Ezekiel’s Jubilee
Tishri 10, Yom Kippur, 576 BCE to Tishri 9, 575 BCE
by
Gene Benjamin II
Copyright 2009-2012 CE, all rights reserved.
Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of Yahweh to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
Matthew 13:45, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Isaiah 28:10, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
Matthew 11:25, “At that time Yeshua answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”
Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says Yahweh: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says Yahweh.”
1 Corinthians 8:1b-3, “We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3But if anyone loves Yahweh, this one is known by Him.”
When I first wrote this article in 2009 CE, I had only received one of Ezekiel’s synchronistic pearls, from Ezekiel 1:1-2. Recently, Yahweh showed me more treasure in Ezekiel’s other chronology pearl in Ezekiel 40:1. As I update this article with the new information, I hope you will see the significance of Ezekiel’s synchronisms on Scriptural chronology, Hebrew history, and end-time prophecy. Ezekiel has given us a diamond-studded spine to world and Hebrew history. Yahweh and His inerrant Scriptures reign supreme again!!
As I was working on my 6,000-line spreadsheet timeline of scriptural His-story, I came across an amazing Scripture. Ezekiel, during a time of great upheaval in Judah’s final days, made a fascinating statement during his sixth year in exile in Babylon as seen in Ezekiel 1:1-3, “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of the Mighty One. 2On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was upon him there.”
Ezekiel begins his prophetic career and his book with these astonishing statements. Notice that Ezekiel stated the fifth day of the month twice, so you will understand that 4-5 in the 30th year of some seemingly unknown calendar was EXACTLY the same as 4-5 in Jehoiachin’s 5th year of captivity. Jehoiachin’s 5th year of imprisonment also happened to be Ezekiel’s 6th year of captivity in Babylon. But what is that reference to the 30th year?
ü It was Nebuchadnezzar’s 12th year (13th per Hebrew reckoning) as king of Babylon.
ü It was Zedekiah’s 5th year as the last king of Judah.
ü It was Jeremiah’s 34th year of prophetic ministry.
ü It was the 14th year since the beginning of Judah’s captivity deportations in 608 BCE (E. Faulstich’s year 3393), (see Daniel 1:1-7).
ü It was 29 years since finding the book of the Law by Hilkiah the priest in 624 BCE.
ü It was Jehoiachin’s 5th year of imprisonment.
ü It was Ezekiel’s 6th year of captivity.
ü The Shemitah 7 year Sabbath cycle doesn’t have enough numbered years to be relevant here.
ü It was only the 9th year in Richard Clover’s/Hezekiah’s 17th Jubilee cycle.
Hebrews like Ezekiel, especially the prophets, only mentioned the fact that someone was born, reigned, or died, like in Genesis 5 and 11 and in the books of Kings and Chronicles. So, since Ezekiel was not mentioned in any genealogy list, we don’t know how old Ezekiel was when he was taken captive to Babylon, therefore, it’s highly unlikely that Ezekiel was writing about his birth year or year of life. So what is that 30th year referring to? Was he referring to his own birth year? I don’t believe so. Birthday parties were for kings (Matthew 14:6), not prophets (Matthew 14:10). Hold on to your spectacles . . .
As I laid out all these dated events on my 6,000-line spreadsheet, it appeared that the ONLY year that the 30th year could be referring to was the 30th year of the 20th Jubilee cycle, from the Jordan River Crossing. That puts Ezekiel’s double-date mention of his tracking of the 20th Jubilee cycle in Ezekiel 1:1-2, into the year 595 BCE, or 4-5-3406 (E. Faulstich’s calendar conversion year), fall reckoning, on my scriptural history calendar (Jewish year 3167). Ezekiel’s 30th year of the 20th Jubilee Cycle occurred in 595 BCE.
