The Bible contains information about a GREAT MANY very specific spirits.
One would think that this might be self-evident: God’s Word being the ultimate in spiritual guides.
But it is not.
Modern storytellers have turned the very clear spirits of the Bible into metaphorical figures of speech.
However, the reader can know this is not right. In fact, God is referred to as a “Spirit” and the “God of the spirits of all flesh“.
“Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation”
–Numbers 27:16
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
–John 4:24
By far, the most mentioned spirit in the Bible is the Spirit of God: the Holy Spirit (or the Holy Ghost).
“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God”
–1JOHN 4:2
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
–Ephesians 4:30
“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostril”
–Job 27:3
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
–Luke 11:13
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
–Romans 14:17
Also receiving a number of mentions–all in the New Testament, naturally–is the spirit of Jesus Christ.
“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ”
–Philippians 1:19
But there are a number of other spirits mentioned as well. The natural man (non-believer), not having the spiritual key, does not understand God’s Word, and so he believes that when the Bible refers to the various spirits, it is speaking metaphorically. OR, that the Bible is only a collection of writings of primitive man.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
–1CORINTHIANS 2:14
Several times, the Holy Spirit of God is referred to as the “Spirit of truth” or the “Comforter.” He is also referred to as the “Spirit of grace.”
“Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
–John 14:17
“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
–Hebrews 10:29
The following are a few of the spirits mentioned in the Bible.
1- Spirit of prophecy
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
–Revelation 19:10
2+3 – Spirit of truth, spirit of error
“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
–1JOHN 4:6
4- Spirit of life
“And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.”
–Revelation 11:11
5- Spirit of antichrist
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
–1JOHN 4:3
6- Spirit of fear/bondage
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
–Romans 8:15
7, 8 + 9- Spirit of love, spirit of power, spirit of a sound mind
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
–2TIMOTHY 1:7
10- Spirit of the world
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
–1CORINTHIANS 2:12
11-Spirit of meekness
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,”
–Galatians 6:1
12- Spirit of wisdom
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”
–Ephesians 1:17
13- Spirit of faith
“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak”
–2CORINTHIANS 4:13
14- Spirit of infirmity
“And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself”
–Luke 13:11
15- Spirit of grace, spirit of supplications
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
–Zechariah 12:10
16- Spirit of whoredoms
“They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.”
–Hosea 5:4
“My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.”
–Hosea 4:12
17- Spirit of the living creature
“Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.”
–Ezekiel 1:20-21
18- Spirit of the king of the Medes
“Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.”
–Jeremiah 51:11
19- Spirit of heaviness
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”
–Isaiah 61:3
20- Spirit of the humble
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
–Isaiah 57:15
21- Spirit of deep sleep
“For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”
–Isaiah 29:10
22- A perverse spirit
“The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.”
–Isaiah 19:14
23- Spirit of Egypt
“And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.”
–Isaiah 19:3
24 + 25- Spirit of judgment, spirit of burning
“When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.”
–Isaiah 4:4
26- Spirit of Cyrus
“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”
–Ezra 1:1-2
27 + 28- Spirit of Pul, spirit of Tilgathpilneser
“And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.”
–1CHRONICLES 5:26
29- Spirit of Elijah
“And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”
–2KINGS 2:15
30- Spirit of jealousy
“And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.”
–Numbers 5:14-15
In addition, a great number of evil spirits are mentioned. In EVERY instance in the Old Testament, these evil spirits were expressly declared to have been FROM GOD Himself.
“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”
–2SAMUEL 16:14
“Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.”
–Judges 9:23-24
“And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.”
–1KINGS 22:19-22
Also referred to is a “spirit of an unclean devil” and the “spirits of devils.”
“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice”
–Luke 4:33
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
–Revelation 16:14
So, what is the reader to take away from all of this?
Probably the best warning for the end times came from the Apostle John.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
–1JOHN 4:1
There are innumerable spirits in the world–both those who do the will of God and those who do wickedly.
In either case, the reader would do well to take heed.
It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: Making a Choice
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The End Times Power of God Unleashed
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: September 16, 2019.]
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
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