“This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.”
Exodus 12.2
As the season changes from summer to fall—as kids go back to school all over the world, and others buckle down into the routine that will carry them through until next summer—it certainly feels like the start of a new year.
And indeed, in the Jewish tradition it is. It is the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah; which literally means, “head of the year.”
It is a time of new beginnings, a time to take stock of where we are and envision all that is possible—a time to set goals and get clarity.
Now is the time to make the most of the last 100 days of this calendar year—and to position yourself to maximize all God has in store for His people in 2017.
These are tremendously significant times! Come learn why…and how you can tap into the potential of this season at the End Your Year Strong event!
Registration is filling up fast! Don’t miss out on what God is doing in this prophetic time in history!
This week, as we mark “the beginning of the months” as ordained by God in Exodus 12:2, take time to reflect on why you are here at this significant time in history.
Consider this a divine invitation for you to gain clarity concerning who you are and why you are here—your true identity and purpose.
Know that you are here now on assignment. You are chosen “for such a time as this” to prosper in the plan God has for you. (See Jeremiah 29:11.)
Furthermore, if you are reading this, it means that you are “on top of the world” on this side of heaven as we enter year 5777 in the Hebrew calendar.
Why is this year significant?
The year 5777 is significant from an historical, prophetic, and numerological perspective.
In biblical numerology, the number 5 represents grace and the number 7 represents perfection—and when a number is repeated three times, it indicates “completion.”
Therefore, the biblical numerical meaning of 5777 is perfect grace made complete, or “the divine completion of the period of grace.”
When the numbers are added together, 5+7+7+7, the sum is 26; and taken a step further, 2+6 = 8.
The number 8 is the number of “new beginnings”or “new life.”
Which brings us back to Rosh Hashanah—a celebration of new beginnings and new life—celebrated in the seventh month, or the seventh new moon of the year.
This first of the Jewish “High Holidays” is celebrated by eating apples and honey as a remembrance of God’s abundance and the sweetness of life…and is commemorated by blowing the “shofar,” or rams horn, as a call to action and promise of God’s deliverance.
“When you go into battle…sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.”
Numbers 10:9
This is a beautiful opportunity to rededicate our lives to God, reflect on His goodness, remember His faithfulness, and reach inward to hear His Spirit speaking to our spirits.
This particular Rosh Hashanah is also of historical and prophetic import because it marks the end of a major Jubilee year or “Super Shemitah”—or “Shemitah Jubilee.”
A “Shemitah” is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle that was mandated by the Torah for the land of Israel. It is also known as a “Sabbath Year” or “Sabbatical Year” (the Hebrew word for sabbatical is literally translated “seventh”).
The Hebrew word shemitah, or shmita, means “release.”
The Jubilee is celebrated every 50th year…or every seventh “Shemitah.” It is a time of restoration for the people of God—a time when debts are forgiven and blessings are released. It is a time of renewed hope and expectation of the liberty we are now able to enjoy every day in Christ.
It is the new beginnings of new beginnings—when all things are made new! It is the year of the Lord’s favor that Jesus spoke of in Luke 4:19:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
And like the New Year we are currently embarking on, the conclusion of this Jubilee is also profoundly unique as it coincides with many prophetic references recorded in the Book of Daniel about the End Times.
I will be teaching more on that in the weeks to come and its significance as we approach 2017. For now, be encouraged, be expectant, and begin preparing your heart for all God has in store for you.
Get clear on what God is calling you to do…and then be diligent in your pursuit of it!
“So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do.”
Ephesians 5:15-17 NCV