The Riddle of 1980: Was it the beginning of our current Jubilee Cycle?

In the summer of 1980, the Israeli Parliament declared the city of Jerusalem to be the undivided, eternal capital of the State of Israel, established as such by King David almost 3,000 years earlier. 

To counter the howls of international disapproval, Christians gathered in Jerusalem that autumn.  They established the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. They declared their love for Israel and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem for the first time in response to Zechariah 14:16-19. 

Did this event in the fall of 1980 mark the beginning of a new fifty-year Jubilee cycle?  Those of us with gray hair now look back at the early 1980’s in wonder. 

Consider these new beginnings for freedom in the early 80’s:  Solidarity, a Polish non-government trade union led by Lech Walesa, arose in the Lenin shipyard in August, 1980.  It was a "camel’s nose under the tent" for the Soviet Union and would result in freedom for many people in Eastern Europe and around the world.

In her piece, “We want God”, Peggy Noonan connects the events of 1980 to John Paul’s visit to Poland a year earlier.  She goes on to cite the roles of Margret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in one of the greatest freedom movements the world has seen. 
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB122479408458463941

However, the East was not the only place experiencing new beginnings at this moment in time.  In the West also, freedom was growing and becoming more valued.  Old regulations on trucking, airlines, and other forms of transportation were modified; regulations were lifted on petroleum as well. Travel increased at considerably lower costs.  As this new mindset of freedom spread, taxes all over Europe and America were reduced.

Additionally, the computer and the cell phone began their rise in the West.  At the 1981 Comdex Show in Las Vegas, IBM presented its PC loaded with MS-DOS, complete with a 477 MHZ 8089 processor and a 5.25” 160k floppy drive. The clones of the IBM PC, the cell phone, and the internet followed shortly, changing forever our means of efficiency and communication.  Some would argue these things have not made us freer, but no one seems willing to return the technologies of the 1970’s.

Nevertheless, I believe the most significant change of this era occurred in July, 1980 when the Nation of Israel declared Jerusalem as their undivided, eternal capital, established as such by King David 3000 years earlier.  The nations of the world protested.  Thirteen national embassies in Jerusalem closed.  Resolutions condemning Israel for this action where passed at the United Nations in New York.

Then a remarkable thing happened.  In the fall of 1980, a group of Christians-- from nations all over the world--came to Jerusalem.  Waving their national flags and carrying signs declaring, “Israel, we love you”, they marched through the streets in a first-ever Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. This parade continues annually to this day.

Go here for pictures of the 2013 event:  http://feast.icej.org/media/photo-set/feast-of-tabernacles/2013

At the same time--in the fall of 1980--these Christians established the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to let the state of Israel know they had friends in the world.  Link here for the history of ICEJ http://int.icej.org/history

Learn this riddle: The people whom Jeroboam tried to keep from returning to Jerusalem 2,700 years ago for the Feast of Tabernacles are now back; they are in Jerusalem annually, celebrating freedom at the Feast of Tabernacles, declaring a love for Israel and a Son of David as their king. (1 Kings 12)

The world changed in the seventh month of 5741 (September, 1980).  It will never be the same again. The die is cast and each cycle of seven years brings us closer to the culminating event.  With one eye on 1980 and another on what I expect is the upcoming Jubilee of 2029-2030, watch and be a part as your world changes to reflect the visions of the Hebrew prophets.   

In defense of a Fiftieth year Jubilee

First, I am going to suggest we take the reading of the text at face value.

 ‘You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years.  You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land.  You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. Leviticus 25:8-10

The most simple reading of the text brings you to the logical conclusion that the 50^th year is a Jubilee and after the Jubilee you start with a new count in year one. This view is consistent with the view of the classical Rabbis. (Those teachers of whom we have record of before the Romans destroyed the temple in 0070)

I also count Noah’s story as evidence.

Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son.  Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” Genesis 5:28-29

When Noah was born they said” This one will give us rest” six hundred years later he survived the flood

“Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth.” Genesis 7:6

And the text tells us he went out, on to his own land, in the six hundred and first year.

“Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.” Genesis 8:13-5

I expect Noah was born on a Jubilee and that is why they named him Noah (which means rest) and exclaimed “this one will give us rest” and I expect he was in the ark during a Jubilee six hundred years later and went out onto his own land in the first year after the Jubilee. For all this to work the Jubilee calendar obviously needs to be 50 years.

Jeremiah has something for us as well. The 70 year exile he predicted also give us useful evidence.

Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men ….Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon… to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until seventy years were complete. 2 Chronicles 36:17-21

As Judah goes into exile in the 580’s BCE, Jeremiah pronounces seventy years of exile because the Sabbaths had been ignored. If you consider that each 50 years should have had 8 sabbatical years, seven Shmitas and one Jubilee then a mathematical calculation could be set up to establish how long it was since these things where in practice (70/8) X 50 = 437.5 years since the Sabbatical years where kept. Add 437.5 to 582 BCE and you find yourself in the approximate time frame of Saul and David. I am not trying to be exact here I am just pointing out that if the sabbatical years where kept if at all was very early in the united monarchy and it very quickly fell out of use. Indeed Ezekiel 20 gives us the sense that Sabbath keeping was never done very well.

If the Sabbatical years where not kept for over 400 years while Israel and Judah where in the land then it is very unlikely that Sabbatical years were kept during the exile or the very stressed years of the returned exiles under Ezra and Nehemiah and the later occupation of the Greeks and Romans.

So if this is the case then, it was over one thousand years since the abandonment of Sabbatical years that Yeshua (Jesus) shows up on the scene. I believe that this story from Luke has some information for us.

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21

The passage Yeshua quotes is from Isaiah 61 and goes on to talk about the restoration of the land to the people of Israel. (see Isaiah 61:4 below) This language can only be Jubilee correlated as the return of the land is only at the 50 year Jubilee. (see Leviticus 25) Land does not return to its original owners in the other seventh years.   

Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations. Isaiah 61:4

I contend that Yeshua was re-establishing the date of Jubilee and that this event had to happen in the late 0020’s or very early 0030’s. I expect it was the fall of 0029.

Can I prove it? No, but it seems to fit what we see in the modern market place.

I intend to be generous here to all other points of view but our focus is to be looking for rhymes, parallels and patterns. If the evidence leads us to another conclusion so be it, we need to be sure that we are not trying to force round pegs in square holes.

Interestingly as of this moment the modern rabbinic count is the same as what I have proposed here but in 2029-2030 their count will become year one, in contrast to what I see as a fiftieth year. As a result for the next 15 years our counts for Shmita agree. This may be a very wonderful opportunity to work together to restore Shmita.

A Jewish group called Hazon is doing their part to remind the world of Shmita you can find them hazon.org/shmita-project

#14 Sabbath, Return to the Covenant.

This post brings us full circle back to day seven.

I started this discussion of seven segments of time with the unusual approach by addressing the last segment, day seven first. As I explained, my reason for this approach is because Human, was created last on the sixth day and therefore experiences, day seven, Sabbath, a day of rest, as his first day.

The obvious implication for humanity is, day seven “rest” comes before “the work” of day one through six. So which is most important work or rest?

There are six days set apart for work. However for humanity, the day for rest is first. Creating a rather interesting balance, a narrow path, if you will. Work is clearly important, as there are six days set apart for it. However rest’s day has the unique importance of being first for humanity. One cannot help but think of Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

None the less the answer to “Which is more important?” has to be, they are both important and one cannot replace the other. For those humans who are unmotivated and inclined to sloth, the narrow walk of faith is clear “work six”. For those inclined to never rest, the narrow walk of faith is also clear, “rest first, on the seventh day, month, year or seventh set of seven years” to prepare for the six of work to come. In either rest or work having the order correct and the elements of time in their proper place, appears to be of great value.

This idea of preparation for the six of work to come, shows itself clearly for the household of faith in Deuteronomy 15 and 31. Israel is instructed to release all debts, as a way to have its economic system in a state of maximum flexibility, as it comes to the seventh month of the seventh year. 

There are also instructions to release slaves and to rest the agricultural land.

Each of these would have also had the economic effect of reset or new beginnings for the upcoming six years of work. They each demonstrate a willingness to lay down “our work” and fervent belief in new birth, life from the dead, and hope beyond what our eyes can see.

For me the adaptation of these concepts to modern life has a uniquely powerful draw. How much more effectively could we be with our economic resources if we adapted these ideas to our lives? But how? How do we return to this system? What are the steps? Where do we start?

Some time ago, I ran across Jeff Benner’s white paper on the Hebrew word Shabbat. 

(Its link is here http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/thelivingwords/sabbath.pdf )

In his piece Mr. Benner tells us that when considering the word Shabbat using the ancient, Paleo script, one comes to understand “Shabbat” as having a core meaning “return to the covenant”

But what covenant? There are a number of covenants in the bible but one sticks out as a uniquely, “rest first” covenant. In Genesis 15 the covenant God makes with Abram is completed when a mysterious open flame and a glowing red hot furnace passes between cut up pieces of animals.  The passage records that Abram is asleep and in great darkness when this happens. In other words he is at rest. His works will follow but for the moment of receiving the covenant, he was at rest.

So also it appears, every time we rest in a set apart, seventh segment of time, we also are joining or rejoining Abram’s “rest first” covenant, or as Mr. Benner’s word pictures suggests we “return to the covenant”. After all, it was while he was at rest that Abram received a whole new direction and expectation for his life. I expect rest, as proscribed in the seventh segment of time, can and will open a new beginning for us as well. 

