Latter rain. Christian Sermons Online
When will real awakening come?
“And it will come to pass on that day that I will destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. And on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem I will pour out the spirit of grace and compunction, and they will look at Him, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as they mourn for their only begotten son , and grieve as one grieves for the firstborn." (Zech. 12:9-10).
This prophecy of Zechariah speaks of a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will take place in lately. A similar outpouring is described by the prophet Joel, which I believe speaks of the day of Pentecost. This passage says: “And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. And also upon the male and female servants in those days. I will pour out of My Spirit." (Joel 2:28-29).
This is exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost! The Holy Spirit descended in a powerful stream in the form of the spirit of prophecy in the Jerusalem upper room. Even poor servants and maids were gifted with prophetic sayings.
However, this great outpouring turned into a steady, gradual outpouring of the Holy Spirit that continued for centuries. For nearly 2,000 years, God has continued to pour out the Holy Spirit like rain upon His people, daily watering and protecting His Church. "On that day sing about it - about the beloved vineyard: I, the Lord, am its guardian, will water it every moment; night and day I will guard it, so that no one breaks into it." (Isa. 27:2-3).
THE WORD OF GOD SPEAKS A LOT ABOUT TWO RAINS - TWO OUTPOORS!
These two outpourings of the Holy Spirit include: the first, or early, rain and the last, i.e. latter rain: “If you will obey My commandments, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give rain to your land in its season, the early and the late, and you will gather bread. yours and your wine and your oil." (Deut. 11:13-14).
Sowing and harvesting times in Israel were in direct opposition to our seasons. The early rains occurred from October to the end of December, just before planting time. These rains softened the soil. The latter rains began in March and continued through April, just before the harvest. These rains helped the crops ripen.
It is important to note that these rains were always associated with the harvest, "...you will gather your bread..." (v. 14). Therefore, beloved, if you want to know any movement of the Spirit, whether it is of God or of the flesh, use this criterion: The work of the Holy Spirit is always to harvest souls for the kingdom of God!
It doesn't matter what kind of manifestation you see in any of the so-called awakenings. If it is not aimed at harvesting souls, it is not a true movement from God! The rains of the Holy Spirit always fall to gather souls.
1. God poured out His Spirit in the early rain, on the day of Pentecost, to prepare the ground. This outpouring softened the soil for sowing the seed of the gospel. Sowers filled with the Holy Spirit were sent that day from the upper room throughout the world: to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and even to the ends of the earth to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Church has gone through almost 2,000 years of sowing and growing crops - and now it's time for the harvest! All who have died in Christ up to now represent the first fruits, or early harvest. But Zechariah prophesies about the last harvest - and this is the reason why Jesus Christ has not yet come. The Lord is patiently awaiting the time of His final, mighty harvest throughout the entire earth!
“Therefore, brethren, be patient until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and for it he endures long, until he receives the early and the latter rain.” (James 5:7).
2. Zechariah 12:10 states that the promised latter rain will precede the final harvest of the world. The Lord is patiently waiting for the time of His latter rain to be poured out on the earth, because this outpouring will produce the final harvest!
IN early years This century, a Pentecostal movement called the Latter Rain Movement began in Canada. It lasted about forty or fifty years. Today, there are only a few Latter Rain churches left.
Those who were caught up in this movement were convinced that they were experiencing the last great outpouring of the Spirit. Many said, “This is it, we see Zechariah 12:10 come true!” However, this movement dissipated. And many other similar movements have come and gone in similar ways. Why? Because they were not sent to the harvest!
Many so-called movements of the Holy Spirit disappeared very quickly because they were man-centered, i.e. aimed at receiving gifts, personal blessings, self-affirmation, self-satisfaction. Dancing, laughing, laughing, or other manifestations attributed to the Holy Spirit are carnal unless they produce contrition of heart and pity for lost and lost souls. If these manifestations truly come from the Holy Spirit, they will cause a thirst and a strong desire to save a lost and perishing world!
Jesus compared the harvest to perishing souls when He said, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matt. 9:38). Therefore, any true outpouring of the Holy Spirit will necessarily be associated with this prayer of Jesus. And some awakenings that were marked as true were blessed with a great harvest of souls. There is no true awakening without a great gathering of lost souls!
Moreover, all the gifts of grace and the work of the Holy Spirit in us as believers also relate to the final harvest. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, comforts us, teaches us, sanctifies us, guides us, and tells us the future, it is all to prepare us for the harvest and make us workers able to work in His vineyard!
Consider what happened as a result of the fulfillment of Joel 2:28. On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people were saved in one day, and souls were added to the church every day after that! Then these believers scattered throughout the world to testify about Christ to perishing people.
“Until the Spirit from on high is poured out on us, and the wilderness becomes a garden, and the garden is considered a forest.” (Isa. 32:15). Isaiah says here, "When the Holy Spirit comes. He produces fruit for the harvest. Lost souls are richly won!"
THE STRONGEST, LAST OUTPOWING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PROMISED FOR THE HOUSE OF DAVID!
“And on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem I will pour out the spirit of grace and compunction...” (Zech. 12:10).
The church has always had grace, but this verse speaks of a mighty outpouring. It means something unusual, powerful, glorious!
But here I must state that I do not believe in the replacement theory. In other words, I do not believe that the New Testament church is intended to replace Israel in all prophetic utterances Old Testament. I believe that many of these prophecies have a dual application.
