The Approach Of The Latter Rain

By K.D. Anderholm

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Get ready people, there’s a move of God coming! Pastors and ministers around the world are all talking about it. The Holy Spirit is witnessing everywhere that God is about to do something big—really big! What is all this commotion that God’s servants are hearing in the Spirit? It’s the sound of the latter rain! You can’t hear it with your ears, my friends, you can only hear it with your heart! The latter rain is approaching quickly—the prophets have foretold its coming and the scriptures are filled with its announcement. You and I are about to experience one of the greatest moves of God to ever hit this planet!

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The skeptics are asking, "Will there really be a worldwide outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days?" The answer is YES! James tells us that the Lord will not return until the earth receives the fullness of the early and the latter rain. The brother of our Lord, writes:

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"…be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer [God] waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

James 5:7-8

 

There is no doubt that the term "early rain" refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the term "latter rain" refers to a worldwide outpouring of God’s Spirit that will precede the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Pentecost Was Only The Beginning...

It is clear in the Bible that Pentecost was only the beginning of the outpouring of God’s Spirit—there is more to come. The apostle Peter confirmed this on the day of Pentecost when he stood and said:

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"…this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy….’"

Acts 2:16-17 (AMP)

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The baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues was never meant to be a one time occurrence — it is a continuous experience of being filled. We know this to be true because the apostles were refilled with the Spirit on several occasions after Pentecost. (Acts 4:8,31; 13:52) Paul also bore witness to this truth when he wrote to the Ephesians and told them to, "ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit." (Eph 5:18 AMP) So here we see that Pentecost was simply the beginning of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is still being poured out today wherever men hear the gospel and repent. That’s what the apostle Peter was talking about when he said:

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"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times [plural] of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

Acts 3:19-21

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Notice that the word "times" here is plural; it refers to more than one refreshing. There will be many "refreshings" that will take place around the world before Jesus returns. The word refreshing here literally means: revival. Anytime men hear the gospel and truly repent of their evil ways, God’s Spirit will fall upon them and spark revival. Revivals are refreshings of the early rain—they are renewals or recurrences of Pentecost. Peter said that these "revivals and refreshings" of the early rain would continue to fall on the earth until the second coming of Jesus.

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Notice also that these revivals and refreshings will come "…from the presence of the Lord." Since the Lord Jesus is not physically present with us at this time, His presence comes to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. And in what likeness does the Holy Spirit come to us today? He falls upon us like the rain. (Hosea 6:3; James 5:7-8)

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Two Kinds Of Rain

The prophet Hosea foretells us that the manifested presence of the Holy Spirit will fall upon us like two kinds of rain: the former rain and the latter rain. Hosea said:

 

"After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; he will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth."

Hosea 6:2-3

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The former rain fell at Pentecost and it continues to fall today wherever men repent at the hearing of the gospel message, but the latter rain has not fallen yet. How do I know? Because there has not been a wave of "corporate asking" among God’s people. Zechariah said: "Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; he will give them showers of rain…" (Zech 10:1) Notice that "asking" precludes sending. I believe that some have tapped into the latter rain in partial measure by faith, but the fullness of the latter rain is a prophetic event that is still on the horizon. When there comes a spontaneous wave of corporate asking from God’s people, the latter rain will fall upon the Church in a sudden way. (Mal 3:1; Acts 2:2; Rom 9:23-28)

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The Characteristics of The Latter Rain

Until now, the Church has been functioning almost entirely on refreshings of the former rain. But the prophet Joel foretold a time when the former and the latter rain would fall together. He writes:

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"Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil."

Joel 2:23-24

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The former rain comes in the form of territorial refreshings and revivals, but the latter rain will come to the Church globally with strong manifestations of God’s glory. It will be characterized by signs in the heavens above and in the earth beneath. (Acts 2:19) The blood of Jesus, the fire of Pentecost and the pillars of smoke (clouds of glory) which will characterize the latter rain. (Joel 2:30)  And what will be the result of the former and the latter rain falling together? Abundant harvest! Joel said, "The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil." In other words, the churches will be filled with new Christians and God’s people will be walking in a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit.

