Jubilee Year Cycle (49 or 50?)

The Jubilee Year of the Bible is important to understand properly if you want to understand the Biblical Calendar, and with it Bible prophecy and what it holds for the future. But few people do. Some think it is 50 years, some 49 years. Find out the truth now.

After the Sabbath year, the Jubilee year is the only other special reoccurring year in Scripture. It is basically a week of Sabbath years, following the same pattern as the Sabbath day and Sabbath year cycles, with one difference explained below:

Leviticus 25:8-10 (HCSB) — 8 “You are to count seven sabbatic years, seven times seven years, so that the time period of the seven sabbatic years amounts to 49. 9 Then you are to sound a trumpet loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month; you will sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement. 10 You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan.

This confusing passage leaves you wondering if the cycle spoken of is 49 or 50 years long. Most people understand it to mean 50, but this view actually breaks Scripture: the requirement that Jubilees follow every seventh Sabbath year. A Jubilee cycle of 50 years falls out of sync with the Sabbath year cycle since 50 is not a multiple of seven. It falls at the right place for the first Jubilee but with each subsequent Jubilee cycle it drifts a year later each time. Only a Jubilee on a 49-year cycle stays in sync (7 x 7 = 49). In the chart below you can see the Sabbath years in gray and directly after each 7th Sabbath year black marks for the correct 49-year Jubilees. The supposed 50-year Jubilee in red can be found at the 50 and 100 year marks. The first one coincides with the 49-year Jubilee but notice the gap between the second 50-year Jubilee (at the 100 year mark) and the 7th Sabbath year. That gap breaks Scripture.

So why does the Bible refer to the Jubilee as a 50th year? Because the Jubilee is based on and derived directly from the Sabbath year cycle, or specifically counting seven Sabbath year cycles = 49 years. By saying to hallow the 50th year, it makes it clear that it is the year following every seventh Sabbath year. It also makes it clear that the Jubilee is not ever the same year as a Sabbath year nor is it on a separate sequence coming every 50th year. It is the 50th year counting from the last Jubilee because it is is using inclusive reckoning in its counting. If you count normally from the last Jubilee and do not include the year you are counting from, but mark it as 0, then you get 49 years between Jubilees.

This means each Jubilee is really the first year of the first Sabbath year cycle of the next Jubilee cycle. In other words, the Jubilee year does not interrupt the Sabbath year cycle, but is always followed by the second year of that Sabbath year cycle. In this way, every Sabbath year remains a multiple of seven years away from any other Sabbath year in history.

The Twist: How the Jubilee Year is like Pentecost Day

That leads to the small difference I referred to above. If the Jubilee were to follow exactly the pattern of the Sabbath day and Sabbath year cycles, then the Jubilee would happen on the 7th Sabbath year, or 49th year, itself, as a “Sabbath year of Sabbath years”. Instead, it makes the following year, the 50th year, special, in effect giving you a double Sabbath year every seventh time (fields rest in years 49 and 50). This is why it emphasizes the number 50, to differentiate it from the preceding 49th year—not because it is a “50-year cycle”!

By the way, this mirrors the Pentecost “omer count” cycle from the Torah. After counting seven weeks from the morning after the Sabbath falling during Passover week, you end up with a double Sabbath day on that weekend when Pentecost falls: the 49th day is always Saturday or Sabbath day and the 50th day of Pentecost is always a Sunday. Further, there is similarly no instruction to restart the Sabbath day cycle after the day of Pentecost. In other words, Pentecost is always followed by Monday, not a second Sunday or new first day of the week that is eight days from the first day of the last week. With this additional parallel witness we can be sure that the Sabbath year cycle, like the Sabbath day cycle, is an unbroken sequence of years and multiples of seven years apart from each other. Likewise the Jubilee must be every 49 years, not 50. (Note: This article is excerpted from the book Know the Future.)

Update: See my expanded comments on this topic at my blog on a 50 Year Jubilee: Six Required Years of Planting?