I also believe that the Lord will pour out His Spirit on the Jews in the last days. This will be the appearance of Jesus Christ to Israel and to all Jews. For example, I believe that Ezekiel 39:22-29 speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Jews after the great attempt by Israel's enemies to destroy it.
Zechariah 12:10, however, is a prophecy that applies directly to the church of Jesus Christ. He talks about the house of David, which means the church. See, Christ is the seed of the house of David. And this house consists of all believers in Christ, both Jews and Gentiles.
Truly, there is a new Israel, the Body of Christ, which includes all nations and languages. And this new Body is born of faith, and not of the flesh: “For Hagar signifies Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, because she and her children are in bondage; but the Jerusalem which is above is free: she is the mother of us all.” (Gal. 4:25-26).
Paul throughout warns the Gentile believers not to be proud or conceited because they have been grafted into His Body. They were in no way to diminish the work of God among the Jews. On the other hand, it would be absolute blasphemy to build again those walls that the Cross toppled. Jesus destroyed every barrier that stood between people: “There is no longer Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and according to the promise heirs." (Gal. 3:28-29).
No one is the seed of Abraham just because he was born a Jew. No, we are heirs of the promise through faith in Jesus. All nationalities were united into one in Him. Verily we are the Jerusalem above, the house of David of the last days. And we have the promise of the outpouring of this latter rain of the Holy Spirit!
THERE ARE TWO DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THIS LATEST OUTPRESS THAT THE PROPHECIES SPEAK ABOUT.
The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will be poured out as "...the spirit of grace and supplication" (Zech. 12:10). When the Holy Spirit descends, these two qualities are always evident: the spirit of grace and the spirit of compunction.
Titus tells us that this grace is given to us as the power to overcome sin to enable us to live sober, holy lives: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts , lived chastely, righteously and piously in this present age, awaiting the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:11-12).
Since the day of Pentecost, the greatest measure of this grace has been upon God's people. The Holy Spirit exposed the sins of all nations, teaching believers of all nations and languages how to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts. The result of this has been a people who live chastely and righteously in the present age, and who are waiting for the appearing of Jesus Christ.
However, when the latter rain of the Holy Spirit falls, we will witness even greater grace. God will pour out upon us the spirit of grace, which will confirm us in the truth of our justification. The Lord will have people who will never doubt their salvation!
During this outpouring, the Holy Spirit will be working on ministers throughout the world who were in a lukewarm state, in a state of compromise. God will shake these men with the convicting spirit of His grace. The Holy Spirit will tell them, "The world is on the verge of falling apart, and soon you will stand before Me. So don't waste time and start speaking to the hearts of these people. When you stand in the pulpit, make sure you have My anointing first!"
This is the convicting spirit of grace that leads to repentance, producing godliness and righteousness in God's house. Of course, the grace of God has been proclaimed to His church for 2000 years. We all know the doctrine of justification by faith. We are sustained by grace. And when only true grace was preached, this preaching was always accompanied by a call to repentance and holy life.
However, I believe that Zechariah 12:10 says that in the last time the Holy Spirit will be poured out mightily upon the people of God with a spirit of grace that will separate them completely from all ungodliness. He will make in them a cry for the purification of their hearts!
Ministers will be awakened to true "grace preaching," the kind of preaching that will convict people of every secret unsightly thing in their lives. And we will witness such a convicting, sin-exposing sermon of repentance, which has never been equal in history. All uncleanness, unrighteousness and foolishness will be exposed. And everyone in God's house will feel the "pressure" to do the right thing!
A few weeks ago, I received a call from a dear brother who runs a certain ministry. The leaders of this ministry began to gather together to seek the Lord - and soon the Holy Spirit began to expose the spirits of lies and fornication in their midst. Several members of the group were excommunicated. This brother told me, "Now the Holy Spirit has come and there is a 'pressure' to do the right thing."
His phrase was burned into my consciousness, and I could not free myself from it: “pressure to do the right thing.” When the Holy Spirit descends and exposes sin, Christians who have been living in compromise or have been in a lukewarm state are convicted. Those who do not submit to the work of the Holy Spirit become blind, unable to live righteously. And in the end, the "pressure" to live righteous life takes them out the door.
Beloved, the pressure to forsake sin and do what is right will become very strong in the church of God in these last days!
THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL ALSO POUR OUT THE SPIRIT OF COMPLETION!
The word "compunction" is never used in the Bible except in the sense of a cry or a prayer spoken aloud. In other words, this is not some personal reflection. Tenderness is associated with the voice!
The Hebrew word for "affection" in the explanation means "an olive branch wrapped in wool or some material, which is waved by a person, seeker of peace or about to surrender." Simply put, these were white flags of surrender. They meant a plea, a cry for complete, unconditional surrender.
Let's imagine a battle-weary soldier who has lost all his strength and ability to resist. He is completely alone, tired, exhausted, his strength completely gone. He breaks a branch from the tree and ties his white shirt to one end, picks it up, swings it, and crawls out of his fox hole, shouting, “I give up!”
This is tenderness, that is, he says: “I give up - I can’t fight anymore. I’m completely lost and in despair.”
As you can see, being touched is not just calling on God for everything you want. It's not just asking and pleading with Him to help you with your plans. On the contrary, it is the complete submission of your will and your ways to Him!