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The Early Rain Is A Pattern

In certain ways, the early rain is a pattern for the latter. When the early rain was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were in one accord in one place. When the latter rain is poured out in the last days, the Church will be in one accord and in one place spiritually. As the early rain came suddenly and dramatically to the Jews just after the first coming of Jesus, so the latter rain shall come suddenly and dramatically to the Gentiles just before the second coming of Jesus. As the early rain arrested the attention of Jerusalem, so the latter rain will arrest the attention of the nations. The predominant characteristic of the early rain was tongues of fire and supernatural speech. The predominant characteristic of the latter rain will be flashing clouds of glory and assemblies of prophesying saints. (Zech 10:1) Just as Peter stood and said, "This is the beginning of that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel…" so God’s end-time servants and handmaidens stand and say, "This is the completion of that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel!"

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To The Jew First

The dramatic outpouring that took place on the day of Pentecost was primarily a sign to the Jews that God was about to turn His attention to the Gentiles. That’s why the disciples began to supernaturally speak in all the known Gentile languages of the earth. (Acts 2:5-12) It was necessary that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit come to the Jews first. It was the pattern set by Jesus. When Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the gospel, He commanded them saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt 10:5-6) Just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told His disciples that: "…repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:47)

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When a clear majority of the Jewish nation rejected the gospel message during the outpouring of the early rain, God turned His attention upon the Gentiles. Being ambassadors and stewards of the early rain, Paul and Barnabas bore witness to this great change of emphasis. In Acts chapter 13 and verse 44 we read:

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On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. "For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ " Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Acts 13:44-48

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For almost two millenniums, the former rain has been falling mainly upon the Gentiles. This "former rain" outpouring of the Holy Spirit is still available to every tribe, nation and people in the earth, including the Jews, but it can only be received through faith in the gospel message. Once the fullness of the Gentile harvest has come in, God will turn His primary attention back to the Jews and the final "week" of God’s dealings with Israel will begin. (Rom 11:25) Nevertheless, there is yet one more great outpouring approaching the Gentile nations. The latter rain will be an outpouring so magnificent that it will enable the Church to complete the enormous task of taking the gospel to all the nations in an astonishingly short amount of time. (Rom 9:22-28)

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The Approaching Glory

The latter rain will be far more glorious than the early rain. How do we know? The prophet Haggai tells us. He writes:

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"For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts…."

Hag 2:6-9

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Notice that God is fore-telling a time when He will shake all nations and draw them to: "the Desire of All Nations." The term "Desire of All Nations" is referring to Jesus. In other words, God is going to something so big that a harvest of people from every nation will give their lives to Jesus. Then He says, "…and I will fill this temple with glory." The temple He is referring to here is the Church. We are the last-day temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19) This is not to say that there will not come a physical temple in Jerusalem in the end times, because there most certainly will. Nevertheless, the apostle Paul taught that the Church would be filled with increasing levels of God’s glory in the last days. (2 Cor 3:18; 2 Cor 4:6-7; Eph 4:19; 5:27) When Haggai says, "The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former," he is not only comparing the glory of the temples in Jerusalem, but by the Spirit, he is also comparing the glory of the early and the latter Church. The weight of glory that rests upon the mature Church in the last days will be far heavier than that which rested upon it in the beginning. (2 Cor 4:17) That is the symbolism the Holy Spirit was eluding to when He inspired the men at the wedding of Cana to say, "…you have kept the best [wine] for the last!" (John 2:10)

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Concerning the difference between the early and the latter rain King David said, "…the LORD will give grace and glory…" (Ps 84:11) The early rain was filled with God’s grace toward humanity, to sanctify Himself a bride. The latter rain will be filled with God’s glory to perfect His bride and make her glorious. (Eph 5:27)

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The predominant characteristic of the latter rain will be the manifest glory of God. The prophets spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the different measures of glory that would follow. (1 Pet 1:10-11) The Lord Himself foretold this saying: "…but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD…" (Num 14:21) Isaiah confirms, "The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isa 40:5) And Habakkuk says, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab 2:14)

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The glory of the Lord precedes His presence—it goes before Him. The Lord’s glory will grow stronger as He approaches. As the return of Christ draws near, His glory will rest stronger and stronger upon His people. (2 Cor 3:18) When the latter rain is falling in its fullness, the Church will be in its brightest state in the history of its existence. The Lord will draw near to His bride and His brightness will be reflected in the glory of her countenance. The Church will become a brilliant and dazzling light in an extremely dark world. Describing this grand and magnificent occurrence the prophet Isaiah declared:

