The Latter Rain is Coming
- The Holy Spirit is about to come into this world in a powerful new way that has never been seen before. It will be the Second Coming of the Holy Spirit, and He will transform the world in ways that we can not even imagine.
- The Bible talks about the former and latter rain, which was a promise to Israel to bless their crops; however, it is also a spiritual symbol of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon people.
- The prophet Joel predicted that God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh before the great and terrible Day of the Lord comes.
- The Coming of the Holy Spirit is about to occur and at that time, every person alive will know the truth and the reality of God, and the love of God through Christ’s salvation.
- In those days, God will call all his children to come out of the world’s Babylonian system, just as the Apostle John predicted in the Book of Revelation.
The Triune God is One
The Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Bible many times. As an equal member of the Triune God, along with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit can be seen many times within the scriptures. The Word of God emphatically states that He who created all things is One God; however, it is also clear from the Scriptures that God manifests in three distinct co-equal persons within the Godhead. This concept of three-within-one is often difficult to understand even though the truth of this principle is found throughout the Bible.
The Triune nature of God can be seen in the earliest parts of the Bible. In Genesis when God created man, it is stated:
“And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”
Genesis 1:26-27
Thus, in Genesis 1:26 we see the Triune God acting in unison but as three persons in the creation of man (“Let Us make man in Our image…”). Then, in verse 27, we see that the One God is acting as the creator (“So God created man in His own image…”). Therefore, the concept of the Triune God and the One God are both seen within this dramatic act of creation.
Of course, the most famous verse stating that God is one comes from Deuteronomy:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”
Deut. 6:4
Moses said that there is no God besides Him and no one else is His equal. Isaiah quotes God and says,
“I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.”
Isa. 44:6b
And also:
“Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Isa. 44:8b
The First Coming of the Holy Spirit
Just as the Lord Jesus was foretold by the prophets to come first into the world to be a sacrifice for our sins and then to return in power at the end of the age to judge the world, so too is the Holy Spirit predicted to come twice.
The coming of the Holy Spirit first occurred with the Lord himself. When Jesus, the Son of God and the second member of the Godhead, came before John the Baptist to be baptized, the scriptures described this event:
“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased’.”
Luke 3:21-22
In the Gospel of John, this same event is described and it is written that John the Baptist said:
“Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”
John 1:31-32
In the Old Testament, many people experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon them for a time to accomplish a specific act for God, and then the Spirit would leave. See for instance, Judges 3:10, 6:34; Isaiah 61:1 (which was applicable to Isaiah and also a prophecy of Jesus), 1 Samuel 16:13-14, 23:2; 1 Kings 2:16, 22:24; 2 Chronicles 18:23; and Ezekiel 11:5, 37:1 as examples of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon men for service.
When the Spirit of God came upon Jesus, however, the Spirit remained within Him permanently. This is because, unlike others who experienced the Holy Spirit before His time, Jesus was the sinless Son of God and the Spirit was given to him in full measure and without limitation (see John 3:31-36). The Holy Spirit empowered Christ for a ministry of miracles and ultimately to be God’s sacrificial Lamb without blemish, which would be given as a ransom for many.
Jesus thus became the first fruit of the Spirit but not the last to obtain His indwelling. Once the Lord was crucified and rose from the dead, He told his disciples to wait for the Coming of the Holy Spirit to give them the power to be His witnesses to the world.
The Book of Acts describes this first coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples in chapter 2:
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Acts 2:1-4
To all those who believed in Jesus, God gave them the gift of the forgiveness of sins and accounted to them the righteousness of Christ. Just as Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit when John the Baptist baptized Him, so too His followers were baptized with the Holy Spirit to be a powerful witness to the world.
This was the first coming of the Holy Spirit—first upon Jesus (as the first fruits of salvation) then upon His followers on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit came to Christ to anoint Him for ministry and sacrifice and then came upon all those who believed in Him to anoint them to be witnesses to the world.
Subsequently, all people who believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins are similarly indwelt with the Holy Spirit to empower them to become the sons of God. You may not see tongues of fire or speak in other languages as the Lord’s disciples did, but when you first believe in Jesus unto salvation, you will feel the Spirit of God come into your life and create a new being within you. This is being born again!
The Second Coming of the Holy Spirit
Another powerful coming of the Holy Spirit is about to take place during our time. The Bible predicts that God will do something extraordinary in the Last Days before the end comes.
The prophet Joel predicted that the Holy Spirit would be poured out in a way that God has never done before. This, he said, would be the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit that this world will ever see. Joel indicates that it will be done to save as many people as possible before the point of no return. Just as Noah was a witness to the world in building the ark before the flood, but once the door to the ark was closed, no one else was saved from God’s judgment which consumed the world. So too shall it be at the End of the Age. The Holy Spirit will come to declare the truth of God and the salvation of Christ before the final judgment comes.
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions;
and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth—blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”
Joel 2:28-32 (see also Acts 2:17-18 where Peter quotes this prophecy)
The Bible predicts that the End Times will descend upon the world as an out-of-control and terribly chaotic period that will destroy the nations in a global war and a great fiery conflagration (see World War III). After this Great Tribulation, as it is called, the Lord’s wrath will consume the wicked in a dark day called The Day of the Lord.
Joel’s prophecy is extraordinary! He says that the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Last Days will be upon ALL flesh, not just believers. It will occur before Jesus returns to judge the world and it’s meant as a great final act of God’s mercy, and as the last chance for people to believe and be saved. The Lord will affect every person with the coming of the Holy Spirit so that everyone will know the truth and the love of God through Christ!
“Let the nations be awakened And come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”
Joel 3:12-14
Come Out of Her My People
The Second Coming of the Holy Spirit is drawing near. During this final rain of the Spirit that will occur upon all flesh, the Lord will provide one last opportunity for the world to repent of sins and believe in Jesus for salvation. At this time, God will also call all his people to separate themselves from the evil “Babylon the Great” empire (Rev. 18:4-5), which represents our current global system of sin and death controlling the world. The Holy Spirit will come upon everyone as a final act of mercy before the great and terrible Day of the Lord comes.
In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John says:
“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;
for her sins have reached unto Heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”
Rev. 18:4-5
Are you ready to come out of this world and be separate and holy unto the Lord? The Coming of the Holy Spirit is about to herald a Great Exodus out of this world and into the world of Christ’s Kingdom! Be in prayer at all times to be ready before the great and terrible Day of the Lord comes!
Other Significant Verses to Consider:
Matthew 24:14
“And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.”
Hebrews 1:1-2
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.”
Titus 3:4-6
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
Isaiah 32:14-15
“Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.”
Revelation 14:6
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred, and tongue and people,
saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His Judgment is come. Worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters.”
Revelation 14:13-16
“And I heard a voice from Heaven, saying unto me, “Write: ’Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth.’” “Yea,” saith the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.”
And I looked, and behold, a white cloud; and upon the cloud sat one like unto the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, “Thrust in thy sickle and reap; for the time has come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.”
Psalm 72:6
“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth.”
Isaiah 45:8
“You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.”
Ezekiel 34:26
“And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing, and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”
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.
After two days will He revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.
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 10:12
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Zech. 10:1
“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.”
