Shmita, What Will We Eat in the Seventh Year, Part 2

PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE DOCX or PDF FOR A MORE ORGANIZED RESEARCH PAPER. THIS BLOCK PRESENTATION UPLOADED TO WORDPRESS DOES NOT GIVE ME THAT ABILITY TO CREATE A ORGANIZED PAPER. ALSO SOME PICTURES AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION WILL NOT BE INCLUDED BELOW.
Shmita, What Will We Eat in the Seventh Year, Part 2
by Hummingbird (Christine)
Thank you to everyone who help contribute to this paper. God bless you all:)
This series of video’s done my Jonathan Cahn are extremely valuable to those who are interested in Shmita (Shemittah).
THE MYSTERY OF THE SHEMITAH by Jonathan Cahn.
Michael sent me this information to help break down even more of the scriptures and why we are to obey God and not cling to false theology based on man’s limited understanding of the Holy Bible and interpretation. Thank you kindly, Michael, for sending this to me. You have no idea how much work and time you saved me by doing this. God bless you.
Sabbath of the Land
by Michael O.
Thank you for sending me this information.
“The earth is the Lord’s” (Exodus 9:29, Psalms 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26,28), and it is to be used on His terms and under His Law.
Leviticus 25:2-7, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the Sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.”
Leviticus 25:18-22, “Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.”
It is a well-established agricultural fact that resting the land every seven years is best for the soil and that much-improved crops result from doing so. During this scriptural practice, there was to be no pruning or planting in the Sabbath year, nor any attempt to kill the insects, or otherwise interfere with natural processes in the field. The fruit had to remain in the field, except for what passerby, servants, or owners plucked to eat; no real harvesting was permitted, only eating.
By this rest, the soil is restored and revitalized. By allowing the field to go to weeds, the weeds of the field are given the opportunity to bring to the topsoil minerals from below and to revitalize the soil. The vines and trees are given the free growth, unpruned, and again renew their vitality. The fruits which falls and rots again contributes to the soil. The value of the Sabbath in regenerating the soil is very great. This biblical practice also greatly reduces the need for pesticides and herbicides. But man, lacking faith, prefers his own work to God’s work, and his proposed work to God’s Sabbath. God’s method is called crude, and modern sprays, manufactured fertilizers, and other devices are used, and the soil is steadily mined and abused. The soil is treated as something science can make and re-make, and even do without. Very few scientists treat the soil with any respect.
The function of microorganisms in the soil, and the value of compost and trees in regenerating the soil is great. So is the value of wild animals and birds in the life cycles of the earth. The earth clearly is renewed by rest, or it is exploited ruthlessly and finally turned into a desert. Many once populous areas are today desert, as witness Babylon and the Sahara.
America’s ungodly economic system alone makes it nearly impossible for most farmers to give their land a one in seven year Sabbath. Any farmer in debt who would let his land lay fallow for one year would be unlikely to make that year’s payment to the usurers and would then lose his land to his “friendly” neighborhood banker. Disobedience always has its consequences. In this case, if a farmer obeys God and Sabbaths his land, he risks losing his land because of usury. On the other hand, if he disobeys God in order to retain possession of his land, he risks falling under the judgment of God.
Violation of the Sabbatical Year’s land rest is such a serious transgression that it is specifically listed as one of the sins that resulted in the Israelites being conquered and removed from the land:
Leviticus 26:28-35, “…I [God] … will chastise you [Israelites] seven times for your sins. …I will scatter you among the heathen … and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her Sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your Sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. ”
Leviticus 26:43, “The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her Sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.”
Between the Exodus and the Babylonian captivity, the land Sabbath was disregarded seventy times by the house of Judah. Hence, those Israelites were sentenced to seventy years in Babylonian captivity, to give the land rest and restore the land:
2 Chronicles 36:16-21, “…the wrath of God arose against his people [because of the house of Judah's disobedience], till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them [Nebuchadnezzar] the king of the Chaldees … he gave them all into his hand…. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they [the remnant of the house of Judah] were servants to him and his sons … until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”
This means that more than half the time, this law was not observed. If American farmers would trust God enough to rest the land in the seventh year as He commanded, God promises a bumper crop on the sixth year, enough to provide for the seventh, eighth and ninth years (Leviticus 25:18-22).