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Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

Isa 60:1-5

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Strategic Positionings

The Church must be brought to a place of maturity under the showers of the former rain before she can handle the heavy downpours of the latter. According to the Jewish agricultural calendar, a fairly strong early rain would fall in the autumn months just before winter. It would soften the dry, cracked soil so the farmer could plough the land and plant seed. Then, throughout the winter, periodic rains would fall keeping the soil moist so the crops could grow. Next, in the spring, just before the big harvest, the heavy downpours of the latter rain would begin. The heavy downpours would strengthen the crop and bring it to maturity. If the crops were not mature enough when the latter rain appeared, they would be damaged by the deluge of showers and much of the harvest would be lost. Hence, to produce a mature crop, it was essential for the land to receive the fullness of both the early and the latter rains.

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To the Jews, the early rain was known as the "mowreh" or, "the teacher rain;" the rain that teaches the seeds to grow. The latter rain was called the "malqowsh" or, "the finishing rain;" the rain that fills the heads of grain and brings the harvest to maturity.

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Spiritually speaking, since the Lord is waiting patiently for "the precious fruit of the earth," and the issue that concerns the Lord is fruitfulness, we now know why His return is delayed. If He were to send the fullness of the latter rain to the Church in its present condition, the Church would be overwhelmed by it and much of the harvest would be lost. The Church must be receive more revelation and understanding from the "teaching rain" before it is ready to receive the fullness of the "finishing rain."

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The five-fold government of God must be fully in its place teaching, preaching and preparing the Church for the manifestation of God’s glory. (Eph 4:11-13) In the Old Testament, the leaders were called upon to prepare the people for the approach of God’s glory. If the people were not properly prepared when God’s glory rolled in, their sin and casual attitude would cause a reaction called judgment. (Exod 19:10-12) The same was true in the New Testament. When God’s glory was present, it caused reactions of judgment and people went blind or fell dead. (Acts 5:1-10; 13:11; 12:21-23) Before the latter rain can come in its fullness, the Church must be adequately prepared for it.

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In light of all this, God has begun a great restoration program. He is restoring the fullness of the five-fold government, the depths of individual and corporate prayer, the true unity of the faith and many other things. Through increased refreshings and revivals of the former rain, God is in the process of preparing the Church for the "thrashings" that will accompany the downpours that are just ahead. The outpouring of the latter rain will not be trouble free. If a great backlash of persecution arose in response to the former rain, then it’s a good possibility that an even greater backlash will arise in response to the latter rain. There is no doubt about it, a time of great trouble is ahead. (Mat 24:21-22) Nevertheless, in the time of the earth’s greatest darkness, God’s Church will carry the greatest weight of God’s glory it has ever carried.

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Are You Ready?

Are you ready for a heavier weight of glory? Are you ready for the latter rain? Are you ready for the reactions of darkness that will ensue when the rain comes? If you’re not, you’d better prepare yourself quickly—the first drops have already begun falling! It’s time to take down your umbrella of doubt and unbelief and lift your head to the sky! (Luke 21:28)

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Take a moment right now and cry out to God. Pray in tongues fervently and ask Him to enlighten the eyes of your understanding. (James 5:16-18) Ask Him to open your eyes to the mysteries that have been laid up in store for these last days. Begin to cry out to God for the outpouring of the latter rain and don’t stop bombarding the heavens until it comes!

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I am convinced that God will soon arrest the attention of the earth! His mighty power will become the talk of men’s lips in every nation! It is now time for God’s people to prepare! Let us cry out together and God will make us ready for the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit the world has ever seen! The backlash of darkness will be swift and severe and many will fall away because of the persecutions that will follow, but the Spirit of God and of glory shall rest mightily upon those who endure steadfastly till the end! (1 Pet 4:14; Mat 24:12-13) The latter rain is approaching! I can hear its rumblings in the distance! Can you? (Ps 110:3)

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© Copyright 2018 — K. D. Anderholm

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All rights reserved. This article is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All references to deity have been capitalized.