Romans 35
Brian Kocourek
Romans 6:12 ¶ Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye
should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your
members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto
God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments
of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion
over you: for ye are not under the law,
but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin,
because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye
yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
2 Peter 2:19 “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage.”
The scriptures we have read this morning speak to us of bondage and how it is
that men come into bondage. In Romans 6
Paul tells us that we have been set free from the bondage of sin, and therefore
we want to focus our thoughts this morning on the setting free from the bondage
of sin. Then what we are looking at is the jubilee trumpet sounding forth the
year of Jubilee. Jubilee is the setting free of the bondslave.
E-21 Mark of the Beast 56-0715 Now, in the Old Testament the Bible said
that there was to be a fifty year jubilee. That was seven times seven years.
And in the forty-ninth year that it was to be made ready, and the fiftieth year was the jubilee year.
"Fifty" means "jubilee." It was... "Fifty" is God's jubilee number. The word
"Pentecost" means "fifty." It was the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit at the end of the fifty days. It was also the end of the fiftieth
year. Jesus come to foreshadow, or
forewarn, rather, the people of the coming year of jubilee. He went into
the synagogue at Capernaum and sat down, and taken the Scripture and turn it
over to Isaiah 61:1 and read this
Scripture. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for He has anointed me to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord, to set the captives at liberty, and to give sight
to the blind. And when He got
through reading, He set down and hand the Scripture back to the priest; and He
said, "This day this Scripture is
fulfilled in your ears and eyes." You see it? For He was giving forth
the warning of the coming forth of the great gusher of Pentecost, to set at
liberty every one that was slaves to sin and bound.
1906
Jubilee trumpet sounded, [1 Cor 14: 8-9] The tongue is likened to
a trumpet... and 50 years later this nation had our jubilee call, the message
going forth, and what did we do, in 1956 we rejected our liberty.... And what
then happened to this nation? She
rejected the Message and an awl was driven through her ear. She will no longer
be free and no longer able to hear the sound of the trumpet. The Gospel
trumpet... E-5 Arrow of God’s
Deliverance 56-0801 This
is the fiftieth year. And I kinda got it on my heart kinda like a
revelation--the fiftieth year, the
Jubilee year of Pentecost. And while I was at the Westgates, a year or so
ago, the Lord just seemed to put it on my heart and I announced it out before
several thousand people and it just caught fire.
Jubilee year = sh’nath ha-yobhel... year of the Jubilee, [Lev 25:8-17] The Hebrew word yobhel
stands for keren ha-yobhel, meaning the horn of the ram. Now, such horn can be made into a trumpet, and thus the word yobhel
came to be used as a synonym of the trumpet. According to Lev 25:9, a loud
trumpet should proclaim liberty throughout the country on the 10th day of the
seventh month (the Day of atonement) after the lapse of 7 Sabbaths of years =
49 years. In this manner, every 50th year was to be announced as a jubilee
year. During this time, all real property should automatically revert back to
its original owner. (Lev 25:10, 13)
and those who compelled by poverty had sold themselves as slaves to their
brothers, should regain their liberty [Lev
25:10,30].
In addition to this, the Jubilee year was to be observed after the
manner of the sabbatic year, ie. their should be neither sowing nor reaping nor
pruning of vines, and everybody was expected to live on what the fields and
vineyards produced “of themselves,” and no attempt should be made at storing up
the products of the land. [Lev 25:11]
Thus there are three distinct factors constituting the essential features of
the Jubilee year. Personal liberty, restitution of property, and what we might
call the simple life. The 50th year was
to be a time in which liberty should be proclaimed to all the inhabitants of
the country. we should indeed, diminish the import of this institution if we
should apply it only to those who were to be freed from the bonds of physical
servitude. Undoubtedly, they must have been the foremost in realizing it’s
beneficial effects. But the law was intended to benefit all, the masters as
well as the servants. They should never lose sight of their being brothers and
citizens of the theocratic kingdom . They owed their life to God and were
subject to His sovereign will. Only through loyalty to Him were they free and
could ever hope to be free and independent of all other masters.
