Loves Power
“love is strong as death…” Solomon’s Song of songs 8:6
Love is strong, and the bride has felt it’s mighty and unstoppable power to cast out fear of harm from her beloved and draw them closer for by now the two are not only positionally one but in all they think, say, feel and do they are one.
“As” See the similarities between both powers.
Notice that the text says love is strong “as” death. Most commentators say love is stronger than death.
Unstoppable. Irresistible. Infinite. Eternal. All consuming.
Unquenchable. Infinite. Purpose driven. Exclusive. Compounding. Superhuman.
We know deaths power by its effects. When we witness the dying of the body and soul then we get a better idea of its strength.
Unquenchable. Durability.
Infinite. This speaks of the degree or intensity of its strength. The greatness of deaths power to separate and destroy.
Purpose driven. The goal of death is to satisfy the justice and wrath of God. In this sense deaths power is unchanging or unwavering in its purpose to destroy, to bring about a further distance from God and others. Unchanging nature of its goal to utterly destroy the soul. The end goal of deaths unquenchable and infinite power to destroy the soul doesn’t change. In IS 59:2 we learn that the wages of sin is that our desires and prayers aren’t heard. In the death of the soul, desires are never satisfied. We see this in Luke 16:23-25 where the one in hell gets nothing that he wants but only perfect torment and agony forever. The purpose and power of death never get thwarted. I don’t want to say that deaths power is immutable for immutability only belongs to God, therefore I say deaths power is unchanging in its purpose but not its power. Because the degree of deaths power of the soul gets only stronger, deeper and binding upon the poor soul that is under its inescapable grasp.
Exclusive. Deaths inescapable power is exclusive to unrepentant and unbelieving sinners. Both loves power and deaths power are exclusive and not all inclusive. Love power is exclusive to the repentant, blessed and holy overcomers Rev. 20:6,11. Both loves power and deaths power are exclusive to a specific group of people. The exclusivity of their power is what is similar about both death and love.
Compounding. “It is to be considered that the wicked in hell will forever continue sinning, exercising malice, and blaspheming, etc.; and ’tis surely therefore no wonder, that God should forever continue punishing. And if any think that ’tis incredible, that God should leave any to continue forever sinning as a punishment of their sins” JE
Death is what is experienced when under the wrath of God. Unrestrained lusts. Spiritual deaths power causes the sinful passions to run rampant in all directions and to further extents of depravity. Romans 1:18ff. Its power is compounding. Taking the soul from one level of depravity to another deeper and more extensive level.
Superhuman. Deaths power is above all human strength. No human has power to stop it. Ecclesiastes 8:8 “No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death“
Psalm 89:48 “What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?”
Defining death.
Particularly “soul death”.
Ps. 33:19 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death” Sometimes called spiritual death for Adams spirit died when he sinned, and his physical body began to die.
John 8:51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”
A dead soul has a sinful mind. The faculties of the soul are the mind, will and emotions. Romans 8:6 “For the mind set on the flesh is death“
Ingratitude. Reigning sin. Fear of punishment. Unloving heart.
The ungrateful heart is dead and dying heart. Hab. 2:5
No thanks in death. Death of the soul includes ingratitude. No satisfaction. Ungratified desires.
Psalm 6:5 “For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?”
This ungrateful heart is characteristic of those in this world who are under God’s wrath. Romans 1:18ff
Reigning sin. Reigning sin characterizes a dead and dying soul.
Romans 5:21 “as sin reigned in death“
Fear of punishment. The dead and dying soul that continues in sin fears punishment. Hebrews
Unloving heart. Death and an unloving heart go hand in hand. “Those who do not love abide in death” 1 John 3:16
No enlightenment. There is no enlightenment in the sleep of death. Psalm 13:2-4.
In death the soul or form is consumed in eternal flames. Ps. 49:14.
Death has a depth to it. Proverbs 7:27 “Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.”
Death. The second death particularly is a hopeless state of being. Isaiah 38:18
“For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.”
Death has a sting. 1 Corinthians 15:55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin.”
Death can be felt. Tasted. Hebrews 2:9
What dies?
Death being the dying of the body and soul. The body physically dies and suffers. The soul is the unseen part of us that also experiences death.
“In the day that you eat of it dying you will die.” Genesis
Death is the wages sin pays. “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 3:21
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
The second death. The second death is the lake of fire. The lake of fire is where the all-powerful wrath of God is felt as the soul continues to suffer and die. The soul lives forever and the dying of it never ends.
