If you sin once, are you lost spiritually?

1 John 3:4, 6, Commits sin…does not  sin. The false doctrine of sinless perfectionism refuted.

There is a false doctrine called sinless perfectionism that states that if one is born again spiritually, one will no longer ever commit a single sin for rest of their lives. In fact, one Bible teacher proponent of this idea in his book states that he hadn’t sinned once since becoming saved back in the 1970s. (I can’t help but think that in saying this, he has committed the worst sin of all: the sin of pride!) This notion is primarily based on three verses that are found in John’s first epistle: 1 John 3:4, 6 and 5:18 as the KJV and KNJV translate them. What is the real truth of these verses?

Are these two verses stating that if a saint sins even once, one is not of Elohim, is not abiding in him and doesn’t even know him (1 John 3:6)? No, not at all. The tense of the Greek verbs indicate that the sin activity must be a continual on-going, habitual action—a lifestyle. That is to say, one who practices sin habitually as a lifestyle is neither abiding in nor knows Elohim. 

In the NKJV, verse four reads, “Whoever commits sin….”  This translation doesn’t accurately reflect the sense of the Greek. William Mounce in his Greek and English Interlinear New Testament translates this verse as, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning….” This is because, as Mounce notes, the phrase “commits sin” is a verb that is in its present active participle form. Spiros Zodhiates in his KJV Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible notes the same thing.

In the NKJV verse six reads, “Whoever sins….” Again, this translation doesn’t accurately capture the sense of the Greek. Mounce and the NIV translate this same phrase as “keeps on sinning.” This is because, as Mounce notes, this verb is in its present active indicative form, and as Zodhiates notes it is a present participle showing that the verb is a continual, on-going action. It is the difference between a one time action versus an on-going action. It is the difference between the sentences “he committed a sin” versus “he is continually sinning.”

1 John 5:18 reads similarly as the verses above. “[W]hoever is born of Elohim does not sin” (NKJV). Mounce notes that the verb “does not sin” is in its present active indicative form and, as does the NIV, translates it as “does not continue to sin.”

 

What does it mean to be like Yeshua in this world?

1 John 4:17, As he is, so are we in this world. If this phrase were taken cherry picked out of its context and made to stand along, as some Christian Bible teachers have done, one could assume that as Yeshua currently is in heaven in his fully power, glory, perfection and deity, so are the saints on this earth here and now. Is this what John is really saying? No!

What does the first part of the verse say? “Love has been perfected among us…” Love is the issue here, not the full power, glory and deity of Yeshua. What John is saying is that the saints are to express Yeshua’s love in this world. That’s the context of the entire chapter of 1 John 4. It’s about loving one another. Period. After verse 17, John then goes on to reiterate the idea of the love of Yesua in the next two verses. There is nothing in this passage to suggest that John is implying that the saints currently have the full glory, power and perfection of Yeshua. Where do we see anyone on planet earth doing this? This idea is not even hinted at in the verse or the entire chapter. 

Shame on Bible teachers who cherry pick verses out of context, then read into them things that aren’t even said or implied and tickle the people’s ears with their nonsensical interpretations…and after making the people feel all warm and fuzzy, they often pass the offering plate. We’ve all seen this occur many times in various church meetings!

The bottom line message of 1 John 4:7–19 is that as Elohim IS love (vv. 8, 16), and he so loved us, as a result, we too are to be conduits of his love to this world. We’re to be a literal river of life of his love to those around us. 

Based on these wonderful verses in 1 John, we can add that when we are so full of the love of Yeshua, a fruit of the Spirit, and we love him and his word so much, and we’re obeying all of his commandments the best we can and are trying to imitate him in all areas of our thoughts, words and actions, we have nothing to be afraid of. We are fully in the grace of Elohim and our ultimate salvation and glorification is assured. This means we can stand boldly before the throne of Elohim on the judgment day with nothing to fear. No fear of hearing the words, “Depart from me you workers of iniquity….” This has nothing to do with our greatness, power, glory or anything like that. It has to do with knowing who we are in Yeshua, and having full confidence in his word pertaining to our spiritual standing before him, and that we have, by his grace and strength, overcome the world, the flesh and the devil and that we have passed from judgment into life because we believe in him (John 3:18; 5:24–25). Give him the glory!

