THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
AT PENTECOST AND THE SCOPE OF THE
SUBSEQUENT PENTECOSTAL REVIVAL IN
ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THE CENTURIES
AND ITS CLIMAX IN THE APOCALYPSE.
Nearly 2000 years ago in the year of our Lord's passion,
the Holy Spirit fell on the 120 gathered in the upper room.
Right there in Jerusalem, the city of God's peace,
the Holy Spirit came down in a glorious flooding wave.
On the very calendar day of the Jewish feast,
(fifty days after the
Feast of Firstfruits), the Day of Pentecost had fully arrived.
The momentous events came right on schedule
At nine o'clock in the morning, the
Feast of Pentecost came into it's New Covenant fulfillment.
When Peter preached that day 3,000 were saved.
The disciples of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit
brought the witness of Jesus Christ to the whole city of Jerusalem.
It was a magnificent revival. And in this power
the Church would be launched as a global company.
The Body of Christ would go
beyond Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria.
And the Good News of the Gospel of salvation
would overflow the rivers of Israel to reap a global harvest.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit the Congregation/Church that came out of Israel
would take the Gospel message to lost Israel and out into the gentile nations
in the uttermost parts of the world.
That international Gospel mission that began in Israel continues to this present day.
And when the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in
that mission will
end, even as the scales come off the eyes of Israel.
The global mission of the Congregation of Israel, the Church, will climax
in a blaze of glory. And where? Holy history will come back home
to Israel, at Zion, the very place it began.
Isaiah gives us a glimpse of this magnificent conclusion
to the epic saga of God's Elect.
10 "And the redeemed/ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come with singing unto Zion, And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
They shall obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
(Isa. 35:10)
THE PROMISED LATTER RAIN. SO MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS.
WHEN WILL WE SEE JOEL'S PROMISED OUTPOURING?
We are now in the 21st century.
We have heard much talk and much preaching concerning an
End-Time Revival or 'Latter Rain Revival' also known as 'Joel's Outpouring'
or 'Hosea's Revival'. While we have seen some showers
of true Holy Spirit revival in the past century they have not
come anywhere near the glory we see prophesied
for the genuine End-Time Revival as we see it outlined for us
in the Holy Scriptures. (Joel 2:28,29,30,31,&32, Isa.60, Isa.63 etc.)
The Pentecostal movement itself, which began early in the 20th century,
has faded. It is now just another denomination.
And here in the rich nations the once glorious
Charismatic Renewal
is now compromised by mammon, and in serious decline.
It has been 'bought out' in part by the 'self' movement and
turned into a multi-billion dollar a year
motivational religi-business. Pop psychology mixed in with quasi-religious hype
is now the main church business.
And their bazaars have been set up inside the western church.
This is to our shame.
Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me."
Christian believers have all been personally charged by Jesus Himself
to be His agent for His Kingdom.
Our papers are sitting their waiting for our action.
Our commission is nothing less than
The Great Commission.
This message concerning self sacrifice and the Way of the cross
has been has been considered "negative" by the religious salesmen of our time.
And
blood covenant Christianity has been quietly and gradually taken out of their baskets of religious wares.
What we now see being served up to us is a lukewarm mess of ecumenical pottage.
This is far less than our 'high calling in Christ'.
The charismatic revival was wonderful fresh breeze in its time.
But now the once great revival has been
repackaged for sale to the masses in the religious
markets of mammon. Holiness and has gone out the window.
And faithfulness to the Holy Scriptures is now considered
dispensable in lieu of the 'prophetic revelations' coming to us
through our special new "five fold" anointed "apostles" and "prophets".
We have come part way out of the medieval church, but not completely.
Many Christians still look to men and for some human being to be our king and champion in this world
and our priestly mediator between ourselves and God.
Jesus was that man and He came in the
dual anointing of Melchizedek. No one else qualifies.
The Holy Spirit has been given to us, and He began overflowing out of Israel into the nations
in a big way on the Day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago.
He is the Paraclete of whom Jesus spoke.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be
sent to come
alongside us, (John 15:26).
But alas, He has been grieved.
The One who is sent to us to be our Comforter and Guide,
even the Spirit if Truth. But His Presence is not as evident
in our charismatic services as He once was. (1Cor.14:26)
This is truly unfortunate.
Many of us were mightily blessed in the early years
of the charismatic renewal. During those early years
the Holy Spirit flowed in a much greater purity than we see today.
Both of these once great Holy Spirit revivals are now either spent
or winding down. So where is the promise of the final
epic blockbuster Holy Spirit outpouring?
And why aren't we seeing this outpouring now?