The institution of the jubilee year should become the means of fixing
the price of real property. [Lev 25:15, 25-28] Moreover, it excluded
the possibility of selling any piece of land permanently [Lev 25:23] The next verse furnishing the motive. “the Land is Mine: for ye are strangers and
sojourners with Me.” The same rule
was to be applied to dwelling houses outside of the walled cities. [Lev 25:31] and also to the houses owned
by the Levites, although they were built within walled cities. [Lev 25:32]
The crowning feature was the full restitution of all real property in
the jubilee year. The primary object of this regulation was, of course, the
reversion of all hereditary property tot he family which originally possessed
it, and the re-establishment of the original arrangement regarding the division
of the land. But that was not all; for this legal disposition and regulation of
external matters was closely connected with the high calling of the Jewish
people. It was a part of the Divine plan
looking forward to the salvation of mankind. The deepest meaning of the Jubilee year is to be found in the restoring
of all that which in the course of time was perverted by man’s sin, in the
removing of all slavery of sin, in the establishing the true liberty of the
children of God , and in delivering of the creation from the bondage of
corruption to which it was subjected on account of man’s depravity. [Romans 8:19]
In the year of the Jubilee, a great future era of Jehovah’s favor is
foreshadowed, that period which according to [Isaiah
61:1-3] shall be ushered in to all
those that labor and are heavy laden, by Him who was anointed by the Spirit of
the Lord Jehovah.
The Jubilee year being the crowning point of all sabbatical
institutions, gave the finishing touch as it were to the whole cycle of
sabbatic days, months and years. It is
therefore, quite appropriate that it should be a year of rest for the
land like the preceding sabbatic year. [Lev 25: 11] It follows of
course, that this instance there were two years, one after the other, in which
there should be no sowing or systematic ingathering. This seems to be clear
from [Lev 25:18-22]. “and
ye shall sow the 8th year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the 9th
year, until its fruits come in, ye shall eat the old store.” Thus in the
7th and 8th years the people were to live on what the fields had produced in
the 6th year and whatever grew spontaneously. This shows the reason why we may
say that one of the factors constituting the Jubilee Year was the simple life.
They could not help but live simply for two consecutive years. Nobody can deny
that this afforded ample opportunity to develop the habit of living within very
limited means. And again we see this external part of the matter did not fully
come up tot he intention of the Lawgiver. It was not the simple Life that He
had in view, but rather the laying down of its moral and religious foundations.
In this connection we must again refer to [Lev 25:18-22]“What shall we eat the 7th year?”
The answer is very simple and yet quite grand. “Then I will command My blessings
upon you.” Nothing was expected
of the people but Faith in Jehovah and confidence in His power, which was not
to be shaken by any doubtful reflection. And right here we have found the root
of the simple life: “No Life without the
True God, and no simplicity in Life without True Faith in Him.” “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” [Matthew 4:4]
.
E-22 MARK OF THE BEAST 56-0715 Now, at the going forth of this jubilee year, it was to be sounded throughout all the land. A
trumpet was to sound. And this trumpet would make the distinction... For the trumpet was the fiftieth year sound
that led every slave that had been bought, or become poor--poor and could not
care for his own... He had fell beneath the load. And his master for his debt
had bought him and had placed him into the field as a slave. And he had to
serve him, for he was too poor to redeem himself. But God said, "Remember,
you were one time slaves yourself and down in Egypt. And I have freed you.
Therefore, at the sounding of the
trumpet, every slave, no matter how long he's been in or how short a time, he's
at liberty to return to his family, to return to his people and be free of
every debt, for it is a time of jubilee.
7-2 Choosing of a Bride
65-0429E Remember, when the jubilee
year come, and the--the priest rode with his trumpet sounding, that every slave
could go free; but if they refused to accept their freedom, then he had to be
taken to the temple to a post, and an awl bored him through the ear, and then
he served his master always. And it's put on his ear as a type of hearing.
Faith cometh by hearing. He heard that trumpet, but he didn't want to listen to
it.
