Chapter 5
6 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 5:6-7)
The seven horns look to represent power for each of the seven eyes.
Related to the seven eyes, the old WCG taught:
In this verse, the seven eyes are described as being "seven eyes" of the "Lamb." They are seven angelic beings who serve as the seven observers for Jesus Christ. In Revelation 1:4 we read that these seven angels have access to the very throne of God in heaven. (L247. Personal Correspondence Department, 1988)
Now then also there are angels, or archangels, over the various churches -- although they're not mentioned as being archangels. They're merely mentioned as angels. You turn over to Revelation, beginning the second chapter, and here are these seven churches. Now we might even notice it first here in the first chapter, because he sees the picture of Christ here. And He had these seven stars in His hand.
Since the Lamb -- Christ -- stood in the midst and had the seven "eyes" of God sent forth into the earth, do we not have an indication that God the Father may use Christ as chief director, coordinator and controller of His heavenly communications system? Could God's central communications system be basically comparable -- as an analogy -- to a super-sophisticated spiritual computer supervised by 24 operators and spiritually tied in with seven spiritual Surveyors ("eyes") -- "Surveyor I, Surveyor II," etc. -- each one of which can instantaneously be shifted wherever the action is? ...
As a member of God's Church, you are one of Christ's disciples. You have been chosen by God. And you as an individual are being scrutinized by God. Much more than the sparrows, God, through His spiritual assistants and master spiritual communications center, watches, hears and keeps track of you, for your good.
Said Jesus Christ, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you" -- why? -- "that ye should go and bring forth fruit" John 15:16). And what goal does He have in mind through that? Christ told His disciples: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" John 6:44).
That is your destiny. That is the reason God watches and hears you -- to help you and guide you so you can qualify to one day be instantaneously changed, or resurrected, to join Jesus Christ and the Father in their all-powerful Family for eternity! (Baird H. God's Eyes and Ears Are on You! Good News, January-March 1973)
The old WCG tied 2 Chronicles 16:9 and Zechariah 4:10 in with these seven eyes in L247 of the Personal Correspondence Department, so let's look at them:
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, "What do you see?"
So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left." 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"
5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?"
And I said, "No, my lord."
6 So he answered and said to me:
"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,'
Says the Lord of hosts.
7 'Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"8 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
9 "The hands of Zerubbabel
Have laid the foundation of this temple;
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know
That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see
The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the Lord,
Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." (Zechariah 4:1-10)
While the old WCG did not add Zechariah 3, that is the other place in scripture that specifically mentions "seven eyes." Here is something from my article Zerubbabel and Prophecy:
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,'
Says the Lord of hosts,
'And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day,' says the Lord of hosts,
'Everyone will invite his neighbor
Under his vine and under his fig tree.'" (Zechariah 3:9-10)We see that Satan is around and opposing/resisting/interfering with Joshua.
Who could be the person that would be the 'Joshua' who is around just before the BRANCH--Jesus--returns?
I have tended to think it is a person who stayed in a Laodicean church for a long time, but then changes to support the Philadelpian portion of the Church of God. The "clean turban" put on his head suggesting that he finally accepts true church governance, which the Laodiceans do not (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government). The "seven eyes" could have to do with better understanding about the seven churches of Revelation 1-3.
That speculation would be consistent with Zechariah 4:10 as it looks to refer back to the seven lamps on the stand of Zechariah 4:2.
The Roman Catholics, while claiming the seven spirits are the Holy Spirit (Kramer, Herman Bernard. The Book of Destiny. Nihil Obstat: J.S. Considine, O.P., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: +Joseph M. Mueller, D.D., Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, January 26, 1956. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1975, pp. 43-44), also have claimed that:
These seven spirits are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit according to Isaias (XI 2). (Ibid, p. 139)
There are a couple of problems with that. First, let us look a Roman Catholic translation of Isaiah 11:2:
2 On him will rest the spirit of Yahweh, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh: (NJB)
Notice that each time the word spirit appears, including with multiple items, it is singular, not plural. The list that comes after "the spirit of Yahweh" are basically descriptions of attributes of that Spirit, not individual ones to make up seven spirits.
Furthermore, in the New Testament in that same Roman Catholic translation we read:
22 On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control; (Galatians 5:22, NJB)
That number is 9. And while that does not say gifts, notice the the Spirit is still singular.
Additionally, when gifts of the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the New Testament, they also happen to add up to 9:
4 There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit;
5 there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord.
6 There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all.
7 The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good.
8 To one is given from the Spirit the gift of utterance expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance expressing knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit;
9 to another, faith, from the same Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one Spirit;
10 to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to another, the interpretation of tongues.
11 But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, NJB)
And not only do they not add up to 7, there "is one and the same Spirit," thus the Roman Catholic explanation is wrong. The seven spirits of Revelation are not the Holy Spirit.
The Church of God position, as proved via scriptures, is the one consistent with the word of God.