Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Always Go to the Source, Jesus


In my testimony (see links on sidebar), I wrote about how I struggled with my faith for many years before reaching a breakthrough during a time of great personal loss, including the loss of my marriage, job and church community.

One insight I gained through this ordeal was a greater understanding of the difference between TRUTH (Jesus), truth with a lower-case t, and church doctrines. This absolutely liberated my faith and I believe it will do the same for others who are trapped by a spirit of religion  

Jesus Christ, the TRUTH and the WORD

The philosopher asks, "What is truth? How can we know truth?" Truth is an accurate presentation of reality. Truth reflects what is. The opposite of truth is falsehood or deception, which reflects what is not. Satan is the author of deception.

Jesus said He is the TRUTH:

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the TRUTH, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" - John 14:6

Jesus contains and radiates all TRUTH. The truth about God, life, humanity, salvation, heaven, hell, and everything else.

Jesus is also the foremost WORD (expression) of God the Father:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." - John 1:1-4


When God speaks a word, it becomes reality. As in Genesis 1:3: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." Before God spoke into existence the earth, the heavenly realms, mankind, angels or anything else, He spoke Jesus Christ, the first and foremost WORD of God, the only begotten God.

By Jesus Christ, all things were created and in him all things hold together. He is also the head of the church, of the "called-out ones":

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." - Colossians 1:15-18 

Jesus is THE TRUTH and THE WORD of God. To know God and to know the truth, one must know Jesus Christ.

The Bible, the truth about the TRUTH

The Bible is the inspired word of God, the truth about the TRUTH (Jesus), as stated in this verse:

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." - 2 Timothy 3:16

When the Apostle Paul wrote those words, he mainly was referring to the Old Testament because the New Testament canon was not yet established. The New Testament is inspired as well, but I want to affirm the importance of the Old Testament because some pastors and churches minimize it or give it a position of secondary importance, as if God or his standards of righteousness and justice changed between the Old and New Testaments. This is not true - God never changes - and his standards of righteousness are a reflection of who He is. The Old Testament is the foundation of the Christian faith, and the New Testament builds on that foundation. The writers of the New Testament quoted the Old Testament as Scripture.

Next, I want to draw some important distinctions. First, the words on the page in your Bible are the truth about the TRUTH and the word about the WORD (Jesus). In that sense, they are a degree removed from the Source. While reading the Bible is the best way to learn about God, that alone does not mean a person knows Jesus. What we know must be combined with faith (trust) in God:

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6

In Jesus' day, the scribes and Pharisees knew the Bible very well, but they denied Christ and persecuted him and his followers. They were religious hypocrites. Isn't it ironic that Jesus picked as his disciples men who were mainly blue collar workers like fishermen, not the scribes and Pharisees who thought they already knew everything about the Bible and God

The spirit of religion, the leaven of the Pharisees, is a very toxic and deceptive force.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." - Mathew 23:13

Second, all true understanding of the Scriptures comes from the Holy Spirit who enlightens our spirits, hearts and minds. It does not come from the minds of men or from intelligence, education or institutional status. There's nothing wrong with being smart or educated or holding a position, and we can certainly make good use of these blessings, but we shouldn't make the Pharisees' mistake of thinking they mean a person knows God. Sadly, it has become the norm in many circles to look up to people with seminary degrees, MDivs and PhDs, as if they are gurus who know God better than others. This too is ironic because the Bible tells us not to do that:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 
And He will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3:5-6

In John 16:13, Jesus said:

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." - John 16:13

Jesus said the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. To discern any and all spiritual truth, we must learn to hear the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Jesus said the Spirit will disclose to us what is to come, information about the future. In other words, by the Spirit we will prophesy. What amazing riches we have in Christ. 

"'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.'

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;
for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 

Finally, I want to quote this wonderful passage from Jeremiah:

 "'But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' declares the Lord, 'I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,' declares the Lord, 'for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'" - Jeremiah 31:33-34 

In this age of the Spirit, God puts his law directly in our hearts. We don't need to have experts to teach us because we all know the Lord personally and directly! Of course, we can and should learn from others, but always looking to the Spirit to confirm whether what anyone says is true.

