A Personal Application of the Latter Rain

"We may well give careful and prayerful study to every scripture and every statement in the Spirit of prophecy that will make clear to us what the Lord has revealed concerning the early and latter rain.

James 5
⁷ Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Here is a lesson designed for those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord.

 

A brief study of the subject will make it obvious that the expressions “early” and “latter” rain may properly be used as applying to:

1. individuals,
2. dispensations, and
3. generations.

The showers of the Holy Spirit may fall upon the individual with a life attuned to God, while others about are dry and barren.

Dispensationally, the early rain fell at the time of Pentecost, and the latter rain comes in the closing of the gospel work on earth.

And as for this generation, we understand that showers of the early rain fell in the 1844 movement, causing the seed of truth concerning the great judgment-hour message and the imminent appearing of Christ to spring up. From that time to the present, God’s people have looked forward to the final outpouring of the latter rain.

 

Testimonies to Ministers, p. 306:
“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. and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” Zech. 10:1. 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. 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.

The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But sinless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection."

Returning to the paragraph in Testimonies to Ministers just quoted, we learn:

1. It is the early or former rain that causes the seed to germinate and the tender shoot to spring up.
2. The latter rain falls near the close of the season, ripening the grain and preparing it for the sickle.
3. The ripening of the grain represents the completion of the work of God’s grace in the soul, by which the moral image of God is perfected in the character, and we are wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ.

We understand that all the work of God’s grace in the soul is carried

forward by the Holy Spirit.

It is also evident that it is not the latter rain that falls upon the seed when it is first sown and causes it to spring up, for if the former rain has not done its work, “the latter rain can bring no, seed to perfection.” The latter rain falls upon the grain that is approaching, or has reached maturity, and “prepares it for the sickle.” This thought is further emphasized thus:

Testimonies to Ministers, p. 507:
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.

Here the matter of the early and latter rain as a personal experience for each believer is made plain. Many are neglecting or ignoring the work that should be done in their lives by the former rain, hoping and expecting that it will be accomplished by the latter rain. But this is “a terrible mistake.”

 MeadeMacGuire/MinistryMagazine1939