THE FINAL CLIMACTIC OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
THIS WILL POWER THE END-TIME REVIVAL INSIDE THE
70TH WEEK.
DeSoto Falls, Alabama
Image by "BamaWester" on Flickr photo sharing site.
Click on the image to go there and see more.
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Here we have some good news.
There is in fact a wonderful Holy Spirit Revival going on right now
in places abroad. We are seeing Him move mightily
in the persecuted Church. But what about us back here in the western nations?
Why do missionaries say that the Holy Spirit, so powerful upon them
as they ministered overseas, seems not to be around
when their plane lands in America, Great Britain, Australia, etc.?
What is going on?
There will, according to Joel, indeed be a massive
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days. - Joel 2:28-32
This mighty outpouring will come upon all flesh for glory or for judgment.
It will involve the whole world.
So our days of stale compromised Christianity
must end at some point. There will be some shakings on the world scene.
And the pampered and narcissistic Church in the west will awaken and cry out to God.
This is always seen at the beginning of a revival.
The western church will undergo a radical change of heart, a change for the better.
How will this happen?
Here is the 'rest of the story' we are not being told.
We do indeed have a wonderful hope of a genuine latter day revival.
It has been promised and it will surely come.
But this blockbuster of a revival
will come to us right at the grand finale of this age.
The Holy Spirit will pour out in the midst of those very end-time
events that we were told are going to be "all bad".
In fact, the End-Time Revival will build up right in the latter half
of those
final 7 years of this age. Oh yes. This will
be powering up during the grand finale of this age,
the
Great Tribulation period.
Dear saints, for us in the west this is definitely a 'hard saying'.
We want a revival. But we want it our way and on our terms.
We forget that we serve a sovereign God.
For many of us the very idea of God upsetting our carefully maintained command and control systems in the status quo is a real shock.
Most of us are completely unaware of the end-time Revival and how it will happen in
the trials and travails of the woman
of Revelation 12. We have not been told about this before.
But we must face the Holy Scriptures squarely and honestly here.
We must search the scriptures and discover for ourselves what the Bible is telling us in true
and faithful Berean fashion.
Then we must believe what the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit is telling us.
If Joel saw the peak of the Holy Spirit outpouring at the
sixth seal in the days of a darkened sun and a bloody moon
then we can readily see that this end-time revival climaxes in the Apocalypse, the unveiling of Messiah.
There will be a latter day latter rain revival of epic proportions.
The outpouring the prophet Joel saw and our Apostle Peter spoke about 2,000 years ago at its beginnings will
come to its appointed climax or its peak in those awesome final days of this age, the 6th seal days of a darkened sun and a bloody moon.
This actual climactic peak of Joel's outpouring will come with the return of Messiah
as He re-enters this cosmos at the end of this present age.
Jesus Himself told us when those cosmic signs
of a darkened sun and a bloody moon would be seen.
Jesus told us specifically and clearly
that "after the tribulation of those days
the sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood."
It will be then that the sign of the Son of Man
would be seen in the heavens. - Mat.24:29-31
These then are the late 6th seal cosmic signs seen at the end of this age.
It is in this late time period that Joel saw the
Holy Spirit outpouring come to its very peak.
This is a confirmed and unequivocal fact of Holy Scripture.
If we can believe what our Bible is telling us then the
really big moves of the Holy Spirit are yet future.
We can take some real encouragement here.
If the revivals we have today are disappointing us
then all this means is that something much bigger than we have
ever seen is still up ahead.
This great Latter Rain revival may be powering up sooner than we think.
So let us be comforted and encouraged in this.
The scriptures clearly tell of a genuine
blockbuster Holy Spirit revival. It will fire
up towards the end of this age.
As we shall see later on in this article
it will come in the context of end-time events
which include the final siege of Jerusalem
by armies mustering on the plains of Armageddon.
- Joel 2:28-32, Zechariah 12:10-13:1
This will be a revival of great splendor. - Isa.60
So we must not give up hope of seeing this great move of God.
It will surely come.
And how about those "greater works" promised to us by God? - John 14:12
Well, the healings and miraculous acts of God will come, in greater and greater measure.
And the Presence of the Holy Spirit will be seen in our midst. But the actual peak will come late.
The master of ceremonies at the wedding feast at Cana remarked
to the bridegroom,
"You have saved the best wine until last!" - John 2:10
Of course we are fallen creatures and here in the west we are spoiled as well.
Like the prodigal son we want what's coming to us. And we want it now!
But God says no, you can't have it now.
I am saving the best til last.
We get peeved of course, and sometimes angry at God.
This is one reason Christians suffer from depression.
But He loves us. He wants the very best for us.
