New Jerusalem - Seventy-Two Witnesses

[Mathew Enoch Mount]

The Seventy-two witnesses are the last stop of the people encircled
around the throne before we arrive at the 144,000 and then the
multitude that no one could count. The following is thus said, "After
this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two
ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He
told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the
Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest
field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take
a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When
you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of
peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to
you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you,
for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to
house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set
before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom
of God is near you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed,
go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks
to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom
of God is near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for
Sodom than for that town." Luke 10:1-12 (NIV) The fact is that Jesus
broke the 72 down into sets of two that shadowed the two witnesses of
the throne of God making 36 pares of 2. The fact that 36 is divided
by 12 three times shows also the way that the 72 bare witness to the
three and they also are helped by the 12 whom intercede for them. The
Seventy-Two would have had a first pare of two sent out first whom
would have been the first among equals perhaps and then the rest would
have been the seventy.

The work of the Seventy-Two was to bring salvation to the multitude
for the following is said, "He who listens to you listens to me; he
who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent
me." The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the
demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven." Luke 10:16-18 (NIV) Overall, the work of the
Seventy-Two is to do direct confrontation with evil.

Notice in the scripture you see the two witnesses Moses and Aaron then
you see the other two witnesses then you see the 70. "Then he said to
Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but
Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near.
And the people may not come up with him." Exodus 24:1-2 (NIV)
Overall, ideally the seventy become the seventy-two when the witnesses
of Nadab and Abihu accompany them.

Scripture is very clear that the seventy gain the same powers of
intercession through the same spirit that Moses had for the following
is said, "Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing
to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by
myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going
to treat me, put me to death right now—if I have found favor in your
eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin." The LORD said to Moses:
"Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders
and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting,
that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with
you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the
Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so
that you will not have to carry it alone. "Tell the people:
'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat
meat." Numbers 11:13-18 (NIV) This is the same with Christ sending
out the seventy-two as he was sort of like the second Moses.

When the Spirit rested on the seventy-two it was sort of like the
Pentecost pouring out the spirit on all mankind for the following is
said, "Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he
took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy
elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did
not do so again." Numbers 11:25 (NIV) Overall, this shows something
like a shadow of Pentecost, and the seventy spoken about in this case
are known as the Sanhedrin. We all know what the Sanhedrin decided
about the fate of Christ prior to his resurrection and that is why he
himself had to choose seventy-two to send out and administer justice
even over the devils.

We are told from scripture that the birth of Israel as a nation
started with the 70 original Israelites and then grew into a nation.
"Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and
now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the
sky." Deuteronomy 10:22 (NIV) The point is that just like the 72 that
Jesus sent out did so making the descendants of the kingdom of God as
numerous as the sands of the sea Jeremiah 33:22 and Hosea 1:10 and
Hebrews 11:11-13 yet not all of them will be saved.

When you brake the seventy-two down into groups of 6 you get 12
groups. Thus just as each apostles stands at the gate of each gate in
the kingdom of God, so to the seventy-two enter through the twelve
gates. Each Apostle over a group of six of the seventy-two makes a
group of seven, and the apostle becomes like the patriarch of the
other six. Thus one apostle plus six of the seventy two makes 12
golden lamp stands of seven lights over the earth (these are the
twelve shadows of the one golden lamp stand).