Newsletter 2 (November 2023)

God’s Jubilee Count Calendar

In our October Newsletter we established the basis of God’s calendar for Mankind’s time on Earth and his base measurement, Jubilee (50-year) periods as his unit of counting, similar to how we count by centuries (100-year periods). The Jubilee period count was confirmed in the Dead Sea Scroll, Book of Jubilee. Before we continue, we should highlight that the Book of Jubilee is not considered a God inspired work and why it is not included in the Bible cannon of books. As the ancient Essenes obviously viewed the Book of Jubilee contents as a worthy resource from the prophets, we should be careful not to totally discard it, but use its contents with careful discretion. We will use the book of Jubilee information regarding the Jubilee periods to better understand scripture as it does appear to align in interesting ways. Understanding the count system is interesting but not immensely helpful if we don’t have a starting point to develop a timeline of the count that aligns with our earthly calendar system. In Scripture it appears God provided us with a crumb of information hidden in plain sight, to begin the development of this count timeline. It is found at the beginning of Ezekiel chapter 40.

Ezekiel 40: 1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the LORD was on me, and he took me there. (NIV, italics mine)

Make note of the reference to the beginning of the year on the tenth of the month. Per the Jewish Civil Calendar, the New Year begins every year on the 1st of the Month of Tishri, also known as the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew). Every Jewish New Year begins on the 1st day of this month, with one exception, the beginning of the Jubilee year (50th year) which begins on the 10th of the month (10th of Tishri) also known as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur in Hebrew). After 49 years (7 Shemitah periods), in the first civil calendar month, the new Jubilee year is distinguished with starting on the 10th Tishri and Ezekiel is indicating the year of his reference was the beginning of the Jubilee (50th ) year. We could question if Ezekiel is referring to the Jewish Civil Calendar or Jewish Religious Calendar as their Religious Calendar begins on the first of Nisan. But the question is answered when we refer to the original Hebrew word used in the Interlinear
Bible. The Jewish people refer to the New Year in the month of Tishri as the ‘Head of the Year’. Head is used to mean beginning, but they are very specific (even today) in referring to the Civil New Year as the ‘Head of the Year’ as opposed to the 1st yearly day of their religious calendar . In the interlinear Bible we find the original Hebrew word used for ‘beginning’ in Ezekiel 40:1, was ‘Rosh’, which means ‘head’ as in beginning. Rosh is where the Jewish name for the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah is derived (Shanah means year).

In the book of Leviticus God addresses the Jewish requirements of keeping the religious sabbaths (inclusive of 7 Feasts), and the religious calendar is being referred to here, as for all religious matters in Israel. Leviticus 25: 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month (7th month per the religious calendar is Tishri); on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year (from Day of Atonement to the next Feast of Trumpets) and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants (including gentiles in Israel). It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family (particularly gentiles held in slavery). (NIV, italics and notes in parenthesis mine) Note that elsewhere in scripture (Deuteronomy 15:12), Hebrews held in indentured slavery, were to be returned every 7-years (Shemitah period), but for gentile servant slaves it was during the 50th Jubilee year.  This act of being freed to return home would have made the Jubilee year quite special to Gentiles held in bondage.  By God’s law in Deuteronomy, Hebrew slaves would have been released from there indentured service the year before (the 49th year).  This is a scriptural subtlety which Gentile Christians should take note of.

So, per Ezekiel’s description, the 14th year after the final fall of Jerusalem (3rd Babylonian siege – which Historians indicate was sometime between 587 and 586 BC), would have been a Jubilee year. The Babylonian Chronicles (Historic tablets discovered in the 19th century and presently housed in the British Museum), only record the 597 BC siege of Jerusalem and this is believed to be when Ezekiel went into captivity. Some historians have slightly different years, but this is the most prevalent belief and Ezekiel’s 25, and 14 years align with the final fall in the spring 586 BC, belief. So, we can surmise the possible Jubilee year that Ezekiel is referring to, was from (Yom Kippur) of 573 BC to (Rosh Hashanah) in 572 BC. Although, we should be careful and recognize the possibility this could be off by year or even a little more based on the accuracy of our historical knowledge. The following is a simple timeline of Ezekiel’s statement based on the best historical knowledge we have to date.  The top line is Ezekiel’s 25 year count of captivity, and the bottom is the man’s calendar year based on Babylonian Cylinder.

   25        24    23    22    21    20    19     18    17    16    15    14    13    12    11     10     9       8      7      6       5      4      3      2        1
597BC, 596, 595, 594, 593, 592, 591, 590, 589, 588, 587, 586, 585, 584, 583, 582, 581, 580, 579, 578, 577, 576, 575, 574, 573BC

