Appendix 21
Revised 2016
Main Index
This work is completely independent of any existing religions denomination, church, organisation or group.
A voice from a wilderness, correcting wrong Bible understandings, removing false religious traditions, smoothing the way.
70 YEARS SERVITUDE
An explanation as to how God possible calculated a 70 year punishment for non-sabbath year keeping by the Israelite nation. In 2 Chronicles 36:21 it tells us that the 70 years were a punishment period until the land had paid off its deficient Sabbaths and to fulfill the punishment for the default Sabbaths would take 70 years "That the word of the Lord (Yhwh) by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, and the land might keep her sabbaths: for all the days of the desolation she kept a sabbath, till the seventy years were expired". Douay- Rheims Bible.
In Leviticus chapter 25 God details the seven year sabbath cycles and the fifty year Jubilee sabbath cycles the Israelites were obligated to keep. Vs 4 "But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD (Yhwh): thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard" King James Bible. Vs10 "And thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year, and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of jubilee. Every man shall return to his possession, and every one shall go back to his former family": Douay-Rheims Bible.
The nation was commanded by God to keep sabbath years one every seven after seven of the these sabbath cycles they were to keep an extra special sabbath the Jubilee sabbath year once every 50 years. In the following chapter Leviticus 26 they were warned what the punishment would be if they failed to keep their sabbath obligations. They would receive punishment seven times greater than the transgression
Lev 26 vs18 "If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over". New International bible. Vs 21 "If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey me, I will inflict disaster on you seven times over for your sins" New Living Bible. Vs 27 “If, however, with this you will not listen to me and you just must walk in opposition to me, I shall then have to walk in heated opposition to you, and I, yes, I, shall have to chastise you seven times for your sins. Vs 32 And I, for my part, will lay the land desolate, and your enemies who are dwelling in it will simply stare in amazement over it. Vs 34 "At that time the land will pay off its Sabbaths all the days of its lying desolated, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will keep sabbath, as it must repay its Sabbaths. All the days of its lying desolated it will keep sabbath, for the reason that it did not keep sabbath during your Sabbaths when you were dwelling upon it" .
These warning of punishment from Yhwh were for not keeping the seven year cycle land Sabbaths and especially the 50th Jubilee Sabbath year. This brought punishment seven times greater than the crime of neglecting the Sabbaths. According to Ezekiel the errors started with the ten tribes splitting away in 998 BC (see APPENDIX 20 390 AND 40 YEARS OF EZEKIEL'S PROPHECY). The year 998 BC would have been the last year the Israelites as an entire nation could keep the requirements of the seven year cycle of Sabbaths and the 50 year Jubilee Sabbath with its restoration of titled land inheritances. In this divided situation, two separate nations with two ruling kings, two capitals, two centres for worship and two territories, made it impossible for the nation to administer the Sabbath year requirements over the entire territories. The nation started to accumulate this error of neglect from 998 BC onwards, unable to keep its obligations in its divided state. This situation continued until the exiles returned from Babylon to re-inhabit the land when it would be possible for them to once again perform these seven year cycle Sabbaths and 50th year Jubilee Sabbath if they had the desire and made the effort.
the desolation of Jerusalem starts 70 years of Jerusalem's desolation ends |
The period of error covered 390 years from the tribes division in 998 until the exile in 608 during this period the 50 year Jubilee cycle could not and was not operated it was this that constituted the grievous error. Ezekiel also confirmed the the error period to be 390 years (Ezekiel 4:4-6). If the punishment was to be seven times the sin and it lasted for 70 years the sin must have been 10 years of Sabbaths. Each 50 year Jubilee cycle contained 7 seventh year Sabbaths plus the Jubilee Sabbath year a total of 8 Sabbath years in every 50 years. Seven to eight Jubilee years could be fitted into the 390 year error period which would total at least 56 Sabbath years (8 x 7). If the punishment was 7 times the sin then it should have been 56 x 7 = 390 years but it was only 70 years??
It could be argued that after the tribes split it would still be possible to keep the seven year Sabbath cycles allowing the land every seventh year to rest from crop rearing. This could not be said of the fiftieth Jubilee Sabbath year as it applied nationally to all Israel involving the entire people and land see Leviticus 25:1-55. However during the 390 years of error there could only be a maximum of 8 Jubilee Sabbath years depending on the positioning of the 50 year cycles. These default 8 years (8 x 7) would incur a punishment of 56 years not 70.
There is just one other possibility. Following the fall of Babylon to Cyrus in 539 the 70 year servitude ended in 538 BC the entire period of error in not keeping the Jubilee Sabbaths then covered 390 years plus the 70 years exile a total of 460 years (998 to 538) during which no 50th Jubilee Sabbath years were kept. This period of 460 years can contain 10 Jubilee 50 year cycles with their 10 Jubilee Sabbath years (see chart 5). God could rightly apply the punishment rule multiplying by seven the 10 neglected Jubilees, resulting in a punishment period of 70 years (10 x 7) which were served out in exile to Babylon. If this is the correct understanding of the 70 years punishment calculation that it only applied to the 10 missed 50th Jubilee Sabbath years then it dramatically emphasised Yhwh’s protective concern over the prophetic importance of His 50 year Jubilee cycle. See Abbreviated 8 chapters Revealing the Sons of God, chapter 2 The Great 50,000 year Jubilee Cycle.
TEN
POSSIBLE JUBILEE SABBATH YEARS
Tribes Jerusalem |
The Jubilee 50 year cycle formed a small scale model of Yhwh's greater 50,000 year Jubilee cycle. For further information on the calculations of this 50,000 year Great Jubilee and its importance see -
The 50,000 year Jubilee pattern.