For centuries, Christians have called on God while remaining self-willed, begging and pleading: “Oh God, send me here, send me there, give me this, give me that...” The ministers prayed and asked: “Oh God bless my ministry, bless my projects. Give me money and send me workers for my program!"
But in the last days the Holy Spirit will descend with great power to bring about a consciousness of spiritual bankruptcy. We will see the fact that even with all our money, brains, programs, ministries and plans, we have not touched this world. (To tell the truth, we have lost our foundation. The Church has become weak and pathetic!).
I once preached: "All that the Lord requires is a heartfelt cry and an invocation of His name." But the Holy Spirit showed me that it takes more than that to touch His heart.
Malachi says of God's people: "...you cause the altar of the Lord to be wept with tears, with weeping and crying" (Mal. 2:13). And yet the Lord did not accept or hear their cries, because the men of Israel dealt treacherously with their wives. They divorced them and looked for other women.
These people did not come to the Lord with a white flag of surrender in their hands, crying and crying: “O Lord, my sin overcomes me! I am tired of fighting in my own strength, tired of resisting the Holy Spirit. Set me free!” If they had done this, God would have heard them and set them free.
There must be surrender here! Our cry must be accompanied by our desire to be freed from our sin, to remove everything from our lives that does not conform to the image of Jesus Christ.
Daniel’s prayer illustrates what tenderness is: “And now hear, O our God, the prayer of Thy servant and his supplication, and look with Thy bright face upon Thy desolate sanctuary, for Thy sake, O Lord. Incline, O my God, Thy ear and hear, open thy eyes Thine, and look upon our desolations, and upon the city upon which Thy name is called; for we present our supplications before Thee, trusting not in our righteousness, but in Thy great mercy.” (Dan. 9:17)
This is a cry of surrender - complete helplessness! Daniel said: “O God, we have sinned against You, and we can do nothing! We are helpless, hopeless. We have denied You and insulted You. And now we beg for Your mercy. We surrender. We give everything to You. Hear our a prayer!"
WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT POURS OUT THE SPIRIT OF TOUCHING, WE WILL SEE PRAYERS SUCH AS THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE!
A missionary was speaking at our church recently about great awakenings around the world. In each case the "spirit of prayer" is intimately connected with the final harvest. In Vietnam, China, Russia, the Amazon, among the Zulu in Africa - God's people are praying fervently, with fire, crying and crying out to God at the top of their voices, seeking His face, dealing with sin and returning to righteousness. Some prayer meetings last from six o'clock in the evening until twelve o'clock next day.
You cannot develop this ability to pray. This is the result of the work of the spirit of tenderness! God is doing what He promised in Zechariah 12:10. And these believers are already experiencing this!
Not long ago we called for weeks of prayer at our Times Square church. And now we are also experiencing small portions of the outpouring of the Spirit. Truly, there is a measure of fire and diligence in prayer in our people. But we have not yet experienced the outpouring of the Spirit of compunction!
Last July 18th I started a prayer journal. My first entry read: "A week ago, July 11th. The Holy Spirit called me to spend a year of prayer, and I mean intense prayer. I will keep this journal so I don't let myself miss my promise."
But in the last 30 days I haven't written a word in my prayer journal. This was a great challenge in my life! I was constantly interrupted. I have never had such difficulty remaining constant in prayer.
God shows me through this that even the desire and ability to pray must come from the Holy Spirit. My dilemma now is this: God has promised to pour out a spirit of tenderness upon His church, and I don't want to miss it. I want to be a part of this true move of the Lord. How can I make sure that the spirit of tenderness is poured out on me?
The answer is found in Zechariah 10:1: “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of need; the Lord will flash with lightning and give you abundant rain, like grain for everyone in the field.”
We must ask the Lord for this spirit of tenderness! God promised to give us abundant rains! He tells us in the book of Zechariah, "Ask, and I will give you this desire from heaven. But you must seek it from Me!"
Isn't now the time for us to start asking the Lord: “O God, pour out the Holy Spirit on me so that I can learn to pray! Open Your fountains. Let me be a participant in Your final harvest!”
As soon as the spirit of tenderness descends on you, you will begin to pray for sanctification, cleansing, holiness. You will begin to intercede for your dead relatives and cry for the whole world. But you must ask the Holy Spirit to work it in you - and trust Him to do it!
THIS FINAL OUTLOOING, THE LATTER RAIN OF GRACE AND COMPLIANCE, WILL BRING GOD'S PEOPLE TO THE KNEES!
I see in Zechariah's prophecy a new representation of the Cross of Christ: "...and they will look on Him whom they have pierced, and will mourn for Him" (Zechariah 12:10).
Right now the Holy Spirit is doing this in Israel. Many Jews gather at the Western Wall, calling for the Messiah to come. But one day God will remove the veil - and they will know Jesus for who He is, and they will mourn because they pierced Him! They will begin to yearn for Him, mourn their blindness and denial of His Cross.
However, there is another application of this verse that has to do with the church. The Church of Jesus Christ has such a dulled sense of sin, the church has whitened sin so much and does not notice it, that when the Holy Spirit descends in the spirit of prayer, He will also bring cleansing. There will come a cry, contrition and crying, the realization of how our sin grieves God!
