This is a word of preparation given at a recent Chronos Ministry weekly meeting. We’ve seen in this study of the early and latter rains that they are not based on the physical rains in Israel’s natural harvest cycle of one year. Instead, spiritually speaking the early and latter rains span the one harvest cycle of the earth, which is the 3,000-year span of time of the last Days in God’s prophetic timetable of His plan of redemption.
       We know these rains are connected to the outpouring of God’s Spirit. We also know from Hosea 6:3 that they are connected to Jesus’ first and second coming. “He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. This means the outpouring does not come before Jesus appears, but after He appears.   Each outpouring has a time-specific purpose, empowering believers of that time to complete the task at hand. In short, the latter rain is very different from the early rain because it has one component that is extremely different.
        The first outpouring, the early rain on the Day of Pentecost, came to empower Jesus’ disciples to continue His ministry of preaching the Gospel of salvation to all the world and overcoming Satan and his spiritual forces in the heavenlies with signs, miracles, and wonders following.
       The second outpouring, the latter rain that shall follow Christ’s second coming at the rapture, is likewise crucial in fulling God’s plan of redemption. Yet very few Christians understand its importance because they do not know the “one thing” that we are to consider and apply when it comes to understanding the times and the seasons of God’s plan. “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 2:8).
       It, too, is an outpouring and anointing from God to not only preach the gospel but to conduct natural warfare as well. When Jesus comes again, it is not only to gather His Body, the Church, His Bride to take us to Heaven, it is also a timely response to what is happening in Israel. The Antichrist and his coalition of Middle Eastern armies are invading the nation. Why? Because Israel had rebuilt its temple and resumed the animal sacrifices, having been deceived by their leaders that Jesus is not the real Messiah. God already has His temple made of stones. “You also [the Church], as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:5). God allows the invasion to bring His people to repentance.
            This end-time conflict shall escalate into what could be called World War III. When Jesus comes, He shall stand on Mt. Zion, splitting the mountain and making a miraculous Red-Sea type of escape for Israel. The latter rain outpouring will empower them, as in the time of the Judges, to become mighty men and women to defeat their natural enemy. This is why Zechariah 10 prophetically reminds God’s people to ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain.
        End-Time Truth. This outpouring will come because Israel has witnessed Christ’s return, the one whom they pierced, and have finally made their blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord God confession of faith. They will see that Jesus is the Messiah and shall receive His salvation. As Rev. 12:7 confirms, they are now “in Christ” in that they not only keep the commandments of God, they also now have the testimony of Jesus Christ. They shall also be empowered to take over the earthly commission to preach the Gospel to all the nations.
        This is the mystery of blindness recorded in Romans 11 and the subsequent regrafting of Israel into the Branch, for the calling of God stands. They shall fight because the Lord is with them. As Zech. 10:12 declares, So I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down in His name,”  
       The latter rain will come to the whole world after Jesus visibly comes again in the rapture and we’re taken up to Father’s House to be seated as the heavenly court as joint-heirs with Jesus. Whereas the early rains were typified by the Feast of Pentecost, the latter rains will be typified by the Feast of Tabernacles.

        This is a word of preparation given at a recent Chronos Ministry weekly meeting.  We have been looking at the scriptures concerning the early and latter rains. We know that these rains are connected with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the earth. So naturally we’ve been looking at what Peter preached in Acts 2 concerning the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. He connected it to Joel 2, telling the people that what they were experiencing was what Joel had prophesied. Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32, word for word except for one strategic part.
       In Joel 2:28, the Hebrew wording says “it shall come to pass afterward.” Peter, however, chose to substitute that phrase  with “it shall come to pass in the last days.” We will cover what he meant by the last days in part 3 of our study of the early and latter rains. For now, we need to see that by making this change, Peter was pointing us to the concept of prophetic time. There was something time-specific that needed to be acknowledged. In light of Peter’s unique phrasing, the obvious question that needs to be asked is what is it that precedes what would come afterward? Or to put it another way, what happens first that is responsible for this outpouring? The answer is in Joel:27. “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel. I am the Lord your God.”     