In doing so, our six of work will become more fulfilling and productive. Even more important, we will begin to have the means to fulfill another of God’s’ promises to Abram. “In you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” Genesis 12:3

A close study of Revelation 1 will reveal the identity of that mysterious open flame and a glowing red hot furnace. Therefore our study ends where it began resting in day seven, anticipating the LIGHT of day one.

#13 The Transition from day five to day six, DECISION TIME IS NOW!

This may be the most fluid transition of the whole set. The flying and swimming “Nephesh Chay” (Strong’s H5315 and H2416) are now joined by the land walkers and runners. The hard and dangerous work of figuring out how to handle day five’s critters, relatively easily transfers to the management of the first set of day six’s created beings.

However it should be expected that systems and relationships will become more complex.

The creation of Human in day six signals that a “God like” being has entered the arena and from now on his role will affect the rest of creation for good or evil.

All of creation now awaits Human’s decision…. Will he rest and worship the Creator or will he plunge ahead, continuing to try to improve his enterprise, in essence worshiping the works of his hands?

Signs of his decision will be evident in day six, since if he plans to rest and worship he will be in the mode of preparation and gathering in day six. On the other hand if he plans to ignore the day of rest he will be setting things up with the intent to build and grow his enterprise in a liner fashion without regard for the revealed.

Sometimes he may get away with this lack of respect for his Creator, but eventually there will be a day of reckoning. The concurring sets of seven days, months, years and sets of seven years, all running simultaneously, causes these reckonings to appear random and convinces an untrained eye that our world is not understandable or ordered.

However a trained eye can see clear purpose of each segment of time.  In many respects creation is as much about division of one element from another, as it is about adding new elements. Early on elements are moved from where they were before to new defined, purposeful locations.  For example the water becomes restricted to its place above and below in day two and later, farther restricted to the seas, lakes and rivers creating bare ground as the place for plants in day three.

Each new day brings new physical structures or beings into the arena but these new creations are set in their place apart from those that came before.

Fish are given the water, birds the air and mammals and human the land. All of these are also separated into male and female form. Therefore not only are these beings created but they are properly set in their habitation, each with their unique role.

As you may recall the element of time came into being in day four with the advent of the sun, moon and stars. This division of time has some very unique characteristics. Its role in our lives is huge yet without the revelation, it’s as though there is nothing we can do with or about time, except to march through it, one day after another. However the information revealed by the biblical counts of seven shows division, separation and specific purpose for each segment of time. They also explain the reckonings that happen from time to time, to those who ignore the revealed appointments.    

Human as the last created being, given the right to rule, has a decision to make, If he chooses to ignore the appointed times the Creator set, then the divisions so neatly organized by the divine hand will begin to break down and the chaos of Genesis 1:2 will begin to creep back into our ordered world.

Next week we will explore the antidote for this creeping chaos and the gift that allows the return to the divine order.     

#12 Day Six, The Zenith Double

A time to gather

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; ³⁰ and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. ³¹ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:24-31

Day six of the creation story is simply full of complex new life. First mammals in all their varieties, suitable for various purposes, terrain, intake and life cycles. Then of course the creation of humanity itself, created to take charge, or rule over all that had been created.

Here is an interesting thought: Is it not unusual to have an ecosystem so complex created and then bring in the ruler or overseer? Much has been made of the human, being made in the image of God but think of his lack of knowledge and understanding. Having been just been created, human had no part in the six days of creation and now with complete ignorance, he is put in charge.

Can this mean anything other than God wanted an ongoing moment by moment, day by day relationship with his final created being?  I think not!

For us who are finishing up a sixth, be it a day, month, year or a set of seven years the lesson seems to be that all the pieces are in place. One can begin to understand fully what the “echad” unity of day one was trying to communicate. In some ways our work of these six has yielded beyond our expectations and yet likely along the way we have suffered loss. Some of our dreams have developed beyond our wildest hopes, while others where lost amid the waves of days one and two or died for lack of new life in day four or where bitten in day five or even day six.

Notice that all these new creatures of day six, just like the day five creatures, have “chay nefesh”. (Vigorous bodies with self-determination, mouths and teeth for communication and biting) If we have figured out how to handle the creatures of day five, then day six critters can be managed in similar fashion with some adaptation. Day six should show great progress for the works of our hands. Day six should be full of good surprises.

Here the manna story of Exodus 16 comes into play giving us some instruction.

²² Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³ then he said to them, “This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” ²⁴ So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.²⁵ Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.²⁶ Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.” Exodus 16:22-26

Day six, it turns out is not just a great day for progress but is also a day of preparation for day seven, “the day of rest”. Gather double and prepare it, seems to be the direction.

