The material about to be developed in ACT III of the Song of Songs requires that a statement first be made parenthetically prior to its review. The first two ACTS of the Song of Songs have begun to develop the thought that this Old Testament poetic ode is actually a prophetic picture of the entire "life" of the Body of Christ from their inception in the first century, until their final glorification at the advent of the Millennial Kingdom. Such an attempt necessarily involves Scriptures throughout the Bible, many of which are not contained in the Song of Songs, thereby requiring that comments made here must take account of pertinent findings developed elsewhere in Olive Tree Studies.

Specifically, ACT III is about to consider the period following the Times of the Gentiles, when the Rapture will occur. Now it not the purpose of this present study to develop a chronology for the End Times pertinent to the Church, nevertheless such a partial chronology has been developed in The Prophets Speak. Furthermore, portions of that material deal with partial timelines for the Body of Christ and Israel during the End Times. In this regard, the following two findings in The Prophets Speak must be highlighted for your consideration at this point, because they are essential to explain the way in which the Song of Songs is about to unfold from this point on.

1. It has been discovered in The Prophets Speak that the Rapture identified in (I Thessalonians 4.16-17), first for "those who sleep", then "those who remain", apparently occurs in two phases, separated in time. 

2. It has also been discovered in The Prophets Speak that events surrounding the Rapture are apparently to be closely coupled with Israel's redemption during the End Times, thereby making that information potentially useful as you review the material in ACT III. 

If you are willing to accept these assertions without the detailed background reasoning available in The Prophets Speak, the remaining material will take account of them without providing the details, otherwise you may wish to first review that portion of The Prophets Speak titled "Daniel's 70th Week", for the details. 

(VERSE 3.5): Shulamith charges the Daughters of Jerusalem a second time.

I charge you, O Daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases". (3.5)

This statement duplicates the verse found earlier in (2.7), at the advent of the Church Age. The fact that it is repeated here suggests that we have reached the advent of Daniel’s 70th Week, and prompts the thought that this repeated poetic phrase may be intended as a Biblical marker to punctuate transitions in God’s economy. If so, the next portion of the Song of Songs should follow the Church Age, with the arrival of the 70^th Week and Apocalyptic Times.

ACT III (VERSES 3.6-5.1): The lover/king comes in all the regalia and military might of a king, wearing his nuptial crown, and speaks intimately with Shulamith. (This should be typical of the arrival of the 70^th Week, followed by the Rapture of the Body of Christ who “sleep”.

SCENE 1 (VERSES 3.6-11): The lover/king comes in all the regalia and military might of a king, wearing his nuptial crown. (This should be typical of the arrival of the 70^th Week, at the advent of the Kingdom, following the conclusion of the Church Age.

Shulamith, the one who always addresses the Daughters of Jerusalem, is startled at the sudden appearance of king Solomon in all of his regalia. She cries out, “Who is this coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, ---” (3.6). His person and entourage are truly awesome for he not only comes in the appearance of the majestic king, but also is surrounded by valiant men expert in war (3.7-10). Shulamith invites the Daughters of Jerusalem to behold this incredible spectacle of the king, now presenting himself as the bridegroom wearing his nuptial crown (3.11).  

The years following the Church Age define a new economy in God’s Plan, described in the Olivet Discourse as Apocalyptic Times, representing a brief transition period leading up to the Millennial Kingdom. They represent a sharp demarcation in God's economy into the period of Daniel's 70th Week. You may wish to study the chronology of this period in detail in The Prophets Speak. As such, the above verses are replete with prophetic allusions to other Biblical texts, which unmistakably depict a Kingdom scene:

• They begin with the startled exclamation, “Who is this ---?”, in keeping with a similar response when Jesus Christ made His entrance into Jerusalem as the King on Palm Sunday, that final day of Daniel’s 69^th Week.  

• He is “coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke”. These expressions accord with the following two Scriptures, both of which relate to the period of the Last Days. 

• He is “Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense”. Myrrh was the chief agent used to embalm dead bodies, being used by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to embalm Jesus’ body after His crucifixion. This would indicate that Solomon here typifies the One who died for our sins. Frankincense was used for worship and sacrificial offerings, further typifying the fact that this lover/king is to be worshipped. However, He is also pictured as one ready to make war, because this scene pictures the arrival of the Kingdom and approaching Day of the Lord.
  