The Holy Spirit will work in this way not only in the congregation, but also in families and in each individual believer: “And the earth will mourn, every tribe especially: the tribe of the house of David especially, and their wives separately; the tribe of the house of Nathan especially, and their wives especially..." (Zechariah 12:12).
I ask you, what greater gift could God give to His church before He came than a powerful, convicting message against sin? He will bring such sharp reproof that we will not be able to tolerate anything unholy or unclean in us!
Let's summarize what distinctive features and features of the last outpouring of the Holy Spirit. If the so-called movement does not meet these standards, you can recognize it as the movement of the flesh, these standards are:
1. The movement is entirely focused on the final harvest of souls.
2. The Spirit of grace leads to repentance and righteousness.
3. The spirit of compunction leads to complete surrender and encourages us to pray in the Spirit.
4. Thirsting for Jesus and crying, contrition and crying out in sorrow for sin. Only after such actions of the Holy Spirit will there come true joy!
Dear believer, there is a possibility of missing out on everything the Holy Spirit has promised. Even in the midst of His rain, you may find yourself in the desert - dry and desolate. This is what leads to this - being in the crowd of Laodiceans, i.e. remain lukewarm and be satisfied with half-hearted service to the Lord. And the rain that will come to ripen the harvest of the last days will water only the thorns and thistles within you: “The land that has drunk the rain that has often come upon it and produces grain useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God; and the one that produces thorns and thistles are worthless and close to damnation..." (Heb. 6:7-8).
I don't want to miss the last outpouring of the Spirit of God! I prayed that He would include me, and I encourage you to do the same. Pray with me now: “Lord, I do not have the discipline that I need for Your holy work. You must give it to me! Send me Your sorrow for lost souls. Give me a broken spirit. You are my only hope, so I I surrender myself completely to You. I will do whatever You command me. And I will rely on You for everything!” Amen!
Executor: Latter Rain
Album: Collection (9 albums)
Release year(s): 1995-2002
Genre: Pop/Worship
Quality: 192 kbps (mp3)
Duration: 06:37:12
Number of tracks: 99
Album: Sing the glory of heaven
Release year: 1996
01. Oh, my God, I call to You
02. The soul will not find peace for itself
03. The path to Golgotha is long
04. Praise to the heavenly Father
05. I hear, Lord, Your gentle voice
06. When the past is remembered
07. Here on earth we are only strangers
08. What a pity for our youth
09. I will give praise and glory
10. I prayed to him
11. Pray my friend
12. In a boat broken by waves
13. Side my family
14. Sing the glory of heaven
Time: 00:55:22
Size: 75.8 mb
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Album: Fortunately, there is no road without stones and thorns
Release year: 1998
01. Lord!
02. Heart, calm down
03. Jesus is a treasure
04. I'm standing by the seashore
05. There, behind the clouds
06. Our Savior
07. Christ was silent
08. You need to live like this
09. Human life
10. Don't go
Time: 00:40:36
Size: 53.2 mb
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Album: You delivered my soul from death
Release year: 1998
01. Love came down from heaven
02. Oh come
03. You delivered the soul from death
04. I thank you for every day
05. With You, Lord
06. This joyful day
07. I won't be back
08. Let them praise
09. When the earth...
10. In the desert sands
Time: 00:40:38
Size: 55.5 mb
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Album: Burn Fire
Release year: 2002
01. The stars bowed down
02. Incomprehensible
03. I bless Your name
04. Psalm 14
05. Sorry
06. About Belarus
07. Call of love
08. Come
09. 2000 years
10. Burn the Fire
Time: 00:42:33
Size: 58 mb
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Album: Saved
Release year: 2002
01. Hosanna
02. Lord and God
03. Path to heaven
04. Who am I
05. Prayer
06. Joy in Christ
07. Holy happiness
08. Hymn of Habakkuk
09. In a spacious room
10. Saved
Time: 00:41:43
Size: 54.4 mb
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Executor: Valentina Utina
Album: My heart was filled with happiness
Release year: 1995
01. My heart was filled with happiness
02. The eternal land is mysterious and distant
03. No matter how many paths there are in the world
04. Creator of the Universe God is loving
05. O years, where do you fly
06. O flowers are dotted, flowers
07. The hand of Christ touches the strings of the soul
08. The blue sky attracts me so much
09. Thank You, my Creator
Time: 00:30:54
Size: 42.1 mb
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Executor: Lilia Gatitskaya
Album: In the silence of thought
Release year: N/A
01. Away
02. Like a bow
03. I recognize hands
04. The path of love
05. Traces
06. Good Shepherd
07. I believe
08. Prayer
09. If the soul gets tired
10. In the silence of thought
Time: 00:37:17
Size: 48.4 mb
Download from:
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Executor: Sergey Sergeev
Album: Maybe tomorrow
Release year: 1999
01. Your hands
02. In the Garden of Gethsemane
03. Oh come
04. Maybe tomorrow
05. Don't Be Late!
06. Hallelujah!
07. There are clouds in the sky
08. Believe and pray
09. I prayed to Him
10. When remembered
Time: 00:44:31
Size: 60.6 mb
I want to talk about the latter rain and the shock that will occur. In the Book of the Prophet Joel 2:21-23 we read:
“Fear not, O land: rejoice and be glad, for the Lord is great to do this... And ye children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God; for He will give you rain in measure and will send down rain for you, the early rain and the latter rain, as at first.”
