Prophetic message given to our congregation on December 31, 2006, by Pastor Juan Radhamés Fernández.
“And this is the manner of the remission: everyone who made a loan from his hand, by which he bound his neighbor, shall forgive his debtor; he shall not demand it again of his neighbor or his brother, because the remission of Jehovah has been proclaimed” –Deuteronomy 15:2
When the heavens and the earth, and all creation, were finished, the Word says that God rested from all the work that He had done. And after He saw that everything was very good, God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, to make of it a memorial (Genesis 2:1-3). In this way, God sanctified not only the seventh day, but also every seventh year and the seventh of every seven years, which we know as the year of jubilee.
What did God require, in turn, of His people? That they sanctify the seventh day, the seventh year, and also the 50th year, not so much with feasts or rituals, but by resting as He did from all works, and giving rest to the land, to the beasts, and to those who were their slaves and servants. Jehovah also required that remission be made, forgiving the debt to everyone who had made a loan, thus proclaiming the remission of Jehovah. Therefore, the seventh year was a year of remission, of generosity, and of freedom, so that there would be no poor among His people. And in exchange God would give the double portion so that they would be anxious about nothing, but would rest in Jehovah, owner of the land and their provider.
If we remember the prophetic trumpet of last year, 2006, in which the Lord spoke to us of His height and His holiness, in which we could dwell only when we made restitution for the wrong, we now understand that without restitution there can be no remission. Last year the Lord revealed to us His Spirit, but now He reveals to us His heart:
- God is merciful and asks us to be merciful;
- God is forgiving and commands us to forgive every wrong and every pain;
- God is generous and asks us to act with generosity
- God is good and commands us not to be perverse.
Therefore, the Lord has proclaimed, for His church, this year of rest and of the remission of Jehovah, and just as He made restitution and then redeemed by the blood of His Son, we too had to make restitution in order to then redeem and give rest to our spiritual land. To have peace and be able to enjoy our sabbatical year we have to finish our works as God finished His. Let us meditate on our ways, and take into account that by forgiving our debtors we will be settled with God and with others. Then we will look and see what God has done, very good, for the rest of our souls and the repose of our spirit.
Finally, let us not be confused: the year of rest is a time of great solemnity, not to fall into carnal and fruitless laziness, but to proclaim the remission of Jehovah. Let us walk fervent in spirit, imitating Jesus, Lord even of the Sabbath, who, like our Heavenly Father, is working until now (John 5:17).