The volunteer crop of the seventh year is to be given to the poor and needy and what remains is to be left for the animals:
Exodus 23:10-11, “…six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.”
In order for there to be a volunteer crop in the seventh year, farmers must also stop breaking God’s anti-hybridization laws:
Leviticus 19:19, “Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed.”
Deuteronomy 22:9, “Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.”
Only non-hybrid, open-pollinated seed will produce volunteer crops large enough to feed the needy as well as the animals during the seventh, eighth and ninth years. Such seed will also restore nutritional value to our foods and health to our nation.
The year of release is specifically for the poor in the land. It does not apply to financial penalties incurred by criminals as the result of judgment for crime. It also does not apply to loans to foreigners (Deuteronomy 15:2-3). The same exception is made for usury (Deuteronomy 23:19-20).
When Planting on new Land
Leviticus 19:23-25, “And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal. And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.”
This law clearly is linked with laws previously discussed which bear on soil conservation, the fertility of the trees, and respect for the life of all creation.
For the first three years the fruits must be pinched off and allowed to rot on the ground. In the fourth year, it could be eaten if redeemed from the Lord by paying its value plus a fifth part; it belonged to God. In the fifth year, the fruit could be harvested, and for five years thereafter, or, until the next Sabbath year.
This law is concerned with the preservation of life by due respect for the conditions of life, but more is involved, because the word “uncircumcised” is deliberately and emphatically used. It means that the ground is indeed cursed for man’s sake, because of his sin, and all man’s work is futile and uncircumcised apart from God.
The Year of Jubilee (the Fiftieth-Year Sabbath)
Every fiftieth year is also to be a one-year Sabbath. This is known as the year of Jubilee:
Leviticus 25:8-10, “…thou shalt number seven Sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years…And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you….”
In addition to letting the land lay fallow during the fiftieth year, all land is to be returned to the family of its original owner. In other words, land is never to be permanently sold:
Leviticus 25:13, “In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.”
Under America’s current form of government, if you are either unable to make your usurious loan payment or pay your taxes, your “friendly” banker or “Big Brother” confiscates your property. Under God’s law system such theft would never occur because God owns all of the land:
Leviticus 25:23, “The land shall not be sold [or confiscated] for ever: for the land is mine [God's]….”
Therein is found the reason why the land is not to be taxed. The power to tax something proves ownership. Land does not rightfully belong to any government but rather to God and to whom God or His government apportions it.
Most farmers and landowners are under the mistaken notion that the government steals their land when the sheriff and his deputies show up and physically removes them from their homesteads. However, the land was initially stolen from them when the government fraudulently legislated to tax their land, and the people unwittingly, or under duress, allowed the government to get away with it. Current “owners” are only temporary tenants to be extricated at the whim of the government. The response to our legislators should have been the same as Naboth’s when King Ahab wanted to confiscate his vineyard:
1 Kings 21:3, “…Naboth said to Ahab, God forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.”
God neither abdicated His ownership nor His eminent domain. Consequently, such governments are thieves and are stealing from God. God never intended governments to be landowners. Under the Mosaic Covenant, the Levites were the government administrators and as such they were not permitted to own land, except for homes within their cities and the attached land or suburbs:
Numbers 35:2-7, “Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites … cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about…. So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.”
Government has the duty of protecting the public and their property instead of taxing them and confiscating their possessions. The land ultimately belongs to God. It is never to permanently change hands, and in the year of Jubilee it is to return to the family of the original occupants with the exception of houses or lands within city limits:
Leviticus 25:29-30, “…if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out [be returned] in the jubilee.”
This exception, however, did not apply to land within city limits that belonged to the Levites:
Leviticus 25:32-34, “Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time. And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their [the Levites'] perpetual possession.”
The year of Jubilee is also a year of family reunions in which every man is to return to his family on the homestead:
Leviticus 25:10, “…it [the fiftieth year] shall be a jubilee unto you … and ye shall return every man unto his family.”
During each Jubilee year, each of us should be reminded of our own atonement or release from our debts owed to God. Thus, we should also forgive those whom we have anything against.
