Chapter 5 - The Jubilee.

The Gospel is based on the Jubilee - ‘The Acceptable Year of God’s Grace.’ It is the Good-News that salvation is a Free-Gift, bought by the sacrifice of Christ. The Old Testament Jubilees give us photos of the fulfilment in Christ. 

The First Great JUBILEE - The EXODUS
1) Salvation (freedom) was based on a sacrifice (the Passover Lamb), which paid the price for redemption from slavery in Egypt and deliverance from the evil kingdom and from God’s Judgement on that kingdom. Christ is our Passover Lamb whose blood paid the price for our redemption from the slavery of sin and deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and God’s Judgement. 

This was the basis for a great exchange: 
Freedom for slavery and oppression, 
health for sickness, 
full provision for poverty, 
light (presence of God) for darkness, 
the blessing of the kingdom of God
for the curse of the kingdom of darkness; 
victory for defeat by enemies,
joy for mourning.

2) The purchased blessings were manifest through proclamation (by Moses): “God’s power is here, you can walk out free from Egypt.” It was a message of salvation by GOD’S GRACE. God’s Kingdom came by the words of Moses, overwhelming the power of Egypt, so they could walk free. When he gospel is preached and you believe and confess Jesus as Lord, satan is made powerless (by the anointing) to stop your salvation, he must pull back. Pharaoh tried to stop them and found this out - God just turned up the power! 

The gospel called for a faith response: ‘Eat the lamb and apply the blood (accept and confess the sacrifice of Christ), go out of Egypt (the kingdom of satan) and go into and possess the land (your inheritance in God’s kingdom) and reclaim your lost possessions”.

3) The result was a Great Exchange. What was lost is restored, a new start, a new-birth, the past buried in the sea. Mourning (of what’s lost) is turned to joy (for it is restored). This restoration is SALVATION. It is paid for by the atoning sacrifice (GRACE) - to be received through FAITH.

4) On the Day of Pentecost, the GLORY came down on mount Sinai, and they entered into a new Covenant with God. But they could not enter into the fullness of God’s Presence because of sin. 3000 died, but in the Great Jubilee (Acts 2) when the church entered the New Covenant, 3000 came alive and enjoyed the fullness of the Spirit. 

Every 49 Years on the Day of Atonement was a JUBILEE (Leviticus 25)

1) THE ATONING SACRIFICE must first be made, which paid the price for God's grace to be available. The scapegoat carried the sin and curse away. Thus a great exchange was accomplished in the Spirit. Sin went to satan, forgiveness to the people. Ownership deeds of slaves and property were exchanged at the central - office, for Jubilee meant everything was to be restored to it’s original owner and state. 

2) The proclamation by trumpets and preachers: 
‘It’s Jubilee, the sacrifice is made, God’s grace is available.”  This message made the grace available to people, for only then could they claim their freedom and possessions. So they would say: ‘how beautiful are the feet of them that preach Jubilee good-news of salvation’ (Isaiah 52:7).
When anyone heard and believed the Jubilee trumpet they would then blow their own trumpet (shofar) so that the message of Jubilee would quickly spead.  Likewise when we believe the Gospel we should become a witness. 

3. When they heard and believed an exchange happened:
Property for poverty (lost possessions restored), 
forgiveness for debts, 
healing for broken heartedness (families restored), 
slavery and bondage for freedom
and joy (JUBILATION) for mourning. 
A NEW START.

After every 490 YEARS was a GREAT JUBILEE. 
*The next Great Jubilee Year saw the DEDICATION of the TEMPLE (2 Chronicles 5-7).

1. ATONING SACRIFICE - (5:6,7:5).

2. Proclamation (5:11-13)- 120 Trumpets - proclaiming God’s GRACE.

3. The Glory (Spirit, Anointing) filled the house (5:13,14, 7:13). It is a picture of what God wanted to do in the New Birth.He did not just want to be WITH man but IN man, fully united to us! We are the Temple of the Holy-Spirit. The result was again great joy (7:10).

The next Great Jubilee, 490 Years later, at 458BC saw the decree of Ezra at to restore Jerusalem at the time of the Return from Captivity from Babylon (Psalm 126).

The next Great Jubilee was predicted to be 490 years later at AD 33 and was prophesied to be the fulfillment of all Jubilees through the Coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:24). 

What did man lose in the fall? 
RIGHTEOUSNESS (Relationship, significance and standing with God) 
- Man fell into sin. 

A place in GOD’S KINGDOM
- He fell under satan's dominion. 

PEACE (Fellowship with God, HARMONY, WHOLENESS
- He fell into fear and anxiety. 

The Presence (Spirit) of God with and within 
- He became separated from God). 

LIGHT (He fell into darkness and became lost). 

FREEDOM (He fell into oppression) 

DOMINION (He fell into slavery) 

HEALTH - He fell into sickness. 

LIFE - He fell into death (John 10:10).

PROVISION - He fell into poverty. 

JOY - He fell into depression. 

BLESSING -He fell under the curse. 

We needed an exchange! We need the righteousness, joy and peace of God’s Kingdom (Romans 14:17). We needed someone to take the sin and curse away and give us righteousness and blessing (life). 

Jubilee is the announcement that: 'by Christ’ sacrifice the price is paid (redemption) for this exchange (reconciliation), so restoration (salvation) is now available and it’s free. God has done all the work in Christ (grace), and it’s simply received by faith. The power (Spirit) is here now for this to happen - receive the power of God for salvation, joy etc.

