THE FIRST AND THE LATTER RAIN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ? (18/05/2020)

TOPIC: THE FIRST AND THE LATTER RAIN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

TEXT: JOEL 1 VS 28-29

INTRODUCTION: 

The Former Rain Of The Holy Spirit.

Jer 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

The promise and meaning of the coming rain.

Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

Conditions for Receiving the "Former Rain"

Deu 11:13-14 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Repentance and renewal.

Hosea 6:1-3 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. {2} After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. {3} Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

The Former Rain Experience.

The Former Rain Experience.

Jesus infers the former rain outpouring.

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. {38} He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. {39} But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

Early church members prepare for and receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

They waited expectantly, prayed earnestly, repented sincerely to God, made things right with each other, and fellowshipped.

WHY WAS THE HOLYSPIRIT GIVEN AT THIS TIME?

(1) TO FULFILL THE PROMISE MADE:

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

(2) TO INDICATE HEAVENS ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS' SACRIFICE IN THEIR BEHALF:

Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

(3) TO STRENGTHEN THEM TO LIVE AS CHRISTIAN:

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

(4) TO EMPOWER THEM TO WITNESS:

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

(5) A FORERUNNER OF THINGS TO COME:

The Old Testament texts we read associated in the promise former and latter rain outpourings.

When conditions are met, and the time is right, then the assured blessings will come.

You could be sure that if the former rain had not fallen, the latter rain wouldn't come either.

Thus our focus will be on the Holy Spirit as former and latter rain. And the mind of the Holy Spirit is God. God is a God of revival. He loves to revive His people. God is not a God of dying and of death; God is a God of life. “I am come that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly” [John 10:10].

This passage of Scripture “He has given you the former rain moderately and He will give you the latter rain abundantly” [Joel 2:23] really fits in with our conception that God will revive His people.

Now are you willing? Surely the people is grass, says Isaiah, surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, and the flower fadeth, when the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it [Isaiah 40:6-8]. So as you know, you can either be withered by the Spirit of God or you can be humble and the Spirit of God will come upon you as refreshing and latter rain.

“Judgment must begin at the house of God” [1 Peter 4:17]. We who long for the Second Coming of Jesus are also asking for judgment on the church. When the Lord Jesus comes, He comes in judgment as well as in mercy. So only those people who are walking in holiness and righteousness have any right—have any sense!—in asking the Lord to come quickly. Get your house in order. Get things right with God. Ask Him to give you a pure heart. Ask Him that you may be humble and cut down. And if the Lord removes you from position and gives you a humble sphere, would you please accept it with gratitude, because it means the Lord can use you then. The Lord loves to get little nothings and use them. He loves to announce that a worm shall thresh the mountains. Fancy a worm threshing the mountains!

Fear not, thou worm Jacob…thou shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small…

Isaiah 41:14-15:

But it’s only God’s worms that can do it. Ask the Lord to make you humble. Desire humility and the Lord will do it. And then God says that He will bless you. He will bless the humble souls. God will bless the humble souls.

Blest are the humble souls that see

Their emptiness and poverty.

Treasures of grace to them are given

And crowns of joy laid up in heaven.

Blessed are the men of broken heart

Who mourn for sin with inward smart.

They shall be divinely fed

On living streams and living bread.

Let us first read this passage together. The latter rain name comes from Joel 2:23:

“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

The “latter rain” in this verse is interpreted as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was first shared with the disciples on the day of Pentecost. We also see that the “latter rain” (the end-times outpouring) would be greater than the “former rain.”

The purpose of the Latter Rain:

With farmers, after planting, a seasonal rain provided moisture for germination and initial growth. This was called the “early rain.” Later, near the time for harvest, another copious watering was referred to as the latter rain. So while the first rain was important for germination, the second rain provided a nourishment that was important for the harvest to describe the visitation of the Holy Spirit upon the church in a dispensational sense. The “early rain” came at Pentecost to give power to the witness of the gospel. Another outpouring of rain, the latter rain, is coming at earth’s final soul harvest before the second coming of Christ.

Some may assume that the purpose of such an end-time bestowal of spiritual blessing is to provide victory over sin. But this is not so. No one will receive the “latter rain” who do not already have the victory over sin through the “early 

rain.”

Under the power of that spiritual baptism, strength is available for complete victory over sin. As we consider the purpose of this second rain, it becomes even more clear why separation from sin is required under the early rain or conversion work.

Jesus said, “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). So, the out pouring of the Holy Spirit will be simply to qualify the saints for witnessing.

Spiritual Farming and the Rain of the Holy Spirit.

Physical farming in Israel, which was controlled by rain, represents the gospel work of God spiritually (Mt 13:24-30; 36-40). The two special rains in the farming season―the former rain and the latter rain―represent the Holy Spirit that God gives His people for spiritual farming.

Joel 2:23 『. . . O people of Zion . . . He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before [the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month, KJV].』

****The Holy Spirit of the Former Rain and the Holy Spirit of the Latter Rain

The prophecy of the former rain was fulfilled by Jesus 2,000 years ago; on the day of Pentecost, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon His disciples who had all joined together in Jerusalem constantly in prayer for ten days, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Then the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit occurred in the early Church; 3,000 people repented in a day, and from then on even more souls were saved.

Ac 2:1-47 『When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. . . . All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit . . . Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.』

The prophecy of the latter rain coming down at the harvest time is to be fulfilled through the great work of the Holy Spirit which God pours out on us for the gospel work of gathering God’s people, who are represented as the wheat, from the ends of the earth, in this spiritual harvest time.

Mt 24:30-31 『. . . They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.』

The Holy Spirit of the latter rain, which is granted at the time of spiritual harvest, is poured out upon those who come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zec 14:16-17 『Then the survivors . . . will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.』

IN CONCLUSION:

 (1) What is the work of the Holy Spirit? John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7–15.

 “The ripening of the grain represents the completion of the work of God’s grace in the soul. By the power of the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ.”

(2) What is the relationship of the former rain to the latter rain? For temporal and spiritual applications, see Deuteronomy 11:14; Joel 2:23, 24; James 5:7, 8.

“The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection.”

It’s what God wants you to pray and ask for, in the words

“…But for the Showers We Plead”

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. But that was only a minor beginning. Before the Lord Jesus comes back, the Holy Ghost is going to come to the church in immanence, in power, and is going to prepare the church for the coming of the Lord Jesus. And then will come that Blessed One to reap His harvest, having abundantly refreshed the church, and filled those ears of corn, and prepared for a most abundant and glorious harvest home. What a harvest home it will be!

And as the Lord leads you on, you will find that “the things of the earth will grow strangely dim.”8 You’ll be able to drop them out of your hands without regret, because you are looking for the coming of the Blessed One, The Most High, the Lord God. And He shall reign on the earth. And He shall reign for ever and ever. And I’m glad to remind you that the saints of the Most High shall possess the kingdom. And the Lord says, “Fear not, little flock. It’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Amen.

BY PST. PETER IKUEJAMOFO BY