God’s law system promotes freedom and prosperity for all and the Fourth Commandment plays an integral part in accomplishing this. From Michael O. :)
This next except is from Marko H., which I greatly appreciate the additional scriptures to be applied to God’s commands that we are to obey. I might add that being obedient to God is NOT burdensome as some would like to believe. The laws, judgments, statutes, and sayings of our Lord is NOT nailed to the cross or put away as if God’s Word meant nothing before the New Testament. Please seek the Lord and His way and make His way your way before it’s too late.
Shmita is observed every 7 years. Shmita translates to either “the release” or “the letting fall / the letting collapse”. It is considered a judgment. Elul is set apart as the month to repent, or teshuvah, in spiritual preparation for the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). If you were to count from Tishri as the first month of the calendar (Rabbinical tradition), Elul would be the last month of the year, a time to make “New Year’s Resolutions” and to turn away from sin before the start of the New Year. The month of Elul is therefore a time each year to prepare for the Yamim Nora’im, the Days of Awe, by getting our spiritual house in order.
The following appeal from the prophet Isaiah is considered thematic for this season:
Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6)
The verse after that reads : Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7)
Psalm 27 is also considered to be central to this season. Specifically: The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 31:10-13)
There is a promise from God tied to our following His commandments.
12 “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 26:12-15)
Jubilee Year celebration
8 ‘And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. 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. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.
13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. 17 Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.
18 ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.
20 ‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest. (Leviticus 25:8-22)
1965/66 = 7th Shmita since Allenby liberated Jerusalem.
1966/67 = 69th Jubilee since Moses. Jerusalem again liberated.
1972/73 = 1st Shmita in new cycle.
1979/80 = 2nd Shmita
1986/87 = 3rd Shmita
1993/94 = 4th Shmita
2000/01 = 5th Shmita
2007/08 = 6th Shmita
2014/15 = 7th Shmita 9/25/14 – 9/13/15
2015/16 = 70th Jubilee since Moses. (leap year, Adar II starts on 3/11/16) 9/14/15 – 10/2/16
Elul 29 9/17/01 Stock Market Crash 684 pts 7% (after Twin towers destruction 9/11/01)
Elul 29 9/29/08 Economic Collapse: Stock market dropped 777 pts 7%
Elul 29 9/13/15 ?
The judgment that came on America is very similar to that of Babylon (Gen11:4), and the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians (forefathers of Arabs). Thank you Marko H.
Economic Collapse Predicted – Shemittah Year – 2015 – Elul 29!
Vegetables and Fruits
By: Rabbi Yoel Moore
What is kedushas shvi’is? Fruit and vegetables (and certain other produce) which grew within the halachic boundaries of Eretz Yisro’el and which belong to the seventh year have the sanctity of the seventh year – kedushas shevi’is. The connection with the seventh year is determined in the case of vegetables by the time of picking and in the case of fruits by the time the fruit starts to form. This produce may not be traded in, spoiled or destroyed. One may only use this produce in the normal way. Any leftovers may not be thrown into the garbage until they become unfit for animal consumption. What kedushas shvi’is products are now available on the market? As mentioned above, kedushas shvi’is of vegetables is determined by the time of picking. It therefore follows that any vegetables picked after Rosh Hashonoh have this sanctity. However, at the present time there is still some sixth year produce available (e.g. all potatoes). Fruit with this sanctity will only be available from after Pesach. This year’s citrus crop is considered sixth year produce; next year’s crop will have kedushas shvi’is. What is the status of non-Jewish produce? The Poskim (Halachic Authorities) are divided as to the status of produce grown on non-Jewish fields in Eretz Yisroel. According to the Beis Yosef (compiler of the Shulchan Oruch) this produce does not have kedushas shvi’is. This is the accepted custom in Yerushalayim (Minhag Yerushalayim). According to the Mabit, this produce does have kedushas shvi’is. The Chazon Ish was of the opinion that one should follow this latter view. This is the prevalent custom in Bnei Brak and certain other towns.
(Rabbi Yoel Moore graduated the Gateshead Talmudical College and the London Academy for Advanced Rabbinics in England and now lives Jerusalem, Israel, where he is the Rosh Kollel of Machon Daniel. He is a well known Posek (one who makes Halachic decisions), and his weekly discussion on Jewish Business Ethics has become the school’s most popular class.
