no
other book in the Bible uses that expression. Who are these spirits who run throughout
the world? Are they different to the Holy Spirit? Is it important that we know
who they are and what they do?

Before attempting to answer these questions, I would like to make
a couple of points about the importance of symbolism in this book and its relevance
to identifying who the seven spirits are.

Revelation itself is a symbolic book. Almost all of the references
to various entities utilize some symbolism with the use of animals, things from
nature, numbers, precious stones, composite beasts, furniture etc. No other
book of the Bible contains as much symbolism as Revelation. Practically all of
its messages are conveyed through the use of symbols. It would be out of
harmony with the pattern of the book for this title to be taken literally. If the title seven spirits of God is symbolic, then the question
becomes symbol of what? What or whom do the symbols represent? The expression,
the Seven Spirits of God is unique to Revelation. Surely if there are seven
literal spirits there would be some other reference to them in the scripture. What is the significance of the number 7 in this context? Why say
the seven spirits? The number seven is easily the most prominent number in all
of scripture and refers to the fulness or completeness of the thing referred
to. Seven is omnipresent in Revelation and, in practically every case, it
carries the same idea. So here, John is referring the Spirit in all its potency
and completeness. Consistent with his approach to prophetic writing, John is
referring to God’s Spirit acting in His place as a member of the Godhead,
Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and one with the Father and the Son in the salvation
of the world. Let’s look at the specific references to the seven spirits.

There are 4 references to the seven spirits.

In the first, (1:4,5) they are mentioned as one of the three
authorities John identifies in his greeting to the churches. Is this a
reference to the trinity/Godhead? The Father, the Spirit, and the Son. The
Father is represented as He who is, who was, and who is to come. The Son as the
Faithful and True Witness, the Firstborn from the dead and Ruler of the Kings
of the Earth. The Spirit as the Seven Spirits of God.The second reference is to Jesus who holds the Seven Spirits of
God. Here Jesus is the one sending the messages, but the Spirit is the one who
speaks the message. In one hand are the angels of the seven churches
represented by the seven stars, in the other hand are the seven spirits. Note
that when you read the messages to the churches, they begin as Jesus speaking
but they conclude with the words, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.” Thus there appears to be some basis for
concluding (a) Jesus and the Spirit are equally responsible for the messages
and (b) the seven spirits in the hand of Jesus may be the same Spirit of God
who is speaking to the seven churches represented by the seven stars in the
Jesus’ other hand. The third and fourth references take place in the throne room of
God. (Revelation 4:15) First, there is a view of the throne room of heaven with
someone sitting on the throne who John does not describe, except to say he had
the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian. What a scene that must have been! Then,
seen around this throne are 24 thrones with 24 elders. In the center of the 24
are 4 living creatures with eyes around their whole bodies. Both the elders and
the creatures combine in giving praise to God, day and night. John not only
sees lightening flashing and thunder pealing from the throne itself, but in front
of the throne there are seven lamps representing the seven spirits. In the next scene John sees a scroll in the hand of one seated on
the throne (Revelation 5:1-9). The scroll is sealed with seven seals. A mighty
angel asks, who is worthy to open the scroll? It appears that is a particularly
important question as John bursts into tears when no-one appears worthy. At
length, one of the 24 elders reassure him, there is one worthy, He who is the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, he has triumphed, and he is
worthy. However, as John looks, he sees not a lion as one would expect, but a
lamb as if it had been killed, but yet is now alive. This, no doubt, is the
lamb of God slain from the foundation of world, Jesus himself. He who is both
root and offspring of David, his physical ancestor. It is through his eternal
sacrifice, on behalf of the human race, that he has triumphed over Satan and
the kingdom of darkness. He is the one who declared of himself, I am he that
lives, I was dead, but behold I am alive forevermore and have the keys of death
and hell (Revelation 1:18). Of greatest significance for us in this study is
that (a) he stood in the center of the throne and (b) he has seven eyes which
are “the Seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” In one scene,
there is one seated on the throne who we may admit to be God the Father, and
there are seven lamps before the throne who are the seven spirits. In the other
scene the lamb is on the throne and the seven spirits are a part of his body.
In the first scene, the spirits are symbolized by seven lamps, in the second
they are seven eyes. Thus, the spirits are associated with the Father and the
Son who both occupy the throne of God. This is the one common denominator in
all of the passages, the seven spirits are acting in tandem with the other
members of the Godhead.

