God
Blood
Law
Suddenly came
together
Appendix IV
Sabbatical Year – the Shemita
Introduction
God
introduced many time clocks during the Creation week.
Fourth day –
the sun and moon became the basis for signs, seasons, days and years (Genesis
What that
meant in that perfect world is unclear.
Why would
human life need signs?
What kinds of
seasons existed?
Were the days
24-hour days?
Did the earth
circle the sun at a different speed?
Though God’s
foreknowledge anticipated sin, there is nothing to suggest that the Creation of
this earth was modified to prepare for its intrusion.
The seventh
day was not created but appointed.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).
Several
unique principles were established in this last day of the Creation week.
1.
The “seventh”
was the last period before a “first” began a new cycle.
2.
It was set
apart from the six work days that preceded it.
3.
It was a day
of rest (shabath) to honor God
because He rested and was the Creator.
4.
Man and God
could uniquely share this time together.
5.
God honored
this intangible “time” by:
Blessing it –
it was to benefit man
Sanctifying
it – it was holy and wholly for Him
The word
“rested” implies “an end has come” – something ceased.
No residual
work remains.
When man
rests on the seventh day – all residual work is completed or set aside.
In the
Decalogue:
More space is
given to the fourth commandment than any other directive (Exodus 20:8-11,
Deuteronomy
Time
(six days):
Time (seventh day):
Common,
secular
Unique, holy
Not only is
His sovereignty over Creation remembered, His sovereignty over time is to be
acknowledged.
Once sin came
into the world – the Sabbath took on new meaning. BUT:
There is no
record of the Sabbath rest during a 2500-year period – until the Jewish
exodus.
Neither is
there a record of the Decalogue.
The Bible
does note: “And God saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
“Wickedness”
and evil relate to behavior contrary to God’s wishes –
there was a known divine standard.
It later
notes: “and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).
Again
revealing that parameters on behavior were known.
He was to
stop “man”-related activity.
And then
participate in God-accepted activity.
This check on
man was unique, and required to maintain loyalty to God.
Expositor
White captured the significance of this when she said: “Every man in God's world
is under the laws of His government. God has placed the Sabbath in the bosom of
the Decalogue, and has made it the criterion of obedience. Through it we may
learn of His power, as displayed in His works and His Word. But today the world
is following the example of those that lived before the flood. Now, as then, men
choose to follow their own inclinations, rather than to obey the commandments of
God. The inhabitants of the antediluvian world glorified themselves instead of
commemorating the glorious works of Creation. They did not obey the law of God;
they did not honor the Sabbath. Had they done this, they would have recognized
their duty to their Creator. This was the original and supreme object of the
command, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’”[1]
The Re-introduction of the
Sabbath Rest
Why did God
wait till He had a chosen people before making explicit the meaning of the
Sabbath?
That is not
clear.
BUT – when it
was re-explained and set in stone, it was with the admonition to
“Remember the Sabbath” related to the
Creation.
The link with
its original purpose was confirmed and validated.
“Hallowed by
the Creator's rest and blessing, the Sabbath was kept by Adam in his innocence
in holy Eden; by Adam, fallen yet repentant, when he was driven from his happy
estate. It was kept by all the patriarchs, from Abel to righteous Noah, to
Abraham, to Jacob. When the chosen people were in bondage in
When did God
first confirm that Creation link?
Between the
It reminded
Israel of His creative power.
It reminded
them also of that sacred seventh.
Deliverance
from
Then God
added a wonderful new reason to keep the Sabbath.
“And remember
that thou wast a servant in the
It not only
honored the Creation past
But now is to
honor the recreation future
Man’s
deliverance was now tied to the Sabbath.
The Sabbath
is a prophecy of what man might become through Jesus Christ.
Thus, it
became a unique identifier of loyalty to Him.
“Speak thou
also unto the children of
In the
Sabbath, God is seen as a liberator, an emancipator.
Thus, it is a
sign of the covenant.
It unites
God’s law with His grace that cleanses.
God was
enthroned between the cherubim (Psalms 80:1, 99:1).
When blood
was sprinkled on the mercy seat seven times on Atonement Day
(Leviticus
It brought cleansing:
|
God
Blood Law |
|
Suddenly came
together |
Christ
provides yet today the link between God’s standard and His throne.
