A Shocking Revelation for This Shmittah Year 2015
Jeremiah 34
This morning, continuing with my study through Jeremiah, I began reading Jeremiah 34. As I read, I was numbed. I literally got chills all over. For what happened preceded the Shmittah Year of 586 BCE, as King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began hissiege on cities near Jerusalem, on his way to Jerusalem, happened also in the year 2014 CE in modern Israel--preceding the Shmittah year of 2015! The matching of the two scenarios, like history repeating itself, is all too real, giving us a timing of events very soon to happen. The modern Nebuchadnezzar, king of end-time Babylon, is“laying siege” against the people of Yahuweh in Israel, in America, and worldwide. It is way past time to be immersed in the mikvah of the eternal Word of Yahuweh! Please carefully read thiswhole account in Jeremiah34.
Jeremiah 34:8-20:
8The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahuweh after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them: 9that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman; so that no one should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage. 10And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, so that no one should keep them any longer in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free.11But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection for male servants and for female servants.
12Then the word of Yahuweh came to Jeremiah from Yahuweh, saying, 13“Thus says Yahuweh, Elohim of Israel, ‘I made a covenant with your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying, 14“At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who has been sold to you and has served you six years, you shall send him out free from you; but your forefathers did not obey Me or incline their ear to Me. 15“Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name. 16“Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each man took back his male servant and each man his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servants and female servants.”’
17“Therefore thus says Yahuweh, ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,’ declares Yahuweh, ‘to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18‘I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— 19the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the court officers and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.”
Tishre 1, 587 BCE, beginning 586 on the Creation calendar, began the final Shmittah year that Israel had not guarded according to the command of Yahuweh. (Levitcus 25:1-7) The 70th Shmittah marked the 490th year of the nation’s disobedience. Nebuchadnezzar had laid siege previously, taking a remnant captive to Babylon, like Daniel and Ezekiel. It was in this interim, between the first siege and the final one in 586 BCE, that Zedekiah made a Shmittah-year covenant. The people embraced it out of fear, to try to cool the wrath of Yahuweh. But, when they found out the Egyptians promised to fight for Israel, they recalled their slaves and went on with life as usual, feeling secure that Egypt would help them destroy Nebuchadnezzar. But, Nebuchadnezzar returned, and turned against Egypt. Egypt fled in fear, abandoning Zedekiah and Judah. For two years Nebuchadnezzar’s army sat close enough to keep the people inside the walls of Jerusalem in fear, until they almost starved to death. Then he laid a final siege on Jerusalem, on the 9th of Av 586 BCE, two months before the end of the Shmittah year. Nebuchadnezzar burned the city with fire, including Solomon’s temple, slaughtered many people, and took a surviving remnant captive to Babylon. (II Kings 25; II Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 39:1-17)
The command for the Shmittah Year Sabbath
Leviticus 25:1-7: “1Yahuweh then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a Sabbath to Yahuweh. 3‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, 4but during the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to Yahuweh; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5‘Your harvest’s after-growth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. 6‘All of you shall have the Sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. 7‘Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat.
8‘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. 9‘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. 10‘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. 11‘You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow nor reap its after-growth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. 12‘For it is a jubilee; it shall be set-apart to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field.”
II Chronicles 36:20-21: “And those who escaped from the sword, he exiled to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the reign of Persia in order to fulfill the Word of Yahuweh by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay waste, she kept Sabbath, until seventy years were completed.”
Because the nation had not guarded the 7th year “Shmittah” of each 7-year cycle for 490 years, Yahuweh sent them into exile for 70 years to let the land rest, and to punish the people for not obeying Him. (7 X 70 = 490 years) [Note the 490 year cycle of Daniel 9:24-27, and 490 day cycle of Messiah’s ministry (27 CE-38 CE)--from His mikvah in the Jordan to the giving of the Spirit on Shavu’ot. (Refer to Michael’ Rood’s Chronological Gospels]
Just like the weekly Shabbat/Sabbath every 7th day,like the 7 Shabbats between First Fruits and Shavu’ot, and like the 7th millennial Shabbat of Messiah’s Kingdom, so is the 7th year Shabbat of the Shmittah, a time of rest and release. It is a time of peace--of uniting together in love and unity under the Creator who is also resting.