Ezekiel’s notation of the years ties EXACTLY into the 30th year of the 20th Jubilee cycle of his day, thus synchronizing with all other known Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles throughout Hebrew history. That’s no accident. When he was ready to write or dictate, he glanced at his calendar, however primitive we may think that was, and chose the only year date that he could relate to from the Judah he used to know and still loved. Ezekiel used Yahweh’s Jubilee and Sabbatical calendar that was his duty as a priest to keep track of. The priests, and now we know the prophets too, were the expert calendar keepers of Ezekiel and Daniel’s day. I am surprised that Ezekiel used Jehoiachin’s 5th year of imprisonment, instead of King Zedekiah’s current regnal year, in his introduction to his book. Maybe he didn’t recognize Zedekiah’s puppet authority. It is a remote possibility that Ezekiel did not know who, or even if, there was a king on the throne in Jerusalem, since he was taken into exile when King Jehoiakim was captured and killed in 600 BCE, during the SECOND DEPORTATION, as mentioned in Jeremiah 52:28, the 7th year of King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian reckoning. Ezekiel received word of the destruction of Jerusalem in his 12th year of captivity on 10-05-3412 (Faulstich) = January 3, 588 BCE, about five months after Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in the summer of 589 BCE, per Ezekiel 33:21, “And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has been captured!” Notice how exact Ezekiel is in his use of months, days, and years.
ü 1st year of Jerusalem’s destruction in 3412 (Faulstich) = 589 BCE, so he could not have been talking about that year in Ezek. 1:1, in 595 BCE, 7 years (inclusive reckoning) before it happened.
I was so jubilant when I discovered Ezekiel’s reference to the 30th year of the 20th Jubilee cycle that I couldn’t sleep! These dates are further locked in with another synchronized double-date reference Ezekiel made in 40:1, “In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of Yahweh was upon me; and He took me there.” This is truly wonderful! This just happens to be the year of the 20th Jubilee in 576 BCE, that began on Tishri 10, or 7-10-3425 (Faulstich), on my scriptural history calendar! Let me share with you briefly what is so exciting about Ezekiel 40:1. The phrase “at the beginning of the year” literally means in the Hebrew, “at Rosh Hashanah”. Every Jew knows what Rosh Hashanah is, the beginning of the new Jewish civil year in the fall of the year, which usually starts on Tishri 1. But notice Ezekiel emphatically stated that Rosh Hashanah was on Yom Kippur, Tishri 10 in 576 BCE. What do the Jewish sages say about Rosh Hashanah beginning on Tishri 10 instead of on Tishri 1? It is the Jubilee Year!! Ezekiel went to extra lengths to make sure the reader knows that he is talking about the Jubilee year. He not only stated Rosh Hashanah, he not only mentioned it was on the tenth day, he wrote a phrase, “on the very same day”, to show the reader how special this date was. Synchronizing Ezekiel 1:1-2 with 40:1 meshes the gears in Yahweh’s Jubilee Calendar. Even Yeshua’s statement 86 Sabbatical years later in 28 CE in John 4:35 synchronizes Ezekiel’s Sabbatical (the Jubilee) year with Yeshua’s Sabbatical year, during His earthly ministry! Ezekiel made his Jubilee statement in the fall when the Sabbatical year began, Yeshua made His Sabbatical year statement in the late spring, at Pentecost of the Sabbatical year, four months before it was over, John 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” The fields were white (ripe) unto harvest (between Passover and Pentecost in 28 CE), but the Israelis could not harvest the grain, because it was a Sabbath year!!
