120 (One Hundred and Twenty)
Symbolic treatment of this number in the corpus
Bullinger · Jones
One hundred and twenty is the number of extended governmental order as preparation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: 12 × 10, governmental perfection (twelve) in its full legal dimension (ten). Bullinger documents the one hundred and twenty priests at the temple dedication and the one hundred and twenty disciples gathered before Pentecost. Jones develops the prophetic-historical framework: one hundred and twenty jubilees encompass six thousand years of redemptive history as one great probationary period.
Biblical References
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Gen. 6:3 | God’s Spirit shall not strive with man always; his days shall be one hundred and twenty years |
| Deut. 34:7 | Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died |
| 2Chr. 5:12 | One hundred and twenty priests sounding trumpets at the temple dedication |
| Acts 1:15 | One hundred and twenty disciples gathered in Jerusalem before Pentecost |
Symbolism in the Corpus
E.W. Bullinger
Bullinger describes one hundred and twenty as 12 × 10: governmental perfection (twelve) extended to its ordinal fullness (ten). The one hundred and twenty priests who officiate at Solomon’s temple dedication (2Chr. 5:12) and the one hundred and twenty disciples gathered at Pentecost (Acts 1:15) link governmental authority to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Moses’s lifespan of one hundred and twenty years (Deut. 34:7) describes a fully rounded period of divine leading: the completion of governmental service before the transition to a new era. 1
Stephen E. Jones
Jones gives one hundred and twenty a prophetic-historical dimension: “120 — Probationary period waiting for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” The one hundred and twenty years in Gen. 6:3 is the probationary time God grants humanity before the judgment of the flood. On a macroscopic scale, one hundred and twenty jubilees equal six thousand years: the complete period of human history that concludes with judgment and resurrection. As 12 × 10, one hundred and twenty describes the ordering of God’s governmental plan in its full legal expression — governmental order that reaches completion and thereby opens to the Spirit. 2
Composite Use
Bullinger and Jones both treat one hundred and twenty as 12 × 10: governmental perfection (twelve) in its full legal dimension (ten). The number describes the completion of a governmental order as direct preparation for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit — from the one hundred and twenty priests to the one hundred and twenty disciples runs a line from the earthly sanctuary to New Testament Pentecost. 1