Latter-Rain Propmise Part 3
The Latter Rain Promises Part 3. The Progressive Arrival
In this release we will go through scripture mapping the arrival of the latter rain and the messages marking its escalating showers upon those who would recognize the messages that accompany the latter rain.
Joel 2:28 promises the out-pouring of the Holy spirit upon men. We know for sure that this was done at Pentecost. How do we know that this has been promised to other generations?
The Holy Spirit is represented in the Bible as rain sometimes call “The Refreshing” accompany by “rest” which comes when Gods people return to Him.
Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Isa 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Isa 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Notice the Bible says “times of refreshing” plural which suggest that the Holy Spirit will be poured out without measure more than one time. Lets look at what the Prophet of the Lord says in Great Controversy page 611
“The angel who unites in the proclamation of the third angel’s message is to lighten the whole earth with his glory. A work of world-wide extent and unwonted power is here foretold. The advent movement of 1840-44 was a glorious manifestation of the power of God; the first angel’s message was carried to every missionary station in the world, and in some countries there was the greatest religious interest which has been witnessed in any land since the Reformation of the sixteenth century; but these are to be exceeded by the mighty movement under the last warning of the third angel.
The work will be similar to that of the Day of Pentecost. As the “former rain” was given, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening of the gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious seed, so the “latter rain” will be given at its close for the ripening of the harvest. ...The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of theformer rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are “the times of refreshing” to which the apostle Peter looked forward when he said: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus.” Acts 3:19, 20 "
In the above quote she bundles three histories together, Rev 18.1 which is future, the years 1840-44 which shows Millerite history and Pentecost in Acts 3:19.
One more quote to prove this point that the Joel 2:28 is not a fulfillment of one prophecy or history but more than one.
“In immediate connection with the scenes of the great day of God, the Lord by the prophet Joel has promised a special manifestation of His Spirit. Joel 2:28. This prophecy received a partial fulfillment in the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost; but it will reach its full accomplishment in the manifestation of divine grace which will attend the closing work of the gospel. – {GC ix.3} E.G.W.
Thus it is established that Joel 2:28 will be fulfilled in more than one time period.
What’s the Symbolism behind the rain?
Blessings
Deu 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Deu 11:15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Righteousness = Rain , No Righteousness = No Rain
Deu 11:17 And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
Doctrine represented as rain that comes progressively
Deu 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
Again progressive arrival of the rain
Jer 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
Joe 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
So we can conclude that doctrine, Holy Spirit and righteousness comes progressively or increasing in intensity. Thus the doctrine, light, speech or message comes in the same progressive manner.
"At this time the special endowment of divine grace and power is not less needful to the churchthan in apostolic days.” FLB 292.5
Historical proof of the Outpouring
The Histories of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit symbolize by rain are as follows.
History #1 Acts 2:1-4 Pentecost
History #2 Rev 10-7 is the Millerite history 1840-1844
History #3 Rev 18:1 latter Rain at the Sunday law (future).
As we saw in Jer 5:24, Jeol 2:23 and also in Deut 32:2 a progressive pouring out of the rain so we are to observe a progressive outpouring of the Holy Spirit in reality in these 3 histories.
In History #1 Christ breaths upon the disciples before the Pentecostal showers was given in Acts 2. This shows progression.
The Bible says: John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
In History number #2 Christ breaths upon the Millerites as shown in Early Writings page 55.1 and notice her words “
"In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.” Which are all evidence of the Holy Spirit. She wrote :
“I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus’ countenance and
admired His lovely person. The Father’s person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, “If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist.” Before the throne I saw the Advent people—the church and the world. I saw two companies, one bowed down before the throne, deeply interested, while the other stood uninterested and careless. Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus; then He would look to His Father, and appear to be pleading with Him. A light would come from the Father to the Son and from the Son to the praying company.
Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son, and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne. But few would receive this great light. Many came out from under it and immediately resisted it; others were careless and did not cherish the light, and it moved off from them. Some cherished it, and went and bowed down with the little praying company. This company all received the light and rejoiced in it, and their countenances shone with its glory.
I saw the Father rise from the throne,and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and the most of those who were bowed down arose with Him. I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after He arose, and they were left in perfect darkness. Those who arose when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on Him as He left the throne and led them out a little way. Then He raised His right arm, and we heard His lovely voice saying, “Wait here; I am going to My Fatherto receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself.” Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire,surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the Father. On the hem of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate.
Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, “My Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace. I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, “Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children.{EW 55.1
In Early Writings 231-232 The Topic “The Midnight Cry” it is evident that the Holy Spirit was
poured out after the breath was received.
“Near the close of the second angel's message, I saw a great light from heaven shining upon the people of God. The rays of this light seemed bright as the sun. And I heard the voices of angels crying, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him!
The midnight cry was given to give power to the second angel's message. Angels were sent from heaven to wake up the discouraged saints, and prepare them for the great work before them. The most talented men were not the first to receive this message. Angels were sent to the humble, devoted ones, and constrained them to raise the cry, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Those entrusted with the cry made haste, and in the power of the Holy Spirit spread the cry, and aroused their discouraged brethren. This cry did not stand in the wisdom and learning of men, but in the power of God, and his saints who heard the cry could not resist it. The most spiritual received this message first, and those who had formerly led in the work were the last to receive and help swell the cry, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.”{EW237-238}
History number one plus history number two equals history number three (our history).
The Bible shows us on the testimony of two “a things is established”
Deu 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Deu 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Gen 41:32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
In many ways these three histories are similar ,the similarities was brought out in the two previous studies ,but for the scope of this study we want to focus on how similar is the progression of the out-pouring of Holy Spirit in particular.
Thus if Christ breath on the faithful in the two histories that is the disciples and on the Millerites should we expect a breathing on his faithful before the full outpouring at the Sunday law?
The answer to this may be found in Ezekiel 37. In Ezekiel 37 God shows how two prophesying and messages cause the bones to come together, another message(prophesying) cause the dead bodies to come to life, but let us look quickly first at what Spirit of Prophecy says about this repeat in history and notice the Scriptures she paraphrase while doing so.
She says:
(Hosea 6:3; Joel 2:23, 28, 29; Zechariah 10:1; Revelation 18:1.) Pentecost Repeated With Greater Power—It is with an earnest longing that I look forward to the time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated with even greater power than on that occasion. John says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.” Then, as at the Pentecostal season, the people will hear the truth spoken to them, every man in his own tongue.
God can breathe new life into every soul that sincerely desires to serve Him, and can touch the lips with a live coal from off the altar, and cause them to become eloquent with His praise.
Thousands of voices will be imbued with the power to speak forth the wonderful truths of God’sWord. The stammering tongue will be unloosed, and the timid will be made strong to bear courageous testimony to the truth. May the Lord help His people to cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of the latter rain when it shall be poured out (The Review and Herald, July 20, 1886).
Besides the obvious outline we see she quotes from Ezekiel 37,Isa 6:6, Isa 28 also.
I believe the prophecy of the dead dry bones coming alive in Ezekiel 37 shows this progression of the out pouring of the latter rain in doctrine as shown in Deuteronomy 32:2,therefor it is this prophecy (Ezekiel 37 )we will see the latter rain messages that brings the body alive but also another message that brings the bones together . Ezekiel 37 is present truth.
The Dead Dry Bones in the open valley represents our experience.
Eze 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
Eze 37:2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
Eze 37:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
Eze 37:4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Eze 37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
Eze 37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
Eze 37:8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Eze 37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Eze 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
It is essential that we verify the symbolism so we can identify by Bible who is this valley of bones.
Let see what valley represent.
