He only satisfies desire. And foolish people have been saying that the coming of the Lord has been drawing nigh all down the ages. Thou preparest them corn, Oh, that they may walk with their Beloved in the present, in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life. If you keep pressing God, He will give you your desire. When the Bible speaks of corn, please don’t think of Indian corn, that is, maize. Christian Observer. Percy Gutteridge, And He shall reign on the earth. It’s desire that is the heart of the matter. So you can see that God says, “I will pour out My Spirit, in the last days, on all flesh.” He began it at Pentecost. Acts 5:1-11, In the days of the early church the Lord could announce, “I am He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands” [Revelation 2:1]. There isn’t the Gospel of Salvation and then there is another Gospel called the Everlasting Gospel and another gospel called the Gospel of the Kingdom. Hosea 10:12Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Isaiah 64:6, And then God says that He will bless you. It’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Amen. You’ve sorted all that out. There has been a long, dry period in between. And then when the Jews went back to repopulate the land, they planted forests. Joel 2:23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. Israel had predictable weather patterns, including heavy rains in both the spring and the fall. Hosea 6:3and in Hosea 10:12 -Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.This idea also gets expounded upon in Psalm 72:6 -He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.In the New Testament, James tells us about these rains to come in James 5:7-8:Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. understanding that the Old Testament addressed Jews who for the most part lived And that inner drawing of the Holy Ghost that makes you only want to please Him is a more wonderful sign than any book you could possibly read. That is why if you have no desire for salvation, you’ll never get it. It’s the latter rain. Not “they never have been defiled” but “they are not defiled.” There’s a big difference. If you have no desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit, He will never come. I am prepared to believe the Bible. Then finally there comes another reaping: The Lord will come. As we use the word rain as both a noun and a verb, the … Then you can lift up your face without spot. So God by the former rain, and by the moisture in the earth, springs the corn. So the Holy Spirit is deeply interested in you knowing something about prophecy, but only in order that you should be faithful, and watchful, and merciful, for these are the three tests of the genuine Christian—not whether you know who the antichrist is. The idea of a latter rain was not new to Pentecostals. It is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh promised to us in the last days and the restoration of apostolic and prophetic gifts. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. Acts 2:16, When a Jew planted their crops in the spring, the spring rain (Former Rain) was expected and necessary to germinate their seeds. Thou settlest the furrows thereof: No longer do we know anything about it. It’s lovely to see God’s people bring their harvest, and put it around and make the place look beautiful, and acknowledge publicly that God has fed them and God has provided and God has given the harvest. And if you knew how to do it with the name Hitler (I’ve done it myself), it comes to 6-6-6. There is a remarkable difference. What the Holy Ghost does impress upon us concerning prophecy is that we should be ready! Joel 2:1-32 ESV / 43 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. And that is what happens in revival. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” [Matthew 5:6]. “This is that” is the key to prophecy—not all these many, many books, exciting books which say, “This is going to be that.”. It’s what Isaiah says in chapter 40:6. Psalm 72:6, I believe that God is going to have an everlasting victory. But what do we know today of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, being in our midst as Lord in the church? However, a closer look at the revelation of the apostle James reveals something else. The Latter Rain Movement is anti-dispensational and amillennial, and many leaders of the movement embrace aberrant teachings. And it opens itself, as it were, to receive it. But wonder of wonders, as the reforestation continued, another wonderful thing happened. You listen, if ever you have the privilege of being in a large wheat field, to the singing of ripe wheat. But you see, that’s not God’s way. I looked, and beheld a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man [that’s the Christ] having on his head a golden crown, in his hand a sharp sickle. Home » Ask a Bible Teacher » Latter Rain Teaching. Othodox Jewish Bible Neither say they in their lev, Let us now fear Hashem Eloheinu, that giveth geshem, both the yoreh (former rain, autumn rain) and the malkosh (latter rain, spring rain) in season; He secureth unto us shavu’ot chukkot katzir (the appointed weeks of the harvest). And we have had showers, and showers, ever since, what we call revivals. A. Then God worked His miracle. Genesis 13:16, That would cut poor Peter out, wouldn’t it? Lord, we fear that Thy people are running after the ways of the world, in monthly prognosticating. “Lord, let this be my portion” is the prayer of each one of us. What are the former and latter rain? I suggest it began at the time of the Reformation. Dear Father, thank You. That’s what God does in nature. Thus our focus will be on the Holy Spirit as former and latter rain. Now there are many different opinions about revival. But in the end it resulted in the annihilation of the Jewish people as a people, and the scattering of Jews throughout the then known world. And don’t you try and tell me how God is going to do it, because you don’t know. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. “This is that” which was prophesied by the Lord. The Former and Latter Rains. Williston Walker, the historian, quotes a wise church historian named Heussi.6 It’s important. “I am come that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly” [John 10:10]. Not by mental calculation, but by the witness of the Spirit he knew that “This is that” when the Holy Ghost came down at Pentecost. Oh, and for us in this church: grant that we may be abundantly saturated with the latter rain of the Holy Ghost. Then the latter rains began. As the word of the Lord says: “I will give you the latter rain…. And the vat shall overflow with wine and oil….And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else. Matthew 11:25, The only scriptures that I know on the subject keep us looking for Jesus. The rains that fall right now help nourish the land for the rest of the year. Now what is the “former and latter rain”? My last word to you is the promise of the Lord given in Psalm 72:6—“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass.” What