Many of us have taken part in wonderful events in Romania. It was an amazing experience. Anyone who was there will tell you that something exciting happened, and it was not the work of man. This was the work of the Holy Spirit. And similar things happen everywhere. God is doing something completely new. It's almost plausible.
One evening, as I was making the call for baptism, a young man came forward looking so calm and filled with peace. I later learned that this was the son of the church treasurer. When he came forward, the senior pastor began to cry. This young man, who was about 30 years old, had become estranged from the church. But after he gave his heart to the Lord, he came every evening.
After my baptism on Saturday, I made another call. Thank God, the relatives of the brother and his wife, who had just been baptized, came out. The Holy Spirit is at work! On June 3, mass baptisms will take place throughout Romania. Imagine how heaven will rejoice when thousands of people are baptized!
Total Membership Involvement (TEI)—everyone's participation—is a power that comes not from the General Conference but from heaven itself. The Holy Spirit displays extraordinary power.
Not reserved
Joel 2:28, 29 says: “And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. And likewise on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit is poured out on all people. The blessings are not limited to just a special group of people. They are not reserved only for ordained ministers. They are poured out upon all who submit to the power of the Holy Spirit.
When will the latter rain fall? Now the Lord is preparing His Church for this through revival and transformation, through the difficulties and trials that we face. For some encouragement about how God will lead us through all of this, see Prophets and Kings, chapter 13.
The early rain fell on Pentecost in 31 AD. The disciples humbled their hearts in repentance. They prayed sincerely and put aside all their differences. How important it is now, as we await the latter rain, to do the same. The early rain demonstrated God's power in unity and declaring a message to the world.
In the book “The Acts of the Apostles” we read: “The purpose of life for believers was to strive to reflect the character of Christ and to advance His Kingdom.” So it is with the latter rain. God asks us - by His power - to reflect the character of Christ and strive to advance His Kingdom.
Special Gift of Grace
As we approach the end of the earth's harvest, a special gift of spiritual grace—the latter rain—is promised to prepare the Church for the coming of Jesus. We will see this very soon. But other things must happen first.
“At this time there will be a pouring out of the “latter rain,” or refreshment, from the presence of the Lord, to strengthen the loud voice of the third angel and to prepare the saints for the time of the pouring out of the seven plagues,” wrote Ellen White. But before that there will be a shock. We don't quite know what it will be, but it will be. People will be carried away by alien beliefs and unbiblical concepts, even within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Throughout this year, the year of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, let us maintain a close relationship with the Holy Word - God's invaluable instructions to us. Some Adventists are mistaken and think that there is no need to have extensive knowledge of the Bible and its doctrines; you just need to have an emotional connection with Jesus.
But Jesus is at the center of each of the 28 doctrines. If He wasn't there, why did we accept them? If He is not there, let's give them up. Do not allow yourself to be destroyed by the superficial tendencies of the Adventist faith. There will be unity, not tension and divisions.
The shock will come, but not because of what you or I do! It will come only through the power of the Holy Spirit and the proclamation of the immediate message of biblical truth. As we know: “It may seem that the Church is about to fall, but this will not happen. She will survive, although in Zion sinners will be sifted and the chaff will be separated from the good grain. This is a terrible test, but it will have to be passed.” Will we be among those who left the Church? I hope not. By God's grace, maintain a close relationship with His Word.
A storm is coming
We are warned that “as soon as the storm approaches, many who have believed in the three angels' messages, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, will abandon their views and join the ranks of its enemies.” This is why we need revival and transformation in our own lives by staying close to Jesus.
“Before the final judgments of God visit our land, there will be such a revival of piety and holiness among the people of God as has not been seen since the days of the apostles.” Can you imagine what it will be like? The Spirit and power of God will be poured out on His children.
Let's humble ourselves before God. Let us put aside strife, selfishness, pride and stubbornness. Let us fall before God and ask forgiveness for our self-will. Let us accept the humble character of Christ.
We have a promise: “Let Christians put aside all differences and give themselves up to God for the salvation of the lost. Let them ask in faith for the promised blessing, and it will come."
Will we experience true rebirth and transformation? Yes. Will he accept it? God's people and deny himself? Yes. Will there be a shock? Yes. Will the Church stand even though it seems like it is about to fall? Yes. Will the third and fourth angel's messages of Revelation 18 be preached with power? Yes. Will God's people unite in this message? Yes. Will the latter rain fall? Yes. Will this be the result of God's Spirit being poured out on all people? Yes. Will Jesus come soon? Loud Yes!
Through revival and transformation, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the initiative of universal involvement of church members in service, through only God's power. Let's be part of this! As Joel says, God is doing and will do great things.
See Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 20.
Ellen White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 48.
Ellen White, Early Writings, p. 86.
Ellen White, Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 380.
Ellen White, The Great Controversy, p. 608.
See Ellen White, Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 121.
Ellen. White, The Great Controversy, p. 464.
Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 21.
Ted Wilson, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
From Adventist Bulletin No. 6 (2017)
Spiritually— creative stone № 6
Joel 2:23-27: “And ye children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God; for He will give you rain in measure and will send down rain for you, the early rain and the latter rain, as at first.”
