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P2 The Rains- former and latter, what the Bible actually teaches It is most unfortunate that most do not know how to interpret God’s Word, because of this they come to wrong conclusions. We need to know how to distinguish the literal from symbols and metaphors, especially when it applies to prophecy. When the Bibles words are literal, being made into another meaning the author did not intend (the author whom is God, the Holy Spirit spoken through his chosen writers) it can mislead you into areas that affect part of, or whole doctrines. This is what has happened with the Latter Rain that became a movement popularized under William Branham that deeply affected Eschatology. His interpretation of Scripture was abysmal. Branham and others today say the outpouring is now and it is for miracles, signs and wonders that the church will do, God says it is for the salvation of Israel. The Latter Rain teaching has become THE ‘greatest deception’ inside the church, as it carries numerous errors besides the basic premise. Nearly all revivalist in our day state Acts 2 is again upon us; they are WRONG! What this deception is doing is setting us up for an even greater deception as we head toward the tribulation time period that is to come upon the world. Those who do not love‘the truth’ will be deceived, were warned, the imposter of Christ comes to deceive even the elect Biblical Latter Rain? Deut. 11:14 “then I will give you the rain for your land in its season , the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil .” Deut. 28:12 “The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens , to give the rain to your land in its season , and to bless all the work of your hand.” Jer. 5:24 they do not say in their heart,"Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season.He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest." The rain was always spoken as the basic necessity for Israel’s food supply. Ezek.34:26-27 “ I will cause showers to come down in their season ; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase.” Israel depended on the rain for their crops. The basis for the latter rain was for sufficient crops to carry them through to the next season, the harvest in fall season. The majority of Scripture applies a literal meaning, there is only a few times it is used for a spiritual application that accompanies the literal. Since Israel’s journey in the wilderness, they understood how God is their provider. Ps. 78:23-24 “ He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven, Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven.” Nah. 1:3-4 “The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers.” Dust of feet were what the disciples were told to use as an illustration for judgment when city does not listen to their message. Prophecy can have patterns and can have portions often repetitive until its completion. Acts 2 was not the exact fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy for a number of reasons (Joel 2-3); There was no blood, fire and vapor of smoke, the sun was not turned into darkness, nor the moon into blood. “ I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy, wonders will be seen in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath your (Israel’s) sons and your daughters shall prophesy , Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” This did not take place on Pentecost, Peter was specifically addressing the tongues that were spoken. Acts 2:15-16 refutes they were drunk, as it was too early in the day. V.16 he then says “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Acts 2:17-20 All that is spoken in Joel's prophecy did not take place (you have to spiritualize these literal events). What Peter was saying is that what they see is similar to what will take place in the end, using this one point of similarity, the spirit being poured out. What this does show is that the first of outpouring will be completed in some future generation that will save ‘all of Israel,’ all the remnant at the same time in the same place. Pentecost was an illustration of the that which will be poured out on Israel in the end as Jesus returns. The latter rain teaching substitutes the church for Israel, the church gets the blessing to do miracles, signs and wonders like Jesus. Some claim the church is Spiritual Israel, there is no such thing said. Joel states (what Peter quoted) Joel 2:29 “I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”What days is he speaking of? The day Israel is saved. Ezek. 39:29 “And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,' says the Lord GOD.”(see alsoEz.36:27;37:14) Joel 3:1 says “in those days” and “at that time.” This describes the time period which ends with Armageddon, as he gathers all the nations into the valley of Meggido for judgment. In vs.12-15 he enters into judgment which is found in Rev.14:18. God pours out his spirit on Israel for salvation and he pours out his wrath on the worlds armies gathered. The Bible tells us the when and where, and the whom. The Whom Joel 2:23-24 “Be glad,O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before . The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.” This is the Latter Rains, both the early and latter rain season together at once. Joel 2:27 “Then you shall know that I amin the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other.”If one reads Joel collectively, in context you find that what the latter rain is teaching is completely inaccurate. Rom. 9:27-28: “ Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: ”Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.” (that short work being the Tribulation period of 7 years. Which they completely ignore.) The when Joel 2:31“Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” (the same is said by Peter in Acts 2:20 “ the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” The where Act 2:32-3:2“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be savedFor in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls .” He continues, Joel 3:1"For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat ; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel,…” Nah 1:6“ Who can stand before His indignation?And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire,And the rocks are thrown down by Him.” Zeph 1:14-18 The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess,A day of clouds and thick darkness, ...Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." … In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land. “ Joel 3:12-16 "Let the nations be wakened, 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, go down; For the winepress 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. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; Butthe LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel ” This battle is described further in Rv. 19:15“He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”V.19-20 “ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.” That IS why (‘Latter Rain’) the Spirit that is to be poured out on that particular day in the tribulation period is about Israel as its priority, not an extensive length of time for the church. Joel states (what Peter quoted) Joel 2:29 “I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”While God pours out his Spirit on Israel to be saved, He then pours out his wrath on the nations in battle. In Joel 3:13 he puts in the sickle for the harvest (Rev.19:15). v.15 the sun and moon grow dark and the stars become dim (also found in Mt.24:29, Rev.6:12 ). It is in these days that the complete fulfillment will occur. Pride is the Devils workshop, James 3:14 tells us, “do not boast and lie against the truth.” We are to get as closed to what is written to be accurate in both interpretation and application. Rom. 11:17-18 Gentiles are a partakers, “ of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” To boast can be used in a good or a bad sense; in a good sense to boast in God (Ps.34:2, 44:8). In a bad sense, 2 Tim 3:2 lists, boasters, proud, blasphemers. Boast in Greek, katantao is a derivative of NT:467; it means to meet against, i.e. arrive at (literally or figuratively): (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew.) In this Scripture, Paul is saying it is in a bad sense. The word boast with the accompanying ‘do not’ means to be against, to rejoice against, to be arrogant. Paul is cautioning them in no uncertain terms, not to despise, or reject the Jewish people; whom they received the blessing by their covenant, it is a privilege that does not involve exalting oneself, for the first believers in Christ were Jewish by which the message came to them. “Rom 11:18 do not have the habit of glorying over the branches." (from Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament) “ [But if thou boast] If thou art so inconsiderate and wicked, so devoid of humility, and lifted up with pride, as to boast, yet know that there is no occasion for it. If there were occasion for boasting, it would rather be in the root or stock which sustains the branches; least of all can it be in those which were grafted in, having been before wholly unfruitful.” (from Barnes' Notes) What is a branch in relation to the root? It is from the root the branches maintain their life, both the natural and wild branches grafted in. Israel’s (temporary) unbelief in the Messiah has allowed the wild branches to be grafted in. But now Gentiles exercise unbelief in Israel and the covenant God has made, that it is no longer in effect to Israel. The ultimate arrogance is seen by the teaching that the outpouring of God’s Spirit is upon the church, that it is NOW taking place. Transferring it to the Church, the Church is then taking the blessing of the outpouring away from Israel, which will save the people of Israel. If there is no Tribulation, there is no 70th 7 for Israel to be saved and there is no return of Jesus. Furthermore, there is no Millennium and all continues under Satan's control. Nearly the entire book of Revelation, the unveiling of Christ is unable to take place as the latter rain promoters teach. Their teachings and practices deny these prophecies, they are not doing the will of God by their revivalism, it is a traitorous teaching that becomes another form of replacement theology.
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