October | 2014 | Paul the Poke

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Sabbatical Year/Shemitah, Part 3

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy with tags banking, Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 23, Ephesians 1, forgiveness of sin, Gospel, Grace, interest free, Israel, Jesus, John 1, loaning, mercy, Revelation 21, Romans 6, Sabbatical year, Shemitah on October 26, 2014 by paulthepoke

Deuteronomy 15:1-2 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD’S remission has been proclaimed.

In today’s world, the verses above are radical financial and economic concepts. All debt, regardless of size, is forgiven at the end of every seventh year. Imagine, a clean financial slate.

Think about how these verses would influence lending and borrowing practices. Larger loans would occur early in the seven year cycle. Debt structure would not look like it does today. The 30 year mortgage would be toast. Loans would likely be much smaller. Personal savings would be promoted. People would be more inclined to live within their means.

Think of all the debt practices: home mortgages, car loans, student loans, and credit cards just to mention a few. Debt is oppressive and restrictive to freedom. Consider how each of the above would be financed or paid if debt was forgiven at the end of every seven years. Consider the change in personal spending habits.

Creditors would be more careful how they loaned their money. There would be less loaning of money. Creditors would likely make less irresponsible loans to customers who do not have the means to pay. If implemented today, debt bubbles would be a thing of the past. At the end of every seven years, everyone would be debt free. If debt payments remained at the end of the cycle, it would be forgiven. Poverty would likely be diminished significantly.

Responsibility would be increased on both the lender and the borrower. These practices would significantly cut into corporate banking profits and affect their stock prices.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20 You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess.

Interest free lending would promote national unity and good will toward your fellow countryman. It is a matter of looking after your neighbor and brother. Financial collaboration would be an outcome. People would be more interested in the success of others.

God does not want us to take financial advantage of our fellow man. These loaning practices were built into society by God. He understands the capacity of greed demonstrated by humanity. Don’t shaft your neighbor.

These financial concepts are nowhere to be seen in today’s economic world. Most people are not aware these statutes exist. Would our lives be economically easier if this were in place today? What a concept, it is a universal blessing from God if one loans interest free to their countryman.

The ultimate example of God’s release or remission is in His Son. Jesus forgives us of our debt, sin. John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Our transgressions are forgiven as a matter of grace and mercy. Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. He has paid our debt without charging us. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is His payment that allows us to possess eternity in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21).

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Trend Update: Famine/Ebola, October 2014

Posted in Pestilence, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags Africa, Antichrist, Daniel 12, Ebola, famine, four horseman Apocolypse, Pestilence, Revelation 6, Tribulation, war on October 22, 2014 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

This is the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse. As of October 2014, we are not into the Revelation seals. Currently, we are not the Tribulation. The antichrist has not been revealed. He is the first of the four horsemen. There is no international man on the scene who is a peace broker (Revelation 6:2). There is no Middle East peace treaty. There is no Jewish Temple.

Ebola is making major headlines all over the globe. Another outcome of Ebola is an emerging famine. Estimates have hundreds of thousands of people at risk for starvation and malnutrition.

Kanayo Nwanze, president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, said up to 40 per cent of farms have been abandoned in the worst-affected areas of Sierra Leone. Food shortages in Senegal and other countries in West Africa have occurred because regional trade has been disrupted. People are losing their income as fields, markets and goods are inaccessible. Citizens are being pushed further into poverty. People are afraid to go to the market. People are afraid to go and farm their land. There is less local food in markets. Food is becoming more expensive. Cost of food has increased from 30-150% pending the area. In these areas of West Africa, food was already hard to come by. The Ebola crisis has eliminated years of progress after the area had been struck by civil wars.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-famine-approaches-toadd-to-west-africas-torment-9799944.html

Here is the order of events per Revelation 6 and the four horseman of the Apocalypse:

1) Antichrist revealed

2) War

3) Food prices inflate

4) More death by war, famine, disease, and animals

End result of the four horseman of the Apocalypse: a fourth, one quarter, 25% of the population will be affected. The math says approximately 1.8 billion (1,800,000,000) people will perish.

Daniel 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

Sabbatical Year/Shemitah, Part 2

Posted in Prophecy with tags Exodus 23, Farming, God, Harvest, Israel, Leviticus 25, Moses, Mount Sinai, Sabbatical year, Shemitah on October 19, 2014 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:1-7 The Lord then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying,“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop,but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard.Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. All of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat.

