Holy Spirit in Revelation

The Spirit of Prophecy: Outline^[1]

1. Introduction: An exploration of the ways the book of Revelation describes the Holy Spirit.
2. The Spirit of God: The question pertains to the identification of the seven spirits referred to in Revelation 1:4.
3. Seven Angels: One possibility is that the seven spirits refer to seven angels because angels and spirits are used interchangeably in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
4. Sevenfold Spirit: Another possibility is that the seven spirits refer to the Spirit due to its trinitarian source of grace and peace, which aligns with other biblical allusions.
5. Conclusion: Brian Tabb argues that the seven spirits in Revelation and the broader biblical context point to John’s unique idiom that refers to the Holy Spirit.

All Things New: Revelation as Canonical Capstone (Volume 48) (New Studies in Biblical Theology)

III. The Spirit of Vision: The question pertains to the meaning of “in the Spirit” as John is carried away in the Spirit in four different passages (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10, English Standard Version).

1. In the Spirit: Scholars suggest various options for the meaning of in the Spirit, which include a trance, participation in the Spirit, or simply the communication process.
2. Revelation 1:10; 4:1-2: Richard Bauckham contends that 1:10 indicates a type of trance, while 4:1-2 refers to John being raptured to heaven.
3. Conclusion: Tabb argues that the phrase “in the Spirit” points to John being a true prophet who receives revelation from the Holy Spirit as other biblical prophets.
4. The Spirit of Resurrection Life: The question pertains to how to understand the reversal in Revelation 11:11, which describes the resurrection of two witnesses via God’s breath of life.
5. Revelation 11:3-13: Two witnesses testify for 1,260 days. A beast rises and kills the witnesses. After three and a half days, the two witnesses raise from the dead.
6. Ezekiel 36-37: The story of the two witnesses appears to be a direct allusion to the dry bones episode in Ezekiel where the Spirit’s breath brings new life.
7. Conclusion: Tabb argues that the resurrection of the two witnesses recalls Ezekiel’s vision of Israel’s resurrection from exile and Jesus’s resurrection.
8. The Spirit of Prophetic Testimony: The question pertains to how to understand the enigmatic phrase in Revelation 19:10: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
9. The testimony of Jesus: Some scholars assert that the genitive phrase reflects the subjective genitive, while others assert the objective genitive.
10. The spirit of prophecy: Some suggest the spirit of prophecy means the essence of true prophecy, while others assert that the phrase is simply referring to prophets.
11. Conclusion: Tabb argues that the phrase means that John receives prophecy from the Holy Spirit to be embraced as the “true words of God” (Rev 19:9).
12. The Spirit of the Churches: The question pertains to the Spirit’s message to the churches, the interpretation of the malfunctioning sensory organs in chapters 2-3, and the recipient of the term “come” in 22:17.
13. Revelation 2-3: The malfunctioning sensory organ metaphor points to Israel’s spiritual unresponsiveness making an intertextual connection to Ezekiel 3.
14. Revelation 22:17: The Spirit (along with the Bride) tells recipients to come. The Spirit may be addressing Christ, believers, or unbelievers.
15. Conclusion: Tabb argues that the risen Christ appeals to the Spirit and eschatological people of God to urge readers to listen to the Spirit and come to Christ.

VII. Conclusion: The church must determine who speaks for God by the Spirit as compared to the message of unclean spirits. Contra false prophets, John receives his message in the Spirit like the prophet Ezekiel, which inspires true prophecy and true worship of God.

Chapter Summary Presentation: The Spirit of Prophecy

Brian Tabb’s chapter entitled “The Spirit of prophecy” engages the topic of the Spirit in Revelation. The first reference to πνεῦμα occurs in Revelation 1:4. The question is whether the seven spirits refer to angels or to the Holy Spirit. In support of angels, Tobit 12:15 references seven angels standing before God and the Dead Sea Scrolls use the terms angels and spirits interchangeably.^[2] Tabb argues for the trinitarian nature of grace and peace in Revelation 1:4 and asserts that the imagery found in Isaiah 11:2 and Zechariah 4:2-7 suggest that the phrase is a unique idiom referring to the Holy Spirit.