This beautiful double-date chronological reference in Ezekiel 40:1, combined with Ezekiel 1:1-2’s synchronized chronological date reference, helped me begin to tie down the collapse of Judah scenario. It has taken many weeks (now years), but wow, it’s worth it, to accept Yahweh’s Word as my final authority. Think of Ezekiel’s chronology statements in 1:1-2 and 40:1 as two cogs in the gearwheel of Yahweh’s Jubilee clock works. Ezekiel 1:1-2 is the 30th year of the 20th Jubilee Cycle; Ezekiel 40:1 is the 49th year of the 20th Jubilee Cycle!! These discoveries, these revelations, if you will, are breathtaking when considering they synchronize with all known Sabbatical years throughout Hebrew history, right up to the present. The implications for our end-time lives are truly amazing. Time is short. According to Ezekiel, priest and prophet of Yahweh, the 73rd Jubilee will begin on Yom Kippur, 2022 CE, (6022, Faulstich)! Is 2022 CE a possible year for Yeshua’s return? Of course it is!! THAT’S 10 1/2 YEARS FROM TODAY, MY FRIENDS!! Plenty of time to squeeze in a 7-year tribulation period! As a side note, another thing Ezekiel 40:1 does is blow away the idea that Ezekiel was using a spring reckoning on his calendar and in his chronological statements. Ezekiel was purposely using a fall reckoning calendar!! Sorry, Mr. Clover, sorry Mr. Faulstich! Dr Ernest Martin got it correct with the Sabbatical years described in his book, The Star of Bethlehem: The Star that Astonished the World. Dr. Martin used the Sabbatical years discovered by Professor Wacholder, of Hebrew Union College.
The dates of 4-5-3406 (Faulstich) = 595 BCE (the 30th year of the 20th Jubilee Cycle = Ezekiel’s 6th year in exile) and 7-10-3425 (Faulstich) = 576 BCE (the 49th year of the 20th Jubilee Cycle = Ezekiel’s 25th year in exile) are locked in about as tight as you can get dates in the scriptural record tied down. Ezekiel’s 20th Jubilee year, which is also the 7th Sabbatical year in the Jubilee Cycle, ties to all other known Sabbatical years in history. It doesn’t get much tighter than that for scriptural history and chronology verification! You throw Ezekiel’s statements into the mix of known history and Hebrew chronology (including Yeshua’s Sabbatical year (fall 27 CE to fall of 28 CE) statement in John 4:35 and Isaiah’s Sabbatical year prophecy to Hezekiah, in his 14th year, in Isaiah 37:30, in 716 BCE), and you’ve got a three-strand cord of evidence that’s not easily refuted! Ezekiel gave us two separate years that synchronize together with the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. We only need two or three witnesses to substantiate our case. And what method of Scripture interpretation did we use? Let Scripture interpret Scripture. We have rightly divided the Word of truth. We don’t have to bend, stretch, or twist the truth of the Scriptures, but the secular historians may have to adjust Babylonian history to conform to the truth. Most scholars believe Judah fell and the Temple was destroyed in the summer of 587 BCE. Eugene Faulstich declared it happened in the summer of 588 BCE, and astronomically proved it! I have just proven from the Scriptures alone (Sola Scriptura) that the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple destruction occurred in the summer of 589 BCE, during a Sabbatical year (fall 590 to fall 589 BCE), exactly 14 years before Ezekiel 40:1’s fourteenth year statement in 576 BCE!! History and you will have to judge as to the correct year.
I looked at setting all these dates in place with what I read in Scripture dictionaries, encyclopedias and other references, but to no avail. Every author and editor has his own opinion on dates. Mind bending and heart rending, but I decided to take my Master at His Word, and the scenario just unfolded like it was scripted. All thanks, praise and glory to Him to the world-age! I love you Yahweh. I love you Yeshua (Yahu Yahweh). My timeline is not perfect, but some parts of it are becoming solid as the Rock.
Now, what was the significance of this discovery for believers in 2009 CE, or 6009 (on Faulstich’s) scriptural history calendar, when I first received this revelation? First, 2009 was a Shemitah, or Sabbatical rest year of release, as many of you already know, from Tishri 1, 2008 through Elul 30, 2009. Relax and just let it go. What is the theme of the rest year? Release: let the land and workers and beasts of burden rest. Second, we were in the 36th year of the 73rd Jubilee cycle. Third, that means the 73rd Jubilee year begins on 7-10-6022, in the fall of 2022 CE. Fourth, you have about 10 ½ years to get ready to celebrate the 73rd Jubilee year of release of 2022/2023 CE. What is the theme of the Jubilee? Release: forgiveness of all kinds of debts, from sin debts to financial debts, and everything in between. Fifth, we are 1,982 years past the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of our Master Yeshua HaMashiach, which means we are very close to His return on the Third Day, which begins on 7-1-6031 (fall 2031 CE).