Rav Moore is available to answer your halachic questions during these hours:
Sunday – Wed 1:15 – 2:00 / 20:45 – 22:30
Thursday 1:15 – 2:00 / 19:30 – 20:30 only
(Unavailable Tuesday night between 20:15 – 20:45).
Rav Moore can be reached at 972(2) 651-9258, or via e-mail at ravmoore@netvision.net.il)
Further thoughts on what to eat.
Since this is our families first year in observing Shmita, officially, I would like to share what we are planning to do to prepare for this time. In my studies, I have been able to identify that what is produced in the sixth year is good to “store” and harvest for your household for a whole year. This takes some planning to accomplish what your own family eats and will not eat, but when time is taken to identify what you can do to observe Shmita, I believe you will reap the blessings of God if you obey the Word of the Lord.
Many people seem to believe that it is okay to purchase fresh fruits from the grocery store no matter where they come from during Shmita years, but I have to say that since we live in a world that continually rejects God and His Word we should be very careful were we are getting our food from. Pruning during a Shmita year is a big no, no, but how would you ever know the farmer you are getting your fruit from is not observing Shmita? Many farmers hike the rates of their produce enormously during the Shmita year so they can gain more profit for the year they will not be pruning and harvesting the land. For these reasons, my family and I have decided to buy canned fruits and veggies that were canned in the sixth year.
My family will be spending a good size chunk of money to buy rice, beans, noodles, cans of vegetables (green beans, corn, tomatoes, etc…), bags and cans of nuts (almonds, cashews, etc…), cans of soup, chili, and fruits. We live in a mountainous region of America and our growing season is extremely short. Most of our produce comes from other states and countries so buying locally is a mute thing come the winter months. Prepare in advance for how much you expect to eat in a year. For me, this started with rice. I love rice. One uncooked cup of rice per day can feed my family of three for a year with four (4) 50 pound bags. 1 cup = 8 ounces; 16 ounces = 1 pound; so 2 cups = 1 pound; 2 times 50 = 100; one 50 pound bag will last my family for 100days. Remember this is just an estimate. You will need to do your own math for your own family’s needs. Overall, I will need to buy four (4), fifty (50) pound bags for four hundred (400) days of one cup of rice per day.
Remember also that many of us do not eat rice every day so other items can be substituted such as beans (pinto, navy, etc…).
DO NOT FORGET WHEN STOCKING FOOD FOR A YEAR IN ADVANCE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PASSOVER AND WEEK OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. NO YEAST OR LEAVENING AGENTS.
You can find alternatives to buying yeast products if you just read the labels of the items you like to buy. Such as, my family and I like to eat enchiladas often and the spicy sauce we buy in the package contains yeast, but the canned version of this product does not contain yeast so we can eat this during the week of unleavened bread.
This task requires a little effort, but when you have sat down and worked out how much you eat per day it is easy to determine how much you will eat in a year. I believe the way God intended this seventh year rest of the land and for people was to show that in the sixth year there would be plenty for everyone to eat during the seventh and into the eighth year when sowing began again. In this way, God also shows us to learn how to prepare for long duration events that come from time to time in mankind’s life. Such as the example of Joseph storing for 7 years the bounty of Egypt to eat for 7 years during the famine in Egypt (Gen. 41).
Economy and Shmita. What would it be like?
According to some in the prophecy community, God has been working on showing America that He is real and that we should be seeking Him desperately at this time. America needs to repent and turn back to God, Yahweh, before she is removed from the world scene. Something BIG is coming and many can feel it in their bones. Economic collapse. God has been warning America since September 11, 2001 and the twin tower attacks that killed 2,996 with 6,000+ non-fatal injuries, not to mention the numerous fatalities of our fine men and women in civil services. This was the FIRST “wake up” call to America to repent and turn back to our Lord and Savior.
The second warning occurred a few days later to reinforce the warning that GOD IS SERIOUS on Elul 29th 5761 (Sept. 17, 2001). For the last TWO (2) Sabbatical years of 2001 and 2008, two of the three largest point drops in the DJIA in stock market history occurred.