As perExodus 31:12-18, and many other passages of Scripture, observance of the 7th day Shabbat cares a destruction/death penalty for breaking it.Remember the manna in the wilderness? (Exodus 16: 11-35)This command was given before the Torah was given at Mount Sinai. Every five days they were to pick manna for that day only. On the 6th day, the children of Israel were to pick twice as much as they did in days 1-5, so that on the 7th day they could rest. For forty years they did this until the manna ceased when they entered the “Promised Land.” (Joshua 5:9-12) Each 6th day is a preparation day, for us to get ready for Shabbat, so that we don’t work, or make anyone else work on His set-apart day of rest. We cook our food, do our housework, and get totally prepared for sunset as Shabbat begins. Remember, His days begin at sunset! When Messiah arose “early on the first day of the week,” it was just after sunset on “Saturday” night.
After creation, Yahuweh rested on the 7th day, setting a cycle precedent for us through time, through the 7th millennium--i.e. Isaiah 66:22-23. Thus, letting the land rest, not planting of harvesting, allowing the poor to glean the fields of what grows up by itself, releasing slaves, and cancelling all debt (on the last day of Elul in the Shmittah year), was mandatory for the 7th year rest in each 7-year cycle.
As you read in Leviticus 25, the 50th year after every 7th Shmittah year, or 49 years, was the Yobel year--the Jubilee! The Jubilee is a sort of “super-Shmittah.” Yahuweh gave us 7 day cycles, 7-week cycles, 7 7-year cycles equaling 49 years before the 50th Yobel year, and amillennial cycle, ending with the 7th millennium – the reign of Yahushua. The number 7 is the number of completion. Eight is the number of new beginnings. The book of Revelation is filled with the number 7.
In my articles “The Shmittah Year Prophecy”/2007, “The Forty-Eight Hour Transition”/2007, Shmittah Year 2015”/2014, and “Evidence of the Shmittah Year 2015”/2015, I give you exciting deals as to how these last two Shmittah years foretell the timing of the coming of Messiah. The seven-year cycles are clearly understood by Orthodox Jews, whobegan their calculations from the time Joshua entered the land. “The Shmittah Year Prophecy” will give you foundational details you must know to understand timing.
For the last 2,500 years, in national unity, Israel still has not kept the Shmittah. Yes, individual Orthodox farmers have kept it for centuries, and Messianic believershave kept it more recently. Yahuweh has blessed these people for their obedience to Him. Yahuweh pays close attention to those that obey!
In the last few years, Messianic farmers in Israel, in America, Canada, and other nations, have kept it in honor of our Creator and been blessed. But, approximately 70% of modern Israelis are secular-- money and moral freedoms are the gods of most. So, to guard the Shmittah would be disastrous to them.
If you have not read Jonathan Cahn’s The Mystery of the Shemitah, please do so.
It contains shocking information that you must have, especially if you live in America.
Here are some comments from Cahn’s book, from chapter 5, to do with the Shmittah year 586 BCE: “The effect of the Shemitah was to wipe away that which had been built up (by man’s efforts). In 586 BC, the Shemitah wiped away the kingdom itself…In 586, the Shemitah manifested in the form of judgment. God released His grip on the nation; He pulled away and withdrew His protection. The kingdom collapsed…according to the account (Scripture), that which befell the land of Israel in 586 BC was not just connected to the Shemitah, it was the Shemitah.” (Italics mine)
My Note: You’ll notice different spellings of the word Shmittah, Shemitah, or Shmita. They’re all valid – they sound the same.
