In Leviticus chapter 25, God established a model economy for the Israelites to live by after they crossed the Jordon and entered the Promised Land. The Year of Jubilee dates back as early as 1406BC and required among other things, the forgiveness of debts and the restoration of lands and property. The social and economic system represented by the Year of Jubilee has been referred to as the “divine economy” and was based on land ownership and the prorated value of its crops relative to the number of years till the next Jubilee. At the end of a 49 year cycle (7×7 years) the Year of Jubilee was proclaimed by the blowing of the Shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) and liberty throughout the land was proclaimed. For the Jewish people it was a nationwide celebration of liberty; forgiveness of debt; deliverance from oppression; restoration of lands and of returning home that reoccurred every 50 years.
The Jubilean model was practiced for only a brief time in the history of the young Hebrew nation but it’s an important marker in God’s divine economy and it reveals much about God’s plans and purposes towards His creation. Today, the symbolism of the Jubilee is profound – life, liberty, and the restoration and reconciliation of our souls with God’s divine purposes. Life restored is the overall theme – the reconciliation of mankind to Himself.
The social values and economic principles laid out in this divinely inspired model would later become the foundation for the global economy of today, including the social values that make civilized society possible and purposeful, i.e. social and economic injustice start with a failure to recognize God’s sovereignty over the earth and our lives. Today, the Year of Jubilee beautifully symbolizes and embodies God’s love and care for all people and that His plans for us include a complete reconciliation with both God and man through Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords and King of Kings who will soon return to claim His own.
Obviously the first challenge in tracking the effects of the Jubilean Model is fixing a date for the first Year of Jubilee. How do we know when this took place? Unfortunately there isn’t a consensus among Bible scholars about this date but in the end, what matters is if the patterns of the Jubilee are on display in a given year and whether it is in sync with a 50 year timeline. These are the main clues that we can use to compare the 50 year periods of time we are interested in. Here I’m assuming 2017-2018 as the most recent Jubilee year and therefore I can look backwards in 50 year periods to validate my Jubilee Effect theory. I assume 2017-2018 (5777) to be the most recent year of Jubilee because that’s when it was most recently celebrated in Jerusalem (whether officially sanctioned by the Sanhedrin or not), and that’s when the shofar was blown declaring Jubilee for the first time in roughly 2500 years. I reckon they know a lot more about it that I do so I’ll take their word on it.
Second, the search criteria includes verifiable historical events surrounding the Church and/or Israel such as the 6 day war in 1967 or the recapturing of Jerusalem in 1968. Economic data such as large scale debt/currency market swings; the reclaiming and restoration of lands, and alleviation of suffering under various types of tyranny, bondage and oppression are also positive indicators. Overall, theme must remain consistent with the restoration of God’s purpose for our lives through forgiveness of sin, redemption and deliverance from evil.
Examples of the economic effects include major moves in sovereign debt rebalancing; currency market swings; turmoil in the stocks, bond and commodities markets and housing market collapses. Quantitative easing, large oil price fluctuations and large devaluations of currencies are some recent examples. Socially, the outward signs of a Jubilee year would be liberty for the oppressed; freedom from enslavement and a returning to one’s homeland or purpose for which we were created. In short, a restoration of God’s purposes for our lives.