In response to the Twin Towers attack the stock market tumbled nearly 700 point or just over 7%. Then in 2008 on Elul 29, 5768 (September 29, 2008) a third warning was given to America as the stock market crash “coincidentally” or shall I say synchronistically 777.7 points or 7%, which took place as the market reacted to Congress failing to approve a bail out of Wall Street. If you are still skeptical about “God Intervening” in America just wait until September 13, 2015 when the next financial crisis will hit and will destroy America forever. It is NOT a coincidence that our Lord is using the Shmita Cycle to show Americans that we are far from Him and His ways. So many people write me every week claiming that God’s Laws are done away with, but what they are really saying is that they don’t want God in their lives so they placate grace with their “man traditions” thinking this will appease their “god”. When in fact, God is NOT fooled:
Galatians 6
“Doing Good to All
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load. 6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (http://www.biblestudytools.com/galatians/6.html ).”
America has HUGE enemies in this world and the sleeping Virgins (Mat. 25) have allowed evil to overcome our values and morals not to mention infiltrated the church just like a Trojan Horse. Christ told us we are to be OVERCOMERS (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 21:7; John 5:4–5; Proverbs 3:5–6; 2 Corinthians 12:9; James 4:7; Romans 8:35–39; Matthew 24:13; etc…).
Will the Seven Year Tribulation Start on September 13, 2015?
If all these things be true, then would it be safe to say that the 7 year tribulation (70th week of Daniel) will commence right on time, God’s Time, on 29th of Elul 5775? Before you freak out and say “False Prophet” or “date setter” please hear me out. God does NOT keep things from His people. Those who seek Him, find Him. Those who ask Him, get answers. Yahweh keeps with patterns so the infantile human race can “get it” or “catch on” to Him plans. Would it be a stretch to think that Ps. 83, Isa. 17, and Jer. 49 et all, take place this Feast of Tabernacles or the last blood moon of 2014, THEN, a small space of time goes by and Israel believes it’s enemies are destroyed and they are at peace with the world, then sudden destruction comes upon them from Gog out of the land of Magog on the last blood moon of 2015? If this IS TRUE and the 7 year tribulation started in 2015, then 7 years later would be 2022, a perfect timing that would bring in the 1,000 year reign of Christ.
I am not stating a specific date for the rapture of the bride, BUT that this could prove just how close we are to Christ’s return and why we need to stop messing around and get busy with God’s Kingdom and saving souls. Jesus Christ told us that we would know the season (Mat. 24:36; Mark 13:32; Mat. 16:3 & Luke 12:56) and it’s VERY obvious that we are in that season.
Matthew 16:2-4
Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign
“…2But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3″And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4″An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away (http://biblehub.com/matthew/16-3.htm).”
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to one another not just in principles but also in conduct and they joined together against Christ by desiring a sign of their own choosing. It is HYPOSCRISY to seek to slight the “signs” of God’s ordaining and instead seek our own signs for our personal devising. God INTENDS that people should be able to discern His signs and act appropriately.
The first thing people do when confronted with strong words is to retaliate that those who are warning are attacking their beliefs and religion.
The last shemittah year was Jewish year 5768 (13 Sept 2007 – 29 Sept 2008)
The next few are:
5775 (25 Sept 2014 – 13 Sept 2015)
5782 (7 Sept 2021 – 25 Sept 2022)
5789 (21 Sept 2028 – 9 Sept 2029)
Additional Scriptures and Related Thoughts on Shmita
How are we to actually please God by observing Shmita? Do we sell our land to an non-Jew or unobservant gentile and still reap the harvests of the land? I have EXTREME difficulty in this crafty “maneuver” of God’s command to let the land lie fallow. In the latter part of the 19th century, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor came up with a halakhic means of allowing agriculture to continue during the Shmita year. Heter Mechira (sale permit), was a ruling based on personal interpretation of the words “your land” in Exodus 23:10. A devised mechanism by Rabbi Spektor introduced a plan in which the land could be sold to a non-Jew for a duration of the Shmita year with a trust agreement. Under this scheme, the land would belong to a non-Jew temporarily and would turn back to Jewish ownership when the seventh year was complete. Heter Mechira is an approach of adapting classic Jewish law into a modern world. This approach is not accepted by all the Orthodox community and has met with opposition from Haredi poskim.
