How to Prepare to Receive the Later Rain

This prophecy of Revelation 18 will soon be fulfilled. This glory represents the coming latter rain… the spirit of the Lord. As the preaching of the gospel opened under the power of the Holy Spirit, so will it close. Hence, there are two critical periods in the life of the Christian.

The latter rain of God’s power will be much greater than the early rain the apostles received. But, there are certain conditions to be fulfilled first. As God’s people today, we must get ready for the latter rain, even to a greater degree.
How do we prepare, therefore, to receive God’s last manifestation of His power?

Here’s the six steps given to God’s last-day church, God’s last generation of believers.

1. GROW

How? Under the early rain. The early, or former rain came to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. They preached with power in all the Roman empire. Each person who accepts Jesus Christ as His Saviour today receives the early rain in the spiritual experience of baptism… it must be a spiritual experience or encounter. Have you experienced it, yet?

In Palestine, the early rain moistened the soil for plowing, after four months of no rain; the dry season. The soil was moistened, therefore, for plowing and seeding as well; all this to let it grow. In the same way, receiving the early rain lets us grow and develop spiritually. But, a planted seed needs water. It’s true in our spiritual lives, too. If the Holy Spirit plants and waters the gospel seed, the seed will grow. But, if there’s no water the gospel seed dies!

The Holy Spirit puts us on the Christian path. Peter on the day of Pentecost said, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit helps us grow spiritually, but it needed the Holy Spirit’s power every day. Sister E.G. White said it this way, “We need the blessings received under the former rain all the way to the end.” She continued, “By prayer and faith we are to seek more of the Spirit.” (T.M. pp. 507-508).

It’s all very clear. That the latter rain is the final step in the Christian’s spiritual growth, just as the importance of the last showers of Palestine’s rainy season bring the crops to harvest. If, however, there’s no daily growth in preparing for the latter rain, the Christian will not be ready when it falls. No rain, no harvest!

For this reason we are to pray daily and often for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit as we mature under the early rain.
God, in His wisdom has warned us, however. “We can be sure when the Holy Spirit is poured out, those how did not receive and appreciate the early rain will not see or understand the value of the latter rain.” (Mans. Release, Vol. 1, p. 180). Did you receive the early rain? Did you appreciate it? What’s it doing for you, now? Being where you are?
Reading this? Sharing it? Has it changed your life?

2. SEEK

For what? For the Spirit now. What’s the greatest danger, we as God’s people are facing today? Procrastination! Yes, the latter rain’s coming whether you believe it or not, like it or not… it is coming! Yes, we have the promises, but we tend to think it will come in the distant future. Remember, and I can’t stress this enough… the falling of the latter rain is final. It’s the last step in the Christian’s personal spiritual growth. Thinking, only, that it will come in the future delays our preparing for it. Sis. E.G. White presses us with the urgency of getting ready today! She says, “The falling of the Holy Spirit on the church is looked forward as future, but it’s the privilege of the church to have it… now! Think about it for a moment! You can have it now! Today! How? Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. We must have it, and Heaven is waiting to give it.” (Ev. 701) The urgency she felt to prepare now is in the three commands… seek, pray, believe!

3. STAND FIRM

When? When tested! “The Holy Spirit will bring dynamic power to the Christian life (like the Apostles). They witnessed for Jesus in spite of the threats of beatings and death. God worked miracles, in spite of this, through them. But, we can abuse such power. How? By self-glorification. So, God first wants to see evidence that we will not misuse it. Before giving us the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Latter Rain), God will test us, to see if we can live without dishonouring him.” (SM 3, p. 426-7).

What will happen? We will be sifted. It’s not pleasant at times, but it is for our own good. What did Jesus say to the Laodiceans? “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” (Rev. 3:19). What must we do then? Discipline ourselves to look upon God’s chastisements and sifting as preparation steps. Preparation steps for what? For being trusted with the power that he will give His church in the latter rain experience. And “who loves to have us trust him.” (BC, 7A, p. 984).