It is noteworthy that in this passage the symbolism of numbers is
particularly evident. Besides the seven spirits, the lamb has seven horns which
is the representation of power. Thus, the seven horns represent the omnipotent
power and rulership of God. In fact, it could be said that here the horns on
the lamb represent the father, the eyes, the spirit and there is the lamb
himself, the Son, he is upon the throne and shows himself to be God. The
scriptures teach, in him dwells the fulness of God and that through him God
would reconcile the world to himself by the shedding of his blood on the cross
(Col 1:17-20). When Christ came as the Lamb, God was in him: The Father, The
Son and The Spirit together, reconciling the world to God. John depicts all of
this using the symbols of a lamb as if it slain, the seven horns and the seven
eyes of the spirit.  

Two weeks ago, my last blog post discussed a phenomenon I have been following with a great deal of interest, the obsession of pop culture with the personality of Satan. This post digs further into the main character representing the Satan. The mythological creature identified in Elizabeth Barrett Browning famous poem, the “Great God Pan”. Most of the representations of Satan today in movies, literature, music and other media appear as some variation of Pan, the goat-headed god of nature.

Pan is supposed to be the son of the messenger god Hermes
(Roman Mercury). His Roman name is Faunus (faun). In some accounts he is the
son of Zeus himself. The story goes that when his mother saw him for the first
time, she ran in horror for her child had the head of a goat complete with
horns, the torso of a man and the lower body of goat with hairy thighs, legs and
goat’s feet. His Father took him to Olympus where he amused the gods who named
him Pan. The name means “all.” The name is a prefix in a number of
English words, Pandora, “all gifts,” Pantheon, “all the
gods,” panacea “cure all,” and Pantheism “all is god.”
He carried a flute that he himself fashioned out of a reed. It was actually a
nymph who ran from him and transformed herself into a reed on the riverbank to
escape him. As a result, he became associated with that musical instrument. You
have heard of the “pan pipes” which is now the “pipe organ.”

Although Pan started out as a minor god of the hills, mountains,
forests and animals, in time he came to be considered the representative of all
the other gods and of paganism. The famous English poet John Milton labeled him
the “Universal Pan.”

Pan was often portrayed as a mischievous and playful god,
but in time he took on an ominous and fearful demeanor whose presence could
strike such fear that his name became the root of another familiar word, panic.
The sensation you would feel walking in the forest at night where Pan ruled. According
Manley Hall, “The Egyptians were initiated into the Mysteries of Pan, ….
Pan represented the impregnating power of the sun and was the chief of a horde of
rustic deities, and satyrs. He also signified the controlling spirit of the
lower worlds who possessed prophetic powers. 

Several cities were devoted to the worship of Pan and feasts
were held in honor of him. Eusebius notes that in Egypt the city of Mendes, the
Egyptian word for goat, was devoted to his worship. In this city women were
said to have sexual intercourse with goats. Pan himself is portrayed in popular
images as having sex with a goat. A simple internet search will turn up the
repulsive image of the god copulating with a goat. In ancient Greece, Arcadia
and Athens, were cities with devotees of pan. In Palestine in the time of
Christ, the city of Caesarea-Philippi where Peter confessed that Jesus is Lord,
was formerly named Paneas because pan was worshipped there.

Alexander Hislop notes that the ancient Roman name for Pan
was Faunus (Faun) was derived from Enos or Innus and identified him as the
pagan substitute for Adam. As Lord of the fauns and satyrs, he was “the
first of the hidden ones” pointing to Adam who hid himself from God after
he had sinned. Thus Pan seeks to become the second Adam whom the New Testament
identifies as the Christ.