I believe the whole idea of Shmita is to rely on Yahweh Almighty in heaven to provide for all our needs. By obeying the Lord in all His ways, ideally, in the sixth year there would be a blessing from God that would provide plenty of food for Shmita year and the following year. Since many in the world, Jew and Christian both, have “issues” with how to interpret God’s Word correctly, we fail miserably to come into alignment with God and His way. If we were to do exactly as God says, we would reap the benefits of His way in our lives, but because we do not obey God, we find ourselves reaping more curses of God on us individually and in our communities and nations.
“A “Sabbath year” is mentioned several times in the Bible:
• Book of Exodus: “You may plant your land for six years and gather its crops. But during the seventh year, you must leave it alone and withdraw from it. The needy among you will then be able to eat just as you do, and whatever is left over can be eaten by wild animals. This also applies to your vineyard and your olive grove.” (Exodus 23:10-11)[7] (World ORT website version)
• Book of Leviticus: “God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, telling him to speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land must be given a rest period, a Sabbath to God. For six years you may plant your fields, prune your vineyards, and harvest your crops, but the seventh year is a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the land. It is God’s Sabbath during which you may not plant your fields, nor prune your vineyards. Do not harvest crops that grow on their own and do not gather the grapes on your unpruned vines, since it is a year of rest for the land. [What grows while] the land is resting may be eaten by you, by your male and female slaves, and by the employees and resident hands who live with you. All the crops shall be eaten by the domestic and wild animals that are in your land.” (Leviticus 25:1-7)[8] “And if ye shall say: ‘What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we may not sow, nor gather in our increase'; then I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce for the three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the produce, the old store; until the ninth year, until her produce come in, ye shall eat the old store.” (Leviticus 25:20-22)[8]
• Book of Deuteronomy: “At the end of every seven years, you shall celebrate the remission year. The idea of the remission year is that every creditor shall remit any debt owed by his neighbor and brother when God’s remission year comes around. You may collect from the alien, but if you have any claim against your brother for a debt, you must relinquish it….” (Deuteronomy 15:1-6)[9] and “Moses then gave them the following commandment: ‘At the end of each seven years, at a fixed time on the festival of Sukkoth, after the year of release, when all Israel comes to present themselves before God your Lord, in the place that He will choose, you must read this Torah before all Israel, so that they will be able to hear it. ‘You must gather together the people, the men, women, children and proselytes from your settlements, and let them hear it. They will thus learn to be in awe of God your Lord, carefully keeping all the words of this Torah. Their children, who do not know, will listen and learn to be in awe of God your Lord, as long as you live in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to occupy’.” (Deuteronomy 31:10-13)[10]
• Book of Jeremiah: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying: “At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee”; but your fathers hearkened not unto Me, neither inclined their ear.” (Jeremiah 34:13-14)[11]
• Book of Nehemiah: “and if the peoples of the land bring ware or any victuals on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy of them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.” (Nehemiah 10:31)[12]
• Books of Chronicles: “…And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia; to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had been paid her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. (2 Chronicles 36:20-21)[13]
• Books of Kings: “…[Isaiah speaking] And this is the sign for you: This year you eat what grows of itself, and the next year what springs from that, and in the third year, sow and reap and plant vineyards and eat their fruit. And the survivors of the House of Judah that have escaped shall regenerate its stock below and produce boughs above.” {2 Kings 19:20-30}.
Isaiah is informing King Hezekiah that if he will agree to observe the Sabbath year that coming fall (701 BCE), and the Jubilee [Yovel] the year after (700 BCE), and then resume planting and harvesting in the following year (699 BCE) then God will act against Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem. {see 2Kings 19:32-37} There is no other occasion on the Hebrew calendar when two years of scheduled non-planting occur back-to-back. Hezekiah apparently agrees, as the siege is diverted. Since the date of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah and siege against Jerusalem is known to archaeologists as the spring and summer of 701 BCE, this is evidence that the dates the Rabbinate considers to be the Sabbath years and Jubilee years are incorrect — the last Jubilee would have been 2001 (because there was no year “0” between 1 BCE and 1 CE, and the most recent Sabbatical year therefore began on Rosh Chodesh Tishri in September 2008.
