March 13, 2021

THE SONG SINGS AGAIN

I am in a quandary over the soon return of our Lord. My quandary is trying to deciper all the different voices, all declaring one time or another as the possible or even probable timing of the event known as the rapture of the Church.

Several have declared that it must be at a time of sudden destruction, meaning an earthquake, or storm or bomb blast or some such. Some are declaring that there will be a return of President Trump to the White House and a subsequent great revival in America and, I suppose, the world. Some are watching every star and every constellation, as they declare that Scripture backs up this watch for the timing of the rapture. Some just don't know and are confused. Some simply mock and scoff at the multiplied failures of predictions over the years.

I am personally torn, as I supposed that my calling in 1953 to study the inspired holy Word of God as to the prophetic Scriptures was to lead me to the timing of the great event, the rapture. That calling led me to understand that the Song of Solomon is a key, if not the key to understanding the time of the event. I wrote an article proposing that the the Song is a stage play in eight acts and indeed is a very prophetic stage play. It, to me, was given by God to Solomon because God knew that the Jews would be blinded by their own hatred of His Way, and that He would provide the ultimate sacrifice in His only begotten Son in order to provide salvation for a doomed world. God was going to put Israel on the shelf, and thus give the Gentiles their opportunity to inherit eternal life also. That God would do this thing is seen in the play by the identification of the female to be a Gentile, called “the Shulamite”. She is not a Jew, but a Gentile. The play centers around her being in love with a Shepherd who dwells far away “among the lilies”, a reference to heaven. She can only contact Him on the wings of faith. Israel, called “the daughters of Jerusalem”, are bystanders to the events of the play. Solomon represents “the world”, which kidnapped the Shulamite and tried every trick in the book to win her to himself. He heaped all he treasure of his kingdom on her. Yet she belonged to the absent lover, the Shepherd.

I believe that the rapture event is seen in the Song of Solomon, to be in the Spring season, which season begins this year on Saturday, March 20. Chapter 2 and verses 10 through 13 speak of this time with these words: My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away”. This description belongs to only one group of Christians in the world today, the Church of Philadelphia.

To explain, the Church Ages of Revelation 2 and 3 all meld one into another. On a time line, however, we have finally reached the sixth Church Age called Philadelphia, that is the Church of Brotherly Love. Member of all prior Church ages have long since died and await the resurrection. This Church Age found itself in a peculiar position. Because of the constant forward march of so-called civilization, the governments of the world grew so strong that these Christians finally found themselves in a position of weakness, and very much so. Thus, Philadelphia is the true living Church today. But the Lord pronounced of her that she would have little strength and therefore He found no fault with her. This Church is to be the object of the first of two raptures.

There is a seventh Church Age, however, know as the Church of Laodicea. This Church is the one that is found settled in the “world”. It is physically rich, and feels it has need of nothing, but in truth it is awful. It is blind, poor, wretched, naked and miserable. It is spiritually bankrupt. It is well settled in the world system and loves money, fame and recognition. It is soundly chastised by the words of the Lord Jesus when He declared that He stands outside of the door and knocks. This Church will be the left behind Christians at the time of the rapture of Philadelphia, who will nevertheless, I believe, be transformed in accordance with I Cor 15:52, but will remain on earth to help bring in a great harvest of souls, so great a harvest, that the number cannot be counted. (Revelation 9:9).

It is at this point in time that the second rapture will occur and Laodicea is received into heaven to complete the Bride of Christ. “I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranate budded. Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib” (Song 6:11,12) Notice the reaction of Israel. “Return, return, O Shulamite (Gentile girl) return, return, that we may look upon thee”. (We want to see your beauty). What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies”. (Song 6:1). And who are the two armies? Chapter 6, verse 10 gives us the answer, I think. “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?”. This is the first six Churches returned with Jesus to rapture the seventh. This army combines with Laodicea to make two armies and both with banners.

Then comes the wedding in heaven and the honeymoon, seemingly on earth. “” I am my beloved's and His desire is toward me. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give Thee my loves. The mandrakes (like a tomato) give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved”. (Song 7:10-13).

Finally the Song speaks to us, after almost 2,000 years of the regathering of Israel back in the land. It says “We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day she shall be spoken for? If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar. (Song 8:8,9) I'm not sure of the meaning of verse 9, but I suspect it has to do with the Temple and sweet smelling surroundings. The Bride of Christ here compares Israel to her own position saying “I am a wall, and my breasts like towers” (Song 8:10) as compared to the younger regathered Israel who is a sub teenager who as yet has no breasts.

Brethren, I think the timing between the two raptures of the Song may be 120 days. If so, then I suggest that mid July may see the Laodicea Church home.

As an alternative, if the time is five months, when the earth is plagued with locust out of the earth as described in Revelation chapter 7, that is 150 days. In that case, the second rapture could be mid August.

Either one can fit the agricultural signs of the Song. If the year is to be 2021 that is.

Maranatha

Gerry Almond