It has been said that there are no coincidences where God is involved. The hundreds of recognized prophecies that fill the Bible (plus how many more that we don't yet recognize as such) attest to the truth of that saying. And the Year of Jubilee, along with all the "feasts of the Lord" (Lev. 23:4) are clear examples of "appointed times" [the Hebrew meaning of the word "feasts"], and are in fact, extremely important in terms of prophetic timing of prophetic events. Tomorrow we'll look at the prophetic feasts; today we want to study the Year of Jubilee.
The Jubilee Year was also a Sabbatical year, or a year in which the land was to rest (Lev. 25:11). In its early years, the Israelites did not obey God's command to honor the Sabbath, and so Israel was sent into Babylonian exile as God had forewarned would happen if they did not obey: "then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land" (Lev. 26:34). That captivity lasted 70 years: "until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths" (2Chronicles 36:21). Thus the people, once free again and restored to the land, covenanted with God to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbath years faithfully (Nehemiah 10:31). This confirms the importance of those things God puts into place.
Concerning the Year of Jubilee, we've already seen that wonderful things happen in it: the trumpet (shofar or ram's horn) was blown to pronounce the commencement of the Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:9); all bondslaves were set free (Lev. 25:39-54) in unconditional liberty; and all land was to be returned to its original owner (redemption) preserving the inheritance of the chosen people of God (Lev. 25:13, 23-28 and Numbers 36:4-7). The Jubilee Year was initiated by God to prevent oppression in Israel; and to proclaim that God was Sovereign King of the universe, owning both the people and the land.
The only problem with the Year of Jubilee is that in our own times no one knows when it is…exactly. The Jubilee calendar began approximately 40+ years after the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, upon their taking possession of the promised land of Canaan. But the tracking of the calendar was disrupted when the 70-year Babylonian exile began. And when the 12 tribes split up (1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10) to become Israel in the north and Judah in the south, no one knew whether or not the Jubilee Year was to continue to be observed since the biblical command was for "all the inhabitants thereof" (Lev. 25:10) and those inhabitants were now scattered. The ultimate "scattering" came later in 70 A.D. (Luke 21:20-24) and even though many centuries later, Israel is "home" again, where exactly is this Jubilee year on the Hebrew calendar now? No one knows for sure. It appears to have gone the way of the Ark of the Covenant…hidden from view for the time being.
This of course brings much speculation as to how important the role of the Year of Jubilee might be in future events. Imagine, the trumpet sounds, Jesus returns, the world is delivered once and for all from evil, and God's kingdom is established permanently on the earth. Sounds like all of that should happen in a Jubilee Year; a year where oppression ends and restoration begins. But the Bible doesn't specifically say so.
Thus, there are many many different attempts going on to determine the timing of the Jubilee Year, hoping to predict the year of the Lord's return; done by those folks who just insist on ignoring Jesus' words about no one knowing when He would return, not even Himself….for only the Father knows. (Matthew 24:6)
It isn't really the timing of the Jubilee Year that is important prophetically; it is the future fulfillment of the Jubilee Year, especially as it concerns the Jews. For the sounding of the shofar will signal the end of the oppression of Israel. King David holds the title deed to the Temple Mount, but the Jews aren't allowed to worship on it, because of the domination of Israel by Gentiles as predicted by Jesus; domination that will only get worse!
Soon, an evil Gentile ruler will "exalt and magnify himself above every god, [and] shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods" (Daniel 11:36) and will bring terrible persecution upon Israel "A time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation. Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered." (Daniel 12:1)
The Messiah, Jesus, will deliver Israel, but not before Israel has repented (Romans 11 and Hebrews 8:7-13)). Then, and only then, will the shofar sound and the Year of Jubilee begin. The land will be restored to its rightful owners, the chosen people of God, and once and for all they will be free to worship the Lord on the land He provided to them: "So shall it be on that day: The great trumpet [shofar] will be blown: They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcast in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." (Isaiah 27:13).
"The Lord god will blow the trumpet…the Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over HIS LAND." (Zech. 9:14-16)
The land that God owns, the same land that God gave to Abraham and his descendants "as an everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8), will finally find Jubilee rest. And God's people will find Jubilee liberty.
"And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid:
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it." (Micah 4:3-4)
What a year that will be!
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