In my book, Secrets of Time, I calculated that the 119th Jubilee from Adam occurred in 1937 on the Day of Atonement (Sept. 15, 1937). The next Jubilee (the 120^th) occurred on Oct. 13, 1986.

We will now deal with the importance of 1937 and the Jubilee year (1937-1938), not only in U.S. history, but throughout Europe and much of the world.

World War II is said to have been sparked by Lord Halifax's visit to Hitler in 1937-1938, which began the British policy of appeasement. In the same year, Prince Konoye was named Japanese Prime Minister, beginning an aggressive Japanese war policy.

It is not our purpose to deal with the political and economic causes of World War II, but to focus primarily on the spiritual causes. This is, after all, "a prophetic history." Thus, we must look at God's reasons for allowing the nations to be judged by this destructive war.

The year 1937-38 was the culmination of two long-term prophetic cycles, one affecting Judah and the other affecting Israel. If we add the total number of rest years (each seventh year) and Jubilees (every 50th year) dating from the fall of Israel in 721 B.C., we find that by 1937 the total comes to 434. This is the number indicating "Judged Time," as I explained in Secrets of Time.

Secondly, if we add up the number of rest years and Jubilees from 597 B.C., which was when King Jehoiachin of Judah (in Jerusalem) was brought captive to Babylon, we find that by 1937 the total comes to 414. This is the number indicating "Cursed Time," as explained in Secrets of Time.

Normally, we would simply view 434 and 414 as a time count in years, but in this case, it is more complex and hidden. The time cycle is determined by counting rest years and Jubilees that were never kept (observed). There is precedent in Scripture to show that Israel and Judah were judged for not observing their rest years and Jubilees (2 Chron. 36:20, 21; Jer. 34:8-22). Each year that they did not keep added to their "debt to sin."

One example is found in 2 Samuel 24, where verse 1 says,

"And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah."

The Bible does not tell us WHY God was angry with Israel and Judah, but when we look at the chronology of this, we find that in the 38th year of David, the people had failed to observe 70 rest years and Jubilees.

God then brought judgment upon them, causing 70,000 people to die (2 Sam. 24:15). One thousand people died for every rest year that was owed in their debt to the law.

This judgment paid the penalty and wiped the slate clean. But then they failed to keep their rest years and Jubilees after that time as well. When they owed another 70 rest years (Sabbath years) and Jubilees, then God brought Judah into its Babylonian captivity for 70 years to pay the debt. 2 Chron. 36:21 gives us the reason for this 70-year captivity:

"To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten [70] years."

And so by counting Sabbath years from Israel and Judah's captivities, we find that in 1937-38, Judah owed 414 years, while Israel owed 434 years. God then foreclosed on the debt through divine judgment, which history calls "World War II."

From the divine perspective, it was a Civil War between the leading tribes of Israel. Anyone who takes the time to study history will soon see that the Assyrians captured and deported the tribes of Israel to the area around the Caspian Sea from 745-721 B.C. We read in 2 Kings 17:6,

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

The Assyrians called Israel by another name, because only Israel called itself Israel. On the Black Obelisk of Shalmanezer, Israel is called Beth-Khumri, which all historians translate as "House of Omri." (Omri was one of Israel's greatest kings.) The Israelite "Khumri" later migrated into Europe, where they became known as the Celts, or Kelts.

The Behistun Rock of Darius tells us that the Khumri were also called Saka and Sakka, whom the Greeks called Sacae and the Romans called Saxons. Thus, the dispersed Israelites, the so-called “lost tribes,” were actually Saxons, Celts, Scandinavians, and others, who became the European people as they migrated West from the land of their captivity.

Thus, in World War II, the tribes of Israel were represented by the Allies, while the tribe of Judah was represented by Germany and the Axis nations. It was a Civil War between Israel and Judah, which brought a "Judged Time" judgment to the Allied nations and a "Cursed Time" judgment to Germany and the Axis nations.

Jacob-Israel had prophesied in Genesis 49:10 and 1 Chron. 5:1, 2 that Judah was called to provide the monarchs for the House of Israel. In ancient times, this was fulfilled through King David, who was of Judah. It also meant that Jesus, the true King, was to come from the tribe of Judah through the line of David.

In later history, we find that virtually all the monarchs in Europe are actually German. Even the present British monarchy was imported from Germany in 1714 (King George I). Thus, Germany has been fulfilling the prophecies of Judah for many centuries. It is not surprising, then, to find Germany paying the Cursed Time penalty for Judah in World War II. Likewise, it is not surprising to find the other Israel nations paying the Judged Time penalty for Israel in World War II.

And because Cursed Time is a more severe judgment than Judged Time, we can say that the outcome of the war was set before the first shot was even fired. All sides were judged with great loss of life, but Germany lost the war and was judged most severely.

What might have prevented this war? What did God require? The precedent is found in Jeremiah 34 when Judah was about to go into its 70-year Babylonian captivity to pay the 70 years that it owed God. Jeremiah was led to tell them that if they would keep that final Sabbath-rest year, God would cancel the entire debt and the nation would be spared.

The people agreed to do this, but then they changed their minds (Jer. 34:15, 16). And so the prophet declared that they would have to go into captivity (Jer. 34:17-22). God is merciful, but the people simply did not believe the prophet. They paid for their unbelief and their rebellion with a destructive war and a 70-year captivity.

This is also what occurred in 1937-1938. The policy of "appeasement" that most historians today condemn was actually the right policy at the time. Appeasement has to do with Peace, forgiveness, and release. But Germany misused this peace policy by invading other nations. Germany was bitter from the oppressive after-effects of World War I and refused to forgive the injustices imposed upon her.

It takes two to forgive in any dispute. Germany refused to forgive and received divine judgment for this. However, the allied nations were judged as well, for their oppressive policies after World War I instigated the bitterness of the German people. There was wrong on both sides. But in the Divine Court of Justice, the results of World War II speak for themselves, for God alone knows how to judge the nations in righteousness.

Rest years and Jubilees set forth principles of forgiveness. That is the key. All sin is reckoned as a debt in the Divine Court, and forgiveness of debt has to do with forgiveness for sin (offenses) done against us. It is not the way of the world to forgive either monetary debts or sin. But if we had done so, I believe God would have cancelled our captivity to Babylon that had been put upon us in 1914-1917 through the Federal Reserve Act. We could have shortened the captivity. But we did not.

It will be interesting, then, to watch the 70-year cycle from 1937, which brings us to 2007. It is possible that this could be significant in our release from the great Babylonian captivity.