Not one time in the last century that Latter Rain teachings have surfaced have those teachings been anything but a part of utter religious deception. When you try to impose a revival concept or a Holy Ghost manifestation on society without the Biblical foundation, you cannot get anything but false results. Revival is a sovereign move of God in response to hunger and dedicated hearts. Every true spiritual movement has been rooted in the sovereignty of God and humble saints turning from worldy entanglement to pray and seek after righteousness.
The Latter Rain movement was never started with sinners being converted and the church world enriched and strengthened. Rather, it has always been imposed by false teachers and false prophets creating deep divisions and being connected to some new and strange doctrines and emotions. Those leading these relgious crusades have always claimed special gifts and new revelations. They have also been quick to condemn anyone who questioned their teachings and/or manifestations. Their claim of spiritual superiority makes everything they teach suspect.
The outpouring of the Holy Ghost that began after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is still valid and genuine. The Early Rain of the Holy Ghost cannot end until the church age is completed. Those who teach a cessation of the Holy Ghost supernatural phenomena are as guilty as anyone for the false teaching of Latter Rain. The vacuum you create in a non-spiritual church world opens the door to the false. The lukewarm condition of many Pentecostal churches has been gravely responsible for this repeated surfacing of hyper emotionalism. The answer to error is always truth. When the church is filled with truth and constantly experiences real revival, the enemy is defeated at the door.
The Book of James speaks to the Old Testament prophecy of Joel and the Former and Latter Rain. His words are beautiful and show the connection of this Holy Ghost rain or spiritual activity to the Father's heart. He said, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waitest for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." (James 5:7-8) To speak of these two seasons of harvest in clear connection to the Lord's coming would suggest that they are intimately connected. Joel has already proven that Israel as a nation and a people are clearly in the middle of the Latter Rain and that cannot begin until Jesus returns to finish off the Antichrist kingdom and establish His own kingdom.
What we see then is the Early (Former) Rain being the harvest of the earth after He returns to be King of kings over the Millennial Age. Read again the great prophecy in Joel listed in the beginning of this article. It is impossible for the fulfillmment of those clear promises, until the udgment of sin is over.
The Old Testament has an underlying promise from the Book of Job (oldest book of the Bible) for this future kingdom of Jesus Christ and the glory of a "Latter Rain of Righteousness." It has always had a Jewish character, but connected to the promise of blessings for the whole earth and all nations. Look at these beautiful passages of truth.
"And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain." (Job 29:23) 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." (Deuteronomy 11:14)
"In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain." (Proverbs 16:15) "Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and hou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed." (Jeremiah 3:3) Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God." (Jeremiah 5:4)
"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." (Hosea 6:3) "Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the flield." (Zechariah 10:1)
To try to impose these Jewish promises on the church exclusively is Anti Jewish and replacement theology at its worst. The entire earth (Jews and Gentiles) is going to share with Israel in fulfilllment of the promise to Abraham. "Ye are the children of the prophets, and with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." (Acts 3:25)
Those who try to replace Israel as the central benefactor of the Latter Rain will soon suffer the consequences of their error. It is serious to forget the "apple of His eye." For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." (Zechariah 2:8)
The greatest deception in our day is the teaching of a worldwide revival to precede the Rapture of the Bride. Equally wrong are those who deny the possibility of a genuine revival to the very moment of His glorious descent into the midair. Let's not be guilty of either extreme.
Apostasy is a growing phenomenon. Revival will be possible even in that apostasy for His remnant that will pay the price of uuter abandonment to His perfect will. To claim revival is past while while the saints rest in a false peace is dangerous. To suggest He cannot come until revival occurs is to deny the eminency of His return. That idea is equally dangerous.
We are still living in the time of harvest and it will not fail. Do not get caught up in the false revival that claims promises reserved for the future. Jesus warned us of both with an unmistakable warning in His great disclosure recorded in Matthew 24:
A New Jesus - "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:5)
A terrible deception - "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matthew 24:24)
A Time So Dark & Unspiritual - "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were fore the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark." (Metthew 24:37-38).
Do not be dececeived by false promises or false emotions. The Words of Jesus cannot fall to the ground. [The End Times, September / October 2000 - http://www.pawcreek.org - 1-800-338-7884]
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