“(10) For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: (11) But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: (12) A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. (13) 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, (14) 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 11:10-14
From the time of Israel’s journey into the Promised Land of Canaan, God gave them the promise of “the first rain and the latter rain” which was sure to be given by God, contingent upon their faithful obedience and service to Him.
We have a couple more scriptures here which point out the spiritual lesson of this phenomenon in Israel:
“My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:” -Deuteronomy 32:2
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” – James 5:7
Let’s look at the various segments of this idea in scripture and how it affects us:
The Spiritual Crop and Harvest – God wants to reap a harvest of souls at His coming!
“(37) …He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (39)The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. [The “tares” will then be gathered and burned in the end of this world, v.40-42] …(43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” – Matthew 13:37-43.
The Early Rain – God sent His Spirit, as the dew of heaven, to empower His disciples for the early growth of the church! Jesus promised this gift of His Spirit to accomplish His work! It was to be power coming from on High.
“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.” – Luke 24:49
“(1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:1-4
On the day of Pentecost, in AD 31, as the disciples were gathered together in the upper room (about 50 days after the day of Jesus’ resurrection), they were faithfully obeying, praying, and seeking God for right hearts, unity, and proper power to do God’s great gospel work! God answered by giving them His Spirit! He gave them “power from on High” (Luke 24:49). This was the “early rain” of God’s Spirit to begin the work of His church to cultivate the great gospel harvest!
God’s Last Day Message in the Book of Revelation – There are several elements to God’s final message, which are clearly pictured in the book of Revelation. We should understand them.
- In Revelation 14:6-12 three angels are shown, representing three distinctive and sequential parts of God’s last day message which must be given to prepare people for the final harvest and the day of reaping (either in the good or bad crop), as can be seen in verses 13-20 of Revelation 14.
- The first angel proclaims “the everlasting gospel,” calling all the world to “fear God and give glory to Him,” to worship the Creator. This work is done by God’s people, and His power (See Matthew 28:18-20; 24:14 – “even to the end of the world/age”). Notice that it is presented with a “loud voice” (Rev. 14:7).
- The second angel proclaims the message of spiritual “Babylon” being fallen (Rev. 14:8), as a warning of a corrupted system that God’s people should not be part of. If you read carefully, you’ll see that this message is not said to be given with a “loud voice.” It is given faithfully, but there is not a loud voice to it.
- The third angel then proclaims his message to not worship the beast or receive his mark, name, or number (Rev. 14:9-12). It does come with a “loud voice” (v.9). Obviously, people will be hearing this message loud and clear!
- These three messages can be summarized as (1) Connection with Christ and His Truth, (2) Recognizing there is a Counterfeit, and (3) Choosing Christ and His Truth instead of the Counterfeit, because the counterfeit just isn’t worth it at all!
The Latter Rain and the Loud Cry – God’s work will end with no less power than it began! He will send His final message of mercy to the world!
- As we can see in Revelation, the “latter rain,” in its fullest strength is reserved for God’s final call of mercy to this dying world – “the Loud Cry” (Rev. 18:1-2).
- Revelation 17 identifies just who this spiritual Babylon is, and how this system interplays with all the other corrupted and godless powers of the world in the last days to unite in rebellion against God and persecution of His people (as seen in Rev. 13. Comparing Rev. 13:1 and 17:3 you will notice that we are dealing with the same powers here. All these powers are united together in world-wide rebellion against God – Rev. 13:8, 14-17; 17:1-3, 15-18).
- In Revelation 18:1-6 God gives the final call of mercy for this rebellious world. The rest of Revelation 18 details the destruction of spiritual “Babylon [the Harlot].“
- Chapter 19 of Revelation reveals Christ’s 2nd Coming where He knocks down and destroys the opposition of all worldly powers and men who are against Him, while at the same time collecting up His faithful people. This begins the 1000 years of Revelation 20, and also leads on into final judgment of sin and the Earth made new (Revelation 21-22).
The message of the angel in Revelation 18
“(1) And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (2) And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (3) For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (4) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (5) For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (6) Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.” – Revelation 18:1-6
This is the message given under the latter rain of God’s Spirit! This loud cry, given by a strong voice and a mighty cry, which enlightens the entire world is God’s final message of mercy, which will close His work on the earth! After this point, if men have not heeded the message, they will surely be lost – this is their final chance to avoid destruction and loss, to choose righteousness, peace, and life in Jesus, or sin, death, destruction, and eternal loss! The Bible says that it comes with “great power” (Rev. 18:1), and that power is the power of God’s holy Spirit! God’s word says, “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
Just like the early disciples, who had been faithfully working with God, and seeking God, had to prayerfully seek Him and be prepared to receive His “power from on high” (Luke 24:49), to be able to launch the early church with powerful manifestations and appeals from the Spirit of God, so also, we in the last days, need to be seeking God now, doing His will, and seeking to do it more, so that we may be faithfully on His side and also fitted to do our part in that great final work which God wants to accomplish!
Conclusions
The work of the early church began with a powerful manifestation and endowment of the Spirit of God – that heavenly power, coming as the “early rain” to prepare the soil for growth! So now, we are waiting for the “latter rain” which will empower God’s final messengers to proclaim His heavenly truth with boldness and “great power” to finish this work and help with the final ripening up of the two crops for the great gospel harvest which will happen at the coming of the Lord our God!
Keep in mind that the early rain fell upon those disciples who had been working faithfully with Jesus all along and winning souls, and who had been seeking Him in prayer, and were united “in one accord” (Acts 2) – those were the ones prepared to receive so richly of His Spirit and who could be trusted to bear the message faithfully under God’s special power. It will also be the case in the last days with this final cry. The power comes upon those who have chosen to be faithful in His work. It does not come upon the careless and uncommitted to the work. We can make our decisions today which kind of Christian believers we want to be.
If faithful in that which is least today, God will impart unto us the true heavenly riches and use us in His great and final closing work once that moment comes! Meanwhile, let us keep occupied in proclaiming the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 to help people get prepared for Christ’s coming! The final cry and the day of His coming are fast approaching! Let us be prayerful, diligent, alert, and ever-ready! Watch and pray! Maranatha!