The full extent of deaths strength is observable or manifests itself in the misery and suffering of the wicked in the lake of fire.
- Revelation 2:11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’
- Revelation 20:6Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
- Revelation 20:14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
- Revelation 21:8But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The second death is the lake of fire and death itself is thrown into it.
Meaning the location where death is experienced is in the lake of fire and nowhere else.
The non-believing person suffers also the death of the soul whereby the heart forever hardens thus getting further and further from God. The devil holds the power of death by blinding unbelievers, so they don’t belief and love the truths of Scripture. The mind in the soul gets darker forever, and I believe at an increasing pace along with the unbearable suffering of the soul. (Think grieving and gnashing of teeth, depression, sorrow, perfect hopelessness, hatred, anger, lust run wild with no satisfaction in the lake of fire forever.) This is the power of death.
Love has this same strength.
Death has power to forever separate the soul from the experiences of God’s love and grace and rather experience exact justice and the wrath of God.
This power has a duration, intensity,
The duration and intensity of both love and deaths power is the same. (and probably other ways I can’t think of right now)
The duration of deaths power is forever.
The intensity of it power increases. Infinitely intense yet never truly infinitely felt. The intensity of pain with increase forever for the offense is against an infinite God, therefore the suffering of the soul is in equal proportion to the guilt of the offense. Infinite guilt. Infinity speaks of the degree or depth of something. Death and true loves power is infinite in degree.
So intense in degree that no human can free themselves from its grasp.
Those in hell will never come to the point where the duration and degree of suffering is enough, for nor can death be
“satisfied” (sated) Hab. 2:5
“because he transgresseth by wine,[he is] a proudman,neither keepeth at home,who enlargeth his desire as hell,and [is] as death,and cannot be satisfied,“
The desires of those sinners in hell will never be satisfied. The pain increases in death and so does the desire for the least drop of water and none will be given. Therefore, along with the increased desire for the least relief comes knowledge that only the opposite will happen, which is a greater degree of suffering for the punishment of their sins requires an infinite degree of pain. The fact that God knows their pain will increase forever satisfies the strict justice of God.
Okay, that was most of the bad news. So, tell everyone the Gospel and repent.
The good news is that Loves power is just as strong as deaths.
Therefore, if you have love to God reining in your heart now then it will rein there forever and increase in degree as well. But with Love, it has power to draw the soul closer to God forever and in an infinite manner. Infinite happiness. A greater degree closer to God includes greater joy and delight in God thus making the soul happier and happier forever for this happiness was purchased by the death and blood of Jesus Christ for His bride!
From beginning to end the bride that is in love with the Solomon, the type of Jesus Christ desires a closer relationship with him. Even when they are so close that nothing could separate from their love to each other, she still wants to be closer and experience God’s love through him to her in greater depths. Her desire for a closer relationship with both God and him never ends, it is never sated. Happy yet desiring to be closer.
You can tell the difference between false religious love and false love in a relationship by the fact that true loves desires for more mental, spiritual and emotional closeness never really ends nor can many waters quench it.
Click here for Edwards on this.
Religious affections rest satisfied in themselves. JE
The contrast.
There are things or aspects of loves power that are the same with both death and love. This is why Solomon made the analogy. “love is as strong as death.”
The contrast in the mind is needed for the purest idea of love to exist in the mind and heart.
The contrast between deaths power and loves power for love is as strong as death.
This is absolutely mind blowing!! How many of you have wanted to know love yet have never compared loves power to deaths power in order to get an idea and sense of God’s love to us in Christ.
In order for us to get a right idea of loves power we must compare it to deaths power and see how is it that they are similar.
Psalm 49:14
“They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.”
Use of information
Contemplating the end of the wicked. Death. Lake of fire will help to curb coveting the prosperity of the wicked. Psalm 73
Categories
Uncategorized
mostsublimesong View All
Saved in 2000 at age 27. Nearly immediately I fell in love with the Song and grew very fast the first two years memorizing large portions of scripture purifying my mind the started chewing on meat to soon and struggled for 12 years and Christ has me on track like always but I just took the long way around and now I love leading others closer to Christ by seeing His love reflected in Solomons love for an enemy slave girl.
I have experienced God's love to me in the Song in ways that words can't express. There are many portion of the Word where she experiences extra ordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God. If you have a burning desire for a close intimate relationship with God by experiencing His Love to you over and over again at greater and greater heights, depths, lengths and breaths then The Song of Songs is where you need to be.