 

Who me? An adulterous woman?

Numbers 5:11–31, The adulterous woman. This passages deals with a curious ritual involving wives suspected of adultery called the Law of Jealousies that seems to have nothing to do with anything relating to you and me. Yet, upon closer analysis, we see that it’s actually an amazing prophecy that relates to every redeemed believer who has ever lived and that Yeshua the Messiah is at the center of it. 

In this ritual the woman is hauled before the priest, her head is uncovered and, according to Jewish tradition, her dress is ripped open just above her breasts (b.Talmud Sota 7a). She then has the choice to drink a concoction of earth from the floor of the tabernacle mixed with the set-apart (kadosh) water from the bronze laver into which is dipped a piece of paper that contains the curses written on it. If she is guilty of the charges of adultery when she drinks the bitter waters, her belly shall swell and her thigh (Heb. yarek or side or loins, which are the seat of procreative power) shall rot as a result of a divine judgment. If she is guiltless, the bitter waters will have no effect on her. If she refuses to drink the bitter water and her husband still suspects her unfaithfulness, then he is free to divorce her, even though she has admitted no guilt. According to Jewish tradition, this legal procedure was carried out by Israel’s highest court in Jerusalem (ibid. 7b).

Some biblical commentators see a parallel here between the adulterous woman and the trial and execution of Yeshua at the cross. On the surface, this explanation may seem improbable, but as we go on, we will see otherwise and much more besides. 

As we begin to disambiguate the meaning of this curious ritual, consider this. We know that YHVH likened his relationship to Israel to a marriage (Ezek 16). However Israel (both houses) didn’t remain faithful to her (their) marriage covenants (Ezek chapters 16 and 23; Jer 3; the entire book of Hosea). Under the Torah, adultery was a capital offense (Lev 20:10). Of course, YHVH was faithful to his marriage covenants with Israel. He is not a sinner (i.e. a violator of his own Torah, 1 John 3:4). With whom was the fault then for the failure of the marriage? It was with the house of Israel and the house of Judah! (See Heb 8:7–8.) All of YHVH’s people have sinned (violated YHVH’s Torah) and fallen short of his glory (Rom 6:23), and the Scriptures are clear that the penalty or wages of sin is death (Rom 3:23 and Ezek 18:4).

“But I am a Gentile Christian, not an Israelite,” you may respond. “Neither I nor my ancestors was ever an Israelite who was spiritually married to YHVH. Therefore, I am not guilty of spiritual unfaithfulness. I have not broken any marriage covenants with YHVH.” In response, first, who did Yeshua come to redeem? He came to redeem the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 15:24). Scripture likens all wayward sinners to the lost sheep who have gone astray (Isa 53:6). Moreover, Paul equated Gentile believers with the house of Israel (Rom 9:25–29 and compare with Hos 2:23; Isa 10:22–23). 

Secondly, Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, on his deathbed gave a curious prophesy concerning who the descendant of Ephraim and Manasseh would be (Genesis 48:14–16). In this scripture passage, Jacob speaks of a Messenger from heaven who had redeemed him from all evil, and he makes the sign of the Paleo-Hebrew letter tav over his grandsons, which is the sign of the cross.He then speaks of these descendants of his growing into a multitude in the midst of the earth, or becoming like fish in the sea of humanity (see the Orthodox Jewish ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash/Tanach translation of this verse). Who are these descendants who have as their religious symbols the sign of the cross and the fish and speak of a Redeemer or Savior? Obviously only Christian-type people fit this description. Therefore, spiritually speaking, are you not that adulterous woman? 

Thirdly, elsewhere in the Bible, Paul clearly states that ALL those who have put their trusting faith in Yeshua the Messiah are Israel and Abraham is their father (Rom 4:16; 9:8–11; Gal 3:7, 9, 14, 28, 29.)