Isaiah 61 is the great prophecy of this final Jubilee for man, to be accomplished by the MESSIAH: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the Acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:1,2a). Jesus fulfilled this in His ministry, preaching and bringing FORGIVENESS (of those in a prison of past sins and guilt), HEALING and DELIVERANCE and OPENING of eyes (those lost in darkness would see the light of truth) (Luke 4:18-21). 

BUT, this was only part of the Jubilee. That’s why He closed the book and only claimed to fulfill these verses. WHY? - until He died as our sacrifice the full Jubilee could not happen. Even the healing and forgiveness in His ministry was paid for by the Cross - on credit (Matthew 8:16,17). God wanted to do much more - but until he took our sin and rose again - the New-Birth of our spirit was impossible, where our old-man is crucified with him and new-man is born made alive by Christ’s resurrection-life. This is why Jesus told his disciples in John 14:12 that they would preach and do His works (healing and deliverance) and greater works because He was going to the Father. This refers to His death, burial resurrection and ascension - bringing in the full Jubilee by pouring out the Holy-Spirit.

WHAT’s NEW - what are these greater works?

(1) THE NEW BIRTH, becoming THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD with FULL ENTRY into the KINGDOM OF GOD (John 3:3-16, Luke 7:28). Before dead saints went to Hades, but now, to Heaven.

(2) The HOLY-SPIRIT DWELLING WITHIN US (John 4:14)

(3) The FULLNESS (Baptism) of the SPIRIT (John 7:37-39).  
Jesus has done the work for us to enter fully enter into the Kingdom and for it to enter into us. He only opened the door in His death and resurrection. 

Shortly before His death He prepared them for these new blessings - 

John 14:16,17 (the Spirit within);

26,27 (His peace within); 

15:11 (His fullness of joy), 

v26,27 (His power to witness) 

John 16:7 (it will be better!) 

16:20-24 (our sorrow turned into joy); 

 33 (The victory in Christ) 

17:13 (His joy in us) 

13:34 (His love within).

Also after the resurrection Jesus prepared them for the new day of the fullness of the Spirit (Acts 1:4,5,8).

So, how is the rest of Isaiah 61 to be fulfilled? 
The next line is to preach: “the day of vengeance of our God” (v2b).

In God’s PLAN-A (for full Jubilee restoration): 

1. Israel accepts Christ and her Jubilee.

2. Coming Judgement (the day of vengeance) is announced on God’s enemies as a warning to repent. 

3. Israel enters new covenant on the day of Pentecost, with the Spirit poured out upon all Israel (Jeremiah 31:31,34, Ezekial 36:25-28; Joel 2:28-32, Daniel 9:24, Isaiah 61:3-10 would have been fulfilled by Israel in AD33).

4. The world is Judged and Israel’s Kingdom is restored and Christ rules from Zion.

However as a nation, Israel rejected her Jubilee (Jesus) but Isaiah 61:2-10 will still be fulfilled.

So God moved to PLAN-B 

1. Israel rejects her Jubilee

2. In his last year Jesus warns Israel of Judgement
(A day of vengeance for rejecting Him) - fulfilled in AD 70. Judgement (the Day of the Lord) on the world is postponed 2000 years and Israel’s restoration is postponed (so for Israel Isaiah 61:3-10 is future)

3. However the full Jubilee spiritual blessings Jesus died and paid for are still made available for ‘whosoever’ believes (Jew or Gentiles). These individuals who hear the trumpet-call become the church (‘ecclesia’ - ‘the called out ones’). The new covenant in Christ’s blood is now for all. Thus we can partake of ‘the power of the age to come’(Hebrews 6:5). Now Jeremiah 31:31, Ezekial 36, Joel 2:28 is fulfilled for us. 

The exchange of Isaiah 61:3-10 belongs to us: ‘to comfort all that mourn. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the OIL OF JOY for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified”. (v3) 

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (v10)

4. After the Church-Age, will be the Judgement of the world (Isaiah 61:2b) and the Kingdom is restored to Israel(when Isaiah 61:3-10) is fulfilled for them. 

So there is a TIME GAP of the fulfillment to Israel - between Isaiah 61:2a,b. In that gap is the church and the full Jubilee blessings are for us, now that the Atonement of Christ is made. This came to pass in the day of Pentecost through the outpouring of the Spirit upon all (Acts 2:1-4).

Peter explained the meaning of this in Acts 2:15-21: “This is that spoken by the prophet Joel...’I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh... I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable Day of the Lord come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. 

This prophecy of Joel was NOT fully fulfilled in AD33.  Because of Israel’s rejection of Christ the fulfillment is postponed. However God still poured out His Spirit on any who would believe, so Peter said “This is that’ rather than ‘this is the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. The spiritual blessings of the new-covenant were made available but the nation of Israel did not enter into the new-covenant. Jesus was raised into fullness of joy, through receiving the full anointing of the Holy-Spirit - He entered his personal Jubilee in his resurrection (Hebrews 1:9, 12:2; Acts 2:28,31). 

‘This Jesus has God raised up.. Therefore being by the right-hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has shed forth this, which ye now see and hear...ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, your children, and to all afar off” (Acts 2:32-33, 38,39).

The Fullness of the Holy-Spirit and His Joy are available to us now. When we believe we are made righteous (2Corinthians 5:21) and enter the Kingdom of God which is: “Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the HOLY SPIRIT”. (Romans 14:17). Now we have full access into His Presence (Spirit) where there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11, Acts 2:28).