87 Go Tell 60-0417M In the Bible time there was a jubilee year
come. People that were sold out for debts that they owed... They owed a debt
and they could not pay it, so they went and sold themselves to people for
slaves. And they had to be their slave, their bond slave, all their life. But
ever so often there come a day of grace, what was known as jubilee year. And
when the jubilee year was come, then there went a priest out and sounded a
trumpet. And that trumpet denoted to the--every slave, no matter how long he
had been serving, how much longer he had to serve, when that trumpet sounded,
that slave was made free. He could lay down the hoe and go home to his
children. He didn't have to work any longer, because he was free when the
jubilee sounded. That trumpet gave a--not an uncertain sound, but it gave a
certain sound. And the man could lay down his instrument, go home free from
slavery.
470-2 {92} QA on the Seals 63-0324M You say, "Brother Branham, if He was to
come this morning, shouldn't you be out there?" No, sir. This is my post of duty. I'll to be standing right here
preaching when He comes, saying the same things I am. Then, when He comes, I'll
just move right on out with Him. If I'm
hoeing potatoes, I'll just be hoeing away just as hard as I can. When He comes,
I'll just drop the hoe and take off.
You remember in the jubilee year, if they was hoe--hoeing with the hoe,
they just kept on hoeing. They knowed the jubilee year was maybe ten minutes
more and the trumpet would sound of the jubilee year. They just kept on
pitching hay or whatever they was doing; but when the trumpet sounded, then
they dropped their pitchfork and gone. That's it. Just keep on pitching hay
until the trumpet sounds.
60 Is Your Life Worthy
63-0630E Now, we notice. And in the Old Testament, they had what they
called the Jubilee year. That was when all the people that was slaves could go
free, when the Jubilee sounded. And then if the man did not go out, if there
was some excuse that he could give that he didn't want to return to his land,
then he had to be marked in the ear with an awl by the post in the temple. And
then no matter how many Jubilees come along, that man was sold out. He could
never no more come back as a citizen in Israel no more. What did he do? He
rejected his invitation. He didn't have to pay nothing. The debt of his slavery
was over. His family was free. He could go right back to his homeland and get
his own possession. But if he refused to do it, then he wasn't allotted no more
with Israel, and his possession was give to another. Now, the same thing in the natural applies to the spiritual, that
if we as inheritance of Eternal Life, and we hear the Gospel, and know that
it's true, and we reject it, and refuse to do it or to listen to it, we take on
the mark of the beast.
136 Seal Of God 54-0514 When you receive Light... In the Old
Testament... Let me show you the brand now. Listen close, then I'm going to go
straight to my subject. Look, in the Old Testament when a slave was under
slavery, and then he had... He was bought over there, with a price. He had to
serve that master until the year of jubilee. And when the year of jubilee come,
there was a trumpet sounded. And when
the slave was out there, him and his kiddies, and wife and all of them wanting
to return to the old homeland... They were stomping in the fields, and the
taskmaster beating them, and this way and that way. And then when the jubilee
priest come by, sounding the trumpet, and that priest sounded the trumpet, and
that man, he heard the trumpet, he could drop his hoe, he could drop whatever
he was doing, look in the taskmaster's face, and say, "You can't hit me
one more time. I'm free." Walk right away and go home. Why? There's the
sounding of jubilee, when they heard the sound.
E-22 Mark of the Beast
56-0715 Now, at the going forth of this jubilee year, it was to be
sounded throughout all the land. A trumpet was to sound. And this trumpet would
make the distinction... For the trumpet was the fiftieth year sound that led
every slave that had been bought, or become poor--poor and could not care for
his own... He had fell beneath the
load. And his master for his debt had bought him and had placed him into the
field as a slave. And he had to serve him, for he was too poor to redeem
himself. But God said, "Remember, you were one time slaves yourself and
down in Egypt. And I have freed you. Therefore, at the sounding of the trumpet,
every slave, no matter how long he's been in or how short a time, he's at
liberty to return to his family, to return to his people and be free of every
debt, for it is a time of jubilee.
20-4 Feast of the Trumpets
64-0719M Now notice, the Trumpets, that we're speaking of, is a call
together for either a feast, for war, for a person, some sacred day, or something
like that (notice, you said, "For a person?" yeah), or for the year
of jubilee, the announcing of the coming of freedom, when they could go back.
Now, we could take a complete morning on just that one thing. But now, getting
into the trumpets, you got the background now of the Seals, and the Church.
