"For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!" Song of Solomon 2:11-13 NKJV
I have shared this article enough in the past that some of you might have considered that it might just be my favorite on the subject of rapture timing speculation. Obviously there is not a day or an hour specified yet certainly it’s a season that I feel strongly has many reasons to support the idea that it might just be when the Church will be called home. If that weren’t reason enough, where I also believe we are as a world today on God’s prophetic timeline, leads me to share it again with you now. So I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the Song of Solomon, and the possibility he is telling us when we are finally going home.
Did you look forward to your wedding? Did you possibly get a little more impatient the closer you got to the actual date? I think most of us have either participated in our own, or observed someone else in this position and understand the impatience and anticipation someone approaching their wedding day experiences. This though, raises a question in my mind which I would like you to consider as well. Since the Church is described as the bride of Christ, and the Word also tells us He is coming to take His bride home at a future date, do you think Jesus is experiencing those same feelings of anticipation and impatience that we do?
When is the last time you heard a sermon taught on the Songs of Solomon? To be completely honest, I don't recall personally ever having heard one. Which truthfully seems to be a shame because if you believe that all scripture is inspired by God, and all scripture is profitable for instruction, you are then left with the question as to why this book was included in the scripture and what is its message? As Solomon wrote this song to a Shulamite woman who he had fallen in love with, it is in essence his love song to her as he is courting her with the intent of making her his bride. You don't need to read very far at all to understand the depth of his love for her, and the anticipation he has for the day she will become his own.
Seen in this light, it appears to me that this song can easily be considered to be what Jesus is feeling as He looks forward to His wedding to His bride, the Church. Although the Jews have always looked at this book as signifying God's love for the nation of Israel, and it easily could be, I can also certainly see Jesus' love for the Church and His anticipation for the coming wedding in it as well. One of the many interesting things I found while reading this book was this description of his intended which Solomon gives us in chapter 4.
"You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you." Song of Solomon 4:7 NKJV
The fact that he sees no spot in her immediately brought to mind the description of the Church Paul gives us in the book of Ephesians.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV
For many reasons, I can read this book and picture Jesus writing these words in anticipation of His future wedding with the Church. Yet as long as we are going to talk about a future wedding, it would also seem appropriate to consider the possible timing of it, and see if Solomon gives us any clue as to when that might take place. Notice his description in the passage from the second chapter, and everything that he says there. It is obvious that Solomon is talking about the season of Spring, and all of the things that occur in Israel during that particular time.
"For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone."
Solomon tells us that the winter is past, as well as the early rains which normally fall in March and April. It is these early rains which help start the growing season in Israel.
"The flowers appear on the earth;"
One of the things I, and many others appreciate most about spring is watching all of the flowers reappear after hiding under the snow for the winter.
"the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land"
Did you know that the turtledove is a migratory bird? It normally leaves in the fall and returns to Israel in the spring.
"The fig tree puts forth her green figs"
The fig tree normally produces its first crop in the spring, usually harvested in early June.
"And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell"
The grapes are on the vine ripening in preparation for the coming harvest which normally occurs in July.
The late Ray Stedman had this to say about this passage from Song of Solomon;
“There is the springtime of life. But it doesn't lie in the past. It lies in the future. One day this whole world will experience a springtime like that. The Lord Jesus Christ, returning at last to claim his waiting bride, will greet her in words very much like those. The springtime will come, the time of singing, the time when earth shall blossom again and the curse will be lifted and the flowers will appear on the earth. This is a picture of what can take place in the heart of one who falls in love with Jesus Christ and enters into springtime. The cold winter of loneliness, misery, and selfishness is past and the time of singing has come.”
All things considered, I think it is safe to say that Solomon was anticipating a wedding just like many others have. Many believe the Church is rapidly approaching its own wedding in Heaven, and a close look at the state of this world certainly seems to support that belief. One day, very soon it would appear, the Church will hear the groom call out for her to "come away" just as Solomon wrote in this passage. It is my prayer that you have made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sin, and that you are part of the body, the bride of Christ which will live with Him forever in the place He is preparing for us.
If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner, be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;
Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:" John 1:12 NKJV
If you have prayed this prayer you are part of the body of Christ, a member of His Church, and like the rest of us are now waiting for the call to join Him in Heaven for the wedding soon to come.
Keep watching.
