After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

-Luke 10:1-2

There are seventy names in the Table of Nations found at Genesis 11. Seventy became the symbolic number for the Gentiles in the Bible. According to Deuteronomy 32:8, the LORD allotted the nations dispersed at Babel to the Sons of God, and providentially chose Israel as His portion.

The division and scattering of the nations by means of language was a judgment. The Messiah came to reverse that judgment, to bring the Gentiles into the family of God and to discontinue the rule of the Sons of God over them. In Psalm 82, it is promised that God will judge the rebellious Sons of God for their misrule. In New Testament times, it was revealed that the Sons of Adam would take the place of the Sons of God: a most gracious gift.

The rule of the Church during the Millennium is the fulfilment of the promise: just as the Sons of God ruled the nations, so the new children of God will govern the nations under the God-Man, Jesus the Messiah. Thus the Millennium forms a mirror, or counterpoint, to the period from Babel to the Cross.

Jesus, though by right viceregent of God in the Divine Council, humbled Himself by taking on flesh and enduring the Cross. He was raised from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father in glory. So, by believing in Him, are Christians raised, through being united to their Living Head, to sit with Him in heavenly realms, until He returns to rule on the earth from Jerusalem.

He promised the Apostles that they would “judge” (for which, understand the sense as in Shophetim) the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Analogously, Gentile believers will be placed over the nations, to be vindicated for their loyalty to the true King, and to demonstrate the principles of reigning through serving that Jesus taught during His earthly ministry.

We do not know how exactly the Lord will reward each person on His return, but the way to “store up treasure in heaven” is to prioritise the Kingdom over our present concerns and to learn wisdom from God. I have written on virtue epistemology before, and I believe it is an important lesson for our time. In a world where information is everywhere, at the click of a button, but wisdom, discernment, and insight are rare, learning to practice intellectual virtue is important. Humility and submission are important allies on the road to wisdom and in the way of Kingdom service.