Feast of the LORD #4 - Pentecost - Counting 50 to the Year of Jubilee - Part 2

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Did you know the Year of Jubilee can only be proclaimed to begin on the Day of Atonement? (Tweet that!) In Hebrew the Day of Atonement is called Yom Kippur. 

God gave these instructions through Moses in Leviticus 25:8-10:

You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.

The Day of Atonement is the 10^th of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar. This year in 2014, that is October 4^th and we will talk more about the Day of Atonement as we approach that date. (Tweet that!)

The Day of Atonement is the sixth of the seven Feasts of the LORD. When this day is proclaimed, the trumpet is sounded in Israel. (Tweet that!)

According to the teaching of Mark Biltz, when Jesus stood up and read Isaiah 61:1-2, he was proclaiming the Year of Jubilee. (Tweet that!)

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,    because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives    and recovering of sight to the blind,    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:14-21, ESV).

Jesus stunned the people when he announced that he was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2 right before their very eyes. (Tweet that!) For more on Jesus fulfilling this prophecy see chapter 10 in my newest book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. (Tweet that!)

Related Articles:

• Saturday, May 24 - 35 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost
• Tuesday, May 27 - 38 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost Before the book of Acts
• Thursday, May 29 - 40 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost - The Second Feasts that Required Attendance
• Saturday, May 31 - 42 Omer - Feast of the LORD #4 - Pentecost - Counting 50 to the Year of Jubliee - Part 1

Feast of the LORD #4 - Pentecost - Counting 50 to the Year of Jubilee - Part 1

Morguefile.com

The counting of the omer, or the count-up to Pentecost, is not the only thing that is counted in 50s in the Bible. You may have heard of the Year of Jubilee, which was celebrated every 50 years in Israel.

When the Israelites came in to the Promised Land, God told them through Moses that they were to work the ground as farmers and take crops for six years, and the seventh year the land was to observe a Sabbath rest. (See Leviticus 25:1-7.)

Furthermore, the Israelites were then to count off seven Sabbath years, or seven groups of seven years which equals forty-nine years, and the next year, the fiftieth, was proclaimed to be the Year of Jubilee.

What happened in the Year of Jubilee? (Tweet that!) In the instructions God gave through Moses in Leviticus 25:8-55:

• All property that was bought or sold during the past 49 years returned to the original owner. The price had been set according to how many years before this occurred. 
• Anyone who had become poor and became a hired worked (not a slave – Israelites could not take Israelites as slaves), was to be released to return home to his own clan in the Year of Jubliee.

Debts were forgiven and slaves were set free in the Year of Jubilee. (Tweet that!) 

When land was sold, a person had a right to re-purchase or "redeem" that land. If he was too poor to do so, a relative, or "kinsman," of his could buy it for him to keep it in the family. This is where the "right of redemption" (of land) and the idea of the "kinsman redeemer" come from. We see the "kinsman redeemer" displayed in the book of Ruth as Boaz does this for Naomi and her son's widow, Ruth. (Tweet that!) 

You might wonder why God instructed all of this. It is because the land of Israel belongs to Him and is never to be sold permanently.

The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me (Leviticus 25:23).

Furthermore, the people of Israel were freed from slavery in Egypt and were never to be slaves again. They are free forever.

Why did God give these regulations? So that the Promised Land of Israel would never leave Israeli possession and so the people would be forever free. (Tweet that!) 

This is a picture of heaven: it is owned by God, it will always be there, and the people who reside in heaven will be free of sin and slavery forever. (Tweet that!)  Isn't that a beautiful picture?

Related Articles:

• Saturday, May 24 - 35 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost
• Tuesday, May 27 - 38 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost Before the book of Acts
• Thursday, May 29 - 40 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost - The Second Feasts that Required Attendance

The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD

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What are the Feasts of the LORD? God gave seven Feasts to the Jews in Leviticus 23. These were Feasts the Jewish people were required to keep, and they continue to observe and celebrate them to this day. 

In some translations of the Bible, such as the newer (2011) New International Version (NIV) as well as the New Living Translation (NLT), they are not called "feasts" but are called "festivals."