Now that we have established that all believers in Yeshua are related to the descendants of Jacob and are thus Israelites (Paul call the saints “the Israel of Elohim,” Gal 6:16), let’s ask the next question. At the cross we know that Yeshua bore upon himself all of our sins (Isa 53:4–6). Did he also bear upon himself our guilt for committing spiritual adultery when in our ignorance we disobeyed the commandments of Elohim when we sinned by serving, worshipping and obeying other gods (e.g. self, money, pleasure, sex, education, power, approval of others, drugs)? Indeed! He died in our place by becoming like the adulterous woman that we were. Moreover, Scripture tells us that his trial and crucifixion were like his drinking a bitter cup (Matt 26:39, 42; John 18:11). Furthermore, Yeshua was hauled before the highest religious court in the land of Israel in Jerusalem to stand trial prior to his death (Matt 26:57–68). Like the adulterous woman on trial in Numbers 5, he was stripped of his garments (see Matt 27:31), and while on the cross, his side was ripped open by the Roman soldier’s spear (John 19:34). As a substitution for us, he took the curses that was against each of us for adultery that in times past would have been written down on paper (Num 5:23). With this in mind, Paul addresses this very thing in Colossians 2:12–15, with special emphasis on verse 14, where he states that Yeshua took the curses or penalties for our violating YHVH’s laws that were against us and paid each the sin-debt or penalty in full for each of us when he died on the cross. For those who are washed in Yeshua’s atoning and redeeming blood and have been buried with him in water immersion or baptism (Col 2:12 cp. Rom 6:3–11), the devil, like a prosecuting attorney, and who is the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10 cp. Job 1:6–12; 2:1–6), no longer has any charges to lay against us, since Yeshua paid in full the legal debt for our sins before courts of heaven (Col 2:15). 

Few Bible students understand this glorious truth of how we are all like the adulterous woman, and how Yeshua took upon himself the charges that were laid against us because of our sins and paid the price in full when he died on the cross. The Scriptures predicted his horrific yet glorious event in the time of Moses down to the smallest detail some 1,500 years before it occurred. Give Elohim the glory!

 

Natan’s Shavuot Notes

The Feast of Shavuot—A Brief Explanation

Shavuot is the third festival in YHVH’s cyclical parade of annual sacred appointed times. It is also known as the Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits (Exod 23:16), Day of First Fruits (Num 28:26) and the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot (which is Hebrew for weeks, Exod 34:22; Deut 16:10, 16; 2 Chr 8:13). Shavuot falls fifty days “from the day after the [weekly] Sabbath” (NKJV) that falls during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and hence the derivation of the name Pentecost (meaning “to count fifty”) as recorded in the Testimony of Yeshua (or New Testament/NT, Acts 2:16). 

According to the first-century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, the concept of counting fifty was expressed by the Jews of that day by the Hebrew word Asartha (Ant. III, x, 6). The 19th century Jewish scholar S. R. Hirsch in his Torah commentary refers to it as Azereth (The Pentateuch-Leviticus, p. 663). Both of these references seem to pointto the Hebrew word VRMG atzerah (or atzereth, Strong’s H6116/TWOT 1675c) meaning “an assembly or solemn assembly.”

  • YHVH through his Torah (the law of Moses) instructed his people that Shavuot was…
  • a day of rest where laborious or servile work was prohibited (Lev 23:21)
  • a commanded assembly (Lev 23:21)
  • a time when the priests offered up offerings and sacrifices (Lev 23:18–20)
  • a time when all males were to bring the tithes of the increase of their income (Exod 23:14; Deut 16:16)
  • a time when the priests were to offer up as a wave offering to YHVH two loaves of leavened bread made of the freshly harvested wheat (Lev. 23:17–20)
  • to occur where YHVH would place his name and all were to go there to celebrate it (Deut 16:11)
  • a time of rejoicing (Deut 16:11)
  • to be forever (Lev 23:21)

An Agricultural Festival With Prophetic Implications

Ancient Israel was an agricultural society that had a spring harvest of grain and a fall harvest of fruit. The spring harvest consisted of the smaller barley harvest, which began during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and the much larger wheat harvest occurring fifty days later at Shavuot. Both the barley and wheat harvests were prophetic pictures symbolizing new life and new creation, and both were presented to YHVH by the priests for his acceptance—a sheaf of barley on First Fruits Day on the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot (the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Lev 23:10–11), and two loaves of leavened wheat bread on Shavuot (Lev 23:17).