“And Moses
took the blood, and sprinkled [it] on the people, and said, Behold the blood of
the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words”
(Exodus 24:8; cf. Hebrews
The Sabbath
brings honor to that covenant restoration theme.
New Sabbaths were Given to
The march
from
At Sinai the
structure of the Theocracy was established.
Camp order
and worship rites were all implemented.
Then 40 years
of wandering because of rebellion.
God then
introduced a special plan for a
Sabbatical year
called in
Hebrew the
Shemita.
This was
to be
observed
only
after
they entered
the
It would be a
celebration
in
Every seventh
year was to be a Sabbath “unto the Lord” (Leviticus 25:1-7).
From a
wandering people to the
nation of
Citizenry of
the earthly
Citizenry of the heavenly Canaan
Only through
a sacred seventh year could God fully reveal the holiness of that final
deliverance.
God didn’t
stop this special instruction here.
Ten
represents a complete number in God’s prophetic plan.
When seven
Shemitas were completed (49 years),
the next year would also be a
Sabbath – called the
Yovel
The
Yovel was called a Jubilee Year – a
Sabbath of Sabbaths.
When ten of
these 49 Jubilee cycles are complete, we have 490 years, which show up later in
God’s restoration plan in Daniel 9.
Why did God need more Sabbaths?
Why did He
permit a pagan king to destroy
Are those
Sabbaths of any special value to us today?
There is
something vital we must discover.
There must be
something more than a liturgical Jewish worship in that Sabbath year.
First, there
is this pattern – it
is
symbolic of God’s redemptive, forward-moving clocks:
Seven
is the number of holiness
Ten
is the number of completion
How does this
process fit into God’s scheme of redemption?
Why were each
of these steps dovetailed into the other?
Were the
Shemita clocks to go on indefinitely?
Were the
Jubilees to recycle without a
predicted
end?
The Story Begins with the
Babylonian Captivity
In
Nebuchadnezzar’s first year of reign, Jeremiah prophesied warnings because
“Not
harkened, nor inclined your ear to hear” (Jeremiah 25:4).
And did not
turn “from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the
land” (Jeremiah 25:5).
God will use
Nebuchadnezzar as His “servant” (Jeremiah 25:9).
And “this
whole land shall be a desolation.”
They will
serve this Babylonian king 70 years (25:11).
Deliverance
would come at the end of 70 years (29:13).
What was
God’s wrath against His people over?
It related to
improper land use (Jeremiah 25:5).
It related to
idolatry (Jeremiah 25:6).
The great
records, called the Chronicles,
refines
our
understanding.
“And them
that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were
servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil
the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her
sabbaths: [for] as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil
threescore and ten years”
(II Chronicles 36:20-21).
Idolatry led
to other gods – that, in turn, led them away from the
Shemita or Sabbatical Year.
This was
symbolically expressed “so the land could not enjoy her Sabbaths.”
Something
urgently important is being conveyed.
Seventy years
in Babylonian captivity under heathen kings:
One year for
each Shemita missed (70).
How many
years does that cover? 490 years.
That is
ten Jubilees.
Daniel 9 tells us:
Daniel’s
people, representing all of God’s people – spiritual
Are given
another chance of 490 years, 70 Shemitas,
10 Jubilees.
Around 100
B.C. the Dead Sea Scrolls of 11Q13 were written. Here is the document from
column 2 of that find:
The Coming of Melchizedek
11Q13 –
(...) And concerning what
Scripture says, "In this year of
Jubilee you shall return,
everyone
of you, to
your property"
(Lev.
25;13)
And what is also written; "And this is the manner of the remission; every
creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it
of a neighbor who is a member of the community, because God's remission has been
proclaimed" (Deut.15;2)
the interpretation is that it applies to
the Last Days and concerns the captives, just as Isaiah said: "To
proclaim the Jubilee to the captives" (Isa.
61;1)
(...) just as (...) and from the inheritance of Melchizedek, for (...
Melchizedek) , who will return them to what is rightfully theirs. He will
proclaim to them the Jubilee, thereby releasing them from the debt of all their
sins. He shall proclaim this decree in the first week of the jubilee period that
follows nine jubilee periods.
Then
the "Day
of Atonement" shall follow after the tenth jubilee period,
when he
shall atone for all the Sons of Light, and the people who are predestined to
Melchizedek. (...) upon them (...) For
this is the time decreed for the "Year
of Melchizedek`s favor",
and by his might he will judge God's holy ones and so
establish a righteous kingdom,
as it is written about him in the Songs of David; "A godlike being has taken
his place in the council of God; in the midst of divine beings he holds
judgment."