Listen to what the prophet of God said about this:
So it says that God is going to “restore.” The Lutheran period did not restore the church, it began the reformation. The Wesleyan period was not restored. The Pentecostal period did not restore. But God must restore, for He cannot deny His Word. This is not the resurrection of the church, this is “Restoration”. God will bring the Church back to Pentecost, which was in the beginning. Now notice, Joel 2:25 tells us why we need restoration. Locusts, worms, beetles and a caterpillar devoured everything except the root and a piece of the stem. We know that all these insects are the same thing, only in different stages. That's true. This the antichrist spirit manifested in organization, denomination and false teaching throughout the ages. And this poor root and stem will be restored. God is not going to plant new Church, but is going to return his original planting to the original seed. As verse 23 says, He does this by teaching, that is, by the “early” rain. Behind this will come harvest rainor admiring faith.
The prophet said that there would be the former rain and the latter rain, that in the latter rain both the former and the latter rains would fall at the same time - a great worldwide church would cover the world from one end to the other. Great message great signs and wonders will be performed by this Church. Daniel said that the people who know their God will do great things on that day. This is the time we live in. (Dan. 12:4, 9-10).
And the latter rain will come, and it will appear and will be like the former rain, and We know that we had many false names and cults that appeared along with it, with it, but the Word of God still remains true.
So, keep that in mind. The Bible promises that in these last days, at the very end of time, another Christian Light will appear - the early and late rains will fall simultaneously. The prophet said that there will be Light in evening time (Zach. 14:7).
If you want the Life of God, start with the Word of God. Receive the Word of God in its fullness, in its full measure. And if this fullness of God is in you, then the rain that falls will produce exactly what you have in your garden.
Now look. So remember the word m-u-r-e, mure, means “teaching, early rain.” It says "rain" mure, rain teaching.” It rained teaching(Deut. 32:2). Billy Graham planted the world, Pentecostals planted the world, and the Word planted the world. So, what's the matter now? - She now looks forward to the latter rain. That's when it will bear fruit (Matt. 7:15-20) . Oh, I hope you understand that.
Then whatever kind of seed you plant in your field, that’s the kind of harvest you will reap. If denominations want more members, they will get them. They received them. Pentecostals want more Pentecostals - they will get them. Right. But the Word will produce sons and daughters of God. This too will come. Watch, see what's going to happen in this great latter rain, how they'll climb up on the walls and jump over, and how they'll be an advancing army. Just wait a little. What kind of harvest you will have - this is the seed you planted on the field.
Baptists want to surpass Methodists. The Methodists want to surpass the Lutherans. Lutherans want to surpass Catholics. Every single one of them wants to surpass someone. See this is the spirit of the organization. Jesus said, “But few will be saved. Small is the gate and narrow is the way, but few will find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14). Very few. If He said few(this is the Word of God, this is the seed), then there will be a few. There will be no tens of billions and billions. Only a few will find it. Those who are predestined for this, they hear it. The early rain has now passed.
We argue a lot about the latter rain, there have been movements called “latter rain”, latter rain, former rain, internal rain, external rain. The other day I was reading. Do you know what the Hebrew word for “early rain” means? I can’t say it now, I didn’t write it down, I can’t remember it. But the “early rain,” the first rain, means “the rain of learning.” The second rain is the Spirit that descends on what has been taught as a doctrine and produces a harvest. Why did we have such a revival? Pentecostals, Baptists, all the other trees are budding just as Jesus predicted they would be. What did we deduce? The Baptists said that in 1944 they had a million more. Look at the Catholics, how they have grown. Look at all the denominations. Look at the Pentecostals. What have we done? - We have sown the denominational seeds, and we have reaped the denominational harvest. After all, the church should now burn for God, if it was sown then Seed of the Word and there would be signs, wonders, miracles, and that church would be together, in one accord, in one mind, and marching to Zion for the Rapture. Right. What did we do? - We had abstruse speeches instead of the Word. We argued with the Word and everything else.
Mouret, mure, rain, the early rain has passed, bringing rain. So what happened? - It was raining early. The latter rain has fallen. What happened? - Sodom and its Sodomites burned! Abraham received the promised son. Jesus said, “Let them grow together. The tares will be gathered, bound and burned. The wheat will go to the granary" (Matt. 13:24-30) . Do you see? The latter rain is just around the corner.
So what are they trying to do? - They are trying to bring about the latter rain. Nonsense! For this latter rain, my brother, will cover the whole world. And then the early rain, sowing the Word... That's right. You will see what the latter rain will produce. You will find out that there will be a membership. The Pentecostals and all the groups will get together, and they'll close the doors on those kids that won't listen to it. And you won't even be allowed to open your mouth. Yes, yes! Then He will come. That's when He will show. That's when you'll see rain. Oh, don't worry, be calm, don't worry. Do you understand?
Someone asked me to repeat this Hebrew word again. In Joel chapter 2 (Joel 2:28), where he speaks of the coming of the former and latter rain, the word early is Hebrew the word m-u-r-e, mure, which means “teaching.” In other words, there will be rain of learning and rain of harvest.DWe've had some time for teaching, and we're now ready for the rain of the harvest. You know, the first rain is when you plant the seed. From it your harvest begins to grow. Then, right before it ripens, another rain falls. This is called harvest rain. We know that when the spring rains come and then the rains come around June, that's what creates your harvest.