  

• Those who accompany king Solomon are all valiant men holding swords, i.e. the “sword of the Spirit”, which is the Word of God, each being expert in wielding this spiritual weapon. Thus, the whole scene depicts not One who came to save the world  (John 12.46-48), but contrastingly, One who comes to Judge it.
  
  

• The “couch” of king Solomon is fashioned with the best wood of Lebanon, fitted with pillars of silver, supported by gold, with a seat of purple. Its interior is paved “with love” by the Daughters of Jerusalem, i.e. the Church. However, Solomon only typifies One greater than he (Matthew 12.42), who is here making His glorious entrance into the affairs of men at the advent of the Kingdom Age.

Shulamith entreats the Daughters to go forth to see the King crowned for the time of His marriage, just as a cry will go forth to summon the “ten virgins” to behold King Messiah when He comes for His Bride (Matthew 25.6). Matthew Henry observes that the scene curiously depicts, not only the time for Solomon’s coronation, but also the occasion for his marriage. Indeed, according to The Prophets Speak, the 70th Week should represent not only the time for the Lord’s coronation as King, but also the time for His marriage to the Bride of Christ. Such a majestic appearance and entourage would certainly be appropriate for His marriage at the coming of His Kingdom, as it also seems to be portrayed in (Psalm 45). Moreover, it would be quite in keeping with the Hebrew marriage tradition to alert the bridesmaids and guests as the Bridegroom comes for His Bride, so that they might all proceed to the Father’s house for the Marriage Feast.

SCENE 2 (VERSES 4.1-5.1): The lover/king speaks intimately with Shulamith, then later with expressions of love for his “friends”. (This should be typical of the situation involving the Rapture of the Body of Christ who “sleep”, followed by the Lord’s redemption of “Daniel’s people”.)

The lover/king begins to speak to Shulamith with the love of a humble shepherd, as when he first came and wooed her in her homeland (4-1-5).

Then a parting strain is uttered, "Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense” (4.6).

The lover/king then speaks afresh with praise for Shulamith's incredible beauty (4.7), inviting her to now come with him from her Lebanon homeland to be with him (4.8). For the very first time, he begins to refer to her as "My sister, my spouse", a term that speaks first of a blood relationship, and second of a covenantal relationship into which they have freely entered (4.9-11). Shulamith is as a "garden enclosed" to the king (4.12); she is a precious private place filled with the most costly trees and producing the most precious fruits (4.13-15). Literally, she is a place of paradise because her heart belongs to him only and his heart can safely trust in her allegiance. Shulamith replies to the effect that if her person really resembles to him a paradise garden, this "garden" is all his (4.16). Her lover/king utters an immediate and excited response to her expression of total commitment with the exclamation: "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spices; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk".  With these declarations, their day of formal union in marriage is realized (5.1a). 

The supposition that Scene I depicts the Rapture of those of the Body of Christ, who “sleep”, requires careful examination.

If the Rapture of those who “sleep” occurred in the previous Scene, it would be most appropriate for the Lord to immediately address the Body/Bride of Christ. However, a question is generated. Would His remarks in (4.1-5) be intended for those of the Bride of Christ whose Rapture has just occurred, or would they be addressed to that component of the Body of Christ who still remains on earth, awaiting a future Rapture? The answer to this question is not immediately apparent. Nevertheless, it is believed that two key points of distinction in the above sets of texts can still provide a decisive answer to this question. 

1. An inspection of verses (4.1-5) reveals that, while the “lover/king” extols the virtues of Shulamith, there is no indication that the marriage has actually been consummated; whereas it is found in verses (4.7-5.1a) that Shulamith is clearly regarded in a spousal relationship with her “lover/king” (See verses 4.8,9,10,11,12; 5.1a).
   
   

2. The intervening verse (4.6) indicates that a time of separation is about to occur between Shulamith and her “lover/king”.

We may deduce the following from these two key points:

•  The first point suggests that the Lord is speaking to the Body of Christ who still remain on earth in verses (4.1-5), since a spousal relationship is not indicated.

• Verse (4.6) is a copy of verse (2.17), which was spoken by Shulamith, i.e. the Body of Christ, at the advent of the Church Age. This suggests that (4.6) is likewise spoken by the Body of Christ, and that it refers to a second time of separation. This argument is further supported by two additional facts.

  • (4.6) could not be spoken by those of the Bride of Christ who have been raptured, because (I Thessalonians 4.16-17) promises that the Rapture will result in an eternal union with Christ, never to be torn asunder.