Exodus 23:10-11 You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

In Biblical times, the farmer would scatter and sow seed first. This occurred during the fall after the holidays and God’s appointed feasts. A team of two oxen would be yoked together to drag a plough and till under the seed. It was customary to use two of the same animals per the law. Deuteronomy 22:10 You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. Farming was a year around job. The land was constantly being worked. It was necessary to keep the ground free of weeds by hoeing from December until February. With the harvesting of grain in late spring and summer, stalks were cut near the top and bundled. The remainder of the plant was left for animals to eat. (New Manners and Customs of Bible Times). This cycle occurred for six consecutive years.

In the seventh year, the land is to rest. There is to be no physical labor or working of the land. Seed is not to be planted. The soil is not to be tilled or turned over. Weeds are left to grow unchecked. Olive trees are not to be trimmed or pruned. Grape vines are left unattended to grow wildly. Whatever grows will grow. The farmers are not to harvest or gather crops that do grow during the Sabbatical year. The food that grows is for the farmer, servants, workers, foreigners, and the poor. Of the food that is not eaten by people, the remainder is for the animals.

Imagine that, an economy with a built in one year vacation every seventh year. No need for a worker or union to negotiate time off.

Trust in the Lord to provide.

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Sabbatical Year/Shemitah, Part 1

Posted in Prophecy with tags Deuteronomy 15, Exodus 23, Israel, Law, Leviticus 25, Moses, Mount Sinai, Sabbath, shamat, Shemitah on October 12, 2014 by paulthepoke

These commands in Leviticus were delivered personally to Moses by God. These were words were given to Moses approximately 3,500 years ago from today (October 2014). This is part of the ceremonial law, yet it has practical applications today. God wants His people to be holy or separate. God’s people should separate themselves from others by their behavior.

The word “Sabbath” in the Hebrew is transliterated. It is also “Sabbath” in English. The term is equated with rest. It is to be set apart, sacred, and holy.

“you shall let it rest…” The word is “shamat” in the Hebrew. It is defined by Strong’s Concordance as: to release, let drop or loose or rest or fall.

The Jewish people also refer to this as “shemitah”. It literally means to release.

Deuteronomy 15:1-2 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD’S remission has been proclaimed.

“remission of debts…” In the original Hebrew text “of debts” is not present. “of debts” was added by the translators. Shemitah is the Hebrew word for remission. Shemitah as defined by Strong’s Concordance means: cancellation of debts, letting drop of exactions, (temporary) remitting, release (from debt).

Shemitah comes from the root word shamat.

The land is supposed to rest for one year…

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Trend Update: Pestilence/Ebola, October 2014

Posted in Pestilence, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags Ebola, four horseman Apocolypse, Hemorrhagic virus, Leviticus 15, Marburg, Moses, Pestilence, Revelation, World Health Organization on October 8, 2014 by paulthepoke

We are not into the Revelation seals. This is not the Tribulation. The antichrist has not been revealed. He is the first of the four horsemen. As of October 2014, there is no international man on the scene who is a peace broker (Revelation 6:2). There is no Middle East peace treaty. There is no Jewish Temple.

The verse above is the fourth seal. This is the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse. The verse above states a fourth, one quarter, 25% of the population will be affected. Population estimates are currently around 7.2 billion people on the planet. The math says 1.8 billion (1,800,000,000) people will perish at the events related to the fourth horseman.

Ebola Virus is spreading through western Africa. Just last month (August 2014), there were less than 1,000 deaths associated with the virus. One month later (September 25, 2014), two million (2,000,000) people were quarantined in Sierra Leone, Africa due to Ebola. The speed and transmission of this trend is disturbing to say the least.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EBOLA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-25-12-36-18

September 30, 2014, first documented case of Ebola virus in the United States, Dallas, Texas. Treatment of Ebola is now occurring in Nebraska as of October 7, 2014.

The World Health Organization states an outbreak in Europe is unavoidable as October 7, 2014. Cases are noted in Norway and Spain.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ebola-outbreak-husband-of-spanish-nurse-placed-in-quarantine-as-22-contacts-identified-9779682.html

There is another outbreak of a hemorrhagic virus in Uganda, Marburg Virus…

http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2014-10/05/content_33686011.htm

Universal precautions, wash your hands! Take a shower or a bath daily. Wash your dirty clothes. We could have saved lots of time and billions of dollars in healthcare expenses. The Bible and Moses have been recommending this for approximately 3,500 years. Leviticus 15:11 Likewise, whomever the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot/Booths/The Feast

Posted in Fall Feasts, Prophecy with tags Acts 2, Booths, Feast of Tabernacles, God, Holy Spirit, Isaiah 12, Israel, Jesus, Leviticus 23, Mount of Olives, New Jerusalem, Revelation 21, Sabbath, Sukkot, tents, Zechariah 14 on October 5, 2014 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.’”

