South Sudan’s Liberation as a Jubilee Season 

First, all the way up to the end of 2004 both the church and the political leaders in South Sudan did not recognize that as a nation which professed to be the “Christian South”, we did not realize that we were walking into a God-ordained season of Jubilee.

In such a season, there are things which God simply releases to any individual, people group or territory so that they can have a new beginning. We were so focused on the peace talks going on between the north and South Sudan and could not see that no matter what men had wanted to dictate, it was a season of jubilee.

Since 1955, forty-nine years had elapsed since the South Sudan people began to fight for independence from the north. We were entering into what I call an epoch-making season which was directly an ordination of the Lord and not any human effort. Even if we did not want to have peace talks with the north, we were going to enter our season of rest as a nation. A jubilee season is a gift of God to all people.

Whenever the jubilee happens according to scripture, it is a season of new beginnings. We enter what is called a Sabbatical year. A season of rest from all kinds of conflict, a season of returning to our inheritance, a season of bringing a balance between the rich and poor, freedom for the oppressed and enslaved and an opportunity for restitution, restoration of what has been taken away from you or stolen. It is a season of rebuilding the desolation of many generations (Isaiah 64.4) and many such wonderful things.

When God was revealing to Daniel about the return of Israel back from captivity, that was going to be a jubilee season. Amid chaos and confusion in other parts of the world, they would be enjoying rest, prosperity and favour. He then made that statement that in such a season, those who knew their God would be strong and do exploits.

As you can see in the scriptures in Leviticus and Isaiah there are things which God ordains for a jubilee.

From the above scriptures, we learn that the following are some of the virtues that are released or have the potential to be released during a jubilee season. They include the following:

Release from captivity.

Repentance

Return to inheritance

Restoration of what was lost

Restitution of what was stolen

Rejoicing

Revival

Rebuilding

The resurrection of hope or of what we have given up on, as dead or not functional.

Revenge of the Lord

Favour of the Lord

From the signing of the CPA in 2005 to our independence in 2011 we had a seven-year window to ensure that these potentials which were given to us in small portions would

be fully maximized. 

They did not understand that it was God’s appointed time of jubilee to return to our own inheritance so we could rebuild the nation and stop being a reproach just as Nehemiah had said concerning Jerusalem.

Many did not realize it was part of the blessing of jubilee coming upon them to return to their inheritance to bring the wealth of nations back home.

Get to know more from the book as it is being launched on 17th September 2022.