1Sa 17:2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the o of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Jer 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Psa_23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
We see valleys are places where battles are set and where men die due to war. In a spiritual sense what brings death, remember Ezekiel is in vision so things are seen in a spiritual nature so we going to look via bible only that which brings spiritual death.
Gen_2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Amo_9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Rom6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We see death and sin goes together and valleys are where wars are setup and men die. One more scripture in the book of Joel tells us more about what valley represent. The book of Joel is loaded with end time truths. All of Joel speaks about the last days. The bible says :
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
In this case we see valley connected with decision, a state of choosing. So the dead in the valley are representative of those who choose to sin, remember sin falls into three categories according to 1John2:16
1. Lust of the eyes.
2. The Lust of the flesh.
3. Pride of life.
The Symbol of being “very dry”
Hos 2:1 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.
Hos 2:2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
Hos 2:3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.
When God separates Himself from his people they become a “dry land”, Now the book of Hosea is about God and his rebellious wife, Israel. And the whoredom express in this book is a reflection of how the people of God had turn from their first love , the One who freed them from Egypt with a mighty hand. Sister White Likens the Egyptian exodus to our “coming out of the other churches”
Remember the story of Ahab and Elijah there was no rain in the land because the people of God had turn from God to the prophets of Baal who sat at the table of the Jezebel the Harlot and witch.
Note Psalm 1 : The green Tree
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psa 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Psa 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not
, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Bible Describes the “ungodly” are the scornful (unbelieving).But the man that walks in the counsel of God is not experiencing a drought because he is planted by waters, evident of the leaves (profession) and fruit (lifestyle).The wicked however is dry,so dry he is like chaff that is blown away of the wind easily.
Another scripture that tells us details about a green tree is that in Revelation 9:20. Details are given to us about this locust plagues which are in reality wars happening to Rome known as the 5th ,6th,7th trumpets which are specifically called woes Rev 8:13 . These plagues are not like the seven last plagues. These are tribes attacking Rome hence Rome moves from Iron to Iron and clay in the image seen in Daniel 2. Rev9 speaks of a group that is not hurt by the scourge of the wars upon the Roman church the unhurt group is referred to as “green thing” ,lets read it .
Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
So Green is synonymous with a sealed people. Lets elaborate further on these green people represented as sealed. Lets examine:
Eph 4:29which says :
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph_1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
The Holy Spirit is the one that seals us but seals us into what ?
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Thus we see that the “dry bones” in the “dry land” is a representation of a back-sliden people, where as those that are green planted by a rivers of stream of waters are represented as sealed, settle into truth intellectually and spiritually. Those that were sealed in the time period when the 1st woe Islam was in action blocking the Sun which represents Righteousness and the Air/wind which represents the Holy Spirit in reality were the Waldenses.
What the breath means
A word of caution, the principle under investigation in this whole study is the progression in which God pours out his Spirit. We are looking at the fact that the rain comes in two phases sprinkling or light rain which brings the tender plant up, then the latter-rain which ripens the fruit. We have observed that in the prophecy of Joel 2:28 three histories were spoken about where the Spirit of God was poured out on those who were prepare to receive it. We noted that in the two previous fulfillments, that is, Pentecost and Millerite 1840-44 history noted in EW 55.1.
The breath that we are looking at is the first phase that comes in measure upon his people in our history which is followed by the pouring out without measure. Again this breathing upon his people in measure that I am referring to is not the same breath that comes from the four winds here mentioned in Ezekiel 37:9 that gives life to the bones brought together.
No doubt the breath from the four winds is The Holy Spirit but this is not the point of focus in this study. What we are comparing is how God gave them a measure of his spirit in breathing on the disciples seen here in John 20:22 before the Pentecostal showers came upon them afterward without measure in Acts 2.
The Breath a representation of life.
Eze 37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
Geneses 2:7,Job33:4 the The Breath God gave man plus body he made produced a living soul.
Job27:3 tells us that breath given is the equivalent to the Spirit of God.