He wants us to grow up and to develop in Him.
We don't like this very much.
But that is just the way our God is.
THE PROPHET JOEL TELLS OF A 'LATTER RAIN' REVIVAL;
A CLIMACTIC OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LAST DAYS.
Where is the promise of this climactic latter rain revival?
And what do the Holy Scriptures have to tell us?
Let us start with the wonderful and inspiring scripture from Joel.
This is the very scripture our Apostle Peter pointed out to us
when the Holy Spirit fell back in 32 A.D.
Peter preached to the crowds in Jerusalem on that epic
Day of Pentecost and 3,000 were saved. What a day that was!
Joel 2
23 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.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
- Joel 2:23-24 NKJV
Here in the passage above we see the promise of a 'latter rain'
outpouring.
Four verses later, the prophet Joel goes on to speak
of this latter rain revival coming in a mighty outpouring
of the Holy Spirit upon individuals of all ages and
from all walks of life.
Joel 2
28. "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.
29. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out
My Spirit in those days.
- Joel 2:28-29 NKJV
The verses which follow this clearly and unmistakably
link this 'latter rain revival' or 'Joel's outpouring'
to the 6th seal and the awesome events of
the Seventieth Week of Daniel,
the last seven years of this age.
Joel 2
30. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
- Joel 2:30-31 NKJV
As we can clearly see, Joel's latter rain revival
peaks at the time of the
cosmic signs Jesus spoke of in the Olivet Discourse.
The signs mentioned by Joel are that
of the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood.
Jesus Himself told us that these signs would come
'after the tribulation of those days'.
They are in fact the very late signs of the
sixth seal and the
impending second coming of Christ. - Rev.6:12-17
If we are still not convinced of the late peaking of the
latter rain revival then Joel nails it down even further for us.
He links it in time to the salvation and
deliverance of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
at the time when it is besieged by all
the surrounding armies of the nations.
Joel 2
32. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant
whom the Lord calls." - Joel 2:32 NKJV
This is without any shadow of doubt
the time frame of the final event of this age.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is coming to a peak
at the very time frame of the Battle of Armageddon.
So our passage in Joel tells us quite a lot.
We learn of the latter rain
coming as a mighty revival with the Holy Spirit being
poured out on all flesh. And we learn that this
latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit will come to a peak
very late in the sequence of end time events.
Indeed the latter rain will climax in the very last days
of this age and eclipse the end-time apostasy.
In the diagram below we see that the end-time apostasy
and the end-time revival are occurring simultaneously.
Obviously the apostasy and the revival must be going on separately
in two groups of people.
The harlot church will see apostasy. In the true and genuine called out Church,
there will be glory and a Latter Day Revival of God's Elect
such as has never been seen before. This glory will climax with the
second coming of Christ in the Resurrection-Rapture of the saints
at the Last Day.
Like the classic fireworks festival the Holy Spirit Outpouring
will finish right at the very end of this age
in a final crescendo, - a blaze of glory.
We need to know this.
This Holy Spirit outpouring will indeed come. It will
build up in the end-time, even in the midst of great tribulation.
The Holy Spirit will empower and cover God's people.
The tribulation saints will be covered with His glory.
We need to know this.
And why?
Because the tribulation saints may be us in a future time frame!
Finally, in a climactic blaze of glory
the Holy Spirit will usher the saints
right out the end of this age.
In 'That Day' they will be taken up
into the Presence of the returning Messiah
at the
Resurrection-Rapture.
Is this good news? It certainly is!
It means that the Holy Spirit, far from being,
'taken out of the way', will in fact be powering up in our midst.
God will cover His hard pressed people
as they come up to witness before kings and rulers in the end-time drama.
He will cover them in waves of glory!
And He will be with His people by His Holy Spirit
right up until the very end of the age.
Was this not what Jesus promised us in the
Great Commission?
Let us now take a look at the revival prophecy in Hosea
which has been termed
Hosea's Revival.
HOSEA ON THE END-TIME REVIVAL.
"HE HAS TORN BUT HE WILL HEAL US, .........
AFTER TWO DAYS HE WILL REVIVE US".
The prophet Hosea in his prophecy of the 'two days' speaks of a gap
in time. Then in the same verse he tells of a
revival
that would follow these 'two days'.
"Come, and let us return to the Lord,
For He has torn, but He will heal us,
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us,
And on the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight." -Hos 6:2 NKJV
This is very interesting.
Hosea here speaks of God having "torn" and "smitten". 3 verses later He says,
"Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth:
and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth." -Hos.6:5 KJV
What does this mean?
It seems that there are many references in the
old testament in which the prophets bring a word that rends or hews
or 'cuts in pieces'.