In my opinion the modern resurrection of Pan as the representative
of Satan began in the 19th century when poems and works of literature emerged
eulogizing great Pan. Pan came to be seen as the representative of a time when
society was more in tune with its intuitive side as opposed to the focus on the
scientific bent evident in the industrial revolution. He was also a symbol of
the power of paganism. In 1856 Eliphaz Levi, a French occultist writer,
produced an image known as the “Sabbatic Goat” that is basically a
reproduction of Pan. The image came to be associated the name Baphomet and has
been adopted by the Satanic Temple in Salem. While the origin of the name
Baphomet is still uncertain there is no denying that the creature who carries
the name today is a reproduction of Pan. Just as Socrates taught about Pan millennia
ago, Baphomet is supposed represent good and evil, light and darkness. Baphomet
is now a featured as a main character in several major video games including
the now infamous Dungeons and Dragons in his true character as quintessentially
evil. He can also be found on the cover of many heavy metal bands.

In 1897 the original goat pentagram appeared in a published
work. In the image the head of a goat is drawn such that the two horns, the two
ears and the pointed chin are the five points of a pentagram. A symbol commonly
used to represent Satan. “The Great God Pan” published in 1894 while
initially rejected came to be recognized as the prototype of the classic horror
story as subsequently played out in movies, books and video games. Peter Pan
appeared in 1902 as a flute blowing mischievous character who never grew up and
who led a group of boys in Neverland. many aspects of this story show unmistakable
reference to Pan as the leader of Fauns and Satyrs. Here the attempt is to portray
Pan in favorable light as seen in the movies that portray him based on that
character. In The Chronicles of Narnia, Pan is portrayed as allied with the forces
of good against the white witch. He is the fawn who is released by Aslan and fights
on his side. He is even featured in the coronation of the Kings and Queens of
Narnia.

Over time, what was previously shunned and marginalized has
rapidly become mainstream entertainment and in many cases worship. Pan now
rules the silver screen, the tv screen, the computer and other smart devices.
What is more many recognize this is happening but dismiss it as innocent fun.
Some writers even quote the Pauline passage in the New Testament that
prophecies the coming of the lawless one as much ado about nothing.

In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul warns of the unmasking of a
lawless one who opposes everything about God and sets himself up as God. Paul
is adamant that the coming of this lawless one will be accompanied by all kinds
of signs. miracles and amazing wonders. But ultimately, he will be unmasked and
destroyed. The greatest irony for me in all this is that those who make fun of
the belief expend the greatest effort focusing on Satan. The latest example is
Good Omens that seeks to portray Satan as the good guy. As usual those involved
attempt to portray it as all lighthearted fun. Greedy entertainment executives
have apparently concluded that Satan sells, and they are cashing in. They do
not realize they are merely pawns in much larger scheme and some probably don’t
care.

Tradition has it that when the birth of Jesus was announced by the angels, a groan and mourning was heard through the forests and haunts and wild places of the earth declaring Pan is dead. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem declares that as Jesus died on the cross the sound was heard Pan is dead. Pan is now resurrected. Is he the lawless one Paul writes of? Are all of these manifestations precursors of something greater coming?  Do we even care?

I am fascinated by the obsession of pop culture with Satan . Not ideas about Satan nor ideas about evil but with the person of Satan himself. Several articles in prominent news publications have noted this phenomenon. The New York Post for example recently published an article with the heading, “Hail Satan is Trending.” The Post article notes, “From the Dark Lord on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” to the network’s series “Lucifer,” to the upcoming Amazon series “Good Omens,” which features an 11-year-old Antichrist, the devil seems to have carved out a place in the cultural spotlight unrivaled since the 1980s.” For pop culture industries that seem largely skeptical of the very existence of Satan or who deny his existence entirely there does seem to be a great deal of attention being paid to the persona of the Prince of Darkness. Why is that do you think? 

Many trace the current obsession to a trend which
began with the release of Rosemary’s Baby back in 1968. Since then the
productions have become increasingly focused on Satan himself. One of the more
easily recognizable examples of this development is in the superhero
blockbusters of which a slew have recently been released. It does not require
much imagination to recognize the goat headed Doomsday, leader of the so-called
Parademons in the Justice League movie where Superman is resurrected from death
to save the world. We see him again as the Dark Lord, God of the Church of the
Night in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. He shows up as Hellboy, Loki the quintessentially
evil brother of Thor, Satana daughter of Satan, and Ex Nihilo (who by the way
has a sister named Abyss). Don’t forget Blue Devil and Kid Devil among a host of
others.