I can help you with this process of Growing in the experience of God's love. As of 7-23-16 I have experienced everything prior to chapter 8. The Song of Song is progressive in experience. Meaning that if you are mature then you can experience the joys and extraordinary outpourings of God's Love shed abroad in your heart.
If you are not so mature then the delights in the first chapter of the Song will satisfy your thirst for experiencing the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Many Christian are living in sin because they do not know how to experience God's love and get hooked on Loving Him. It feels good to be loved and to love Him. His burden is not heavy and His yoke is light, Jesus said in Matt. 10:28
I believe God wants to use me to help beautify His Bride through the Song of Solomon.
If you see the book literally you will not understand nor grasp the Love God has for you. If you see the book and the verses in it relating to Christ's love to you then I would love to show you how to experience this Love to the fullest. I will pray for you daily and guide you every step of the way.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
I grew up going to church but was a hypocrite. I lived my life how I chose but went to church on Sunday because my family went.
Mom and Dad divorced when I was about 5.
About this time I was sexually abused by "Bob" a made up name. This incident changed my life for the worst. I had no clue how to deal with it.
As I got older I grew in my hatred for Bob. I didn't blame anyone of my family because I was to young to know any better. Some of what happened during the abuse was in a bathroom. So overtime I would use the bathroom and look at my private parts that night would replay in my mind. My hatred for Bob would continue to grow each time.
Now I know this only happened to me one night. I can't image the pain other's go through who have had this happen to them over and over. Even as I write this now I cry with many tears for those hurting. God love you even though you may not know it or feel it. Go to Him in your time of need.
I was a really bad teenager. I only cared about myself and not even my family. I always came first in my mind. Even at the expense of hurting others. I was growing in my hatred for God by now.
I was going to church and was learned that God was in control. I thought well, if God was in control then He must have let me be sexually abused. I didn't understand this, How could a good and loving God allow this. I hated Him for it. My hatred for Bob grew as well. I was still using the bathroom and memories kept coming back. My heart grew even harder for Bob and God. As far as I was concerned God would have nothing to do with my life so I lived even worse. I thought I would be in jail or dead and I really didn't care, I thought it could be much worse than reliving your painful past over and over again. Little did I know that God's plan later would be to use these events to give me a burning passion for the closest most intimate love relationship with Himself through Christ mainly through the love poem in the Song of Songs in the Bible.
I remember hating Bob so much that the only thing that would relieve my pain was actually thinking he would suffer forever for what he did. I grew so much in my hatred for him that I had to continue to think that he would get even worse than what I imaged before. After some time I would only be relieved of hatred for him unless I thought he would burn in a hotter and hotter hell for all the suffering he put me through.
I never told my mom or family what happened, although I think some of them knew something had happened.
I grew up quite rebellious and even went to jail at the age of 20. I was living the fast life pursuing all my sinful desires and wanting more. It never seemed to be enough. I was quite happy in my sin but I just wanted more of it.
I lived life thinking I would die at a young age, riding motorcycle and living on the edge put me in the hospital many times and I should have been dead.
California at age 26.
I moved to California for a job opportunity at the age of 27. While trying to figure out what radio stations to program in my car, I ran across a RC Sproul talking about "people who have the faith that saves and people who only say that have faith" only the people who have the faith that saves will go to heaven. I thought "I don't think I have the faith that saves because my life was so bad." I searched the scriptures to try to get this faith. I found a church and thought people there could help me get this faith that saves. All along God kept showing me how sinful I was and that I deserved punishment from Him for living my life hating Him.
One weekend I read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John desperately trying to find out how to get this faith that saves. By now I knew that if you had the faith that saves that Jesus would be saving you from a life of sin. I still liked my sin and Jesus sure wasn't saving me from a life of sin, so I rightly concluded that I didn't have the faith that saves.
By the time I got to John, I saw "believe" everywhere. John 3:16 and other verses and wow the whole book was written so that you may believe. John 20:31 "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." So at night I would pray "I believe Jesus died for me, I believe, I believe. This was just an intellectual belief. I knew that in history and the Bible that Jesus died for everyone, so I believed it. But this belief did not change my life.
I would go on night after night saying the same prayer only to wake up the next day wanting to fulfill my sinful desires. The prayer wasn't working so I started to word it different each time hoping some prayer would work. After about 2 weeks of this I was fed up with it all, nothing was happening. I still was living in my sin and wanted more of it. A Christian hates their sin and does something about it, and certainly they don't continue to make plans to sin. The prayers weren't working so I gave up. I thought to myself "God, I tried with all my might, I searched the Scriptures, went to church, read the Bible and prayed all to no avail. If Im going to be saved your going to have to do it because I tried."