So, as we found out, rain is Spirit. And we settled on me expressing my thoughts about how everything would be. That is, I believe that the rain was brought. That's why we we are quiet because the land has already been sown. There is almost nowhere to find a place that is not sown. And it went on radio, television, through tapes, through words, everywhere - it completely seeded the country. The seeds are sown. So, whatever seeds were planted, you will not get anything else from them except the seeds that were planted. Do you understand now? These will be the seeds that have been planted. So, The Spirit will come, but He will bring forth a harvest of the seed upon which He falls. So, remember.
Well, I predict that two denominational groups, Pentecostal and Evangelical groups will work together in a denomination, unite together, and become a member of (all of them) the Federation of Council of Churches or Council of Churches. They already belong to them - all of them. And through them violence or a boycott will begin, which will stop everyone except those who belong to the union of churches. The Bible said there would be a boycott, even so much so that it would stop people from buying or selling unless they accepted the mark of the beast, which is Catholicism, and the image of the beast, which is Protestantism, which is the image... (Rev. 13:4-13).The beast had the power, the power to put life into the image so that it could speak, and he did it . And this is the Union of Churches, where they unite in a union.
There are a lot of young people here. I don't know, Jesus may come this afternoon, He may come in next year. I don't know when He will come. But remember, if I don't live to see the day of His coming, although I hope I will, and I somehow believe that I will, if I don't see it, do not allow this Word to depart from your ears and your hearts. Do you understand? Just remember, I speak in the Name of the Lord. So, I believe with all my heart that this is how it all ends. There will be a kind of union, a boycott. All places like ours here will be covered. And you will not be able to preach unless you have permission or license from this union of Churches to conduct a ministry.
All the Scriptures that were not fulfilled must be fulfilled before that time. The Bible must be completed; with this church age the pagan era should end. When this anointed messenger will come, Certainly, he will plant the Seed of the whole Bible, starting from the serpent himself(Gen. 3:1-7)and down to the messenger in the early rain. Then he will be rejected by the denominational people like his forefather John and Elijah, as our Lord said, the people...like Elijah was the first time in the time of Ahab. It will happen here in this country for this country is the image of Israel.
Then in the latter rain there will be a denouement like on Mount Carmel, The Bible is fulfilled exactly. John the Baptist, His messenger before Him from Malachi 3, planted the former rain and at one time was rejected by the churches (denominations, Pharisees and Sadducees). Jesus came, and He had the final outcome on the Mount of Transfiguration. This harbinger of the last days will sow for the early rain. Jesus will be the final solution between denominations and creeds (that is, His Word). When He comes, the final outcome is the Rapture of His Bride! The first was on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:30-40), the second was on Mount Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8), the third will be on Mount Zion! Glory!
We are at the end of time. The seeds are now sown; the latter rain must come. Remember, there's going to be this denominational gathering pretty soon; it's going to be amazing. And they will come together in this federation of churches, and then the activities of such a church as this will be stopped (as far as they know). Just at that time Jesus will appear and He will show who is the Bride and who is not.
There was so much talk about the latter rain. I don't want to deny you, brothers of the latter rain, but this is not the latter rain. If the latter rain had already fallen here, the power of God would have descended here and spread throughout the whole world. The latter rain is about to fall. What's the matter? The Church is inventing something for itself, just like Eve tried to do. She tried to get more light to work out something (Gen. 3:1-5). It’s the same with us, we’re trying to squeeze something out of ourselves. Don't do this. Let God do it. Take His Word and believe Him. Keep Him in your heart. And when the rain begins to fall, life will take over and the Word will manifest Itself.
And when the Spirit comes, He falls on the just and the unjust(Matt. 5:45, Hebrews 6:4-8).
I believe that after such a great revival that has swept the whole world these past few years, I believe that the saints of God everywhere should be in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) the power of God is going into the hospitals and everywhere, and great signs and wonders and wonders are happening. But He cannot convince people to remain calm for a sufficient time. If we sow denominational seeds, we will reap a denominational harvest. That's for sure. That's how we did it.
Each becomes the latter rain for the other. You see, Luther was the latter rain for Catholics. And John Wesley was the latter rain for Luther. Pentecostals were the latter rain for the denomination. Pentecostals have organized themselves, now what will happen? Do you see? Do you see?
In Joel 2:28 He promised that in these last days the latter rain would fall on the people. I think the Greek word is kenos, which means that He emptied Himself not that, as one might say, it was as if something was inside someone and it came out, but He poured out Himself. He changed His “en morphe”. He changed from what He was to what He became. He never changes His nature. But on the day of Pentecost He changed from the Son of Man to the Son of God. He didn't come to people, He came among the people(See?), the same God, to the very end carry out your ministry during this great period.
He prophesied in the Bible that there would come a day that would be neither day nor night, but in the evening time there would be Light. So, geographically, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. All this time it is the same sun. Now, when the Son (S-y-n) was revealed in the manifestation of the promised Word to Israel, the eastern people... We had a gloomy day. There was only enough light in the reformers and everything else to create churches and denominations and join them; come and kiss babies, gather adults, bury the dead and all that, and live in church. “But in the evening time the Light will appear,” He said, “in the evening time.” And not a single Scripture will be broken. And the same Son who poured out Himself (kenos) on the day of Pentecost promised to do the same at the evening time. Do you understand? All this is according to the promise. Grasp this relationship. Look what's happening and look what He promised , then you will see where we are. Compare one with the other. You will be able to see the revelation of this Great and Mighty. Tradition has again blinded people to all these great things that were prophesied.