Church Doctrines Are Men's Interpretations of the truth about the Truth

Church doctrines are men's interpretations of the truth about the TRUTH. At this point, we  are two degrees removed from the Source. Church doctrines may or may not be accurate. However, putting faith in them blindly means we are not trusting God, nor are we trusting our own understanding. Rather, we are putting faith in other men's understanding. This is faith in man, but man cannot save. We must go directly to the Source, to the WORD, to the TRUTH (Jesus).

Go to the Source, Know the Lord

In one of the most profound statements in Scripture, Jesus said:

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."

- John 10:27-28  

Jesus said his sheep, the true children of God, hear his voice. They hear him speak directly and personally to their hearts. Jesus is not a cold, stone Buddha statue that says nothing. Our God is the Living God who Speaks. Jesus knows and loves each of us individually; we follow him; and He gives us eternal life. So the mark of a true child of God is one who hears his Shepherd's voice and follows him (i.e. does what he says). We have fellowship in a body of believers, but we never allow religious institutions or priests or pastors to stand between us and our Shepherd.

Another profound statement in Scriptures affirms how we know we belong to him:

"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." - Romans 8:16


God's Spirit testifies to our spirit that we belong to him. We hear his voice and perceive it in our hearts. It's not about praying a prayer or going to the altar at an evangelism crusade, though that might be the point of rebirth for an individual. We know we are his if God's Spirit confirms it in our heart.

Always go to the Source, who is Jesus. Know the Lord. Believe in THE TRUTH.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Pieces - Writings for the Mystical Bride of Christ


Pieces - Writings for the Mystical Bride of Christ is a new book by my friend Greg Morris. You can download it by clicking the link below.

Pieces is a compilation of poems, words of wisdom and thoughts for the Bride of Christ. Who is the Bride? Well, you know who you are!

"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." - Romans 8:16

Pieces is great writing with deep insights that suit the times. It is also very different from the typical, straightforward Christian writing (including my own), as it ventures into the personal and poetic like the Psalms. 

The epilogue of the book contains unique insights into the event we call the rapture, when the Bridgegroom will come to rescue the Bride during a time of tribulation, yet before "a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." (Matthew 24:21)

Download the book as a PDF file:

Pieces - Writings for the Mystical Body of Christ

Friday, February 26, 2016

Dream - Carried Safely All the Way to the Other Side

I seldom have prophetic dreams, but the Lord gave me an encouraging dream last August or September that I’ll share here.

First, a little personal background. As a child I lived in Gig Harbor, Washington, near the Narrows Bridge. I used to climb down the bluffs and play on the beach all the time. The bridge is large and green and stretches for a mile across the Puget Sound. The tidal currents flow swiftly through that area. 

DREAM

I parked my car on the top of the bluff near the Narrows Bridge on the Gig Harbor side and intended to go for a hike alone. As I started walking along a trail, two strong-looking men joined me, one on each side. They were jovial and friendly and I didn’t mind that they were there.

Suddenly the man on my right picked me up high and said something like, "I hope you're ready for this!" Then he stepped over the edge of the bluff. I looked straight down and saw the rocks on the beach at least 100 feet below where we would land. Though I understood the fall would kill me, I immediately felt a deep, abiding peace, the kind that only comes from Jesus. I knew in my heart it was going to be okay.

As we fell, an intense wind blew us sideways much faster than we were falling vertically. In fact, the wind carried us the entire mile across the sound and set us down gently on the beach on the other side. After the man set me down on the sand, I looked around and asked, “How did you know?” As in, how did he know the wind would carry us safely across?
End of dream.

INTERPRETATION

The men were angels. Whatever tribulation is coming in the days ahead, in the natural it would kill me. But I believe God will send his host (angels) to provide safe passage across, all the way to the other side. Praise God!

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!'


For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways. 

They will bear you up in their hands, 
That you do not strike your foot against a stone."
- Psalm 91:1-2, 11-12 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The Lord God Has Spoken to America - Part 1


Furnace of Judgment Will Birth Revival 

The Lord has been speaking to me lately about the church in America, its condition and the need to repent and seek the Lord. This is a somber topic. America as a nation has walked away from God's law. We can point to a thousand causes and symptoms, but the root cause is the church has failed in its mission to be salt (preservative) and light (radiance of God's truth, law and power) in the world. Now evil has gotten the upper hand.