So I quit praying but still the Bible kept calling me so I read more. 3 Days later I was laying in a tanning bed and God convicted me really hard that I had offended Him by the life I was living. I was so scared of God, where could I run. You can't hide from God. It seemed like forever that I was under these terrors of being punished by a Holy Angry God. This lasted about 10 minutes then this is how I understood it. God let me understand that all that anger that He had for me for all my sin should come my way but He had poured that anger out on Jesus 2,000 years ago. I immediately started weeping an couldn't stop for about 20 minutes. All the sins that I could think of I confessed for that 20 minutes one after another after another, I was so sorrowful and grieved it physically hurt inside.
After I stopped crying I thought that was the weirdest thing that ever happened. I walked out of the tanning salon and stood outside and everything seemed so beautiful, the tree's, the birds, even the air seemed pleasant. Now I was really wondering what was going on.
I pondered all of this as I drove to work that day. I brought my Bible to work and was thinking what am I doing, I want to take my Bible to work so I can read it. As soon as I got to work I started reading my Bible. I couldn't believe what I was reading!! It all was so wonderful. It felt so good to just read my Bible. My client showed up and as I was training them the only thing I could think about was getting back to my Bible. I read all night and slept about 2 hours and was reading again.
I had sinful things in my apartment and I rounded everything evil up and threw it in the garbage. It was weird I was thinking but it felt good so I left it all in the garbage. I called my girlfriend to break it up and she thought I had another girl, I said no, I just think this is wrong we shouldn't be sleeping together. She didn't understand so I told her I was a Christian now and she still thought I had another girlfriend. She said "Im glad your a Christian, so am I" I thought to myself, "I have a strong conviction that sleeping together is wrong and she thought it was okay" I wondered how she could think that. Anyway we broke up.
I kept reading my bible and repenting, there was so much to repent of and I had lived a very sinful life. I was a thief for some part of my life and all the people I stole from kept coming to mind. I owed so much money. I was instantly in debt about $80,000. As I could I paid them back. As of 7-18-2016 I still owe about $25,000 but it sure is a joy to be paying them back.
The first week of being saved a car just about ran me over, they hit me but I wasn't hurt at all. The guy in the car felt so bad. I just looked at him and said "God bless you and have a great day, I am okay" smiled at him and moved on. Now I was really wondering what was going on because I normally would have cussed him out left and right and instead of cussing I blessed him. That was so weird. But again it felt good. I learned to do good by what my conscience told me was good and that it felt good. I got hooked on this feeling good by doing good and did it more often.
About two weeks after being saved I thought of Bob. I immediately prayed for him, something like "Lord help him.." then I stopped praying and said out loud "What am I doing?" I'm praying for a man that I hated my whole life, but it feels good and right, so I did it again. I stopped again midway in the prayer and started pacing around. I was trying to make sense of what was going on and couldn't figure it out. But again it made me happy to pray for him so I did. Bob would often come to mind when I went to the bathroom and each time I would pray for Him. The more I did this the less weird it got. And the greater my love grew for him.
I started memorizing large portions of scripture and this was wonderful because it felt like the words were cleaning my mind and as Proverbs 2:10 "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." I wanted more and more of this pleasantness. So I memorized even more and the joy got more and more.
Then this life changing advice came:
A friend from church told me to find a book of the Bible and really understand it. Read through the Bible and pick one and read it over and over and study it and really get it. So I started in Genesis and read through. When I got to Proverbs I really liked it so I thought that would be the book. I started by memorizing all of Proverbs chapter 3. After that I thought maybe there is a better book than Proverbs. So I read on. Then I came to Song of Solomon. I read it with quite some confusion. It wasn't as good as the other books, I didn't know why. So I bought a commentary on it. George Burrowes commentary on the Song of Solomon.
In the commentary I found that George and other saw the book as illustrating God's love to the Church. And not only illustrating it but displaying the Love of Christ better than any other book. This caught my attention big time, because I was having a burning desire for a closer relationship with God and desperately learning about His Love so that I could Love God. You see I had hated Him for so long that God used that old hard heart to spur me on in loving Him. I so much did not want to hate God anymore that I was on fire to learn to Love Him as much and as fast as possible. So here was a book that would help me do that. So I landed on the Song of Solomon. I committed to learning as much of this book as possible.