Yeshua may wait until the 73rd Jubilee Year, in 2022 CE (6022), but expect Yeshua to come soon, because He does things according to His divine calendar. I don’t know when Yeshua will return, but I would watch the Shemitah 7-year cycle from 2015/16 to 2022/23 CE very very closely. If we make it past the 73rd Jubilee Year in 2022/23, I’d be surprised. But Spring 2030 CE (6030) marks the 2000th anniversary of our Master’s resurrection and ascension. The 7th month of 6030 could prove exciting also. None of us knows the day or the hour He will return, but He is coming back! This is our hope! This is our redemption! This is our immortality calling!
Tim McHyde, one of the best prophecy teachers I’ve found, recently wrote an article explaining why Yeshua won’t return in 2012 or any year soon. Here’s a quoted paragraph from that article, BEGIN QUOTE:
“List Of Legal Prerequisites To Jesus’ Return
So, what are these prerequisites? I can give you many examples. (Examples are in reverse chronological order.)
1. Great Tribulation — According to Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15, Jesus must return after a Great Tribulation. During this Great Tribulation the Antichrist will rule over the world for 42 months (Rev 13). He will force everyone to take a mark in their right hand or forehead during that time. Plainly, we are not in the Great Tribulation and no mark of the beast has been issued yet.
2. Abomination of Desolation — This Great Tribulation starts 30 days (the 1290 – the 1260 days) after the Abomination of Desolation is stood up on the Temple Mount (Mk 13:14). The abomination refers to the Image of the Beast statue being erected for worship (Rev 13:11). Another unfulfilled prophecy.
3. Temple Mount Sacrifices — Similarly, on the day of the Abomination, daily oblation morning and evening animal sacrifices are to be stopped on the Temple Mount (Dan 12:11). These sacrifices have not even started yet, so obviously that’s a major problem for Jesus to come back soon.
4. Third Temple — Several passages describe a Third Temple on the Temple Mount during the Great Tribulation (Rev 11:1-2; Mt 24:15; 2The 2:3-4). The Antichrist is even described as sitting in this end time temple as part of his declaration of himself as God (2Th 2:4). Obviously, there is as yet no temple or even a construction project under way for one. Speaking of the construction, some say that everything is already being prepared for this temple and it can go up fast, in less than a year. Even if that’s true, under current political they still could not break ground on the Temple Mount without the Arabs approval or a strong belligerent response of opposition. The Arab control and power needs to be broken first, and that is not going to happen without a war (probably the future Psalm 83 war; see below).
5. The Sixth Seal — If you read Revelation 6:12-17 carefully you will see that it depicts the entire population panicking and running for cover in response to signs in the heavens and a tremendous global earthquake on earth moving every mountain and island out of place. It is obvious that nothing like this has happened since the First Century when it was written and when knowledge of the Lamb of God (named by those panicking: Rev 6:16) has arrived.
6. Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 War – Damascus Destroyed — Before all the above events, a swift war is predicted in the Middle East between Israel and many of her neighbors. You do not need a Bible to tell you this as many secular sources expect one, due to the tensions between the sons of Ishmael (the Arabs) and the sons of Isaac (Israel) that make headlines every year. The concern over Iran’s nuclear program has only added to this. The outcome of this war will be the destruction of Damascus and several other major Arab cities and regions, along with much devastation in Israel. (For the full story, see this article on What’s Next in Prophecy.) Obviously, the attack has still not happened because Damascus remains a city to this day.