Yahuweh built into the Shmittah command His judgment on those refusing to obey it, just as breaking the command for the weekly Shabbat carries severe judgment unto death (Exodus 31:12-18). [Refer to: “The Sign of Identification”/March 11, 2014]
Jonathan Cahn refers to Yahuweh’s pulling away and withdrawing His protection just before He begins His judgment on His people. The sign that judgment is on its way is the loss of His protective presence, as opposed to His protection for those who obey, fear Him, and lovingly dwell in His Presence. (Malachi 3:16-4:4; Psalm 91)
Soon afterJuly 2012, He began His Ezekiel 8:1-11:23 departure cycle, as He could no longer dwell with the people due to their sin. “Yahuweh is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” [Refer to the “Withdrawal…” trilogy/January 1st, 6th, and 20th, 2015]
As Jonathan Cahn brings up in his book, on the 29th or 30th of Elul, the day before the spotting of the new moon from Jerusalem that announces Tishre 1, Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets), all people in the land were supposed to release all their debtors of all their debts. Imagine Citibank or Chase Manhattan in America erasing all debts on every one’s credit cards every 7 years. Laughable isn’t it…
The greatest Wall Street stock market crashes and points’ losses have occurred on these two days ending Shmittah years in America. America has been home to the greatest number from the House of Judah and the House of Ephraim combined of any other nation since the 1600s. This is why America is ‘joined at the hip,” so to speak, with Israel in the eyes of Yahuweh. This is why, as modern Israel faces extreme judgment from Yahuweh, so America faces even greater judgment for deserting Israel. Recently, Prime Minister Netanyahu has asked President Obama to write into their proposed nuclear agreement with Iran, that Iran at least recognize Israel as a nation. Obama smugly mocked Netanyahu – and the answer was “NO.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
Jeremiah 50 and 51 are definitely speaking of end-time Babylon, as are many other Scriptures. These are post-1948 Scriptures!
Theancient Land of Israel, which from the time of Abraham has been an agricultural society, also with herders of sheep, goats, and cattle, money was made by selling, or trading, their goods. Yet, even at the time of Yahushua, Jewish bankers were loaning Israeli people money with interest, which is against the Torah, and tax collectors were greedy and crooked. To release all debts, even back then, each 7 years was a serious matter. In modern Israel, it is a much greatermatter, with its extensive banking system, agricultural system, and import/export system worldwide.
However, in 2014, after not observing the Shmittah year as a nation since at least 70CE, and not since 1948 for sure, all of a sudden the last king of modern Israel (Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu), the Knesset, and Orthodox rabbis, joined to proclaim the Israeli Shmita Initiative for 2015. [Refer to: The Israeli Shmita Declaration – by Einat Kramer – Times of Israel: “Shabbat Behar: Ready, set, LET GO!” - May 7, 2014
Zedekiah, last Davidic king on the throne of Judah in Judea before Messiah comes, joined the people in a covenant to guard the Shmittah year. He knew that the reason for Yahuweh’s judgment was because they had not observed the Shmittah for 490 years, thus their exile would be 70 years to pay for their disregard of Yahuweh’s command. It appears to have been a last-ditch effort at staying the punishment that was about to fall – the total destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple. He proclaimed that they all had to observe the Shmittah year, beginning with releasing all their slaves. He “sealed” it as a national covenant. Initially allrallied around the covenant. But, when they thought Egypt would help them defeat Nebuchadnezzar, thus overriding Yahuweh’s warnings through Jeremiah, they took back their slaves.Yahuweh was not impressed by their last-ditch effort in the first place! He was impressed that there was an obedient remnant!
In writing this yesterday, I had not yet read the comments in my Milstein Edition of Jeremiah on Jeremiah 35. I had to laugh this morning that the wording of the commentary used similar words I used above. Page 303:“For this reason, Zedekiah now exhorted the nation to free their illegally-held slaves as a last-ditch effort to enable the nation to remain independent of foreign conquerors. When they failed to do so, God subjugated them to the mastery of Nebuchadnezzar…Jeremiah insisted that freeing the slaves was the linchpin upon which the nation’s own independence turned.”
Israeli State Prepares for Shmittah Year by Gad Lior - YNet News -June 2, 2014
“Israeli Cabinet approves NIS 100 million to fund special requests during the seventh year of an agricultural cycle long observed by Jews.Even as the budget crisis engulfs every ministry in the government, the cabinet approved Sunday another costly measure – NIS 100 million to fund special requests during the shmita year.”