It's important to notice these are not the Feasts of the Jews. These are Feasts of the LORD. They belong not just to the Jewish people but to everyone who belongs to the LORD.

The seven Feasts of the LORD have both historical meaning and prophetic meaning.

By "historical" I mean these Feasts point back in time to a certain time in history and the Feast is designed to remind the Jews (and all of us) of what God did for the Jewish people at that time in history.

By "prophetic" I mean these Feasts also point forward in time to something God said He would do in the future. Now, these Feasts were given in the time of Moses, who lived approximate 1500 years before Christ, so some of what was "future" in that time is now past history to us. In other words the prophetic/future meaning for some of these feasts is in our past. And we can clearly see it since we now have the benefit of looking back in hindsight.

The prophetic meaning of the first four of the seven Feasts of the LORD were fulfilled in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophetic meaning of the last three of the seven Feasts of the LORD will be fulfilled in his second coming.

Some people don't believe Jesus is coming again. Their disbelief does not affect that truth that he will indeed come again—and that time is growing near. (Tweet that!) Two reasons we can be so confident he will indeed come again are:

• The fact that he has already fulfilled four of the seven Feasts in his first coming
• The fact that three of the seven Feasts have yet to be fulfilled.

The first three Feasts occur in spring. Then there's a break of fifty days to Pentecost.

Then the last three Feasts occur in fall of the year.

Here are the seven Feasts (or festivals) of the LORD in the order they occur annually along with the historical event or meaning, the prophetic event or meaning (Tweet that!), and the Scripture backup for that event:

1. Passover, which points historically to when the Passover Lamb is slain. Prophetically, Christ was our Passover Lamb, slain for the sins of the world (all who will accept that). 1 Corinthians 5:7
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated by eating only bread without leaven. Historically it points to when the children of Israel left slavery in Egypt in haste with no time to let bread rise. In the Bible leaven often symbolizes sin. Prophetically, Jesus Christ, who was without sin, was buried and in the grave for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. The Feast of First Fruits historically commemorates and thanks God for the first of the harvest after the Israelites entered the Promised Land. Prophetically, Jesus Christ is the first of the harvest, the first raised from dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Revelation 1:5
4. Pentecost, historically commemorates the giving of the Law by God to Moses. Prophetically, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the giving of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost. Acts 2
5. The first in the fall is the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Yom Teruah or Rosh HaShana. The Feast of Trumpets, historically, is associated with the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn trumpet). Prophetically, it is connected to the resurrection of the dead and/or the Rapture. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
6. Historically, on the Day of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur, the High Priest enters Holy of Holies to atone for the people's sins. Every fiftieth year on this day, the Year of Jubilee is proclaimed. Prophetically, Jesus Christ will come again to get his people whose sins are atoned for. Mark 15:37-38, Hebrews 10:19-21
7. The final Feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. Historically this celebrates the completion of the harvest. Prophetically, the harvest of souls from the earth is complete and God comes to live or "tabernacle" with us. Revelation 14:15-16

NASA projects there will be a full lunar eclipse on both Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, the first and the last annual Feast of the LORD, in 2014 and then the same repeats in 2015. (Tweet that!)

Do you find this fascinating?

Who do you know who would like this information? Who would you like to share this with? Please use the share buttons at the bottom of this post to share it with others. Thank you.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

Tomorrow we will look at what in nature (apart from God doing something supernatural) can cause the moon to turn red like blood. (Tweet that!)

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.) 

Jesus was The LORD’s Goat

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In the previous post last Friday, we talked about the Scapegoat, one of the two goats used in the ceremony called the "Day of Atonement." The other goat is called "the LORD's goat," and it was sacrificed as an offering for sin.

"Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering" (Leviticus 16:7-9).

Jesus fulfilled the roles of both the goats: the scapegoat and the sin offering.

After the sin offering had been sacrificed, it was carried outside the camp (in Moses' day when the Israelites where camping in the wilderness) or outside the city (of Jerusalem in Jesus' day). This is because the camp or the city of Jerusalem is symbolic of the place where God lives, where God visits His people, where God’s presence resides. And in the presence of God, there is no sin.