It is a word of rebuke, of stern discipline,
and of judgment. Israel and her kings were not inclined
to listen and heed the word of warning and repent.
Accordingly the prophetic judgments continued to come.
THE PROPHET EZEKIEL PAINTS A MAGNIFICENT PICTURE OF THE REVIVAL
AND RESTORATION OF THE LOST HOUSE OF ISRAEL. THIS WILL COME AFTER
A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TOTAL SCATTERING AND ABJECT DESOLATION.
In
Ezekiel 37 the prophet in vision saw
an incredible drama unfold before his eyes.
It was a picture of great and glorious inspiration.
As the vision unfolds the prophet
Ezekiel sees God's people scattered and
sprawled out dead in a valley of dry bones.
This has been the story of God's people for the past two thousand years.
The vision seems all so totally devastating and final.
Yet it is precisely in this context that the glorious
'latter rain' revival comes.
As requested Ezekiel speaks the redemptive Word
and wonder of wonders! The bones begin to stir!
Then he sees them come together with a rattling sound.
Click on the image to the right or
here to go to the vision.
Such is the marvelous drama of the end time. Many
mysteries will be unveiled as Hosea's prophesied latter rain
revival powers up. While we have seen some
stirrings of revival in Israel and the church since 1948
this magnificent restoration of all God's people
has yet to be fully manifest in holy history.
But it has been extensively
written about in the old testament prophetic poetry
-Isa.35, Isa.60, Mic.2:12-13 etc. So it will surely come to pass.
The final cutting prophetic word for Israel was given
by Jesus in the
Olivet Discourse.
He prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem.
The judgment on the nation of Israel came with
the Roman armies of Titus in 70 A.D. Judah was scattered into the nations
again just as the lost ten tribes had been scattered 791 years before.
The long saga of the Jews in the Diaspora would continue.
Then the time would come for
God to regather His royal tribe, the Jewish people.
And after two millennia of wanderings among the nations
they would start to come back and re-establish sovereignty over
the land of Israel once again.
He would also find the lost sheep of the House of Israel,
the "lost ten tribes". Then at the end He would restore both houses of Israel
in an epic end-time revival of unprecedented power and splendor.
EARLY STIRRINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT REVIVAL
SEEN IN CHURCH HISTORY IN RECENT CENTURIES.
Like the nation of Israel
the Christian Church too would be scattered.
In spite of the faithful witness
of the early martyrs the church was brought down.
She was sold into Rome by her
compromising Nicolaitan leaders.
This happened at the
Council of Nicea in 325 A.D..
Christendom would go into the dark ages
for a thousand years.
It would take western civilization down with it.
While the Arab nations went into ascendancy
Christendom languished.
The holy scriptures were locked up in the
monasteries away from the people.
The New Testament was kept in Latin, and the Church services
were in Latin, the dying, (and soon to become dead),
language of the Roman Empire.
The ordinary people of Europe were forbidden access to God's holy Word.
This is what reduced them to mere peasantry!
True Christianity was oppressed.
And Christendom was dominated
by gnostic priest craft. These were dark times for a
people that bore the name "Christian" in European "Christendom".
And they would last a thousand years.
The source of true revival in the English speaking world,
the English Bible, comes off the presses
in Germany during the 1500's.
This frame was captured from the Gateway Films classic
"God's Outlaw", a biography of the English Bible translator
William Tyndale. This excellent video tells an inspiring
story and provides many valuable historical insights.
It is available from
Vision Video.
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The first recorded stirrings of revival came in the 1300's.
John Wycliffe translated the holy scriptures
into English for the common man. Some of his students
were from Bohemia and in the following century
John Huss continued the work of revival.
The Light of God's Word began to
shine through the cracks and into the medieval darkness.
In 1454 God brought some real help to us
in the form of a wonderful piece of precision German engineering.
The invention of Johan Gutenberg’s printing press
was the means by which copies of
the scriptures came to the people in Europe.
Bibles were printed in large numbers at reasonable cost.
The 1500's saw Martin Luther initiate the Reformation in Germany.
Things were beginning to happen!
In those times
William Tyndale's Bibles were being smuggled
across the channel into England in sacks of grain.
The coming of
the Holy Scriptures brought the Reformation to England.
In Europe the regrettable politicization of the Reformation spawned the
awful 30 years war in Germany and Switzerland.
This led to
the totally apolitical Anabaptist movement.
For an excellent telling of this wonderfully
inspiring and instructive story I highly recommend
this video.
Over in England the 1600's would also see
the revival go down into
Puritan politics and war.