I memorized the first chapter and would repeat it often throughout the day. I didn't know much of what I was repeating but it sure made me happier and on fire for God. I grew so fast repeating the first chapter over and over again all day, like a dozen times a day at least. It felt so good and I never found any other book that caused me to weep so much. I would often weep everyday just reading it. I was to immature to know what was going on. Even though it hurt to weep so much, I felt like my heart was being cleansed from the filth that was in it by repeating it over and over again so I did. As I read the commentary I understood more and more. What God was doing in me through the Song was greater and faster than any other portion of Scripture so I tended to stay there often. I was so excited about God that I thought it funny that other's in church weren't the same way. Some where happy but it seemed most of them didn't seem to care much about God. They would talk about work, football the weather. The only thing I wanted to talk about was Jesus and God and how can I grow closer to Him.
About this time there was a mission trip to Ireland.
I started to have convictions that I should try to find Bob and witness to him. I kept praying for him but how could he be saved if he hadn't heard the Gospel that has power unto salvation. So I asked family if they had any information. Like me before, my family hated him and thought he deserved hell. After some time I got his name but no location or phone number. Either they didn't know where he was or didn't want to tell me. I prayed some more and then started to get stronger convictions to do something about finding Bob.
So I went on the internet and typed in "his name and child molestation sex offender court" thinking that some court record would have some info leading to where I may find him" I even talked to a private eye and he couldn't help. So I googled some key words and spent hours each day looking through each page. I believed it was God's will for me to witness to Bob. I wanted him to be saved. Really bad. So much so that I thought God would save Bob if I were to witness to him. So I didn't stop searching for him. I kept my computer on each day and went page by page. It took two years to go through about 15,000 pages but I found someone who matched his name in a prison for molesting his grandchildren. I wrote the prison and he wrote back. All kinds of emotions went through my body when I saw his letter from the jail. I didn't open it right away but two hours later God gave me enough courage to face my fears again and I opened the letter. He admitted to being the one who molested me. We wrote back and forth I told him I was angry before but now I was saved and that I loved him and believed God wanted me to talk to him. He read my letters over and over again. I shared the gospel in each one.
I got mad at Bob 2x. Once he said that he love me. I got really angry with him. He didn't love me. That night it was hard to love Bob, I had to call a friend to pray for me to repent, after he prayed I felt greater love for Bob. Then I wrote him back saying "I'm sorry but you can't say that you loved me. You did not love me you lusted after me." He admitted he didn't love as he should have and admitted that it was lust and sinful. Finally some conviction. Yet I only thought he was saying that because I was being nice to him. All his family had left him and he said I was the only "friend" he had.
Wether or not it was true Bob said that he had cancer in his arm and that the help the prison gives was not enough and if he had money he could see a different doctor and get help. I sent him some money and since I was in jail before I knew what it was like to be in there without money, so I sent him money.
About 4-5 months in the economy went down, it was 2008. Work was hard. I still sent him money and I had to work harder. This was a really good lesson for me because I had to "work hard for the benefit of someone who did not deserve it." This was one of the greatest blessing ever because I realized with great certainty that Jesus was in me. This is what Jesus did. Jesus worked his whole life for me and I didn't deserve it!! Christ was in me! This was one of the best feelings ever and it put me in worship for months.
Then a mission trip to Croatia.
Each time I had to leave my business and amazing as it is I was completely okay each time. I am a self employed personal trainer and it is normally absurd to just leave and start over, but each time I had enough work within 2 weeks of coming back. This is a flat out miracle. I trusted God to provide and he did. How many people can start up a business in 2 weeks. Only with the help of God. God was teaching me early on in my walk that as long as I did what He wanted me to do then I had nothing to worry about.
About 3 years saved now.
I Taught the 4 year old's at church Sunday morning for 10 years.
Left my business 2x for mission trips and God miraculously provided when I came back.
I taught 5 x a week plus held a job.
Sunday morning to the kids.
Sunday night with the 5th graders
Friday afternoons at Good News Clubs. Sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship.
Friday Nights with the Kids teaching through Pilgrims Progress, I did this 2x
Teaching Monday afternoons at a nursing home. I taught through the Song of Songs once then John, then Romans then back to the Song again! I love the Song of Songs.
I grew up hating God for what happened to me, and now I love Him because He first loved me. My passion is for children to grow up loving God and not hating Him.
My other passion which has become ever greater is to help others see the Love of Christ to His Church in the Song of Songs!!
I would love to help you, just let me know and I will lead you and pray for you.
God demonstrates His love to us in sending His one and only Son to suffer in our place, taking our sins upon Himself so that whoever believes they get to heaven because of what He did for us will not perish but have everlasting life.