04_06 Seventy Times Seven Times

Document #04_06, Seventy Times Seven Times, reveals the actual tremendous
Grace of God toward us, as we fight the good fight of faith. Jesus really meant what He said, regarding how often we should forgive our brother.
He Himself has fulfilled exactly that!

Scripture: Mt.18: 21, 22

Title: 70 X 7 Times

Please open your Bible to Luke chapter 11, verse 1. (read).
Jesus was asked to teach His disciples how to pray. In His example prayer, which we call the Lord’s Prayer, we find that there are 7 petitions. The number 7 is the number of perfection, in its use in the Bible. (For example, there are 7 days taken for Creation.)
One of those petitions of the 7 in the Lord’s Prayer, refers to our forgiving others. “Forgive us our debts [trespasses – sins – see verse 14] as we forgive our debtors.” Mt.6:12.
In the Scripture read to us today, we find Peter checking out with Jesus just how merciful he should be when someone sins against him repeatedly. An answer to that question might come to your mind from Peter’s suggestion of 7 times. You may remember that Mary, probably Mary Magdalene, according to legend, was forgiven 7 times for falling into prostitution again and again after being forgiven and admonished by Jesus Himself to “Go and sin no more.”

At Simon the Pharisee’s banquet for Jesus and His disciples (Luke 7, from v.36), Simon saw Mary anointing Jesus for His impending burial, in full and unconditional belief of what Jesus had said was soon to happen to Him.

Remember that Simon knew of her prostitution, perhaps even first hand! He was thinking to himself that if Jesus knew who she actually was, He wouldn’t let her near Him. But Jesus read his thoughts, and immediately rebuked him, but in a wonderful manner, by a parable. See Luke 7, verses 41 and 42. (read).

So, Jesus Himself, if the legend is true, continued to forgive Mary Magdalene until seven times, until she finally did overcome by the power of the love for her Redeemer that she had. She fully understood her need for a redeemer, a sacrifice that Jesus had revealed that He would accomplish soon, at the hands of evil hypocrites of the priestly class, who were also the political leaders of Israel. NOTE: no separation of church and state.

She alone, of all of the disciples, really accepted His calm statement that He would soon die as an offering for the sins of others. But it took six times of forgiveness and partial overcoming, before the seventh time had the full effect in her, breaking her free of Satan’s hold. I want you to notice, that her love had become full and deep as no other. Love conquers all.

It is faith in Jesus, that works by love of Jesus for what He has accomplished for us, that overcomes all sin. Gal. 5:6. That love is the power of the Gospel!! Memorize this text!

And so, coming back to Peter, “How often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?” The Pharisees suggested 3 or possibly 4 times, so Peter thinks he has it figured right when he suggests 7 times.

That is way more than anyone would allow by reason isn’t it? Most of us would probably say, “Three strikes and you’re out, buddy!” Right?

The answer Jesus gives is astounding! 70 X 7 times!

Unbelievable! Isn’t that how we feel? Jesus must be exaggerating. Are you ready for this? Jesus meant what He said! How could He, you say.

Now you are astounded, aren’t you? So am I! Jesus meant what He said! Jesus Himself was doing just that, forgiving His brethren 70 X 7 times! Let me explain. What is 70 X 7 times? 490, right? Could Jesus really mean that we should forgive our brother 490 times? Or is it instead just a symbol of unlimited forgiving?

The answer is yes. and no. Now you’re getting confused, right?

Where else in the Bible is 70 X 7 times used? Daniel chapter 9. 70 weeks, seventy sevens, are cut off from the 2300 days prophecy, for the Jewish nation to confirm the Covenant (or lose their status as the chosen people). From the time of the decree, to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, they were to have 490 years – seventy sevens – of years!

In the yearly Judgment Day, the Day of Atonement, also called the Cleansing of the Sanctuary, all the sins of every repentant Israelite were judged and forgiven by God. 490 Days of Atonement! Jesus, the Son of God, Jesus the Creator, promised through Daniel that He was willing to forgive His people 70 X 7 times! And so He did! Jesus Himself forgave the sins of Israel, His brethren, 70 X 7 times!

But there is an end to His forbearance. The end came. When they murdered Stephen, 3 and one half years still longer after having murdered Jesus, His forbearance came to an end.
On the one hand, we would say that 490 times of forgiving His people was almost infinite forgiving. But on the other hand, we now see that His forbearance does have a limit! The Jewish nation received its terrible Judgment in 70 A.D., when Jerusalem and all of Judea was destroyed. There was no remedy. They would have, and still do, reject Jesus.
So, Jesus meant forgive 70 X 7 times. That’s what He was doing with His people Israel!
I should be done…but I’m not. The 490 years was cut off from the 2300 years of Daniel’s prophecy. The 490 Days of Atonement, 490 days of forgiveness of sin against our Brother, Jesus, leaves 18 hundred and ten days of forgiveness for the Christian church that Jesus Himself set up, which was built upon love for Jesus, the Redeemer God-man! When people, His people, love Him, His forgiveness is extended almost infinitely!
But not infinitely. His forbearance will come to an end. In actual fact, it has come to an end. The time, friends, has past!
About 1844, at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel’s prophecy, the message was proclaimed against the daughters of Great Babylon, the Protestant Churches, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen; come out of her My people!”

With the message of the Advent near, the time had come for the Christian churches to confirm the Covenant with Jesus, or be rejected of God!

By their rejection of the Advent message, in 1843 and 1844, the Protestant Churches showed that they did not want Jesus to come: they did not love His appearing: so they were rejected by God! Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Prophecy, had to start a new Movement, to carry the Everlasting Gospel to the world. Advent believers found that they had to leave the churches, to be true to conscience and to continue to proclaim the Coming of our Lord Jesus.
Thus the Remnant were separated from the fallen Protestant churches.

People, think on the seriousness of this truth. The churches of Christendom were found fallen, and were rejected by God!

Today, our message is still “Babylon is fallen, is fallen,” but now with the added warning, “and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird!” (buzzards, waiting to devour Satan’s victims!).

Jesus is calling, even more emphatically, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities!” Rev.18:2 and 4.

Judgment will fall upon the unrepentant, as surely as 36 years after the stoning of Stephen, it finally fell upon Jerusalem, and the streets ran with rivers of blood from the slain. The marvelous, though now rejected Temple, replaced by the Sanctuary in heaven, was razed to the ground for the final time.

The hour of His Judgment is come! The days of continuance beyond 18 hundred and ten days-of-Atonement, are nearly spent. Behold, He will come!

Already, over 170 more days of forgiveness have passed. Do you think that because His Judgments have not yet fallen upon you, that He is not going to do it after all? Did not the door of Noah’s Ark close after 120 years? …Did not Jerusalem and all of Judea perish in fearful Divine wrath?
Oh foolish Laodiceans! When will you awake from your stupor? When will you shut off your television and go out to save your neighbours and yourself? Jesus is waiting, mercifully, on you and I!

Let us pray:
Our Father, Who is in heaven, hallowed is your name unto us. Bring each one of us up, up, into your Presence just now, that we may seek to confirm our Covenant with You. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us! Worthy are You, Who sent Jesus, to receive glory and honor and praise from us, Your people.
Oh, how forgiving You are; how loving toward us, your erring children. Forgive us this once more, that we may finally overcome, by the love we have for Jesus! In His name, and for the sake of His Kingdom, we pray,
Amen and Amen!

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