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9comments
Elle - February 9, 2025

Pentecost is not 49 days + 1. It is actually 49 + 50. If, as most believe, Pentecost falls in June, that would be too early for the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. Pentecost is the same day the law was given at Mount Sinai. Moses had to get back down because the Israelites were making a golden calf for the feast day. I outlined this years ago.

Exodus 16:1 – And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 19:1 – In the THIRD MONTH, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day (15TH) came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

19:3 – And Moses went up (ON THE 15TH OF THE 3RD MONTH) unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

19:7- 8 – And Moses came (DOWN FROM TALKING WITH GOD) and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned (BACK UP THE MOUNTAIN ON THE 15TH) the words of the people unto the LORD.

19;10-11 – And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day (15TH/3RD MONTH) and to morrow (16TH/3RD MONTH), and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day (17TH/3RD MONTH): for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

Exodus 24:1 – And he said unto Moses, Come up (ON THE 17TH/3RD MONTH) unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

24:9 – Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

24:12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up (ON THE 17TH/3RD MONTH) to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

24:15-16 And Moses went up (ON THE 17TH/3RD MONTH) into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it SIX DAYS (17-22/3RD MONTH ): and the SEVENTH DAY (23RD/3RD MONTH) he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

24:18 – And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS.
(THOSE 40D/40N STARTED ON THE 17TH OF THE 3RD MONTH UNTIL THE 23RD OF THE 4TH MONTH WHEN HE CAME DOWN.)

32:1 – .And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

32:5-7 – And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, TOMOROW IS A FEAST to the LORD. And they rose up early on THE MORROW, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

GOD TOLD MOSES TO LEAVE THE MOUNT. THE PEOPLE WERE CELEBRATING A FEAST DAY TO THE LORD. THAT FEAST DAY WAS PENTECOST. MOSES CAME DOWN WITH THE 10 COMMANDENTS, THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES DOWN TO LEAD PEOPLE INTO ALL TRUTH.

Levticus 23:15-16 – And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the (7TH DAY) sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; SEVEN SABBATHS SHALL BE COMPLETE: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye NUMBER 50 DAYS; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

PEOPLE MESS THIS UP. 7 SABBATHS COMPLETE IS 49 DAYS, AFTER THE 7 SABBATHS ARE COMPLETE, YOU ADD 50 MORE DAYS, NOT ONE DAY. PENTECOST FALLS DURING THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE WHEAT HARVEST. 2 LOAVES OF THE FIRSTFRUITS OF WHEAT ARE PRESENTED TO GOD ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST.

GOING BACK TO THE EXODUS, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL LEFT EGYPT ON THE 15TH OF THE FIRST MONTH, ARRIVED IN SINAI THE SAME DAY THAT THEY LEFT EGYPT. USING GOD’S 30 DAY CALENDAR, WE HAVE:

1ST MONTH
16 DAYS, 15-30TH

2ND MONTH
30 DAYS

3RD MONTH
30 DAYS

4TH MONTH
23 DAYS, 1-23RD

TOTAL 99 DAYS, THE DAY MOSES CAME DOWN THE MOUNT AND THE PEOPLE WERE CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF THE LORD, ALBEIT INCORRECTLY. THIS MEANS THAT PASSOVER (14TH) FELL ON A SABBATH DAY THAT YEAR AND THE FIRST DAY OF UNLEAVENED BREAD WAS THE 15TH OF ABIB, THE DAY THEY WERE TO START THE COUNT WHICH WAS A SUNDAY ON OUR MODERN DAY CALENDAR AND AS ALSO A SUNDAY FOR PENTECOST. NOWHERE DOES IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT PENTECOST BEING 10 DAYS BEFORE CHRIST’S ASCENCION. IT IS ONLY BELIEVED TO BE THE CASE BECAUSE OF THE MENTION OF 40 DAYS AND PEOPLE’S MISUNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO COUNT PENTECOST CORRECTLY.

Reply
Dark Phoenix 2040 - November 22, 2022

Sorry, you’re incorrect.

