Paradise Now: God's Heavenly Dance on Earth

We have been stumbling in the darkness after being banished from Eden.  Paradise in many people minds is about going to heaven after one dies.  But God offers paradise on earth in the here and now.  The beauty of God's creation surrounds us with lyrical rhythms of the Spirit of God.  There is a kind of heavenly dance happening on earth and you are invited to the dance.

When one starts dancing with the Spirit, everything begins to spiral in a different direction.  What was uninteresting now is engaging and what once captured our attention does not even get a passing glance anymore.  Reading the Bible is not even the same.  People may have caught a connection between the "Son of Man" title that Jesus grabs hold of but miss the deeper dimensions of the whole background of Daniel's use of numbers pregnant with hidden meaning as well as one in exile.

We have become so accustomed to captivity that many of us do not even know we are prisoners anymore.  But the prophet Daniel is not just a book connected to Jesus and Mark's Gospel but also to the book of Revelation with all its hidden symbols and mystery.  The Song of Solomon breaks forth in songs in each of these books as they all in one great musical orchestra play deep echoes of moving from exile back to Eden or paradise now. 

Daniel, Revelation, Mark, and the Song of Solomon are four books with a rich tapestry and deep dimensions.  The multiplicity reveals the singular path and face of Christ.  The path may be hidden but deep within the framework and structures of these books they overlap and are there.  The very structure of these books and the movements ordered by the Spirit can only be seen when one joins God in the heavenly dance that ends with a great wedding feast for all.

Dare We Enter the Holy of Holies?

"My Beloved is Mine, and I am His" (Song of Solomon 2:16)

The modern church has lost so many ancient spiritual practices and an understanding of life which is both a sacrament and a means of grace for God.  One of the books I just started a Bible study on is the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon).  I mean when is the last time you read this book of the Bible? 

For some people it is too erotic in regards of the intimate language in the love relationship of the King and his bride.  For others it is too deep, too poetic, and too symbolic to understand its deeper spiritual meaning for so many Christians, this book of the Bible is either ignored or simply avoided.  Not so in the early church much less for Jews.  This is one of the most spiritually enriching books of the Bible for those who have spiritual eyes to see.

Jewish wisdom tradition identifies three areas of worship for the temple and therefore there are three areas for the believer to enter into God's presence.  There is the outer court, the inner court, and finally the Holy of Holies which only the High priest could enter once a year.  We now know Jesus has broken down the walls and is our new high priest and invites us all into the holy of holies, the direct presence of God through his Holy Spirit (Hebrews 7-10).  Ancient Jews said that the book of Job is where we enter into the outer temple court.  The book of Ecclesiastes is the entrance way into the inner temple court and the Song of Songs is the entrance way into the Holy of Holies.

What we find in the Song of Songs is a very spiritually deep and enriching book about the King Jesus and His love for His bride, the church.  The whole book is a love song between the Messiah and His bride.  The bride desires to be a life-long true companion of the King and the King wants to purify His bride and capture and captivate the bride's heart. 

This is by far the hardest and most difficult Bible studies I have led because all of us, including the teacher has to ask God at times what the deeper meaning of the verse is all about.  Without the help of the Holy Spirit, this can not be Bible study as usual.  A great dependence on God and the Spirit's illumination is the only way to gain a deeper appreciation and spiritual understanding of this book. 

I believe every person studying this book can gain wisdom and spiritual insight of not only who they are as God's son or daughter but God as the great lover of our souls.  God invites us all to feast at his great banqueting table and dine with His Son King Jesus.  Once we leave behind reading the Bible through fleshly eyes and an over reliance on the literal and physical, then we begin to see things we have never seen before in the Bible through spiritual eyes as we begin to see things by the Spirit's help through God's eyes.  Once we learn this spiritual way of reading the Bible, we can read the rest of Scripture in a deeper and fuller way.

When we gaze on the beauty of Christ and the glory of the King of Kings, we will never be the same.  What satisfied us before will not do anymore.  What we focused on before does not interest us anymore.  Our gaze is fixed firmly on Christ our Lord and King.  We discover in the Song of Songs not only how far love goes for us but we also discover how God desires and wins our hearts for eternity.  God invites all but only a few dare to enter in (Matthew 20:16).  When it comes to reading, meditating, and contemplating the Song of Songs, will you read it?  I dare you!