Articles / The Rapture
Song of Solomon: The Rapture, the Tribulation; the Wise and Foolish Virgin
I believe we can see, in Song of Solomon, a picture of what Jesus meant when He said to Watch for His coming at the end of the Age. We can see in Song of Solomon parts of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Matthew 25 (the parable of the wise and foolish virgin) and Revelation.
The Wise Virgin is rewarded:
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song of Solomon 2:9,10)
Have you ever looked through a lattice? Standing at a distance you have to look closely to see through it. You have to watch closely to know someone is there. Those watching can see a figure through it, watching closely can even see Who it is. As we are watching, Jesus will appear. We will hear Him call our names and we will be gone. Just like that!
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
The Wise Virgin is rewarded:
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song of Solomon 2:9,10)
Have you ever looked through a lattice? Standing at a distance you have to look closely to see through it. You have to watch closely to know someone is there. Those watching can see a figure through it, watching closely can even see Who it is. As we are watching, Jesus will appear. We will hear Him call our names and we will be gone. Just like that!
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
The Lord has His watchmen. They care for the sheep. They always lead them to the Master and not to themselves.
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. (Song of Solomon 3:1-4)
In pentecostal circles we call this "praying through" or "prevailing prayer". This is dedicated love, the love and obedience of the wise virgin. No distractions. They have "come out" of this present world system. They are watching, praying, believing what they read in the Bible and will not be statisfied until they have heard from their Saviour and He fills them with His peace, joy and love. An intimate relationship with their Lord, always wanting to please Him.
The Foolish Virgin is left behind and undone:
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. (Song of Solomon 3:1-4)
In pentecostal circles we call this "praying through" or "prevailing prayer". This is dedicated love, the love and obedience of the wise virgin. No distractions. They have "come out" of this present world system. They are watching, praying, believing what they read in the Bible and will not be statisfied until they have heard from their Saviour and He fills them with His peace, joy and love. An intimate relationship with their Lord, always wanting to please Him.
The Foolish Virgin is left behind and undone:
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? (Song of Solomon 5:1-3)
Why wasn't her hand on the doorknob? Why does she have second thoughts about leaving with her betrothed?
The lukewarm, hesitant virgin. What was that about Lot's wife? She looked back! (Genesis 19:26)
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Jesus' coming, "in the twinkling of an eye", gives no time at all for a divided heart. Ready or not?
The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
Why wasn't her hand on the doorknob? Why does she have second thoughts about leaving with her betrothed?
The lukewarm, hesitant virgin. What was that about Lot's wife? She looked back! (Genesis 19:26)
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Jesus' coming, "in the twinkling of an eye", gives no time at all for a divided heart. Ready or not?
The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
(Song of Solomon 5:1-7)
Into the Tribulation she goes.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
Into the Tribulation she goes.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)