(Ps.
82;1).
Scripture also says about him; "Over it take your seat in the highest heaven;
A divine being will judge the peoples" (Ps.
7;7-8)
Concerning what scripture says; "How long will you judge unjustly, and show
partiality with the wicked? Selah" (Ps.
82;2),
the interpretation applies to Belial and the spirits predestined to him, because
all of them have rebelled, turning from God's precepts and so becoming utterly
wicked.
Therefore Melchizedek will
thoroughly prosecute the vengeance required by God's statutes.
Also, he will deliver all
the captives from the power
of Belial,
and from the power of all the spirits destined to him. Allied with him will be
all the "righteous divine beings" (Isa.
61;3).
(The ...) is
that whi(ch ...all) the divine beings. The visitation is the Day of Salvation
that He has decreed through Isaiah the prophet concerning all the captives,
inasmuch as Scripture says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces
salvation, who says to
This scripture's interpretation: he is to instruct them about all the periods of history for eternity (... and in the statutes) of the truth. (...) (.... dominion) that passes from Belial and returns to the Sons of Light (....) (...) by the judgment of God, just as it is written concerning him; "who says to Zion "Your divine being reigns" (Isa. 52;7) "Zion" is the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, who uphold the covenant and turn from walking in the way of the people. "Your divine being" is Melchizedek, who will deliver them from the power of Belial. Concerning what scripture says, "Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; in the seventh month …" (Lev. 25:9).
1.
The last days
2.
When
Melchizedek returns
3.
Proclamation
of a Jubilee
(that follows nine others).
4.
Judgment of
the wicked and Belial (Satan) then occurs.
5.
Associated
with Him at that time will be righteous “divine” beings.
6.
All this will
be announced by an anointed messenger after 62 weeks.
7.
This
messenger and prophecy concern periods of history related to the first Advent
but culminates at the end of all things.
8.
Then the
trumpet will sound in the seventh month.
Most scholars
view this document as referring to the
very end of time,
when Daniel 9
timing prophecies finally come to an end.
This is not
dispensationalism.
It is textual
criticism of the expressions and references used.
Intriguingly,
a book with earmarks of spiritualism, called the Uranta Book, agrees with this
also.
Satan (belial)
knows when his time is short.
The 490-year
prophecy appears to have a final application at the very end when a tenth
Jubilee occurs.
“Whatever is
to come has been already, and God summons each event back in its turn”
(Ecclesiastes
This would
fit the tarrying time concept when a waiting period ends at the time Jesus
announces “time will no longer be delayed” (Revelation 10:6b; cf. Habakkuk
2:2-3).
He makes this
announcement in the context of Sabbath language – it is as if He is announcing
“let’s move forward to the Shemita
Sabbath and finally the Yovel Sabbath
so long awaited.”
What follows
in this Revelation 10 message?
Two three-and-a-half-year prophecies related to the time of trouble (Revelation 11:2-3),
representing two events during a
single time period.
That period
contextually is the final time remaining on the clock (the last year – a
Shemita) – then Jesus returns
(Revelation
Thus, the
Shemita Sabbath would bring a time
the
land begins to rest
– or in the
very end –
becomes desolate.
This would coincide with the first four Trumpets and the sixth Seal.
The weight of
evidence suggests from Trumpet One into Jacob’s Trouble and deliverance is one
year.
The
Yovel Sabbath would be the time when
complete liberty of God’s people becomes a final reality. The afternoon of the
49th Day of Atonement (or seventh Shemita cycle) the Jubilee began.
It would be
the ultimate time when God’s corporate body is complete and holy.
Let’s explore
this issue deeper.
Salvic Meaning of the Land Rest
The
first key
to how the
Sabbath year and Jubilee were to be
unique periods
came from
three
guidelines
related to their observance (Leviticus 25:1-7; Exodus
1.
God
must have
a special
people or “host” to make it effective.
2.
God’s people
must be
in
the Promised Land – to associate it with a land at rest.
3.
The Sabbath
relates to “land use” directives.
Repeatedly,
God’s Shemita
instruction uses the Sabbath as a metaphor tied to
land directives:
“shall the
land
keep a
Sabbath,” “a Sabbath of rest to the
land,”
“the Sabbath of the
land
shall be meat for you.”