This is why sinful – or sin-filled – people cannot enter God's presence. He will not allow it. (Tweet that!)

In order to enter God's presence, the sin of sinful people (which includes us all, even you) must be dealt with. This is what Jesus did. (Tweet that!) Jesus came to be both:

• our Scapegoat, carrying our sins far away where they can never return, and
• our sacrifice for our sins.

"Carrying his own cross, he went out [outside the city] to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him…" (John 19:17-18).

Jesus was the LORD's goat, our sin offering.

Jesus Your Scapegoat

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Did you know the term we use today – the "scapegoat" – came from the Bible? (Tweet that!)

When God gave Moses the whole plan for substitute stand-in sacrifices for us, one of the ceremonies He gave was for the "Day of Atonement" in Leviticus 16. This ceremony included two goats. One of those goats was the scapegoat. (We'll look at the other goat tomorrow.)

Leviticus 16:21-22 tells us about what the Priest was to do:

"He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert" (NIV 1984).

This scapegoat was then banished forever from the camp of the people. It was never allowed back inside the camp (or city) where the people lived.

The ceremony of the scapegoat was a prophecy of what Messiah would do when he came. He would become the people's Scapegoat.

All the sins of the people (both Israelites/Jews* and gentiles who are willing to accept this free gift from him) can be put on the head of this Scapegoat and he will carry them on himself. He will take them to a solitary place where those sins will be banished forever, never allowed to return! (Tweet that!)

This is what Jesus, the Messiah, did when he carried our sins away. For whoever will allow him, he will carry their sins away to be banished forever, never to return. (Tweet that!)

Have you said "Yes" to Jesus, your Scapegoat? (Tweet that!)

*In general, the term "Israelite" is used in the Old Testament of the Bible (the time before Jesus) and the term "Jew" is used in the New Testament (the time after Jesus' birth).

All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us…!”

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After Pontius Pilate spoke with Jesus, Pilate tried to get out of making a decision about Jesus by giving the people a chance to release him. But the person the people chose to be released was not Jesus. Instead they chose the criminal Barabbas.

So Pilate washed his hands of all responsibility in the matter – he literally washed his hands to demonstrate this symbolically.

This whole scene had to play out as it did because it was not just the Jewish leaders who conspired to bring about the death of Jesus. And it was not just the Roman leaders or Pilate or the soldiers who did it.

It was the people who crucified Jesus. (Tweet that!)

When Pilate washed his hands of the matter and declared to all the people, "I am innocent of this man's blood… It is your responsibility!" (Matthew 27:24), this is what happened next:

"All the people answered, 'Let his blood be on us and on our children!' " (Matthew 27:25).

Isn't that amazing? Do you think the crowd knew what they were saying? Was this crowd speaking prophecy...that Jesus' blood would be upon them? And upon their children?

For it is the blood of Jesus shed for us that brings us eternal life. His blood atones for our sins. (Tweet that!)

His blood shed instead of ours. His life for your life. His life for my life. (Tweet that!)

It is blood that makes atonement. That is how God set up the whole blood sacrifice system. This is what God said through Moses in Leviticus 17:11*:

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

It is the blood that makes atonement for us. Previously it was the blood of sacrificed animals. Until Jesus. Now it is the blood of Jesus that makes atonement for all who will accept it.

If we do not accept this, if his blood is not on us, then we are not saved.

The prophecy the people spoke has been fulfilled:

For all those people throughout the ages who refuse to accept the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, his blood is on their hands, they are guilty, and there is no forgiveness.

For all the people who have accepted the blood of Jesus to make atonement for their sin, they are saved because his blood is on them cleansing them from all sin.

Generations later, we are the children of the people who spoke those words.

Amen. Let his blood be on us! And on our children. (Tweet that!)


*Special note: on these blog posts I often quote the New International Version (1984), which is no longer available online or in stores. That is why the links go to a different version, most likely the English Standard Version, which might be my new favorite version of the Bible. I'm not sure because I haven't decided yet.