However, the good news here is that revival is coming to America. Many souls will be saved and delivered into the kingdom of heaven. This will be an exciting time, but also heartrending and tragic, because this revival will come at the price of national judgment. God has decreed judgment on America, just like He did ancient Israel. Through the heat of that furnace many will come into the fold.

Ancient Israel and Modern America - Covenant Nations Alike 

America and ancient Israel are more alike that many realize. Like Israel, America as a nation was founded upon a dedication to Almighty God. A week before the inauguration of its first president George Washington, a newspaper in New York made the following announcement:

"[O]n the morning of the day on which our illustrious President will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o’clock, when the people may go up to the house of God and in a solemn manner commit the new government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessing of the Most high. An early hour is prudently fixed for this peculiar act of devotion and . . . is designed wholly for prayer."
 - The Daily Advertiser, New York, Thursday, April 23, 1789

After the ceremony, George Washington's first act as president was to lead the Vice President and members of Congress to Saint Paul's Chapel in Manhattan to pray and ask God's favor and blessing on the nation. In his first address to Congress, Washington acknowledged and thanked God for his hand in establishing the nation, humbly requested his blessings and issued this warning:

"We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained." - George Washington

Though these facts are ignored by revisionist history and Common Core education, I believe America at its founding entered into a covenant with God like the one set forth by Moses to Israel in Deuteronomy 28 and again by King Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8. The dedication in America seemed more organic and sprung up from a movement of the Spirit among the people. 

The end times watchman Steve Quayle has received a number of prophetic words over the last couple decades, which you can read on his website. A consistent theme I see is that God considers that America made a covenant with him and broke it:

"Hear oh land of the broken covenant for I have a controversy with America!"

"Oh Nation, poised for destruction, you have broken the covenant of life that I made with your forefathers and whom I blessed with a nation unlike any other in the history of the world. The penalty for idolatry has always been destruction, as the Fallen Ones and their followers can only produce death."
 
"Oh that the land your forefathers made with me in covenant would open their hearts and their eyes that they might see and incline their ears that they might hear. No longer will you watch destruction, death, and the horrors of war in distant lands as mothers hold their lifeless children or children their lifeless parents, but you will experience this firsthand."


 - Steve Quayle, excerpts from various prophetic words

The consequences expressed in these words are consistent with the curses in Deuteronomy 28:

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God." - Deuteronomy 28:1-2

"But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you." - Deuteronomy 28:15

You can read the whole chapter to see the amazing list of blessings and terrible curses. If a nation under this divine covenant obeys God, it will be the most blessed in the world. Blessed in every way. But if it falls into unrepentant rebellion, it will be cursed in many ways and finally destroyed. What can we say about this? The Lord God generously rewards those who seek him and follow his ways. He is merciful and forgiving, and also holy and just. God will not allow a nation that claims his name to go on mocking and dishonoring him without consequence.

Without a doubt, America has been a blessed nation. It rose steadily over 150 years and became the world's greatest superpower after World War II. It had the largest economy, enjoyed peace and security, and sat atop the world. Its churches sent missionaries with the gospel around the world. But today, America has embraced bloodshed at home (abortion) and abroad (endless foreign wars), sexual perversion, injustice, massive deceptions, idolatry, hedonism and pride. Its churches - many of them anyway - have become feel-good religious clubs, devoid of the power of the Holy Spirit, friends with the world.

What comes next for America is already written in the Scriptures.

It is written in the book of Hosea, which I covered in a previous article: Punishment and Allure - The Message of Hosea for America Now

It is also written in the Old Testament book of Amos.

Message of Amos for America Now 

Amos was a prophet who ministered in ancient Israel, decades before the Northern Kingdom fell to Assyria and more than 150 years before Judah and Jerusalem fell to Babylon. Amos' messages were warnings of judgment and calls to repent and "seek the Lord that you may live." The words were written to the rebellious nation of Israel, but they also apply to America today.