            Since we know that the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost followed the first coming of Jesus, Peter was drawing attention to what Jesus’ first coming meant in that time. The apostle John described it in the first chapter of His gospel. In essence, the Word was with God and the Word was God. And so the Word was made flesh and dwelt among them. This meant that Jesus was indeed the Lord their God in their midst and that there is no other. Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. Of course this refers to salvation in Christ alone.
            Peter understood this and so framed his message on that day around that truth. This is why he changed the wording from Joel’s prophecy to “the last days.” We will look at what that means in Part 3. How did Peter come to see this? Most likely when the 120 were gathered in the upper room after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They were studying the scriptures and seeking revelation about the outpouring of the Spirit because He had told them explicitly not to go out to preach the Gospel and continue His earthly ministry until they had received this outpouring and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. This is most likely what enabled Peter to say, “This is that which was prophesied by the prophet Joel.”
            They needed to recognize the truth that the Lord Jesus was not only their Messiah but that He was God in the flesh. He was not just a man, the natural descendant of David, but God in their midst. This is why Peter begins to review the mighty miracles and signs which God did through Jesus. The very Jesus they had crucified God raised up because death could not hold Him since He was the Son of God as well as the Son of Man. Peter goes on to affirm Jesus’ connection to David in the flesh in Acts 2:31 and that David even foresaw this.
            The point of Peter’s sermon, then, was to let the house of Israel know that God had made this Jesus whom they had crucified both Lord and Christ (God’s Anointed One). It’s no surprise, then, that this cut through their hearts such that they asked what they should do. Peter’s response: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” That was the message for their time. But it doesn’t fully answer why Peter chose to use the phrase in the last days. Stay tuned because we shall consider the answer in part three.

     This is a word of preparation given at a recent Chronos Ministry weekly meeting. The common view of the Church is that we have already received the early rains, beginning with the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out to empower the disciples to continue Jesus’ earthly ministry of preaching the Gospel. Unfortunately, the Church also widely believes that Jesus will not return until after the latter rain outpouring based on a misinterpretation of James 5:7-8. Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
       As always, we must use the Spirit-inspired scriptural connections to see what the true definition of the early and latter rains is. Joel 2:23-24 records, 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.
     There are two rains, the early and latter rains, that bring one harvest. Israel’s year began in the fall, so the early rain came in autumn (Oct./Nov.) in order to soften the ground so they could plow it and sow the seeds. The latter rain came in the spring (March/April) to bring the seed to maturity.
       Joel goes on to prophecy concerning the purpose of these rains in verses 28-29. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. This is the passage Peter quoted in Acts 2 concerning the outpouring of God’s Spirit on the Day of Pentecost that would empower Jesus’ disciples to preach the Gospel.
      It is no coincidence that Peter quoted this passage in the first sermon preached during this age, and it just so happened to be about the end-times! The rains have to do with the end-time harvest. Unfortunately, what many of the “Generals” did not realize is that this outpouring would last throughout the last Days of God’s great week of the plan of redemption. Hebrews 1:1-4 identify the last Days as the time when God spoke to us through Jesus.
      That is, the New Covenant and the preaching of the Gospel that are Days 5-7 when counting from Adam. When counting from Jesus’ ministry, they are the last three days of the week, what Jesus called Today, Tomorrow, and 3rd Day perfection (Luke 13:32). We already have all the power of the Spirit that we need compliments of the early rains of the Day of Pentecost.
      This is why Acts 3:17 refers to times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord. This is why praying in tongues, yielding our voice to the Spirit, speaking out in a heavenly language we have not learned, releases God’s “now Word” on earth as in Heaven is so vital.