  • (4.6) indicates a departure “to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense”. Since myrrh was used chiefly to embalm the dead, and frankincense for worship in sacrificial offerings, neither of these expressions would be compatible with a Heavenly residence, but certainly would be appropriate for a continuing earthly abode.

Therefore, verses (4.1-5) must be addressed to the Body of Christ “who remain” on earth, following the Rapture of those who “sleep”, and (4.6) must be their response to the Lord’s tender communication, when they realize that they must remain on earth for an unspecified length of time.

This reasoning requires that the Lord must speak the remaining verses (4.7-5.1a), as He converses with those who have just been raptured, and are in a state of perfect union with their Lord (Ephesians 5.30-32). These would have arrived at the moment when “this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (I Corinthians 15.50-55). So will Christ the King speak tenderly to His Bride following the Rapture, for they are perfected and transformed to be a thing of beauty, even to the One who is their Maker.

We have already observed the mention of “My spouse” in six of the verses in (4.7-5.1a), but what of the expression “My sister”, which precedes that term in four of those verses, i.e. (4.9, 10, 12, 5.1a)? The word “sister” (269) is simply the feminine gender of the word “brother” (251), with a consequent equivalent range of meaning, i.e. the Hebrew words are not restricted to siblings, but may also refer to relatives, fellow countrymen, or even friends. Thus, they connote a general relationship, whether by blood or other affinity. Although there are differing opinions concerning the exact identity of this woman, there seems to be agreement that the geographic reference to mountains of “Lebanon” in (4.8), and the name “Shulamite” given to her by on-lookers in (6.13), associate her with the village of Shunem in the upper Jezreel Valley. Of course, this connection would make her a fellow Israelite to Solomon, causing the term “My sister” to fit within the scope of the word definition.

Likewise, when viewed prophetically, we may make several interesting associations in keeping with the extended entomology of the word “sister”.

• First, just as Jesus was a biological Son of Abraham (Matthew 1.1), Church Age believers all become spiritual “sons” and “daughters” of Abraham through faith (Galatians 3.7).

• Second, children of God who are led by the Spirit of God, are adopted into God’s family to become joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8.14-17).

• Finally, if the “mother” of Shulamith is prophetically the remnant of Israel, it follows that the Son of Man is her “child” biologically (Revelation 12.1-5), and she, as the Old Testament “wife” of God, became the “mother” of all who would come to God through the Son during the Church Age (Isaiah 54.1-8).

The frequency of the repeated words “spouse” and “sister” may also be significant.

Shulamith is addressed as “spouse” six times, a number denoting incompletion; if this scene were intended to typify the complete Bride of Christ, we might expect it to be used seven times, a number denoting completion. To pursue this thought, Paul associates the Body of Christ with Passover Week and the time of Unleavened Bread (I Corinthians 5.6-8). However, the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted a full seven days, i.e. Nisan 15-21, again suggesting that the complete Body of Christ should be associated with the number “seven”. Accordingly, if the Rapture in view here only pertains to those who “sleep”, it would certainly be incomplete, since those who “remain” must still await their “gathering up”. Thus, the limited six-fold use of the word would seem to favor the notion that the Marriage depicted here is only partial.

To continue, the term “sister” is employed only four times, i.e. (4.9, 10, 12, 5.1a), but always in connection with the term “My spouse”. Four is a number commonly used in connection with something related to the earth. It is quite intriguing to realize that this four-fold use of the word in relation to the Bride of Christ would be a fitting reference to her condition prior to the Rapture, for those of the Body of Christ are already “sons/daughters” (251/269) of God while remaining on earth (Romans 8.14-17). That is to say, the term “sister” would be a proper recollection of the Bride while she abided in an earthly body, but the term “spouse” would be strictly correct only after the Rapture and consummation of the Marriage.

The “glorified” Shulamith becomes “a garden enclosed”, to which her “lover/king” is inexorably drawn (4.12-15), and to which he enters (5.1a). In this regard, recall the relationship that is made in the Revelation between the Lamb of God and that Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem. It is made clear in those texts that the New Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ (Revelation 21.2, 9-10), this City that possesses the “living waters” (4.15; Revelation 22.1), and this City into which the Lamb shall come to dwell (Revelation 21.22-23, 22.3).

For those of the Bride of Christ who sleep, and are raptured to be with their Lord in glorified form, Christ can speak freely of the fulfillment of that relationship with them. They recognize that nothing further remains, for they are fully conformed to His image. His response, which couples myrrh with spices, honeycomb with honey, and wine with milk, is revealing.

