The Design of Scripture

The Numbers Seventy, One Hundred,
and One Hundred - Twenty

The Number Seventy - Serving and Restoration

I am not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but this is the 100th teaching in our archive and we have come to the study of the number one hundred. Anyway, we begin with the number 'seventy'. This number appears quite often in scripture, more often than one might think, and not in an ambiguous way either, I might add. This number is often connected to prophetic events, serving the assembly, and restoration. There seems to be a correlation between serving out punishment and the forgiveness of sins in this number, as well.

Many times it is not just the number 'seventy' that stands out, but rather seventy times seven, or '490'. It appears quite often in context with Israel or the people of YHVH. The very first time the number '70' appears is in B'reshith 4:24.

"If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech SEVENTY and SEVENFOLD."

It is already our understanding that 'seven' generally speaks of heavenly completion. The idea of exacting retribution by multiplying 70 times 7 seems to speak of a full and consummated act. We know that '70' is connected with YHVH's punishment upon Israel for her disobedience in keeping the sabbath of the land for 70 years. Messiah seems to use this same number (490 = 70x7) in the amount of times that Kefa is to forgive, as if to say 'as many times as I will forgive my people.' Could Messiah be indicating that the yet unfulfilled 70th week is the last forgiveness? That depends on your interpretation of the events of Dani'el 9.

Divre-Hayamim Bet 36:20-21
"And them that escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: to fulfill the word of YHVH by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept the sabbath, to fulfill THREESCORE and TEN."

We are all familiar with the 70 week prophecy in Dani'el 9. This prophetic utterance sets the time bounds that are determined upon the people of Dani'el and the holy city for the finishing of transgressions, the end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. The phrase 'seventy weeks' in the English is indeed shavu'iym shive'iym. This literally means 'sevens, seventy'. The term 'seven's here is the word most commonly expressed as the fourth yearly feast of YHVH, the feast of Shavu'ot (Pentecost). Most bible commentators see these 'seventy sevens' as weeks of years or 490 years. This seems to be consistent with several other prophetic uses of 490 years and when all is said and done it may well be so. However, one might consider the possibility that this is a reference to seventy cycles of the feast of weeks. This also fits the constant use of the seven feasts of YHVH in prophetic events.

We know that in the midst of future events there is the judgment of the nations and both houses of Israel. The number seventy also pops up in these assemblies as well. The descendants of Shem, Ham, and Yapheth, who repopulate the earth is given to us in B'reshith chapter 10. These descendants add up to seventy in number. At Yoseph's request, seventy persons of Israel's seed come forth from Egypt (Sh'mot 1:5). The servants of the assembly seem to be ordained in seventies as well, for Mosheh chose seventy (B'midbar 11:16) and Yeshua‘ chose seventy as well in Luke 10.

The number seventy appears in Rabbinical commentaries as well, for in Rabbinic thought the nations are also represented by the number seventy. They note that the gematria of Gog and Magog is seventy. They teach that the Torah was transmitted to seventy elders (Midrash Yelamdeinu). In Zohar B'reshith 36, it is taught that there are 70 facets to the Torah. In Talmud Sotah 32a, it states that 'seventy facets to the Torah were translated into seventy languages in order to make it understandable to the seventy nations. In Midrash Alpha Beita we are told 'on the festival of Sukkot, seventy sacrifices were offered for the sake of the seventy nations of the world who have seventy representatives among the heavenly angels.' It is said that seventy languages emerged from the tower of Babel.

The Number One Hundred - Children of Promise

This number appears to represent the number of the children of promise and the number of election. Avraham was 100 years old when he had Yitz'chak the son of promise.

B'reshith 21:5
"And Avraham was an hundred years old, when his son, Yitz'chak, was born unto him."

Romans 9:7-9
"Neither, because they are the seed of Avraham, are they all children, but, in Yitz'chak shall thy seed be called. That is, they who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE are counted as the seed. For this is the word of PROMISE, at this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son."

It is the children of promise who are to be blessed, and this blessing is also associated with these children in the number one hundred.

B'reshith 26:12
"Then Yitz'chak sowed in that land, and received in the same year an HUNDRED fold: and YHVH blessed him."

It is the prophetic books of Yechezk'el and Yirmeyahu that reveal to the reader WHO the true sheep of YHVH are and what there prophetic destinies are. These sheep are revealed in these same books as the house of Israel and the house of Yehudah. It is not happenstance that these sheep reappear in the teaching of Yeshua‘ in Yochanan chapter 10 and several other places. These sheep or 'children of promise' are once again associated with the number ONE HUNDRED.

Mattityahu 18:11-12
"For the Son of man is come to save that which was LOST. How think ye? If a man have an HUNDRED sheep, and one of them be gone astray, does he not leave the ninety and nine, and go into the mountains, and seek that which is gone astray?

In Yochanan chapter 10 we are taught once again of these sheep. The words of Yeshua‘ are clearly speaking of the same sheep that are foretold in Yechezk'el 37 to be divided into two flocks, regathered at His first coming and reunited as one fold at His second coming. These are the children of promise and the elect of God, with God as their Father.

The Number One Hundred and Twenty - Waiting and Patience

This number has two well known occurrences that are directly linked to waiting and patience, and I believe that they both speak for themselves.

B'reshith 6:3
"And YHVH said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an HUNDRED and TWENTY years."

Acts 1:4,15
" And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but WAIT for the promise of the Father ... And in those days Kefa stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an HUNDRED and TWENTY).

Shalom Alecheim!