“Ask ye of the LORD (Jehovah, Yehuwah) rain in the time of the Latter Rain; so the Lord shall make bright (flashing, lightning) clouds, and give them showers of Rain, to every one grass in the field.” Zechariah 10:1
“He shall come down like Rain upon the mown grass: as Showers that watereth the earth. And in His days shall the righteous flourish . . . If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another (more) Comforter . . . . I will not leave you Comfortless . . . I will come to you !”
Psalm 72:6 & John 14:12-20
“Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the Words of My mouth. For My doctrine (teaching, instrcutions) shall drop as the Rain, and My speech shall distil as the dew . . . As the small Rain upon the tender herb, and as the Showers upon the grass . . . !” Deuteronomy 32:1-2
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name (in My authority, because of My merits, My righteousness) . . . Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full . . . !” John 16:24
In the East the former rain falls at the sowing time. It is necessary in order that the seed may germinate. Under the influence of the fertilizing showers, the tender shoot springs up. The Latter Rain, falling near the close of the season, ripens the grain, and prepares it for the sickle. The Lord employs these operations of nature to represent the work of the Holy Spirit. As the dew and the rain are given first to cause the seed to germinate, and then to ripen the harvest, so the Holy Spirit is given to carry forward, from one stage to another, the process of spiritual growth. The ripening of the grain represents the completion of the work of God’s Grace in the soul.
Grace (G5485) = the divine Influence upon the heart, and It’s reflection as seen in the Life !
By the power of the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ. . . .
Many have in a great measure failed to receive the former Rain. They have not obtained all the benefits that God has thus provided for them. They expect that the lack will be supplied by the Latter Rain. When the richest abundance of Grace shall be bestowed, they intend to open their hearts to receive it. They are making a terrible mistake. The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving His Light and knowledge must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement, and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit.
It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the Blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning him. It is God who began the work, and He will finish His work, making man complete in Jesus Christ.
But there must be no neglect of the Grace represented by the former Rain. Only those who are living up to the Light they have will receive greater Light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the Latter Rain.–Review and Herald, March 2, 1897
“But whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up into Everlasting Life.” John 4:14
As the plan of redemption begins and ends with a Gift, so it is to be carried forward. The same spirit of sacrifice which purchased Salvation (deliverance, freedom, rescue, healing, to make whole) for us will dwell in the hearts of all who become partakers of the heavenly Gift. Says the apostle Peter: “As every man hath received the Gift, even so minister the Same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold Grace of God.” I Peter 4:10
Said Jesus to His disciples as He sent them forth, “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). In him who is fully in sympathy with Christ, there can be nothing selfish or exclusive. He who drinks of the Living Water will find that it is “in him a well of Water springing up into Everlasting Life.” The Spirit of Christ within him is like a Spring welling up in the desert, flowing to refresh all, and making those who are ready to perish eager to drink of the Water of Life.
“The Lord GOD (Adoni Yehuvee’) hath given me the tongue of the learned, so that I should know how to speak a Word in season to him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned . . . !”
Isaiah 50:4
It was the same Spirit of love and self-sacrifice which dwelt in Christ that impelled the apostle Paul to his manifold labors. “I am debtor,” he says, “both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Romans 1:14). “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this Grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).
Our Lord designed that His church (His people) should reflect to the world the fullness and sufficiency that we find in Him. We are constantly receiving of God’s bounty, and by imparting of the Same we are to represent to the world the love and beneficence of Christ.
While all heaven is astir, dispatching messengers to all parts of the earth to carry forward the work of Redemption, the church of the Living God are also to be co-laborers with Jesus Christ. We are members of His mystical body. He is the Head, controlling all the members of the body. Jesus Himself, in His infinite mercy, is working on human hearts, effecting spiritual transformations so amazing that angels look on with astonishment and joy.
–Review and Herald, Dec. 24, 1908. YRP p.19
May the LORD richly Bless you and your family today. And may you hear His Voice as you open and read aloud His Living Words. May you know by faith and experience both His love and His power to set the captives free. And may He open doors before you to share these Glad Tidings with all whom you meet !
your brother and sister in Christ,
Eric & Sarah Wilson – Isaiah Ministries