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“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…” –Leviticus 25:10

This was God speaking to Moses, ordaining the very first Sabbatic Year and, subsequently, the Year of Jubilee to the Israelites. God was instructing His chosen people that when they entered into the Promise Land they were to work the land for six years and, during the seventh year, the land and the people were to have a sabbath rest unto the Lord. He further instructed the Israelites to consecrate the fiftieth year as a Year of Jubilee, a holy year. It was to be a year of rest, a year of consecration, a year of redemption, and a year of unmerited favor. [Leviticus 25]

With our new year just beginning, I’m writing to
proclaim the Year of Jubilee to you!

APPOINTED TIMES

Throughout the Bible, we see God always appoints times and seasons to celebrate Him and experience His goodness. In Chuck Pierce’s book, “A Time to Advance,” Robert Heidler writes,

“Many don’t experience God’s blessing because they miss their windows of opportunity. If we align our lives with God’s timing, we don’t miss the opportunities God has for us.”

The Hebraic calendar outlines many weekly, monthly, seasonal, and yearly cycles; therefore, it is very important for us to understand the significance of God’s calendar. The better we understand God’s timing, the better we can come into alignment with God’s purpose behind it.

THE  SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS YEAR OF JUBILEE

The Hebraic calendar began its new year at sunset on Rosh Hashanah, September 13, 2015. This marked the beginning of the Year of Jubilee which continues until September, 2016. Interestingly, this marks the 40th Year of Jubilee since Jesus’ crucifixion and the 70th Year of Jubilee since the first Year of Jubilee was celebrated in 1367 BC.

If you are unaware, the number forty is used numerous times throughout the Bible. It is no arbitrary number. The number forty conveys a sense of fullness: it rained forty days and forty nights during the flood (Gen. 7:12), Noah opened the window of the ark after another forty days (Gen. 8:6), Moses was forty days on the mountain (Ex. 24:18), the spies spent forty days in searching Canaan (Num. 13:25), the Israelites wandered for forty years in the wilderness (Num. 14:33), the Jews were forbidden to inflict more than forty stripes (Deut. 25:3), Nineveh was allowed forty days to repent (Jon. 3:4), Jesus fasted for forty days (Mt. 4:2), and Jesus appeared during a period of forty days teaching the Apostles about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

In addition, the number seven signifies completeness. We, also, see the numbers seven and seventy throughout the Bible: by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done and He rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2), Jacob served Laban seven years to have his daughter Rachel whom he loved (Gen. 29:20), Daniel prophesied seventy weeks had been decreed for Israel to make atonement for iniquity (Dan. 9:24), and Jesus tells Peter to forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven (Mt. 18:22). Seven is God’s perfect number.

Incredible, right!?! So what does this mean for us this year?

REDEEMED AND ADOPTED AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS

The Year of Jubilee is about returning possessions to their rightful owner. Oh that we may truly know the fulness of God’s perfect love for us, the redeeming love of Jesus Christ our Savior! We were once slaves to sin and death, but we have been bought with a price! Jesus gave His own life for our redemption!

“But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” –Galatians 4:4-7

The last Sunday of 2015 God gave me a picture of a little boy who appeared to be homeless. He was cold and starving. I saw him go into a building once a week to obtain a moment of warmth from the cold and to hungrily eat the crumbs falling from a banqueting table. Week after week he did this, but he always returned back to the cold outdoors, usually not having another bite to eat until he entered the building next week.

God showed me this is how many believers are living. They live as orphans, coming into the church building once a week on Sunday and receiving no more bread until the next week. Also, many believers are wanderers, having no aim or direction. God is saying what they need is daily bread and a lamp unto their feet to light their path and give them direction. God is saying what they need is the word of God, the Bible, to sustain them and lead them.

The more we have the word of God in us, the more we know who we are in Christ Jesus. In these times, we must get a revelation that we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. Too many of us view the church as a place we attend once a week. Therefore, we live in a spiritual starvation mode.

Here’s truth: WE ARE THE CHURCH! We do not have to eat the crumbs falling from the banqueting table. We are not orphans! Because of Jesus, we get to eat the children’s bread! Not only that, but we get to sit at the banqueting table and sup with the King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s! Amen and hallelujah!

Father, let us consecrate this Year of Jubilee to You. Because of Jesus, our debt has been cancelled and we have been released from all bondages holding us in captivity. We are no longer slaves or orphans, but sons and daughters! Thank you, Lord, for Your favor and freedom!