The only true timeline is the one encoded within the dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

2040 is the return of Phoenix (138 year cycle) in mid May.
2046 is return of Nibiru on 1st November (792 year cycle. 60 years inside inner system, 732 years beyond)

The chronological works of Jason Breshears lays it all out with DATA and THOUSANDS of sources.

Where are yours?

Also, Nostradamus encodes the 138 year phoenix cycle in his quatrains (Mario Reading)

Mother Shipton, too

If you delete this, youre a confirmed shill. God will judge you.

Reply
    Sam Hui - January 3, 2023

    Tim based his timeline on the Words of God alone. You may check it up yourself. After all, God’s words are freely available and verifiable by all who would seek Him.

    Reply
2024 Yom Kippur is the 7X7 Shemitah year of the 120th Jubilee since Adam – MAN-CHILD of Book of Revelation 12:5 - September 30, 2022

[…] For a compelling presentation why 49 is correct for Jubilee Year calculations instead of 50, see Jubilee Year Cycle (49 or 50?) […]

Reply
When is the Next Year of Jubilee? | The 70th Jubilee | Leviticus 25:10 - September 24, 2020

[…] For a compelling presentation why 49 is correct for Jubilee Year calculations instead of 50, see Jubilee Year Cycle (49 or 50?) […]

Reply
Jennifer - May 17, 2019

Hi,

You are correct about a lot of stuff, but the USA is not Babylon as the WHOLE WORLD is currently in “spiritual Babylon!” The USA is Ephraim -the lead northern tribe of the house of Israel in the LATTER days that got the zenith birthright blessings of Abraham (proven from the moons we’ve had that cross in America ONLY in 2017 and 2024) and the UK is Manasseh/the great people/Great Britain-the older brother. God Bless! There’s a guy named Rick Gideon and also another gentleman named Jospeh Dumons that breaks it all down and proves it!

Reply
    Tim McHyde - May 17, 2019

    Jennifer, I agree the US is Ephraim and the UK is Manasseh.=) However tells us who they came from primarily, not who they are prophetically. America/Ephraim is many things in prophecy: Daniel’s eagle’s wings, Jeremiah’s Daughter Babylon, and Revelation’s Babylon the Great.

    Reply
Mem - June 27, 2017

Hi Tim – Regarding the Jubilee year. How do you explain this passage?

Leviticus 25:22
And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.

The passage had just stated previously that they shall not sow or reap in the Jubilee year, yet it says here that they are expected to “sow in the eighth year”

The eighth year can only be interpreted as the year following the seventh year Sabbath year. So how can the Jubilee year be the first year of the next cycle following the Sabbath year (the eighth year)? It seems the only possibility is that when a Jubilee is applicable it must be co-observed and overlap with the 7th year Sabbath year. There is no other year (the sixth or the eighth or the ninth) that the Jubilee can be on if the verse specifically expects them to sow in the eighth year.

Reply
    Tim McHyde - June 27, 2017

    Mem, For sure, the Jubilee (“50th year” – Lev 25:10) is not the same as the Sabbath year (“49th year” or “7th Sabbath year” – Lev 25:8) otherwise the instruction you already noted saying, “don’t plant in Jubilee years” (Lev 25:11) would be redundant and make no sense given (under your thinking) it’s already a Sabbath year that it was already said in the same chapter not to sow.

    As for not “planting in the eighth year,” I think you missed that the discussion of the Jubilee leaves off with Lev 25:17 and is interrupted in Lev 25:18 with a parenthetical discussion about lack of faith in God’s provision when keeping 7th/Sabbath years (not Jubilee years). These come much more frequently and are much more pressing on people’s minds than Jubilee. (After all, a Jubilee will only happen once or twice in a person’s lifetime.) Under normal, non-Jubilee conditions, or six out of seven times, the eighth year is not a Jubilee, but a normal year they can plant. A rare Jubilee year situation in the 8th year is not being addressed here.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply
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