This goat headed
representation of Satan is one of the most prominent ways of depicting him in
ancient Greece. Today a goat headed statue of Satan, known as Baphomet, stands
as one the favorite monuments of the Satanic temple. In another post, I will
trace the origin and development of this Satanic Symbol

It seems Satan has now come to take on the
persona of savior, a voice for the rejected. Many see Satan as the one to whom
they can turn when rejected or marginalized. Satan therefore has become a
symbol of resistance and the embodiment of the darker side of human nature.
Those who feel left out or who do not fit in may find a home in this dark world.
It is a sobering fact that at a time when the
Christian Church is declining in western culture the church of Satan is
experiencing exploding growth. The idea that we are children of God is losing
its appeal for many and that spiritual vacuum is being filled for some at least
by turning to Satan.  

There are those
who dismiss such concerns. They argue this is all innocent fun, art doing what
it has always done, exploring hitherto sacred taboos, upending irrational and
unfounded limitations. Really? Consider, there is also evidence that this explicit
embrace of Satan as a symbol of resistance is linked to the rise in hate and
hate crimes, Neo-Nazism and other extreme ideas once rejected by the majority and
kept on the margins of society. It is well known that Nazism is
deeply rooted in the occult. Individuals who have left such groups have
described an increasing trend to embrace the occult philosophy of the Nazis.
This is no laughing matter.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and Knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love

1 John 4:7,8

You’ll often read or hear that American schools are more segregated today than they were 50 or 60 years ago. The technical measure used to demonstrate this is usually something like the number of schools in which non-white students make up, say, 90 percent or more of the total enrollment. But why has this increased?…

via Why Are American Schools So Segregated? — Mother Jones

https://sway.office.com/s/afuIek0gmFK3KOcY/embed

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In the recent article “Stormy Daniels and the Search for Truth in America” I called for a recommitment of people of faith to the importance of truth. In this Washington Post article “In an age of Trump and Stormy Daniels, evangelical leaders face sex scandals of their own.” the authors outline several scandals by faith leaders accused of various acts of sexual abuse or assault. The article notes some sad trends among religious leaders and sees links to the current support of Donald Trump by evangelicals.

Several issues come to mind as I read this article. The first is highlighted in the article itself. White evangelicals are by far among the strongest supporters of a President tainted by a history of sexual abuse allegations. The infamous video tape where he detailed his attitude toward women is on public display for all to hear and judge. Yet, such revelations have not had any impact on his support from this population who claim to be disciples of the one who declared “the truth will set you free.” I have argued that Freedom so often prized in America cannot thrive when truth is dying. Freedom is not only about the ability to own weapons of mass destruction but about respect for self and others. When others lie to me it is an assault on my freedom to think for myself, when I knowingly accept the lie I surrender that freedom. A commitment to truth is essential to speiritual renewal.

This tolerance toward men who perpetuate sexual acts demeaning to women and others is symptomatic of a deeper problem in religion and in the society; an unwillingness to hold certain men accountable for their actions toward women and the church’s continued willingness to keep women and minorities in a second-class position. Many of us know of ministers and church leaders with long histories of sexual misconduct but who are still not only tolerated but promoted in the church’s hierarchy while the women whose lives have been irreparably harmed have been left to deal with this on their own. Some denominations, including my own, continue to refuse to ordain women as ministers citing various bible texts to support their stance but I cannot help but wonder, what if women were the ones in leadership who had to make decisions about male ministers who engage in sexual misconduct? After all women constitute the majority of church membership yet men dominate the leadership.

The examples highlighted in the Post’s article are more noticeable because of the prominence of these leaders but this sort of behavior is a regular occurrence and those of us who have spent our lives in the religious sphere know it well. This is the time to unmask this hypocrisy and let the light of truth shine in the dark corners of church life. Until we are willing to do that we are not going to see a change in support of those in public life who perpetuate this wrong.

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Did Stormy Daniels tell the truth in her interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS’s 60 Minutes? This is the question that has occupied the thoughts of the millions of persons (including yours truly) who watched the show that night. As I began writing this my eye caught a New York Times story about a special election in Arizona that is dominated by whether or not voters believe Stormy Daniels. Many democrats believe her, conservatives doubt her. It seems we are all having to ask that question about so many of the social and political discussions of the day. Consider the fact the editors of the Oxford Dictionary chose the term, “post-truth” as their 2016 Word of the Year. One is then forced to ask the question, is the postmodern era the era of post truth?