4. IMITATE

What? The apostles. The experience the apostles had is a model for us, if followed will prepare us for the latter rain. Sis. E. G. White sends us back to their experience to see what God requires of us. “It was by confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer, and consecration of themselves to God, is how they prepared for the falling of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater amount must be done now.” (TM 507).

The ten day period between the ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost was a time of intense preparation. Luke says, “They all continued in one accord in earnest prayer and supplication, with women and Mary, mother of Jesus Christ and His brothers.” (Acts 1:14). Sis. E. G. White says, they prayed often, humbled their hearts in true repentance, and deeply desired to be like Jesus in character, put away all differences, jealousy, desires for supremacy, and met with love and fellowship, prayed for wisdom to bring souls to Jesus and for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Here is a model; for one or a whole church can follow.

5. WORK

At what? At fulfilling the conditions to receive the latter rain. Paul told the Phillipians, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12). All believers have a part, a work to do to fulfill the conditions to receive the latter rain, the promised power, no matter how menial, or impossible it may seem to you.

“Our heavenly Father is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him, than earthly parents to give good gifts to their children.”

“So, what is our work? By confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, we can fulfill the conditions. God’s promised to bless us.” (SM 121). What could be clearer? Confession, humiliation and repentance. This brought us to Christ, didn’t it? Remember? We found His grace and righteousness.

This experience is to continue and deepen day-by-day, as we grow in the early rain experience. Paul says, “As you have so received Christ, walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6). So, we now add prayer, for the promised gift of the latter rain.
Zechariah teaches us, “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of rain.” (Zech. 10:1)… asking for the latter rain is to be as strong as asking for life itself!

6. GET READY

When? Right now! Now, because the latter rain is coming suddenly! It will be quick. His people won’t have time to prepare. It’s either get ready now… or, be left behind! There will be confusing cries, “Lo, here is Christ, lo, there is Christ”. The early Adventist pioneers experience with the Midnight Cry showed us the urgency in which the latter rain is coming, saying “I saw the latter rain coming suddenly as the midnight cry, and with ten times the power.” (S & M Collect. 1.4) It came suddenly and unexpectedly at a meeting in Oct. 1844, when Sam Snow explained the cleansing of the sanctuary. Sis. E. G. White described the end of God’s work on earth. “The work will be short and unexpected; thousands will be converted to the truth in one day. (Amos 9:130. It will be so rapid, it will surprise the church. (EGW 1888 Mater., p. 754, 755).

When we realize the latter rain will come suddenly and unexpectedly, it emphasizes the importance that unless we grow day by-day under the early rain, we won’t be ready for the latter rain. We won’t have time to “catch up” to the point where God can trust us with the latter rain power. God’s telling us, then, what must be done now, so we won’t be left behind! Are you listening?

Jesus Christ emphasized the importance and urgency of preparing for the gift of the latter rain, by saying, “Ask, and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9-13). With this hope and promise from Jesus Christ, we can press on to the final step in our early rain growth.

Jesus Christ will be here soon, without a doubt. “As God’s children approach the time of Jacob’s trouble, they will grow up into Christ and receive the latter rain. Men, women, and children will proclaim the 3rd angel’s message gospel, with power. It’s this latter rain that strengthens them to pass through the time of trouble. “With the preaching of the gospel, the whole world will be filled with the glory of God.” (Ltr, 151-1847). The faces of God’s children will shine with the glory of light. (BC 7A, p. 984).

The time of testing is here now. How many times have we told one another, “When we see the formation of the image of the beast, and a movement to enforce Sunday, we’ll surely know the end is upon us. Protestants and Catholics are now partners.”

By these and other signs, God is calling His people to renew their covenant relationship with Him. Our only safety is in being ready for the heavenly refreshing, having our lamps trimmed and burning.

We are standing on the borders of the Promised Land – Let us rise up and go in!
AMEN

John Theodorou
USA