       So then, what are the latter rains that God is waiting so patiently for? They are for the age to come. That is, the Last Day, the 7th Day that comes after the Church is raptured to Heaven and seated as the heavenly court. It is when the “Elijah Church” turns over the mantle of preaching the Gospel to the newly reborn Jewish saints, who are given Elisha’s double portion of the anointing to continue Christ’s earthly ministry of preaching the Gospel.
       They operate under the guidance of the heavenly court, Jesus and His joint-heirs (the Church), by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we ensure their victory over the Antichrist. This latter rain continues throughout Christ’s millennial reign over the earth until the final harvest comes at the end of the age in what we know as God’s Great White Throne Judgment. In other words, the early and latter rains cover the entire Messianic Age, lasting three great Days or 3,000 years.

      "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3-5).
            Note the surety of this inheritance. It is based on God’s mercy. It is validated by Jesus’ resurrection as the firstborn from the dead of many brethren (Rom. 8:29). It is incorruptible because the penalty for sin has been paid through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross on behalf of all mankind. Of course, if any person doesn’t believe in God and Jesus, then they forfeit this living hope.
         This inheritance is undefiled because evil shall be totally defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire forever at the final judgment. It does not fade away because God’s plan of redemption shall be fulfilled by the end of the 7th and last Day. It is reserved for every believer because we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit as our guarantee (2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Cor. 5:5). This sealing functions much like a down payment in escrow for our future home.
            Note the timing of this truth. The astounding wonder of our salvation shall be fully revealed and experienced “at the last time.” The last time is the last great Day in God’s plan of redemption, the Day of the Lord. It is the dawning of the 7th Day when counting from creation and Adam. It is the 3rd Day when counting from Jesus’ earthly ministry.
            Note, too, that we can walk in this living hope now as well as for all eternity. It is guaranteed by the triune Godhead: God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t get any surer than that!  
 

       This is a word of preparation given at a recent Chronos Ministry weekly meeting. “Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you”  (1 Thess. 5:1). Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians give us key details concerning Christ’s return at the end of this age and the order of the resurrection. He goes so far as to say he doesn’t need to remind them of this again.
      How can this be so?  Verse 5 gives us one reason. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”  2 Peter 3:8 (emphasis added) gives us the other reason, what we call the Day Code.  “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
        Sadly, the Church in general does not know the times and the seasons. Most believers recognize that Jesus is coming again, but how and when He shall come is blurred by clouds of confusion. Yet 1 Cor. 14:33 tells us that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. So we can only conclude that this confusion is the result of our human interpretations of the Scriptures, no doubt helped along by the shenanigans of Satan the deceiver.
         For example, one of the most predominant deceptions is that we cannot know the time of Christ’s return. This falsehood comes from a misinterpretation of Jesus’ words in Mat. 24:36. Notice, however, that the verse begins with the conjunction “but.” That word signals that the statement that follows is connected to the statement given in the previous sentence.
         What Jesus said cannot be known is what it will be like when heaven and earth pass away and God the Father makes the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1). This happens at the end of the Days, after the final judgment when sin and evil are contained in the lake of fire (the second death).
           This confusion has robbed the Church of the comfort, hope, and sense of victory we should be walking in now. It tends to keep us from sharing the Gospel message. It makes us vulnerable to false date-setting because we do not understand that Jesus taught us to know the times (chronos) and the corresponding seasons or signs (kairos). By not understanding the timing of God’s prophetic plan of redemption as stated in His Word, we tend to  put our efforts into achieving peace through mankind’s efforts instead.
         Daniel 2:21 affirms that it is God the Father who determines the times and the seasons. In order to realize how key this fact is, we only need to flip over a couple of pages to where Daniel describes the Antichrist. “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, he shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law” (Dan 7:25, emphasis added).
         The various conflicting manmade views of the end-times have also redefined key terms that Jesus used when He taught His disciples about the end of this age and His second visible coming. This tends to undermine Jesus’ last words recorded in Rev. 22:20-21. “He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”