The Latter Rain, When?
The Latter Rain, When?
WHEN IN NEED OF
TRUTH, WHY BEG FOR POWER?
Question:
Being told to pray for the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, thousands upon thousands have earnestly done so, but to no avail. Why?
Answer:
From
time to time many zealous individual and group Christian Movements have
launched impressive prayer-marathons in a determined, persevering effort to
bring about the fulfillment of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, even
the �latter rain.� Because, though, these periodic efforts have invariably ended
in heartbreaking disappointment and frustration, thousands of souls have become
confused and bewildered, given up their faith completely, and perhaps sunk into
infidelity.
Yet no
student of the Scriptures will deny that the Bible does definitely hold forth
the promise of a singularly dynamic manifestation of the Holy Spirit, to bestow
upon all believers a special outpouring of power such as the apostles received
on the day of Pentecost,-yes, even greater. Then the answer to the question,
Why do we not now receive It? inescapably is, Because the conditions for
receiving it have not as yet been met. When they are met this sure promise of
God will be instantaneously fulfilled, even as it was with the apostles.
Therefore,
whatever is now keeping the Christian from receiving this greatest of the
gifts, the hindrance must lie with him and not with God.
There
is a promise of the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth (John 16:7-13), and a
promise of the �latter rain.� Joel 2:23, 28. This promised Comforter, the apostles
received on the day of Pentecost, and It was to abide with them forever; that
is, even with their successors. But as in the apostolic succession, men of the
primitive apostolic caliber ceased, the Comforter gradually disappeared. And
though He has at different times reappeared in the form of the Spirit of Truth,
His Pentecostal power and presence have never since been reimparted. This
manifestation of the Spirit in Power (Joel 2:28) should not, however, be
confused with the manifestation of the Spirit in Truth (Joel 2:23).
The
very title, �latter rain,� itself shows that this particular manifestation
takes place in the �latter days�---our time. And through Zechariah the prophet,
Inspiration in pointing out that there is a set time for the latter rain,
urges: �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 field.� Zech. 10:1.
The
related passage of Joel 2:23, marginal rendering, makes clear that �the latter
rain,� the last message, is �a teacher of righteousness,� bringing to the
recipient full knowledge of Truth, righteousness. Therefore while Christians
are urgently requested to pray and agonize for the Spirit of Truth at all
times, they are even more urgently instructed to pray for it now!
As in
the natural state of things, the latter rain comes not only to make the wheat
grow but also to bring it to its full maturity, so, by spiritual analogy, this
Teacher of Righteousness must bring the saints to the full stature of men in
Christ Jesus (Eph. 4:13)--fit them for the Kingdom.
But the
second phase, that promised power (Joel 2:28) which comes �afterward,� after
�the latter rain,� is that for which most Christians are praying without
considering that there is a first phase (Joel 2:23)---the �teacher of
righteousness,� a final outpouring of Present Truth--which must be obtained
before the final outpouring of power can be realized.
It is
evident that the part which comes �afterward,� the Pentecostal power, comes to
enable the receiver to proclaim the latter truth; and this power will not come
until the church as a body, �every one grass in the field� (Zech. 10:1), not a
group here and a group there, has joyously assimilated for its spiritual growth
all the rain that the Teacher of Righteousness, who has now come, has brought.
But the
great question here confronting us is: When can �every grass� every church
member, receive this glorious Truth and power? Shall saint and hypocrite share
them alike? Inspiration answers:
�By
fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the
Lord shall be many....and I will send those that escape of them unto the
nations....and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles....they shall bring
all your brethren...to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the
children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the
Lord.� Isa. 66:16, 19, 20.
So in
the time between the �latter rain� of truth and the �outpouring� of the
Spirit�s power, there will be sealed a consecrated number who will escape from
among the �slain of the Lord.� In other words, at the first-fruit harvest, when
all the sinners have been taken out of the church and the righteous left by
themselves as were the 120 disciples in the upper room, then and only then can
the Lord finally pour out His Spirit�s power upon all, so that all (all the
�escaped� ones) shall prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions.
�And it
shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in
Jerusalem shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living
in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters
of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by
the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create
upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and
smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the
glory shall be a defense. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the
daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm
and from rain.� Isa. 4:3-6.
Only after this great purge in the church (described
also in the ninth chapter of Ezekiel), will the remnant be equipped to carry
their fully blazing, lighted torch of Truth to all the Gentile world. Out of
Zion will then go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The
work will then be finished, �cut short in righteousness,� and the Lord will
then appear in glory-seen by every eye (Rev. 1:7).