The most commonly used phrase in recent times in national conversations is the term, Fake News. The rise of social media, the ever increasing sophistication of technology and the vast amounts of money people are prepared to spend in order to get access to voters has created the perfect storm for the emergence of the post truth era.  However, the thing that is bothering me most is the almost deafening silence and even complicity in some cases, by people of faith on the importance of truth. A far cry from the declaration of Jesus, “when you know truth, it will set you free.” Where are the Religious and spiritual voices standing up for truth?  Preachers should be trumpeting its importance and calling their flocks to a recommitment to truth above everything else. We cannot be true to our faith when we passively accept lies and deception from leaders in whatever arena in hopes that we will achieve some greater good in the process. That is too high a price. Freedom cannot thrive when truth dying.

Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish Philosopher wrote, “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” In either case the commitment to truth is of first priority. In the face of this onslaught of deception, this attempt to normalize deception as an effective weapon of persuasion in the quest for money and power, I suggest three responses by people of faith.

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Renew our collective and unswerving commitment to truth above all else. Declare a non-negotiable decision to live out the meaning of what it is know the one who declared, “I am the Truth.” Let it be an unequivocal declaration from preachers, teachers, writers, and scholars.
Hold those accountable who are found be deliberately deceptive in what they declare to be truth. It must be clear that there is a price to pay for such behavior. Those who promise transparency must deliver or else.
Reject those who are willing to compromise truth as false leaders, “wolves in sheep’s clothing” to use an old cliché. Those who use deception and lies to get my support are attempting to rob me of my freedom, those who support them are just as bad.

In the world of truth, there is no difference between a king and a robber; there the only questions asked are whether what he said is truth and whether it was truth in him.  Soren Kierkegaard

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There was some controversy over the 2017 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year; “Youthquake” was defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.” Some felt that the word was unknown to many and did not qualify to be designated Word of the Year.

Be that as it may, I would like to expand the definition of the term and apply it to the recent March for Our Lives that spread across the US and the World a few days ago. This to me was a potent cultural, political, social and spiritual event that foretells the renewal of America, and it was brought about by the action of young people, a powerful example of youthquake.

The recent decades have been dominated by those who favor the proliferation of the most lethal weapons of death. Even in the face of incident after incident of mass murder perpetuated by people who had easy access to these weapons of mass destruction, there was no attempt to restrict their availability. In fact quite the opposite, the gun manufacturers have now begun to advocate for the greater arming of American society, even teachers in elementary schools! This is their answer to the problem. All too often these calls are led by people who claim Christian values, who say they are passionate about the value of life. Jesus taught a fundamental principle about the use of violence that should be preached from every pulpit in the land. “Those who live by the sword (gun) will die by the sword (gun). Violence begets violence.

That is why I believe that March for Life (all life) represents a spiritual awakening in America where the true meaning and value of life as God’s greatest gift is being restored. The reason Jesus came to was to give life not arm people to take more life.

[image error]The power of the human imagination is absolutely amazing! One of the things it is really good at is projecting into the future. Even though none of us can tell the future that does not stop our imagination from conjuring up what it will be like. We have all heard of the expression, “worst case scenario.” It means imagining the worst possible outcome of a situation. Anxiety and even panic can take over when when we imagine the worst case scenario and focus on it to such a degree that we fully experience it as though it were really happening in the moment. It may be some unwelcome news, or something someone says about us, or anticipation of a bad diagnosis. Fear of that worst case floods the brain and we feel overwhelmed. But here is the thing, the worst case scenario is seldom as bad as we feared.

Spiritually, when you are imagining the worst case scenario you lose the ability to focus on the present situation. We are to busy creating the worst case scenario in our heads. The great secret to spiritual growth is to be present focused. The present moment is all we have. The ability to say, right here, right now, I am ok is the most powerful antidote to consternation. I have expereinced the power of those words countless times in a variety of situations. As I keep my attention on the present, I can experience the divine presence with me. I believe that’s what Psalm 46: 10 means, “Be Still and know that I am God.”