Now, we're going into the trumpet. The
trumpet sounded; and the trumpet denotes either war, or feast day, or... What
it means is a gathering together of the people, the trumpet. Paul said,
"When the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who can prepare themselves for
war, or for peace, or whatever it is?" Who knows? You have to know what
the trumpet sounds. Therefore, when the trumpet sounds, we see something in the
earth today. There's a great trouble somewhere; everybody knows it. Everybody's
become a neurotic. The whole world is a neurotical world, and we know there's
something wrong. The Pentagon, everywhere, we know there's something
wrong.
33-1 Feast of the Trumpets 64-0719M Notice, now quickly Revelations 9 (under the
Seventh Trumpet, their king is from the bottomless pits), and in Leviticus now,
how perfect the interpretation is here with the Word, because (See?)
immediately following the Pentecostal jubilee followed the day of an atonement.
The order of the feast time, between the Pentecostal feast to the atonement,
the sound of the Trumpets for the atonement was the Pentecostal feast, the long
period of time. Look, there was a long
period of time between the Pentecostal feast to the calling of the--of the
trump--the sounding of the Trumpets, the--the Trumpets to be sound, a long
period of time. Frankly, it was fifty days from the--from the--from the Feast
of Pentecost to the Feast of the Atonement, was fifty days. Now, fifty days is
exactly seven sabbaths. And seven Sabbaths is the seven church years--church
ages. Get it? See, see?
33-3 Feast of the Trumpets 64-0719M Now, the Jews has been blinded, waiting all
this time, while the Pentecostal firstfruits has been poured out upon the
church. And we've come down through the martyr ages, and down through the
reformer ages, and now in the calling-out age, three sections, same Spirit,
like Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, same One. See? But seven church ages, being
seven Sabbaths, exactly seven Sabbaths from the--from the Pentecostal jubilee
trumpet--a Pentecostal jubilee feast, until--the waving of the sheaf, and then
the Pentecostal jubilee. And then from the jubilee to the atonement is seven
Sabbaths, fifty days. And at the end of the fifty days is--the atonement is
made. You get it? 36-5 Feast of the Trumpets 64-0719M How many understand what the
Pentecostal feast is? It's the fruit of--firstfruit of the harvest, the
firstfruit of the resurrection, the Pentecostal feast. Don't miss this people. And you on tape
listen close. This has been the time of Pentecostal feast. The Jews has laid
silent; they rejected it. Now, they've got to be called back to the Atonement.
We know Who the Atonement was; they didn't. And the trumpet sound after the
Pentecostal jubilee calls the Jews together. Can't you see how that trumpet of
persecution under Hitler and them blasted, and the Jews was forced to come
together to fulfill the Scriptures? Now, you got it? All that's got it say,
"Amen”
E-12 Mark of Christ 55-0312 When the Devil has finally persuaded every
person to disbelieve the Gospel... And finally, one day after God has presented
to him the knowledge of the truth, and he turns his back from it for the last
time, said, "No, I just keep mine," then the Devil takes him to the
door, bores a hole in his ear, as it was in the type of the Old Testament, or seals his understanding, never no more
to have faith in the Gospel, sealed out, and he will serve the Devil forever.
No more hope for him, gone, lost, without hope, without God, without mercy..
And now, the tragedy of these two things, is that the seal of the enemy is a
religious seal, correctly, very religious. I want to read something now out of
the Scripture just before we go in, in Revelations the 9th chapter, and the 3rd
and 4th verses. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth:... to
them it was given power, as the power of scorpions of the earth have
power. And it was commanded them that
they should not hurt the green grass, neither the tree; but only those men
which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And then we see that many places... You readers understand, that
how many places in the Scripture it preaches--or teaches especially the book of
Revelations on having the seal of God.
Now, after last night, basing and seeing what the seal of Satan was, was
to reject the Gospel... The jubilee, the Gospel is the good news. Is that
right? And that is the jubilee year for every fallen child of Adam. After they
have received their great benefits of the Gospel been given to them, and they
reject it, then according to the Testament, they are sealed outside the
Kingdom; they have to serve their master the rest of their days.