The Oracle: The Jubilean Mysteries Unveiled

I was given this book by someone who found the points made in this book fascinating. While this is a fictional book, the historical facts presented in this book is claimed to be accurate. There isn't really much of a story to this book, it is more a conversation between two people and each section follows the same formula. One guy has a series of visions, that follows the same pattern. Then this wise guy (the Oracle) explains the visions. Each vision resolves around significant events that happen in a special Jubilee year, and within that year there are also connections between other Jubilee years.

The main years where key significant prophecies (Jubilee years) are meant to have taken place are 1867, 1917, 1947/8, 1967, 2017/8. You will note that 1947/8 don't fit the pattern of a 50-year gap, but that is because it is on a different Jubilee cycle (and when the state of Israel was formed). The year 2017/8 is 70 years after 1948 and is on the 50 years cycles so they meet up again alright. We do need to believe that "70 years" sounds like a religious number so it is ok to fit that pattern.

Now I think it should be noted that no one today actually knows when the Jewish year of Jubilee is to take place. Israel was commanded to have his resetting year, where land was returned to families every 50 years, giving everyone a chance to start all over. While Israel was commanded to do this, the Bible actually never records them following this instruction, my gut feeling is that Israel didn't or couldn't even go an extra generation in following God's instructions. I suspect that after 50 years the powers to be decided this wouldn't be a good idea and so never did it.

I don't have enough time to deal with every fact or claim in this book, but here are just three that stood out to me, which may give you a taste for how prophecies in this book get fulfilled.

Mark Twain fulfils Deuteronomy 29:22-23

Mark Twain once visited Isreal (before it was a country) in 1867 and in his journal he wasn't impressed. He said the place had lots of sick people, was desolate, scorching with little vegetation as if it was cursed. His description of this place is linked to Deuteronomy 29:22-23 which is quoted as:

...the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD has laid on it: “The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah

In these verses, we see that Mark Twain is this stranger who saw the curses upon the land (of the pre-modern day Israel). And also Mark Twain's last day in Jerusalem was September 28 which has the appointed reading for the day to include Deut 29:22-23. (We aren't really told what lectionary system we are using for this scripture days.) 

However, the quoted verse above is the author's translation. Below is how the NIV translates this so-called prophecy:

Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it. The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.

Here we see that the stranger is actually a plural, or group of people or specifically the children of Israel who will see the curses of God upon the land of ancient Israel.

The Balfour Declaration somehow is related to Daniel 12:12 because of Islam

In 1917 (50 years after the last Jubilee with Mark Twain) the British issued the Balfour Declaration. This was the start of establishing the new Israel, claiming that Jews should have a national home in Palestine. This land was in possession of the Ottoman Empire since 1517 (400 years or 8 Jubilees past). What is amazing is that the Islamic calendar year in 1917 was 1335. At the end of the book of Daniel (12:11-13) we have a prophecy:

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 

“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

You will note the mention of the 1,335 days and an encouragement to wait till to end to receive your allotted inheritance (land?). Islam has its own calendar starting from around 622 AD, or the establishment of the first Islamic community. What we see with these 1335 days in Daniel is really the number of years since Islam was established. With the Balfour Declaration, it was the beginning of the end of the Ottoman Empire owning the future land of Israel.

However, when the Balfour Declaration was announced in November, it was already the next Islamic year (since the 17th October) making it 1336. I am first to admit that I don't really know what Daniel is talking about in chapter 12, but I am pretty sure the 1,335 days doesn't mean that after 1,336 years of a future religion existing, Israel will get it's land back. (Daniel would also have to wait 1,000 years before Islam started to count its years).

Modern-day Israel and an archaeological site in Masada fulfilled Ezekial 37 dry bones vision

Since 70 AD the nation was scattered, but bit by bit it was coming back together. It was a skeleton of a nation, but then it grew and came back into existence. It was a resurrection of a nation. Also around the mid-1960's professor, Yigael Yadin with Israeli armed forces did some digs in Masada. Here he was opening up old graves and somehow this gives new life to the nation of Israel, like a resurrection.

In response to this, I would just say this is read very poetically, which very little reference to the spirit of God who actually makes these dead lifeless bones come alive.

There are many other things mentioned in this book, like the dead sea scrolls, the definition of people's names is over analysed, along with their age at the time of events. Even Trump in 2017/18 gets a mention because he moves the US embassy into Jerusalem.

More than 90% of the way into the book, I was wondering if this was how a neo-Judaism saw the current events of Israel being fulfilled and if this author was a Jew. But right at the end, he mentions Jesus and there is even a call to follow Jesus. I thought this was a little forced and a bit out of the blue. Also, it was a little disappointing. I think if you are a Christian and you are dealing with Biblical prophecy and you spend most of your time looking into rulers, armies and the meaning of some people's names and not Jesus, you are missing something key.