John 16:13 Says: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
In Ezekiel37: is a description of what will happen when the breath come into the bones but this was not to take place before the bones come together first.
What does it mean to Prophesy?
Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Eze 2:1-6 says : Say unto them.
The Whole of Ezekiel 2 show us that Ezekiel was to give a message to Israel backslidden Israel
The progression of the two messages prophesy, prophesy given in Ezekiel 37
The First prophesying brings the bones together
Eze 37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
Eze 37:8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Note that during this first prophesying in Ezekiel 37 (giving of the message )there was to be a shaking.
What is the shaking?
Amo 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
Amo 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Amo 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Dan 10:7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
Quaking is a fright manifesting itself by physical shaking. From the above we see shaking brings about division, a separation of two classes.
In the following you will see shaking synonymous with judgment
Eze 38:19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
Eze 38:20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
Eze 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Eze 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 37:7(b) “and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
At the closing remarks concerning this vision the Bible says this mighty army is the “whole house of Israel”. Thus we can go back in bible times and look and see how or what was used to bring all the tribes of the people of Israel together literally.
Numbers 10:1-4 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Num 10:2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
Num 10:3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 10:4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.
Now it’s clear that the trumpet was used for calling the people together, does other books of the bible hold this same view can we look way past the exodus experience where the trumpet is used literally or symbolically to call the people together ? Lets look in Jeremiah
Jer 4:1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
Jer 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Jer 4:3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Jer 4:5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
Jer 4:6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Jer 4:7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
Let us crystallize some thoughts, note the Lion kingdom in bible prophesy is Babylon or the king of the North ,Modern Babylon in our case at this time. Though tempting we want to keep focus on the study of the progression aspect ie prophesy, prophesy representing two significant message.
This is a two phase arrival of the latter rain doctrine coming to the Seventh Day Adventist Church that first brings the bones together(unity of understanding and purpose) another message that portrays God’s remnant as a living army. These messages come signifying the arrival of the latter rain first in measure then without measure. Of course you would remember in Deut32: “My doctrine shall drop as the rain and my speech shall distill as the dew” showing the link between doctrine and rain. Then also in the same scripture it gives the understanding of how the doctrine/Latter rain message comes which is in a progressive nature ,first the “small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass” So what we are looking at is the first phase, the Holy Spirit breathing upon Gods people at this time then the second phase of outpour without measure in the latter rain as prefigured by the history of the disciples and that of the Millerites. Our Focus at this time is not so much when these messages arrive or which was understood first, but more when they have their specific effect.
The first message gathers the bones together that’s the effect of that first message. The second message bring alive the dead bodies, We know that the latter rain message is a message from Daniel 11:40-45 when Daniel stands in his lots according to Spirit of Prophecy, this message will portray ,prove, show, testify to the world that an army is alive when they see the effect that this message that they are hearing portrayed in Revelation 18:1 as a people truly alive filling the world with all its glory.
We are now in the middle of understanding the gathering of the bones and we realize that Old Israel was gather by the use of the trumpet and no other instrument.