The Executive
Committee of the Jewish encyclopedia noted: “The septennate or seventh year and
the laws regarding the Jubilee were so important, like the Decalogue, they were
ascribed to the legislation of
Those
Sabbaths would not, however, be observed for 40 years (a full generation) –
because of the three restrictive points noted above.
We get an
inoductory meaning to these Sabbaths by looking at Abraham:
He was
chosen to leave
“Get thee out
of thy country … unto a land”
(Genesis
12:1).
Paul later
sa: “By faith Abraham, when called to
go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even
though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the
promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did
Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking
forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God”
(Hebrews 11:7-10 – NIV).
Jacob, after
his ladder dream between earthly
“Surely the
LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How
dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the
gate of heaven”
(Genesis 28:16-17).
The “land”
became a prophetic reminder of the covenant promise:
When
A new and
deeper significance was to come to the “land of promise,” which was
begun with Abraham.
God wanted
special time
in that land
where the “
Would not
have any work or secular activity
Would get
them as close to the typology of the heavenly
Thus – the
Shemita land Sabbath and the
Yovel Sabbath.
When they
arrived, God stipulated that during the seventh year (Leviticus 25:1-7):
1.
The land was to rest.
2.
No crops
could be planted – no harvest made.
3.
Permanent
vines (i.e., grapes) and trees (i.e., olive) were to remain unpruned and
4.
All the
people – everyone – could glean from the fields, vines and trees.
5.
The land
became, in essence, a borderless place.
6.
All Israeli
debts were to be forgiven (Deuteronomy 15:1).
7.
At
Yovel slaves were released and
purchased land was returned to original tribal owner/families.
God
miraculously provided excess crops on the sixth (man’s day), so the seventh
(God’s day) and at Yovel (God’s super
Sabbath), the eighth, there would be enough food for all.
The people
were reminded that the land was really His.
They saw the
provisions He provided miraculously.
Property and
plants were accessible to everyone.
Suddenly,
everyone was equal, at peace and free.
In the great
prayer of Christ, recorded in John 17, He asked regarding His people (He is now
one with them):
That they
might be one (vss 20-23)
That they
might be gifted to enter the heavenly
The
Shemita and
Yovel
1.
Tested man’s
dependence on God
2.
Put a check
on his aggressiveness to attain and achieve
3.
Revealed the
importance of how sacred God’s laws are
4.
Added a new
dimension to the Sabbath
5.
Became a
metaphor of the heavenly
6.
Represented
the ultimate bonding with heaven and each other
Conditional Promise and Loss
The
Shemita Sabbath and
Yovel sacredness were so important
and such holy events that God warned:
The people
would be destroyed
And the land
made desolate
IF – they
dishonored His Sabbath commands (Deuteronomy 28:63-67)
“I will make
your cities waste”
(Leviticus
26:31, 33)
“Bring your
sanctuaries into desolation”
(Leviticus 26:31)
“Bring your
land into desolation”
(Leviticus 26:32-33)
God had
prophetically warned through Jeremiah that this would occur (25:11).
As long as it
lay desolate, the land would rest and enjoy her Sabbaths (Leviticus 26:34-35).
Land rest [eres
– Shabbath (Shabbat)]
is a metaphor for all Sabbath rest.
Daniel talks
of a sin (transgression) that leads to desolation and an abomination that leads
to desolation.
Both
represent mockery of the seventh-day Sabbath at the end of time.
What happened
to
A
special three-and-a-half-year
period
lies ahead to bring honor back to that Sabbath, put away sin and reconcile all
issues related to iniquity.
It is during
that 42 months that the Shemita will
once again have significance – this time with special prophetic meaning.
It is right after that Shemita that the Yovel will have its final significance
Focus
is on Sabbath rest
Transgression
This
would lead
to
desolation
Abomination
[1]
White, Ellen G.; The Signs of the
Times,
[2]
White, Ellen G.; The Great
Controversy, p. 453.
[3]
Keil, C. F.; Delitzsch, F.;
Commentary on the Old TestamentI (
[4]
http://www.webcom.com/gnosis/library/commelc.htm
[5]
jewishencyclopedia.com – “Shemita.”
Franklin S. Fowler, Jr., M.D.; Prophecy Research Initiative © 2010