"Thus says the Lord, 'For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its punishment, because they rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His statutes;
Their lies also have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked. So I will send fire upon Judah and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.'" - Amos 2:4-5

America's punishment has been decreed from the heavenlies because it turned away and disobeyed the laws of God. The people are caught in a web of lies that leads them astray. Every day I am astonished at the magnitude of deception in this country and how few people care to question it. It is like they are asleep in a deep trance and simply accept what the perceived authorities tell them, whether institutions of government, religion, media, education or finance. (Big Brother does not love you; he enslaves and exploits you. Jesus loves you and sets you free.)

Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed with fire, and so will be America. "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong." - Revelation 18:8

Amos continues:

"Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: 'You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.'" - Amos 3:1-2

Hear the word the Lord has spoken against the sons of America, a family He established through independence from England and by drawing its sons from every nation around the world. America was a covenant nation, a chosen nation, so this is personal for the Lord. He will punish America for her iniquities.

Now we come to prophetic warnings:

"Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? 
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?
Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something?
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it?
Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?
If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?
Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear?The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" - Amos 3:3-8

The first six verses establish a pattern of cause-and-effect: One event signifies and leads to another. An appointment leads to a walk together. Catching prey inspires a lion to roar. A set trap leads to a captured bird. A trumpet blast causes the people in a city to tremble with concern. 

Here is the main message: Before executing his plans, the Lord God promised first to reveal them through his servants the prophets. Has the Lord spoken to America through prophesy? Yes, He has spoken in so many ways and through so many people! In Part 2 of this message, I will cover some of the people who have prophesied to America, warning of judgment to come and calling for repentance. I have already touched on this topic in a previous post: Modern End Times Prophecies - Dudumon, Quayle, Gruver, Leal, Kleck. Of course, take everything to the Lord for confirmation first. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will lead you into ALL TRUTH.

God has absolutely fulfilled his promise to prophesy to America before judging her, just like did for ancient Israel. However, many churchgoers have not received the messages, just like most Israelites ignored and mocked the warnings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Habakkuk and so on. Some people say that prophesy is no longer an operating gift, but that is false. I covered this in a previous post: Turn on Your Spiritual Radar, Or Else. Others are simply caught up in the national trance and deception. What can we say about those who are not receiving and responding to the God's warnings and admonitions? Scripture says judgment comes first to the house of the Lord. God's supernatural protection is for those who abide in him (see Psalm 91) and share his heart about the sins and abominations in the land (see Ezekiel 9). This is why it is SO IMPORTANT TO WAKE UP AND HEED THE WARNINGS!

These are heavy messages, I know. Let's end on a note of hope with God's remedy:
 
"For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel,
'Seek Me that you may live....
Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts may be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

Friday, January 15, 2016

Year of Jubilee, Feast of Firstfruits, Resurrection of the Dead and the Snatching Away


The following article was written by Greg Morris, January 15, 2016.

--------------------
Since my email last September, I have come to understand that the Year of Jubilee did not necessarily commence on Yom Kippur.  In Exodus 12:2, before the first Passover, God tells Moses and Aaron, “This month (Nisan) shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.”  Therefore, when the shofar was blown on Yom Kippur to herald the coming Year of Jubilee, the nation was essentially alerted six months in advance of the radical new reality coming in the spring.  We may well be in this transitional time period now.



The first day of Nisan, which is the first month on the Hebrew sacred calendar, falls on March 9th this year.  Passover is always 14 days later, or March 22nd this year.  What is very interesting about 2016 is that the Jewish calendar is off by one full month from the lunar-solar calendar prescribed by the Torah.   Why the discrepancy?  In short, it is due to a built-in leap year to compensate for not following the heavenly calendar (which is exact).  This provision is based solely on oral tradition.   Here is an excellent link for a more in-depth explanation: http://www.studiesintheword.org/jewish_calendar_errors.htm.  How interesting that a key pilgrimage festival will be celebrated in Jerusalem one month late at (arguably) the commencement period of the final Jubilee year?  Anyone in the U.S. or around the world with a 2016 calendar will see “Passover begins at sundown” printed in the designated square for April 22nd.  In other words, the whole world is scheduled to miss this appointment with the Creator – it is well hidden from those not paying close attention. 