John is carried away “in the Spirit” several times in Revelation (Rev 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10, ESV). Scholars argue that the phrase means falling into a trance, participating in the Spirit, or communicating in the Spirit.^[3] In light of the Old Testament prophetic tradition, Tabb contends that the phrase means that “John is a true prophet who receives vision from the divine Spirit.”^[4] The Spirit also appears in a resurrection narrative. Revelation 11:11 refers to two dead witnesses. After three and a half days, they are resurrected as God’s πνεῦμα enters them. Tabb argues that resurrection echoes God’s creative breath in Genesis 2:7 and also reflects the restoration of God’s post-exilic people as in Ezekiel 37:1-14.^[5] In sum, life has the final word. 

The reference to the spirit in Revelation 19:10, “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” also provides an interpretive conundrum. The first genitive phrase could be a subjective (by Jesus) or objective (about Jesus) genitive. The second genitive phrase could describe true prophecy or prophets in general.^[6] Tabb assumes the subjective genitive for the first phrase and the genuine prophecy from the Holy Spirit for the second.^[7] Next, at the conclusion of each message to the seven churches in chapters 2-3 is the phrase, “The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:1, 7, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Further, a reference to the Spirit occurs in 22:17, “The Spirit and bride say, ‘Come.’” Tabb suggests that John is urging readers to listen to the Holy Spirit, come to Christ, and claim their eschatological inheritance.^[8]

The first strength of Tabb’s chapter is that he begins with a biblical-theological approach. The text-focused approach is a breath of fresh air within a myriad of futuristic and historical-critical approaches. Also, Tabb uses the book’s canonical context to provide a strong exegetical foundation. The author adeptly highlights the intertextual connections to the Old Testament, emphasizes allusions to the New Testament, and engages relevant non-canonical works to illuminate meaning. Tabb also appropriately weaves various scholarly perspectives throughout the chapter to support and contrast his perspective. For example, the author notes that Craig Koester suggests that the seven spirits in 1:4 refer to angels, not the Holy Spirit, as Tabb contends.^[9] Further, Tabb’s organizational structure engages specific passages that refer to πνεῦμα, not only within their broader canonical context, but also within their immediate literary context. For example, in support of true prophecy in 19:10, Tabb references the important phrase in verse 9 that points to the “true words of God.”

A couple of weaknesses also exist. In light of Tabb’s approach, it is somewhat surprising the author did not attempt to provide a more structured thematic analysis to connect the Spirit passages. For example, Michael Kuykendall recognizes the following themes arising from the emphasis on the Holy Spirit: the Trinity, discipleship, witnessing, prophecy, worship, end-time judgement, and the life-giving nature of the Spirit.^[10] Tabb touches on the themes, but lacks developing a cohesiveness between the individual passages. Second, although Tabb notes that the number seven signifies fullness, he seems to miss the important concept of sovereignty with regard to the number seven, which, according to G. K. Beale, provides additional theological insight into the nature of the Spirit.^[11] Regardless of the minor weaknesses, Tabb provides a strong biblical-theological approach to the Spirit in Revelation, which not only highlights the inspiration of prophecy, but also “promotes true worship of God alone.”^[12]

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[1] See Brian J. Tabb, All Things New: Revelation as Canonical Capstone (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2019), 67–85.

[2] Ibid., 69.

[3] Ibid., 71–74.

[4] Ibid., 72.

[5] Ibid., 76.

[6] Ibid., 77.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid., 84.

[9] Ibid., 68.

[10] Michael Kuykendall, “An Expanded Role for the Spirit in the Book of Revelation,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64, no. 3 (2021): 541–44.

[11] G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 58–59.

[12] Tabb, All Things New, 85.

Bibliography

• Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
• Kuykendall, Michael. “An Expanded Role for the Spirit in the Book of Revelation.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64, no. 3 (2021): 527–44.
• Tabb, Brian J. All Things New: Revelation as Canonical Capstone. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2019.