THE SABBATH SEASON
NOVEMBER 21ST, 2006
At an intercessory meeting on the morning of Tuesday the 21st of November 2006, the Lord spoke to me and said;
"You are coming into a Sabbath season." "This message is for every Christian - for the Church as a whole. You are coming into your promised rest (promised land). Next year (2007), will be the beginning of a new level in the spirit for you. A time, a season of a new cycle of glory for the Church. The spiritual atmosphere will change and has already begun its transformation. Many things that you have been struggling and striving with will begin to fall into place and will be resolved."
The word of God in Exodus 23:10-13 says;
"Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed. "And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth." (NKJV).
The Israelites were commanded by the Lord to work the land - to sow and gather the produce for six years. Then in the seventh (Sabbath) year, they had to rest. They were not allowed to work. Anyone who disobeyed this command was cut off from God and His people.
They had to do double the amount of work in the sixth year because they had to rest in the seventh year. They were not allowed to work in the seventh year so they had to make sure they had enough produce for that year. But as they obeyed the Lord and worked, He blessed them in the sixth year with enough to last them for three years.
Leviticus 25:18-22 says;
"So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 'Then the land will yield its fruit. And you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. 'And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?" 'Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. '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."
2006 was one of the most testing, trying and difficult years for most. This is because the Lord was preparing us for the seventh year. It seems that God did double the amount of work in our hearts and lives and we had to labor even harder in the spirit than before because we were being prepared for the Sabbath year. But as we labored, the blessing of the Lord came upon us for increase.
2007 is a Sabbath year because it is the seventh year of the new millennium. As the Sabbath year had significance for the Israelites in the natural, this has significance for us in the spirit. God uses Israel as a standard for the Church. Israel is a type of the Christian Church and many of the rules, customs, laws and revelations God gave to the Israelites, as seen in the word of God, have spiritual significance and contain spiritual parallels for us (The Church). For the Israelites, this literally meant that they were not allowed to work in the seventh year but for us, God through this reveals a spiritual parallel. We are not commanded to literally "stop working" or to cease from any physical labor. This is referring to laboring in the spirit - sowing seeds of prayer, obeying the Lord in times of great difficulty and pressure, giving when really, we needed to keep for ourselves, forgiving when it was easier to hold a grudge, persevering when it was easier to give up, choosing to love when really we wanted to hate, standing firm in the face of persecution, opposition and attack, Keeping quiet, blessing your enemies and allowing the Lord to vindicate you when everything in you wanted to take revenge, choosing to believe and stand on God's word and promises when everything around you looked like it would have made better sense to walk away - all these are examples of spiritual labors.
The Lord is saying that those who were faithful to Him in their spiritual labors over the past six years will now have rest, see their harvest and receive their reward in the seventh (Sabbath) year, 2007. We are not to cease from our spiritual labors - working for the greater glory of God and His Kingdom and doing good to our neighbor - this must continue in season and out of season just as the Israelites continued to sow and reap every year in the six years leading up to the Sabbath year. What the Lord is saying is that those who labored in the spirit in certain areas, especially over the past twelve months, without an answer or any sign of resolve, will now see breakthrough, resolve and will be able to cease from their labors in those areas for the harvest, the answer, the resolve has come.
This is also referring to ceasing from works of the flesh - choosing to abandon fear, doubt, and unbelief, dying to self and choosing to trust the Lord for the answer. Choosing to rest in Him concerning your situation(s), which is an act of faith and trust, letting God deal with you and your situation(s) as, how, when and in the way He chooses to instead of getting in the flesh and trying to make something work out the way you want it to when God has a better plan, then the earth will yield its fruit.
Notice that there was a specific purpose for the Sabbath year? It was not so much that the Israelites would be blessed but that they would be a blessing to others. Yes! The Israelites were blessed for their obedience for as they obeyed the Lord; they dwelt in the land in safety - there was peace and protection, and the land yielded its fruit - there was blessing and increase (Lev 25:18 & 19). Also, as they obeyed the Lord to continue to work in the sixth year, He sent His blessing upon them in that year so that the land brought forth enough produce for the next three years - they experienced prosperity and multiplication (vs. 20-22) but we see that the reason for the Sabbath year was so that in being blessed, the Israelites would be a blessing to their poor (Exo 23:11). The Lord is about to bless (multiply) you in such a way that you will not be able to contain it. He will cause your cup to run over so that in blessing you, you will be a blessing to others. The Lord is going to pour out such a blessing upon you and cause you to multiply that you will have to share it with the people around you.
When we understand this, it will help us to see what the Lord is doing and will prepare us for what He is going to do in our lives.
The number seven has great significance in the word of God. It means spiritual perfection, the perfection of God and the perfection (fullness) of (God's) time.
God created the universe and the earth over a six day period then He rested on the seventh (Sabbath) day (Gen 2:1-3).
God commanded His people to keep the seventh (Sabbath) day holy (Exo 20:8-11).
God in Gen 7, commanded Noah to take seven each of every clean animal with him into the ark (Gen 7:2).
After seven more days the Lord caused it to rain on the earth (Gen 7:4).
The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat on the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month (Gen 8:4).
We are going to see victory over and rest from all that troubles us in the coming year(s). Above all this we are coming into a higher and deeper level in God where we will have a greater revelation of Him and His love for us. This in turn will cause us to be able to rest in (trust) Him with greater trust than ever before. We are coming into our Sabbath year.
- Richard Pace