On First Fruits Day, the priests of Israel would raise the newly harvested barley and wave it before YHVH for his acceptance. This was a prophetic picture of Yeshua who upon his resurrection Saturday evening, and subsequent ascension to heaven later on the first day of the week to be accepted by the Father (John 20:17) at the exact time the priests were waving first fruits sheaf of barley heavenward. Literally, Yeshua was the first to resurrect from the dead, and can thus be called the first of the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead.

Fifty days later Pentecost occurred when the priests offered to YHVH the two loaves of leavened bread made of wheat from the first fruits of the larger of the two spring harvests. This foreshadowed the larger harvest of souls during the time period from the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Set-Apart Spirit) until Yeshua’s second coming. We are at the close of that time period now as the end of the age draws near. The Feast of Pentecost in Acts chapter two ushered in this time period with the harvest of thousands of people (Acts 2:41,47). It must be inserted here that an even larger harvest of people for the kingdom of YHVH is yet to occur during the fall feast days, which corresponds with the largest harvest of the entire year—the fall fruit harvest. This spiritual harvest will occur just prior to and after the return of Yeshua as an innumerable multitude of people come to faith in Yeshua out of the great tribulation (Rev 7:14) and when many more will be saved during the Messianic Age (or Millennium) itself.

The Prophetic Implications of the Feast of the Harvest of First Fruits

As we have seen, The Feast of the Harvest of First Fruits is another name for Shavuot (Exod 23:16; 34:22; Num 28:26). At Passover time, the barley (Exod 9:31 cp. chap. 12) was ready to be harvested in the land of Israel. Fifty days later at Pentecost, the larger wheat crop was ready for harvest (Exod 34:22). Barley and wheat were the two main grain crops of Israel (Deut 8:7–8; 2 Chron 2:15; Jer 41:8). In the late summer, the larger harvest of fruits and vegetables occurred. 

These three harvests coincided, as noted above, with Israel’s three pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. The success of these three harvests was contingent upon the arrival of the fall (early or former) rains and the latter rains of the spring upon the land of Israel. In biblical and Jewish thought, these rains are prophetic of an outpouring of the Spirit of Elohim upon the earth, as well as of an outpouring of YHVH’s Torah-understanding and glory. This two-fold aspect of YHVH’s Word (spirit and truth) is expressed in many ways in many places throughout the pages of Scripture: 

  • spirit and truth (John 4:23–24; 1 Pet 1:22)
  • letter and spirit (2 Cor 3:6; Col 1:6)
  • grace and truth; the truth in love (Eph 4:15)
  • truth and life (John 14:15)
  • judgment and mercy (Jas 2:13)
  • power and authority (Luke 4:36)
  • word and spirit (Eph 6:17)
  • Moses and Elijah
  • “Old” and “New Testaments”
  • Mount Sinai and Mount Moriah/Zion
  • the two houses of Israel (the Jews/Judah emphasizes the letter of the law/the Torah, while Ephraim/the Christians emphasize the spirit of the law/grace/Yeshua. 

The land of Israel and the rain and harvest cycles are spiritual shadows of future outpourings of YHVH’s Spirit and the revelation of his Written Word upon people’s lives as they accept Yeshua and allow his Spirit to teach and instruct them concerning the ways of Elohim. The early rain and the latter rain also teach us about the pouring out of Elohim’s Spirit in a corporate way upon all flesh. The early rain prophetically points to the outpouring of the Set-Apart Spirit during Yeshua’s first coming and the latter rain points to the outpouring of his Spirit during Yeshua’s second (The Seven Festivals of Messiah, by Eddie Chumney, pp. 97–98). Chumney goes on to note that the concept of harvest represents the salvation of people with the spring harvest representing those who would receive Yeshua as Messiah in the present age and the fall harvest representing those who would come to Messiah at the end of the present age (ibid., p. 98).

The Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai on Shavuot

Not of secondary importance to what we have already discussed regarding important things that occurred on Shavuot, was the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai that occurred on this day as well. On Shavuot, YHVH “married” Israel (Ezek 16:1–13) when he formulated a covenantal agreement with her to which to which she agreed when she said “I do” three times (Exod 19:8; 24:1–8). The Torah was the basis of that covenant, or the marriage vows, if you will to which Israel swore allegiance.

YHVH gave his people the words of life to live by, but because of the hardness of their hearts they were not able to be faithful to his Torah. Like a wife who says “I do” in response to her wedding vows, but cannot remain faithful to her marriage covenant, so Scripture likens Israel to such a woman who became a spiritual harlot (Ezek 16:14–34). 

In spite of Israel’s apostasy and spiritual whoredoms, YHVH had made promises to Abraham and to his descendants that were unconditional in nature. Whether Abraham’s descendants remained faithful to YHVH or not, YHVH’s promises to Abraham were inviolate. Though the Israelites had violated the vows they made to YHVH at Mount Sinai, he revealed to the ancient Hebrew prophets that he would eventually formulate a second renewed covenant with Israel, and this time he would pour out upon them his Spirit and write his Torah-laws in their hearts (Jer 31:31–33; 24:7; Ezek 11:19; 36:25–27).

On Passover at the last supper, YHVH-Yeshua betrothed himself to Israel all over again (Matt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25). As a seal or pledge of this betrothal, he promised to send to his disciples the Comforter or Set-Apart Spirt (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Eph 1:13–14). This occurred on the day of Pentecost when he poured out his Spirit upon Yeshua’s disciples. Each received the fire of his Spirit (Act 2:1–4). In this, YHVH fulfilled his promise to give his people a heart of flesh to replace their heart of stone, thus empowering or enabling them to keep his Torah-commandments (Heb 8:7–13). In other words, Yeshua, the Living Torah-instructions of YHVH, came to take up residence within the very hearts and minds of redeemed believers through the indwelling and empowering presence of his Set-Apart Spirit. In so doing, Yeshua is living out or fulfilling his Torah from within each redeemed Israelite believer even as he himself lived out or fulfilled the Torah-Word of YHVH when he walked this earth. 

We can enter into this same renewed covenant with Yeshua who is the Living Torah and our heavenly Bridegroom when we do as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:9 and 10 and confess with our mouths the Master Yeshua and believe in our heart that Elohim has raised him the dead.

Romans 10:13 goes on to say, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Master shall be saved.” Yeshua also said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 10:32). After confessing him, repenting of our sins, we must then be baptized and be prayed over to receive the Spirit of Elohim (Acts 2:37–41). Then one must continue to walk steadfastly in the truth of the gospel message, stay in fellowship with like-minded believers, and maintain a personal relationship with YHVH through personal devotional prayer (Acts 2:42).

Isn’t this a beautiful picture of YHVH’s love and care for his bride—his people? This is all part of the wonderful plan of salvation/redemption that YHVH laid out thousands of years ago to bring people into a life-giving relationship with himself through his instructions in righteousness—the Torah. This has all being accomplished through Elohim’s Son, Yeshua the Messiah, the Living Torah who now leads and guides his people through the wilderness of life not via a pillar of fire over a physical tabernacle, but through the fire of the Ruach HaKodesh living in the spiritual temple of each individual believer’s heart and mind, which guides them spiritually from within.

On Shavuot the first century redeemed believers were divinely empowered with the Ruach HaKodesh, called the immersion in the Ruach HaKodesh (or the baptism of the Set-Apart Spirit, Acts 1:5,8). As a result of the empowerment of the Spirit of Elohim, we see Peter being transformed from a spiritual mouse (compare John 20:23 with John 21:3) into a spiritual lion or dynamo (Acts 2:14–41). The immersion or saturation in the Sprit or Ruach is for the purpose of being empowered with supernatural gifts and enablements (the gifts of the Ruach, see 1 Cor 12) in order to be equipped to go out into the harvest field of human souls spiritually empowered and ready to bring in the spiritual harvest of souls. On the day of Pentecost, YHVH wrote the Torah into the hearts of the redeemed believers by the Ruach, and then supernaturally empowered them to take both the message of Torah—the light of his truth—coupled with the good news of the Redeemer, Messiah Yeshua—the Living Torah word of Elohim—to a lost and dying world. This is the fundamental message and purpose of Shavuot in the Book of Acts.