Here then is another counter intuitive moment. Having just seen everything improve so greatly, the call to prepare to cease building seems rather strange. After all the struggle, after all the loss. We now find ourselves with a fine, working system and now the instruction is to prepare to stop!

Here again is a moment for faith. Remember we are not the Creator only the created, made in the Creator’s image. We need to learn from him how his creation works and tomorrow, day seven will be our first day of intense training … or should I say a day of rest.

The fundamental lesson he wants all of us to learn is that REST is to be first in our lives followed by six days of work. So also for months, years and sets of seven years.

Always remember man was made last on the sixth day and he was put in charge of all of creation, crowned as the ruler and his first day was a day of rest.

If we somehow find ourselves successful or “MADE” in a sixth segment of time, now we know the purpose is to develop a place, ruled by the gracious time line of rest first and then work in the six prepared ahead for us.

Can you hear Ephesians 2 in the Genesis story?

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10

Grace or rest must be first in our lives, then the works of our hands follow. Since they are prepared ahead for us, it would also be wise to acknowledge how clueless we are and our great need for divine wisdom for our new role.   

#11 The transition from day four, to day five

Hey … Look at that!

The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is pronounced “hey” and has a root meaning of action, spirit and revelation.  The four letter name of God uses this letter twice, also “hey” is the letter that was added to Abram and Sarai’s name to indicate their new relationship with God. In its earliest Paleo form (seen attached) the fifth letter is the sketch of a man with his hands raised as if to exclaim “hey … Look at that!” and indeed as day five develops the sights are amazing.

These sightings often only last a split second as one or a group of the new beings of the air or water puts on a display. The less than productive, almost boring phase of day four is over. A new dynamic is now in place. The preparation, work and vision of our efforts in days one, two, three and four now has a chance to yield some great progress. The advantage seems to go to the strong or those with the means to harvest these wily creatures. While the weak seem vulnerable to the flocks above and the schools below. There is one factor of hope for the less strong or those of moderate means and that is timing.

The revealed use of the guiding lights of day four, give direction for when to rest and when to deploy your nets. When to be under cover and when to come out and play in this new world, now dominated by the mobile biters.

Better to be at the right place at the right time with little capability than to be at the wrong place at the wrong time with large capability. For many, during day five, luck appears to rule the day, some seem just lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Others, seemingly well prepared, find themselves simply positioned badly, ending up damaged or even consumed by some biter that no one saw coming.

On the other hand, the combination of a well-placed bit of produce from day three and timing from day four offers the hunter an opportunity for a successful ambush.

Day five is quite a ride, but if you can find some success in day five the sixth day may be very good indeed.

Hat tip again to Jeff Benner for the letter “Hey” .

#10 Day five, Behold the mobile biters

If day four was too boring for you, day five will make up for it. In day five we are about to experience new life in a very active and at times terrifying form.

Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23

A new life of swarming sea creatures and creatures capable of flight, fill the seas and the skies, showing clearly day five’s rhyme with day two’s creation of space separating water above from water below.

These creatures are not to be taken for granted or simply admired, because unlike the vegetation type life of day three these creatures have very unique capabilities.

Along with having physical bodies designed for travel in their element, water or sky. They have mouths, with teeth, they can bite, communicate with each other and they have brains and thus self-determination. They go where they wish often at very high speeds.

The plant life of day three is the base of their food chain but they also feed on each other and you, if they get a chance.

To survive and prosper in day five one needs good timing. Unlike the vegetation of day three which was immobile and could be harvested when you wished. The birds and fish of day five are a considerable challenge. Capturing them is very difficult and now they are eating the vegetation of day three as well as biting you when they get a chance.

Interestingly, the ecology is self-sustaining, in addition to the food chain, the plants produce the oxygen the birds and fish consume, while they in turn produce carbon dioxide which the plants consume.

The element of time marked by the celestial bodies of day four will now become crucial for any success. As any gathering of this new life will require being at the right place at the right time, with means and a plan

Opportunity in day five is huge, almost unimaginable, but the requirement is good timing and to be equipped to handle some very difficult creatures. Creatures who have the breath of life, a mind for self-determination and a body of flesh which can fly or swim with strength and skill.

If day four was a disappointment, day five will be a challenge, it can be very rewarding or it can be devastating.

I have to add that sitting here in spring of 2014 the above scene certainly reminds me of the business climate since the fall of 2008. All the assumptions that have developed since 1980 are under review and revision. The opportunities are huge so are the dangers.

Note: For this post I owe considerable credit to Jeff Benner and his insights concerning Strong’s #H2416 “chay” and #H5315 “nephesh” usually translated “living creature”. You can find his work at www.ancient-hebrew.org