The Feast of Firstfruits is perhaps the most overlooked of the 7 appointed Feasts of the Lord, in part because it is actually a feast within a feast, always observed during the week of Passover and Unleavened Bread.  This year it will be on March 24th (again, one month earlier than Jewish calendar says). Aside from its literal, agricultural meaning, it is mystically associated with resurrection and salvation, and commemorates Messiah being raised from the dead. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).  As believers, we too, are a type of first fruit.  (See also James 1:18.)  



Yacov Rambsel, a Messianic Jew who has spent much of his life studying the phenomenon of hidden Hebrew codes within the Scriptures (widely popularized by Michael Drosnin in “The Bible Code”, 1997) , discovered the following in the allegorical Song of Songs composed by King Solomon: “In Song of Songs 1:1, starting with the third heh and counting every sixth letter from right to left spells ha’bikurim, which means the ‘Feast of Firstfruits’”(His Name is Jesus: The Mysterious Yeshua Codes, 1997, page 161).  He continues with his equidistant letter sequencing analysis of Song of Songs 8:13, at the very end of the book: “starting with the nun in (hashmi’ini) and counting every sixteenth letter from right to left spells natzal, which means ‘rescue, rapture, snatch up’”.  Notably, Rambsel also finds the words “Solomon”, “Wisdom”, and “Yeshua” encoded amidst these verses.  



I believe the Spirit led me to notice this particular page while casually thumbing through a book I have not picked up in almost twenty years.  Rambsel did not realize, or at least did not mention, that the Feast of Firstfruits is always on the sixteenth of Nisan.  In other words, the Feast of Firstfruits is encoded twice in the Song of Songs, and seems to point to the rapture or snatching away of the Bride.  The wisdom of God is truly awe-inspiring, embedding this revelation deep within the Hebrew text like a riddle.  Solomon, the wisest of all, is known to have composed one thousand and five songs (1Kings 4:32), but this was his tour de force. 



Watchman Nee was in a Communist Chinese prison when his commentary on the Song of Songs was first translated and published in 1965.  The last page in this book, offers the following interpretation of 8:14:  “In the present verse the urgent cry for Him to come to her has to do with His Second Coming which is still in the future, and may be very soon.  The emphasis here is not on a restored fellowship but on His coming again, which will bring into manifestation the phenomena of His kingdom.  At this point her experience is like a drop of water losing itself in the ocean, mingling deeper and ever deeper with the love of Christ.  There seems to be little left in the realm of earth but her physical body.  Her heart’s affections are in another world" (emphasis mine) This is such a beautiful description of longing.  “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’"(Revelations 22:17).



The concept of “rapture” to our modern, sophisticated minds sounds escapist, if not akin to science fiction dreamscape.  But it has happened before - on the Feast of Firstfruits – on the very day in history that the Israelites miraculously crossed the Red Sea on dry land.  A whole nation was literally rescued or “snatched away” from Pharaoh overnight, and the whole world heard about it.  John the Revelator conveyed that something of this magnitude may happen again: "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.  I am coming soon” (Revelations 3:10-11).  



Depending on what you are reading these days, there are certainly "wars and rumors of war".  Russia.  China.  ISIS.  Global elite. Economic collapse.  Planet X.  Earthquakes.  Pandemics.  Martial law. There seem to be many clouds on the horizon, depending on what level of credence you give to those sounding alarms.  Many sincere believers are having dreams and visions of what may be coming to the U.S.  My only word of caution is to let nothing distract us from going inward and cultivating our first love  - and a trusting relationship - with Jesus.  And loving one another.  Fear does not aid us on this journey.  Neither does too much news.  Pray.  Meditate.  Be still.  Be filled.  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).  



Am I predicting the translation of the Bride on the Feast of Firstfruits in March?   I wouldn’t dare, but I will be watching for Him.  Whether this year or seven years from now, may we all be awake with plenty of oil in our lamps, and may we live with hearts full of longing to see Him face to face.  



"My beloved spoke and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.  See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.’”  Song of Songs 2: 10-13