Although this is not the full list, it does include Event A from the illustration earlier: the Psalm 83 War. Until we see that event, the end time roadmap has not begun. This means we could still have years or even a decade or two before the end times events start and come to an end. For sure, as long as it is unfulfilled, we have a good minimum of seven years before Jesus can come back, which is the length of the 70th Week of Daniel time frame in which all but one of the events above must take place.” END QUOTE
This is not a time for predicting, it’s a time for humbling ourselves and watching and praying. I may not live long enough to see Him return physically, but I enjoy Him in the Spirit, now more than ever before in my life! I will find some way to obey the Jubilee commands. Will you? You know, as believers, every breath is a Jubilee in Yeshua. We can forgive others 490 times today, we don’t have to wait for the Jubilee year to arrive.
Yahweh knows what date it is. Yeshua knows what date it is. We believe we know, but it is definitely the day of salvation, because tomorrow is Judgment Day. We are running out of this stream called time, trust me, my spreadsheet showed me. A couple things come before salvation, namely conviction of sin and repentance from that sin. It may be too late for America, but it’s not too late for our family, friends and neighbors. Salvation is the free offer, but it will cost you everything to redeem that offer by becoming His disciple. Trust me on that one, I know from whence I speaketh. I have nothing left but One calling, One promise, One mission. Yahweh is One.
If anyone would like the updated version 10.0 of my timeline spreadsheet, just ask with an email to anapto2 AT gmail DOT com. Feel free to pass this on to other family, friends and beloved believers, along with my spreadsheets. All my sheets are a work in progress. Everyone who has a copy of my timeline sheet needs an updated copy in order to check out Ezekiel 1:1-2 and 40:1.
Yahu Yahweh and Yahweh bless each of you mightily in His Holy Spirit. May you know Him.
Gene Benjamin II
January 11, 2011 CE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Faulstich, Eugene. Science and God in Balance. Spencer, IA: Chronology Books, 2002. (SGIB)
Faulstich, Eugene. History, Harmony & Daniel. Spencer, IA: Chronology Books, 1988. (HHD).
Faulstich, Eugene. HISTORY, HARMONY, THE EXILE AND RETURN. Spencer, IA: Chronology Books, 1988. (TEAR).
Faulstich, Eugene. History, Harmony & The Hebrew Kings. Spencer, IA: Chronology Books, 1986. (HHHK).
Faulstich, Eugene. Bible Chronology and The Scientific Method. Spencer, IA: Chronology Books, 1990. (TSM).
Young, Rodger C. Ezekiel 40:1 as a Corrective For Seven Wrong Ideas in Biblical Interpretation. St. Louis, MO: Andrews University Press, 2006 (EZEK)
Jones, Dr. Stephen E. Secrets of Time. 1996. September 1, 2005 <http://www.gods-kingdom.com>.
Clover, Richard. The Sabbath and Jubilee Cycle. Garden Grove, CA: Qadesh La Yahweh Press, 1995. publications, March 14, 2009 <http://www.yahweh.org/publications/sjc/sabpub.pdf>.
Frank, Obadiah. The Watchmen’s Cry. Xulon Press, 2004.
Gordon, Nehemia. The Hebrew Yeshua vs. The Greek Jesus. Hilkiah Press, 2005.
New King James Version. The Holy Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994. (with Sacred Name changes by Gene)
Lockyer, Sr., Herbert. Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986. (IDOB).
Packer, J.I. And Tenney, M.C.. Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1980. (IMAC).
Martin, Ernest L. The Star of Bethlehem: The Star that Astonished the World. Portland, OR: The Associates for Scriptural Knowledge, 1996. (TSOB)
Ware, Arthur E. The Restored Vision. Robertsbridge, Sussex, England: Shiloah Ministries, 1957. (TRV).
Armstrong, Herbert W. The United States and Britain in Prophecy. Edmond, OK: Philadelphia Church of God, 2007. (USB)
Wacholder, Professor. The Calendar of Sabbatical Cycles During the Second Temple and the Early Rabbinic Period. Hebrew Union College Annual. 1973. pp. 153-196. (CSC)
Wacholder, Professor. The Timing of Messianic Movements and the Calendar of Sabbatical Cycles. Hebrew Union College Annual. 1975. pp. 201-218. (TMM)
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