And what was the last sign that Abraham and Sarah had before the promised son they had been waiting for all these years returned? God stood in the form of a Man and could recognize the thoughts that were in Sarah's heart (Sarah as the Church, represents the Church), recognized the thoughts that in the Church, which was even behind Him (Gen. 18:1-15). Right?
He (Elohim) said: “I will visit you...” I, personal pronoun. “I will visit you according to the period of life(Ooh!) and you'll have the baby you've been waiting for" (Gen. 18:9-10). And immediately after that, she changed into a young woman, and he into young man and Isaac, the promised son, was born (Gen. 21:1-8).
The latter rain will come.“You have kept this seed inside with faith long enough, and you are waiting for your future son, and now he is coming!” Amen. This is it today real Church, see, that chosen Seed. “You have been waiting for him, and I will send him to you.” Amen. Who said this? - Word.
I believe that you are seeing the last thing that will happen to the Church before the Rapture. That's for sure. I believe in it. This rain has passed. Read the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation and you will see what is promised to the church. That's what's promised, the church, that's where the church ages are.
So, therefore, the rain falling on the physical vegetation of the earth, is a type of the spiritual Rain Which gives Eternal Life, falling on the Church, because... We call it the early Rain and the latter Rain. And this is the Rain of God's Spirit pouring down on His Church (Zech. 10:1).
Oh, the true former and latter rain will fall in the last days upon this little group that rides with Him on this donkey, humble and meek (not a house--not a denomination), shouting, “Hosanna to the King who comes in the Name of the Lord.” !” (John 12:13).
The Word promises this: “And before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet. He will turn the hearts of children back to their fathers.” (Mal. 4:5-6).
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that I will pour out my Spirit from above. The former and latter rain will fall together in the last days.” (Psalm 71:6).
All these promises are given in the Scriptures. We look up at this hour to the true Bride throughout the country. Let's look up.
Church, one day He will come. Just like He came the first time, so He will come again. Prepare everything. Separate yourself from the chaff. Lie in the sun. Keep looking up. Be on the lookout (Hosea 6:3).
Brother, let's get everything ready, because one day the fire will come down, we will ascend. Let us now prepare for this time of the coming of the fire. We are in last days. We all know this. And we are ready for the coming of the Lord. We need to separate ourselves from all sin. Separate yourself from everything related to the world. Don't love the world or the things of this world (1 John 2:15).
Let no man deceive you with his creed. Stand firm in the promise of God, in the Word of God. And this is the Word if it's the Word for this day, God confirms It to be so. If He doesn't confirm, then it's not the Word for this day.
The Word that came down on the day of Pentecost will have no effect on this day. No, sir. That was for Pentecost(last church age). A This- for the Bride, the Bride leaving home. We have something different. That re-introduced by Pentecostals. We are in the period of the Bride. Just like the Word of Noah wouldn't have worked in the days of Moses. Just like the law of Moses would not have worked in Paul's time, here.
The Church, those I speak to throughout the country tonight, if you separated from the denomination and all the vulgarity and worldly things, and from everything that keeps you in human creeds and orders, and the like, and you are separated, then look up! Get ready! One day the fire will go down. God will allow Him to come, and what a sight. Will you be ready when He comes? Will you be ready to ascend with Him when He comes? The Secret Rapture of the Supernatural Bride.“She will pass from corruption to incorruption, change in one moment, in the blink of an eye (1 Cor. 15:51-54). “We, the survivors, will not disturb the departed” (1 Fes. 4:13-17).
So, we know that now day of salvation when God calls people out of the world, from a life of sin to a life of service. And on the day that God poured out His Spirit from on high, great wonders and signs must accompany the ministry of that day. This is when the former and latter rain fall together. And we know that there are supposed to be great signs and wonders, even though many of the big denominations have rejected it. But I'm very grateful for these open doors that I came into, and what an inspiration it gave to the young like your pastor here, what made them... For I'm starting to get old, and I know that my days are numbered, and now I know that these young men can take this Message and carry Him until the coming of the Lord, if He does not come in my generation. Although I hope to see Him I wait for Him every day, and watch, keeping myself ready for that hour.
“Result of the Periods”, p. 323 / “Faith of Mary” (01.21.61), par. 36
“Don't be afraid, it's me” (04.14.61), par. 22 / “Leave everything” (23.01.62), par. 76
“The Spoken Word is the original Seed,” par. 178, 294-295 (part 1), 92-93 (part 2), 319, 358 (part 1), 14-18, 430-432, 442-443 (part 2), 308-309 ( part 1)
“Jehovah-jireh (part 1)” (07/05/62), par. 54 / “Seed of the Sign of the End Times,” par. 65
“Listen to Him” (07/11/62), par. 50 / “One More Time” (11/17/63), par. 17
“The Mighty God Revealed to Us,” par. 45-46
“Questions and Answers” (23.08.64у), par. 194-195
“The Anointed Ones at the End of Time,” par. 36 / “What attracts on the mountain?”, par. 119
"Invisible marriage union bride of Christ”, par. 319, 322-325 / “What will be”, par. 14
