#70 Women of the Bible: Shulamite and awaiting the return of Jesus

“Hurry to me, my darling! Run faster than a deer to mountains of spices” (Song of Sol. 8:14 CEV).

The very last recorded words of the Bride are an urgent plea for her Lover to speedily return to an unending kingdom of passion and ardour surrounded by mountains of fragrant spices and aromatic plants-- a wonderful, poetic image of the exquisite delights of living with Jesus eternally.

Crying out for the return of Jesus has been the refrain of Christ-lovers since His first appearance on the earth. The early Christians were known for their anticipation of the return of Jesus to rule and one of the earliest recorded hymns reiterates this desire:

“If we died with Christ, we will live with him. 12 If we don’t give up, we will rule with him. If we deny that we know him, he will deny that he knows us. 13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful. Christ cannot deny who he is” (2 Tim. 2:11-13 CEV).

This cry was echoed in the words of Jesus to John: (Those who had been martyred for Jesus) ”shouted, "Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us?"”(Rev. 6:10 CEV).

And so we come down to the 19th century when James G. Deck, the British-born New Zealand evangelist, penned the same plea to Jesus in this hymn:

“How long, O Lord our Saviour, Wilt thou remain away? Our hearts are growing weary Of thy so long delay.”

The saints in this day and age view world events, the natural catastrophes occurring around the world, the political upheavals, the economic corruption, a world seized with fear and are not distressed but know that all these events were foretold. That all these events will herald the long-awaited return of Jesus and their transportation to the mountains of spices.

“When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.” (Luke 21:28 CEV).

“Maranatha!” (Our Lord, Come) (1 Cor. 16:22).