This interpretation, namely that the 2 Kings passage (and its parallel in Isaiah 37:30) refers to a Sabbatical year followed by a Jubilee year, runs into a difficulty when the original language of these two passages is examined. The text says that in the first year the people were to eat “what grows of itself,” which is expressed by one word in the Hebrew, saphiah (ספיח). In Leviticus 25:5, the reaping of the saphiah is forbidden for a Sabbatical year, thus making the interpretation given just above difficult to maintain. The following is an alternative explanation that is at least as old as Adam Clarke’s 1837 commentary, and which does not encounter this difficulty.[14] The Assyrian siege had lasted until after planting time in the fall of 701 BCE, and although the Assyrians left immediately after the prophecy was given (2 Kings 19:35), they had consumed the harvest of that year before they left, leaving only the saphiah to be gleaned from the fields. In the next year, the people were to eat “what springs from that”, Hebrew sahish (סחיש). Since this word occurs only here and in the parallel passage in Isaiah 37:30, where it is spelled שחיס, there is some uncertainty about its exact meaning. If it is the same as the shabbat ha-arets (שבת הארץ) that was permitted to be eaten in a Sabbatical year in Leviticus 25:6, then there is a ready explanation why there was no harvest: the second year, i.e. the year starting in the fall of 700 BCE, was a Sabbatical year, after which normal sowing and reaping resumed in the third year, as stated in the text.
Another interpretation obviates all of the speculation about the Shmitta year entirely, translating the verse as: “And this shall be the sign for you, this year you shall eat what grows by itself, and the next year, what grows from the tree stumps, and in the third year, sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” .[15] According to the Judaica Press commentary, it was Sennacherib’s invasion that prevented the people of Judah from sowing in the first year and Isaiah was promising that enough plants would grow to feed the population for the rest of the first year and the second year. Therefore, Isaiah was truly providing a sign to Hezekiah that God would save the city of Jerusalem, as explicitly stated, and not an injunction concerning the Shmittah or Yovel years, which are not mentioned at all in the passage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmita).”
It is really difficult for me to accept the “mainstream” illusions that many people hold in their hearts about God’s way and that it is just not good enough for us in our lives. If we continue to disregard God’s commands, statutes, and judgments we miss out on getting to know the deeper part of who God is and our relationship with Him is bruised even further. When people say that God’s commands were nailed to the cross, they are saying that they do not have to obey and therefore become lawless.
Colossians 2: 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
What was nailed to the Cross? The popular misinterpretation of Colossians 2:14 is that we are reconciled to God by Christ’s abolition of His Father’s Law. This view is flawed in a few reasons. First, this statement contradicts the truth that God’s Law is neither “against us” nor ” contrary to us.” The Holy Bible tells us God’s Law is a blessing, not a burden (Deut. 4:5-9; Ps. 19; Ps. 119; Rom. 7:22; 1 Tim. 1:8; etc…). Secondly, the portrayal of Jesus as a smooth lawyer who uses legal loopholes to thwart God’s justice is absurd. Jesus said Himself, “Mat. 5: 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy , but to fulfil . 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled . 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Thirdly, cheirographon, a Greek word used to clarify what exactly got nailed to the Cross has been all too often ignored by many ministers and pastors. This compound word combines cheir “hand” and grapho “to write or engrave”. Simply put, it means a handwritten document. I ALWAYS find it EXTREMELY interesting that I will seek the Lord with information about what is going on really in His word and when I “realize” that what ministers have been teaching for so long is not the whole story but just half of what has been going on for 6,000+/- years and then “coincidentally” (lol) run into other articles that back up or confirm this truth, I am overwhelmed. The following images are taken from this website (http://www.austinchurchofgod.org/linked/nailed%20to%20cross.pdf):
Fortunately, we have an Advocate with the Father in heaven (1 John 2:1). Christ NEVER denies the charges brought against us and states that we deserve the penalty as prescribed in the cheirographon. However, our Advocate, states that the penalty for our crimes have been fully paid for by Himself. Since the penalty has been paid in full, the Judge tells Satan that his cheirographon is inadmissible as evidence and has been taken out of the tou mesou, the middle of the Courtroom occupied by the Accuser (Rev. 12:7-10, which is STRONG evidence for a pre-tribulation rapture. I also propose that Satan steals the “key to the bottomless pit” so that he can unlock his generals from the pit and prepare them for the 7 year war against God.).