This is the last of God’s appointed feasts or festivals. This holiday is known by many names. It is called the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Tents, or the Feast of the Harvest because it was after the harvest in the fall. Simply put, it was also called “the feast” or “the festival”.

This festival is a week-long festival from Tishri 15 to 21. When working in the fields during harvest, people lived in tents. The tents served as a reminder of the forty years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. The holiday is a reminder of the provision and safety God showed Israel during their travels in the desert as noted in Deuteronomy 8. The feast is a thanksgiving for the harvest of grapes (Exodus 23:16). It is to be a joyous festival (Deuteronomy 16:14). Sabbatical rest without work is part of the holiday. (New Manners and Customs of Bible Times).

Jews sing Isaiah 12:3 Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation, during Sukkot. The feast is a reminder to the Jewish people they lived in tents after the Exodus from Egypt. In addition, the Feast of Tabernacles requires sacrifices of sin offerings and burnt offerings. At the time of preparation for the morning sacrifice, a priest descends to the Pool of Siloam amidst great music, celebration, and singing of Isaiah 12:3, and fills a golden pitcher with water. After dipping his pitcher in Siloam’s water, the priest returns to the Temple Mount and pours the water into one of the silver basins by the altar (Wayne Stiles, Insight for Living).

All three members of the Trinity will dwell with humanity. Isaiah 12 refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit and the reign of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given to believers of Christ at Pentecost (Acts 2) and ushered in the Church Age. He will return on the Mount of Olives with an earthquake. Zechariah 14:4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. Revelation 19 has Jesus returning to Earth to initiate his 1,000 year reign and He will live with humanity.

The ultimate expression of “the feast” after the Millennial Kingdom is with God and the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them…

And He is going to live and dwell with us, forever…

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Trend Update: Sabbatical/Shemitah Year/Record Harvest, October 2014

Posted in Prophecy with tags Agriculture, Israel, Jubilee, Leviticus 25, record crops, Sabbatical year, Shemitah, Temple Mount Institute on October 1, 2014 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:20-22 ‘But if you say, “What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?” then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years. ‘When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.

The context of these verses is the discussion of consecutive Sabbath years of rest for the land, a seventh year Sabbath and year of Jubilee following. The question is being asked of God. If we cannot work the fields, how are we expected to eat and survive? God says He will abundantly provide with bumper crops in the year before the land’s Sabbatical rest, three times the usual amount.

This past year ending Elul 29 on a Hebrew calendar (September 23, 2014 on a Gregorian calendar) was the greatest year of global harvest and agricultural production ever. Look at the examples below.

There were record crops in North America and South America.

http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/blog/usda-projects-record-2014-crop-production

http://online.wsj.com/articles/grain-soybean-futures-fall-as-usda-ramps-up-crop-projections-1410454858

http://www.agweb.com/blog/Farmland_Forecast_148/

Ukraine is known as the bread basket of Europe. There were record crops in Europe, specifically Ukraine. Any coincidence Russia is interested in controlling and annexing this country? Ukraine also has a sea port that allows their grains to be easily exported.

http://agronomyukraine.blogspot.com/2014/08/ukraine-set-to-harvest-record-winter.html

There were record crops in Australia in the Spring of 2014.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-11/record-winter-crop-for-wa/5251438

The last year’s global harvest was the largest on record.

The issue is this. Is this current Jewish year starting Tishri 1 a Sabbatical/Shemitah year on God’s calendar? God is still marking time. The Israeli government and Temple Mount Institute believe so and have made economic provision accordingly for farmers to allow the land to rest.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/24661/Default.aspx?archive=article_title

http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/israel-rediscovers-shemitah-in-time-for-blood-moons/

Are we on God’s calendar and schedule when it comes to a Sabbatical/Shemitah year? If the current year beginning Tishri 1 (September 25, 2014, Gregorian Calendar) is a Sabbatical year of rest for the land, then the previous year should be a bumper crop per Leviticus 25:20-22. Global agricultural data from last year is supportive of this current Jewish year being a Sabbatical/Shemitah year.

Is this past year’s record crop an isolated or random incident of global agricultural production? If God is in control, we should be able to subtract by seven year increments and identify a pattern. Big crops should be expected in 2007, 2000, 1993, 1986, etc. The following data is provided primarily by the United Nations (UN). Other sources include USDA, US Bureau of Census, and New York Times. These sources are hardly God or Bible friendly. The previous largest record for agricultural production was in 2007! Another peak year of grain production and harvest was 1986! http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5539

If the pattern holds as expected, agricultural production has peaked in the short term. Food supplies are going to tighten. The population of the planet continues to increase. Governments are printing money to solve economic problems. This does not account for any “Black Swan” event(s). The cost of food is going up.