The trumpets predicted for a time beyond Old Testament times
Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joe 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
Joe 2:4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Joe 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Joe 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. Joe 2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
Joe 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
All the Symbols here underlined could be found in Rev 9 which in time past was taught by the Millerites lecturers to be synonymous with Islam. It was said by Uriah Smith one of the pioneers of Adventism to be representation of the Saracens and the Turks which we know today as Mohometans or Islam. He says the following
"There is scarcely so uniform an agreement among interpreters concerning any other part of the Apocalypse as respecting the application of the fifth and sixth trumpets, or the first and second woes, to the Saracens and the Turks. It is so obvious that it can scarcely be misunderstood. Instead of a verse or two designating each, the whole of the ninth chapter of the Revelation, equal portions, is occupied with a description of both.” {Topic :The Moslem World} The book Daniel and Revelation by Uriah smith pg 493
A glimpse at Revelation 9 and Joel 2 will easily prove that both are speaking of the same events the trumpets woes of Islam. Joel chapter 2 and Revelation 9 is the same prophesy about Islam, one having details the other does not have. Remember “the Spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets for God is not the author of confusion” 1 Cor 14:32, 33
Revelation 9:3 shows they are as Locust “Joel 2:3 the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness”. This is the destructive work of locust Revelation 9:7 shows their advantage in warfare was their swift fearless horses of which they are seldom separated from, similarly Joel2:4 referred to them as “The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run”
Geneses 17:18-20 Describes the sons of Ishmael the children of the East as a “great nation” a “godowly” people which means a mighty people. The same understanding is here given in Joel 2:2 “ a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it”
A signature of Terrorism is seen and the agony of war in Joel 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. Details of this is given in Rev9:6,10,11 Men shall “seek death” and desire to die and shall not find it, they were like scorpions ,they hurt men, the king over them was Abaddon and Apollyon which means destroyer in both the Greek and Hebrew tongue.
Thus Joel 2 description of Islam is the truth that we face today, it is present truth, this is another among the many biblical evidence we are indeed in the last days.
Joe 2:1 says : Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
While Revelation 9 describes Islam, Joel 2 tells the people of God what they need to do in time when Islam is angering the nations.
Joe 2:16 tells us, Modern Israel what we need to do ,it says:
“ Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
Joe 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
The gathering of the 144000,the calling together of the bones.
The messages of the Trumpets of Islam specifically brings the awareness to Laodicea that we are in the Judgment of the Living. The deadline is given in Revelation 10:7 in the voice of the seventh trumpet 3rd woe.
Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. What is this mystery to be completed by the deadline mentioned above?
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
The messages of Islam bear similarity to the Islamic movements of 1840-44. It is evident that history is repeating. The same way Islam empowered the message of the 2300 days in Millerite history it empowers the message of Daniel 11:40-45 the rise of the king of the north the Papacy.
The trumpets of Islam call the bones together. It is going back to the old paths that a people who are obedient, humble and willing to hear will be pointed to see Islam on Habakkuk’s two tables in the form of the 1843 and 1850 charts.
Thus Joel 2 which says “gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, and gather the children” are to be the focus of every congregation, every home and every individual. By so doing we are partaking in the fulfillment of the bones coming together in preparation for the other message or prophesying in Ezekiel 37 which brings the breath and life into the bodies. That is the final phase of the Rain, that is the out-pouring without measure.
No doubt this is the Sunday Law Time period and the message detailing the healing of the deadly wound of the Papacy, the king of the north.
It is leading up to the Sunday Law the World will be prepared to receive the message of the King of the North, It is at the Sunday law we expect the richest abundance of grace to be poured out upon the people of God . The later rain message Daniel 11:40-45 is the messages that accompany the full outpouring without measure.
Are you receiving the breath before the torrential out-pouring?
The question is, are you receiving the measured rain, the sprinkling the dew? Is your life being shaped by the sure word of prophecy that allows the Day Star Christ to rise in your hearts 2Peter 1:19 ? The latter rain is sprinkling are you recognizing it, are you receiving it?
If you are receiving, then you should be growing in your understanding of God’s word, you should be growing in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity .In other words according to 2Peter 1:4 We should be coming closer to being partakers of the divine nature, Which is Christ in you the hope of Glory Col 1:27. This is evident that sanctification process is on its way to completion. We see here again that prophecy prepares us to cooperate fully with the work of the Holy Spirit in our personal experience. While the Papacy is racing quietly to the throne of the earth Christ should be sitting comfortably, not rushed on the throne of your heart. There is a heart work to be done and it must be done now.
The Prophet of the Lord says: “We may be sure that when the Holy Spirit is poured out, those who did not receive and appreciate the early rain will not see or understand the value of the latter rain.--TM 399 (1896).
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 recognise the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it.”--TM 507 (1897)