More Notes from Natan’s Pen

Natan’s Bible Commentary Notes

Leviticus 23:15, Day/morrow after the Sabbath. The Pharisees and their modern successors, the rabbinic Jews, begin the counting of the omer leading up to the Feast of Weeks from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which occurs on the fifteenth day of the first month. The problem with this is that the Tanakh never refers to any of the biblical holidays as Sabbaths with the exception of the Day of Atonement (Isa 58:4–10 cp. 13). Therefore, from the evidence in the Tanakh and by strict biblical definition, it is a stretch to refer to the first day of Unleavened Bread as a Sabbath. Therefore, the Sabbath mentioned in this verse must be referring to the weekly Sabbath, and can’t be referring to the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread. 

Continue reading
 

Blog Scripture Readings for 5-31 Through 6-6-20

Aside

Parashat Nasso — Numbers 4:21 – 7:89
Haftarah — Judges 13:2–25
Prophets — Jeremiah 24:1 – 30:24
Writings — Ruth 4:1–22; Lamentations 1:1 – 5:22
Testimony — 1 John 4:1 – 5:21; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Romans 1:1 – 2:29

Our new annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2019-2020 with daily readings is available to download and print. If you are still working through 2018-2019’s Scripture Reading Schedule, the link will still be available on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links”. If you are using a mobile device or tablet, the link may be below, meaning you’ll need to scroll down instead.

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link or the “share your thoughts” box below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day: one each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 5/31 through 6/6/2020.

 

Free Shavuot Study Resources from Hoshana Rabbah

Tomorrow, Sunday May 31, is Shavuot, the Feast or Weeks or Pentecost, the third of YHVH Elohim’s seven biblical festivals (see Lev 23). To help you to celebrate this joyous festival whether you are alone or with other people, over the years, we at Hoshana Rabbah Biblical Discipleship Resources have developed a number of free resources.

We often get asked the question, “What am I supposed to do on the feasts?” To start with, do what the early Hebraic believers did when they got together. Check out Acts 2:42–47; 20:20; 1 Cor 14:26; Col 3:16 and Eph 5:18–19.

Additionally, check out our free resources:

Articles on the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost: https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast

YouTube Videos on on the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost: Go to our channel and then click on the Sabbath and Biblical Feasts playlist and scroll down until you come to videos dealing with Shavuot/Pentecost.

https://www.youtube.com/HoshanaRabbahhttps://www.youtube.com/HoshanaRabbah

On Natan’s Bible Study Blog, check out the many other articles and resources on the Feast of Weeks:

https://hoshanarabbah.org/blog/?s=Shavuot&submit=Search

Finally, for a slide presentation of a Shavuot service with prayers, recitations and liturgy, go to https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/shavuot.html and https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/shavuot/shavuot_service.html.

So what’s stopping you from celebrating the Feast of Pentecost as the Bible commands? JUST DO IT!

Love, grace, blessings and shalom to everyone in Yeshua the Messiah!

 

The flowers of my garden rejoice and declare the glory of YHVH Elohim!

Shabbat shalom everyone, and have a chag sameach Shavuot (joyful feast of Pentecost) tomorrow (Sunday, May 31, 2020)!

The Bible on flowers…

 I [i.e. the saints in the eyes of Yeshua, the Bridegroom] am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns… (Song 2:1–2)

His [i.e. Yeshua to his bride, the saints] cheeks are like a bed of spices, banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. (Song 5:13)

The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines in blossom give a good smell [i.e. Yeshua in the eyes of his bride-saints]. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! (Song 2:13)

For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. (Song 2:12)

A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse [i.e. the bride of Yeshua, the saints], a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices— a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind, And come, O south! Blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden And eat its pleasant fruits. (Song 4:12–16)

 I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, and lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. (Has 14:5–7)

Finally, may this be the story of your life…

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of YHVH the excellency of our Elohim. (Isa 35:1–2)

I took this photo several days ago from the front door of my house.