is the grass that God is referring to? These are the days of the last showers of the latter rain. Once germinated it grows. So for hundreds of years these rains had ceased, but then the Jews began to go back. And you can be one of the typical people who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth [Revelation 14:4]. That’s what the Bible says, it opens its mouth to receive the rain. . When trees did sprout, the goats nibbled them and kept them low and short. In this part of the world—Northern Washington State—we don’t have former and latter rain. Then you can keep company with Him. Thou fillest the hungry with good things, and the rich thou hast sent empty away. with agriculture, worked in the fields, and for the most part depended on an They say that conditions are such that no revival can happen. It is the enormous last day revival soon to come and the harvest of souls before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Bible Studies - Bible Studies - English. Certainly it would be wasteful and It doesn’t say, “These have never been defiled.” It says something far sweeter: “These are NOT defiled.” When the Lord really saves you and blots your sin out, and gives you a pure heart, the past is gone. Rain » Often destroyed houses. And you know those who are possessors of truth and those who don’t live it. nor widows desolate. And crowns of joy laid up in heaven. Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! But it’s only God’s worms that can do it. It’s passed on. The stalk is there. There is only one Gospel, and “if I or an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel, let him be anathema” [1 Corinthians 16:22]. God sends the latter rain in order that there may be an abundant harvest, for that rich, latter rain plumps the ear and gives you full ears of corn. This is the word of the Lord to be merciful. Perhaps it’s just as well He doesn’t. Poor man, he had enough worries on his mind as it was.3 And others, of course, were “quite certain” that John Kennedy was the antichrist. Oh, you know that. And He did it! To understand this concept of the Latter Rain and the Former Rain, begin by understanding that the Old Testament addressed Jews who for the most part lived with agriculture, worked in the fields, and for the most part depended on an agrarian way of life. Very, very little. Daniel 9:1-2, Revelation 7:9, “This is that,” [Acts 2:16] so Peter could announce by the inner witness of the Spirit, which is the only reliable witness. I would like to denounce that false theory. It is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh promised to us in the last days and the restoration of apostolic and prophetic gifts. Chaim Weizmann, the great Jewish chemist, who did so much for the Allies in the First World War, was asked by Prime Minister Balfour of England what reward they could give him for his magnificent, scientific, chemical discoveries. With the former rain, farmers begin ploughing and planting seeds. We can say that original Pentecost was former rain. You are really a new creature. That’s an awful thing to desire. Change your prayers, fathers! And because of that I will remove your lampstand from its place. Get things right with God. It may be strong and big in appearance, but it’s thin, it has no strength in it, and the slightest wind makes it bend and droop and the farmer’s wheat is lost. In a certain way it is true. “Thou blessest the springing thereof” (verse 10d). This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He said, “Do something for my people, the Jews.” And then Arthur Balfour issued the statement that it was the wish of his Majesty’s government in Britain that a home for the Jewish people should be opened in Palestine. . They also got murder as well. We’ve lost the immanence7 of the Holy Ghost. So in Psalm 65, let me remind you, this is how the former rain is characterized: 9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: Exodus 16:3, The second downpour came in the spring in the latter part of March and the first part of April (the Hebrew month of Nisan). I’ll say it again: The Holy Ghost does not draw us to the contemplation of prophecy to fill our heads with knowledge of how all these things are going to be worked out. Much glory on your soul, and many happy meetings, and much clapping of hands and joy in the Lord will make you weak. How it rustles and sings! There are those who actually preach that there can be no revival before Jesus comes. Who mourn for sin with inward smart. Last week, Israel had an unusually rainy … It’s when we are willing to be cut down to size, when our “PUFF” has gone, when we are truly humble. This fall rain would greatly enhance their crops just before harvest. The rains have ceased. Learn how your comment data is processed. Copyright © 2010-2018 Finest of the Wheat Teaching Fellowship, Inc. E-mail the Webmaster for further information. Now what happened to the Former and Latter Rains in Palestine after the time of Jesus? It is given by God to soften the hard clods of soil that have been made so hard through the long dry period, and God softens them with former rain. As the wind passes over the wheat field, all the heads bow in unison. Yes, but don’t let that deceive you. We want the Lord to come back and give us abundant showers of latter rain, but it means the immanence, the personal attention and standing of the Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 16:22, I’ve preached in churches that I know lie to the Holy Ghost, and there are many church members that lie to the Holy Ghost. We feel also that the choruses and hymns that we sing—oh, we say we really feel moved by the Spirit when we sing those choruses. Oh, make us more concerned about holiness than reading the signs of the times. In Genesis, we discover that the “fall” came when man failed to worship God. So in Palestine at the present time, the old, former and latter rains have come back again. These early rains brought the seed to germination and nurtured its early growth. And Lord, prepare us for Your coming. And that inner drawing of the Holy Ghost that makes you only want to please Him is a more wonderful sign than any book you could possibly read. And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. Another angel came out of the temple, and said, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. If He did, Ananias and Sapphira would drop dead again for lying to the Holy Ghost [Acts 5:1-11]. But it’s the same principle. Pastor Gutteridge lived from 1909-1998, and served as a fire warden in London during Hitler’s bombardment of that city during World War II. I think he was a hero for being married, not the reverse. Two angels now appear on the scene. In fact no longer do we expect it. James is speaking about patience, and farming, and he says: Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Luke 2:25-28, On living streams and living bread. Because He did that, He could say, “I will remove your lampstand from its place” [Revelation 2:5]. O then what raptured greetings Then you can take up your cross and follow Him.