We will begin with the assumption of Ezekiel’s Jubilee year began in Sept 573 BC and ended in Sept 572 BC, appreciating this could be off by 1 or more years, and look at the events that would correspond to the various ages of Chaos, Law (Torah) and Grace, and see what is revealed. Per Dr. Johnson, the completion of each of the ages (Chaos, Torah, Grace) would have been followed by the next 50-year Jubilee count, as the transitional Jubilee period into the following age. Having done the math already, Ezekiel’s referenced Jubilee year, would have been the end of the 68th Jubilee count period from 622 BC to 572 BC (50 years). If we count back from here in 50-year increments, we will arrive at the 1st Jubilee period of 3972 BC to 3922 BC. Yom Kippur in 3972 BC was the beginning of God’s calendar count. Ignore the fact this is not year 4000 BC, on Mankind’s earthly calendar, as any error is with Mankind, not God. We are using God’s calendar and the years he scripturally provided in Genesis to count forward. The first Jubilee year would have begun on Yom Kippur 3923 BC until Rosh Hashanah 3922 BC. Rosh Hashanah 3922 BC is the end of the 1st (50 year) Jubilee period. I recognize the terms Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah did not exist this far back in time and are only used as a means of reference. Based on the Age of Chaos as 2000 years (40 Jubilee periods), then the 40th Jubilee period ended in 1972 BC (3972 BC minus 2,000 years is 1972 BC). The 41st Jubilee period would have been the 50-year transitional period (1972 BC to 1922 BC) between the ‘Age of Chaos’ and ‘Age of Torah or Law’. Using the count of years provided in the book of Genesis, we will find that during this 41st Jubilee (transitional) period, Abraham enters the promised land (called Canaan then) in 1949 BC, and God established the Abrahamic covenant with him (Covenant of Pieces) in 1925 BC. God thereby established an everlasting relationship with Abraham and his people for the generations to come. Prior to this (The Age of Chaos) there was no established relationship between God and Mankind in general. This relationship covenant, found in Genesis chapter 15, was the beginning of Mankind’s redemption process and the beginning of a new age (Torah or Law) during this transitional Jubilee count period. As a side note, the Jubilee period count, aligns with the 43rd Jubilee period (1872 BC – 1822 BC) of Abraham’s death in 1849 BC in accordance with the Dead Sea, ‘Book of Jubilee’ findings.

If we continue forward another 2,000 years (40 Jubilee periods) we will find the next transitional 81st Jubilee period (AD 29 – AD 79), whereby the Age of Torah or Law ends (on Rosh Hashanah AD 29) and the Age of Grace transition begins. What occurred during this 50 year transitional Jubilee period was a new everlasting (new wine) covenant, established by God, available to all mankind who accepted him in the form of Jesus and the redemptive penalty he paid on their behalf. While the previous transitional 41st Jubilee period started the redemption process via a Jewish relationship with God, this 81st Jubilee period completed the process (on the cross) with a gentile inclusive relationship with God (Jesus). The Jewish temple was destroyed in AD 70 as it was no longer required in this new covenant Age of Grace. Note for those of you doing your own math (you should), a reminder that there was not a year zero between 1 BC and AD 1 (AD 1 followed directly after 1 BC). As a special note, some theologians speculate that it was on Yom Kippur, that Jesus read from the beginning of Isaiah chapter 61 (see Luke 4:17-21) in the Synagogue. Per our Jubilee count this day would have been the beginning of the (50th) Jubilee year AD 28 -AD 29 . The 1st year of Jesus’s ministry would then have been a Jubilee year facilitating more free time among the Jewish population, to listen to the preaching’s of John the Baptist and Jesus’s sermons. But remember our Ezekiel Jubilee year basis, could be off by a few years based on historical accuracy, so this is just an interesting speculation.

Continuing forward another 2,000 years through the ‘Age of Grace’ (often referred to as the Church Age today), we come to the next transitional 121st Jubilee period (AD 2029 – AD 2079) which enters in the final Messianic Age of 1,000 years. We are currently (2023)
in the 120th Jubilee period, but in approximately 6 years it appears we will enter the transitional Jubilee 50-year period that begins the Messianic age.  But the Messianic age would formally begin in 2029. Remember Genesis 6: 3  Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years (counts).” (NIV, italics and note in parenthesis mine). The actual Hebrew word used for ‘contend’ is ‘Yadown’ and it specifically means ‘to judge’. Other usages are, execute judgement, and vindicate. So based on the historical accuracy limitation of Ezekiel’s Jubilee year, God’s judgement and vindication period should begin sometime after the later part of year 2029.

During this coming transitional 121st Jubilee period of 50 years the following will occur.

• Jesus’s Bride will be gathered to her heavenly estate (possibly before).
• Daniel’s seventh week  will be completed.
• Satan will be bound for 1,000 years.
• The Millennium (4th ) temple will be established, and the lands of Israel will
  be divided again and allocated to its 12 tribes (see Ezekiel chapters 40 – 48).

Some may be inclined to equate the coming Jubilee year at the end of this decade with Jesus’s gathering of his Bride. While this is a possibility, as is any other year, it is best to approach this with hope, and certainly not with firm expectations. Remember this analysis is based on the best-known historical information available, subject to be off by a few years, and it is only speculation that his Bride would be gathered at or around the Jubilee year. We should only hope, as we would any other day or year. What this does establish is the current generation is the generation which will see the fulfillment of some or all these transitional Jubilee period events, and we should be equally prepared throughout all the coming days and years, Maranatha.

In next months Newsletter (December), we will address how this Calendar further aligns with Jesus’s birth and ministry.

Please don’t forget to subscribe. If you purchase this book ‘AWAKE’ from Amazon, then kindly take a few minutes to leave a simple and honest book review on Amazon. This act of kindness and faithful service to our master, will help to share these End Times findings with other fellow Christians and potential Christians. Matthew 24: 45  “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  46  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. (NIV)