It has already been mentioned that myrrh and spices were used to prepare bodies for burial, and so was Jesus’ body prepared after His crucifixion. But myrrh and spices were also mixed with oil to anoint and consecrate, and King Messiah is so anointed in (Psalm 45.8). So in His identity with the Son of God, this Lover/King has gathered of both, for His propitiating death as the sin bearer for the world (I John 4.10), and also for His anointing as the glorious King.

He has also eaten of the “honeycomb” and the “honey”. This is a picture of the Lover/King’s delight for the sweetness of the Word of God (Psalm 119.97-104). He has partaken of it fully, i.e. not only the “honey”, but even the “honeycomb”. Moreover, he has drunk His wine with His milk. Even so did “Shiloh”, i.e. the One whose right it is, have “eyes darker than wine, and teeth whiter than milk” (Genesis 49.12). Wine depicts the blood of Christ (Matthew 26.27-29), while milk portrays His plenty or abundance (Deuteronomy 26.15). In this manner, Christ freely shed His blood for our justification, and now receives the plenty or abundance, which that sacrifice produced in the redemption of mankind.  

The Shepherd/King affirms to His Bride that nothing remains to be fulfilled, that He who was slain is “worthy --- to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5.12)! Indeed, that lovely song by C. Austin Miles, which now can be sung only in anticipation, will one-day be realized in its glorious reality:

The king now turns to those who are his "friends", who have been eye-witnesses of this spectacular event, extending an invitation for them to now likewise eat and drink, "yea abundantly", for they are also his "beloved ones" (5.1b).  

For the first time in this typical-drama, a new group of people are introduced, i.e. the “friends” and “beloved ones” of the King. Since Shulamith’s bridesmaids, the Daughters of Jerusalem, are understood to be the Seven Churches, we would be hard pressed to identify this new group were it not for certain facts gleaned from The Prophets Speak. That study indicates that the Heavenly remnant of Israel, i.e. Daniel’s people, should see their fulfillment of the Kingdom Covenant, immediately following the Rapture of those of the Body of Christ "who sleep". Therefore, we cannot avoid the apparent prophetic linkage between the “friends”, and that Heavenly remnant of Israel who should be about to receive their long promised Kingdom (Revelation 12.6-12). Moreover, is it not a felicitous rabbinic tradition that Israel’s dearest “friend and lover” is none other than their eagerly awaited Messiah!  

It may seem odd that the Heavenly remnant of Israel would lack any understanding of the End Time events, but we recall (Hebrews 11.39-40), which indicates that not only did they fail to receive the promise in life, but also were required to wait until the “last days” (Hebrews 1.2) before being “made perfect”. Israel committed a grievous sin when they rejected their Messiah at His first coming, for they were cast out of the Land by God’s solemn decree (Zechariah 11.4-14). That schism between God and His Old Testament covenantal people was not to be terminated impromptu, simply by the death of those saints, but rescinded only by an intentional and designed last days’ event, one that appears to be accomplished at the Levitical time of midweek Pentecost, in keeping with the first century Pentecostal event, when Israel’s Kingdom Covenant was first offered, but rejected.

These “friends and beloved ones” of the King may be linked even more positively with Israel by a study of the word “beloved” (1730), used by the King in referring to their special place in His heart. The root Hebrew word is translated “beloved” 30 times in the Bible, but surprisingly, appears in the Old Testament only one time, outside of the Song of Songs. That single occurrence is found in (Isaiah 5.1), which correspondingly is a “song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard”, who is Israel. In this Isaiah verse, it is a song of lament for Israel, who is to be cast away, but in the Song of Songs; it is one of joy for Israel who is now to be restored. Accordingly, by this single word alone, we may positively link the “friends and beloved ones” of the King with the remnant of Israel, at the very point in this drama where that linkage is most timely.  

Therefore, the King’s instruction to now eat and drink must be an invitation to the Heavenly remnant that believed prospectively and are now made perfect retrospectively because of the finished work of Messiah, when He died for them and was raised the third day. With this action, their age-old nemesis and enemy, the Devil, can no longer accuse them; they have become judicially covered by the blood of the Lamb with the arrival of this midweek Pentecost (Revelation 12.10-11).

 

SONGS OF SONGS (ACT IV)

COMING GLORY

HOMEPAGE