What is “nailed to the Cross” is the cheirographon. Like a banner proclaiming Messiah’s triumph over sin on our behalf by paying the penalty for our sins, Yeshua spoiled Satan’s plans to condemn us forever. This is why in verse 15, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
The erroneous assumptions of many congregations and Christian’s that God’s law was “nailed to the Cross” might want to do some homework since NO WHERE in the book of Colossians does the word “law” appear. Neither in the Greek text NOR the King James Version translation of the Bible. The tois dogmasin or “of ordinances” obviously must be listed in the cheirographon by the Adversary because of the formal proceedings. However, it is the laws that we broke that are removed from the Courtroom.
In addition to the cheirographon begin nailed to the Cross as a banner of God’s effectively removing and further attempt of Satan to try and claim the cheirographon was faulty, the Holy Spirit also adds in verse 16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days”? The removal of the cheirographon DOES NOT mean we can now become gluttons, drunkards, Sabbath breakers and lawless. Will you violate your probation here on the Earth by trampling all over what Christ did at the Cross for you? Think about it!!!! When a criminal goes before a judge and that judge gives mercy to the wrong doer and places him/her on probation, what would happen to that individual should they go out from that courtroom and commit another crime, thereby, breaking their “probation?” That’s right, they go IMMEDIATELY to jail.
The Apostle Paul does not say that God’s dietary laws and holy days are inconsequential, but the context is stating, with regard to imposing of man-made rules, that we can disregard the commandments of men. “Six times the words man or men appear in Colossians chapter 2: “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you” (vs. 4); “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men: (vs. 8); “Let no man therefore judge you” (vs. 16); “let no man beguile you” (vs. 18); “why… are ye subject to ordinances (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (vv. 20-22) (http://www.austinchurchofgod.org/linked/nailed%20to%20cross.pdf).”
ALL SABBATHS and dietary laws of the Bible are NOT commandments of MEN! These are the commands of Yahweh!!!! The Apostle Paul is NOT telling us to disobey God’s commands, but to ignore the commandment and traditions of men! Men impose burdensome commands upon all of us and are contrary to God’s commands that give blessings instead for their observance (Matt. 23:4).
Most of Orthodox Judaism today has come from the Pharisees of old. This is why so many of the tribes of Israel still to this day reject Jesus Christ as Messiah and unfortunately, this will be why so many Jews will go through the tribulation, Jacob’s Trouble, to have their blinders taken off of their eyes and return to Yahweh in the Spirit of Truth.
If we continually practice and put to use God’s Laws in our lives, we will reap the benefits that God originally designed for all of us. God’s laws do not impose bondage but was provided to liberate us and teach us to walk with God (as Enoch and Elijah did).
Psalms 119: 44 So shall I keep thy law continually forever and ever. 45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. 46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed . 47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved . 48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved ; and I will meditate in thy statutes.
Man’s imposed commandments and rules brings us all back into bondage such as many “Pharisees” do today by trying to run circles around God’s law so they do not have to obey Him. Frankly, men do not want to obey God because they want to control everything. The more one seeks to get God out of his life, the more he will reap in his godless life. The “Pharisees,” even today, add to the commandments of God and pervert the Law and turns it into “a yoke… which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” Acts 15:10. Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” Matt. 11:29.
Works Cited
http://kosherpoint.com/shmita/what-will-we-eat-in-the-seventh-year/– Thank you Richard for contributing this wonderful website.
7.) http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=2&CHAPTER=23
8.) http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=3&CHAPTER=25
9.) http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=5&CHAPTER=15
10.) http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=5&CHAPTER=31
11.) http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1134.htm
12.) http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt35b10.htm
13.) http://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et25b36.htm
14.) Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, with a Commentary and Critical Notes (New York/Nashville: Abingdon Press, no date, but originally published in 1837).
15.) Rabbi A.J. Rosenberg, II Kings, A New English Translation (New York: Judaica Press, 1989).
Financial Collapse of the US before 13 Sept 2015 –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGF8213KlL8