Led by Oliver Cromwell
the Puritans took up arms against their king
in the English Civil War.
Afterwards a series of relatively apolitical Evangelical Awakenings
began especially throughout the English speaking world.
The 1700's saw John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards and
others bring revival to England
and America and save both counties from having to suffer an awful
revolution of terror
such as the French experienced.
The 1800’s were a time of colonialism around the world.
The western powers were in hot competition.
It was not all just a story exploitation of native peoples
as we have been told.
In the spiritual arena the British Empire took the initiative
with some great and wonderful missionary outreaches.
The first half of the 20th century saw the world
engulfed in two awful World Wars.
After the Second World War ended
mission outreaches continued powerfully in the latter half of the 20th century
under the current Pax Americana. After 1948 Israel made
historic advancements in securing the Holy Land. Each of the wars
in 1948, 1967 and 1973 saw Israel make further gains in the land.
Significant evangelical revivals across the world accompanied Israel's wars.
Billy Graham began preaching in 1948 as well.
The charismatic renewal began in the same time period
of Israel's wars in 1967 and 1973 which saw them take the city of Jerusalem
and the Sinai.
This hints at some common spiritual Power propelling both the Church and
Israel. They seem to be moving forward in lockstep together.
Are they headed toward a common destiny?
If so then it will only be brought to pass
in the crucible of the End-Time Revival and under our common
Messiah.
The scriptures indicate the Judeo-Christian people
will come into the refining fire of the end-time together. - Micah 2:12-13
They will come into confluence in association with the unveiling
of many mysteries. Messiah will bring His peace to both estranged Houses of Israel, the royal house and the priestly house.
No longer will God's covenant people be bundled as
'the Church' and 'the Jews'. Rather, both will emerge from the crucible of the latter days as a single flow
of refined silver of redemption and refined gold of glory. - Zech.13:9, Mal.3:3
Remnant Israel and the remnant Church will come together as
a single remnant Elect.
Where are we now? Unfortunately, here in the west the established church
is in as critical state of compromise as is Israel.
They give away pieces of the Holy Land. And we in the Church give away
our consecrated status before Christ. In order to make deals
with the powers of this world we compromise ourselves
and sell the sacred tenets of the faith
down the river. And we wonder why we don't see revival?
This is so sad to see.
Our Jewish brethren have given away the sacred lands of Judea and Samaria
as the so-called 'west bank' or the 'occupied territories'.
We in the church have also gone into deep compromise with the world.
For the sake of 'unity' we have let go of the
foundational Biblical doctrines of Christianity. We too have
'given away the farm'.
Inside the church we are seeing
worldly compromise, ordination and "marriage" of homosexuals,
"strange fire", and an emerging brutish
'Church of Esau'.
The general moral decline and doctrinal apostasy
inside the western church is alarming.
Meanwhile the hard pressed persecuted church overseas
is expanding wonderfully. So there is hope.
Of late we have also seen some encouraging signs of spiritual revival
among our Jewish brethren in the visible national Israel we see today.
More Jews, are embracing the Gospel message and converting to
Christ Jesus/Yeshua,
than at any time in history.
The 'Breath of Life' is coming into the Jews at long last!
God is beginning to revive both houses of His moribund
Judeo-Christian people!
When will the true
Latter Rain Revival
or
Hosea's revival
come? We are told in Hosea 6:2 that it will come
"two days" after the last rending, cutting ,
prophetic word of judgment was pronounced
on Israel and on the people God was calling out to Himself.
And who gave that prophecy?
Our Bibles reveal that
these words were given by Jesus Himself in the
Olivet Discourse, -Mat.24,
Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and
the scattering of His people.
He spoke of the
Great Tribulation, and the preaching of the Gospel
to the ends of the earth. He clearly stated that
His second coming as Messiah would follow the Great Tribulation.
These were and are the last harsh, rending, cutting
prophetic words spoken in scripture.
They were given on Palm Sunday, Nisan 10, or April 9 of 32 A.D..
We can count out our "two days" from that point in time.
Hosea states that "after two days He will revive us".
What can we say about God's mention of a revival?
It seems that the
70th week and those
final 7 years may bring us into a great revival.
Have we heard this good news before?
And if not, then isn't it about time that we did?
THE END-TIME REVIVAL ACCORDING TO THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
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The wise virgins arise in the midnight hour.
They fill their lamps with their supply of oil.
Then they go out to meet the Bridegroom.
This is a picture of the End-Time Revival.
(Photo by the author)
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The prophet
Isaiah saw the end time saints as a wedding party.
He saw them going forth with
lamps shining brightly, even in the midst of thick darkness. -Isa.60
His inspired poetry bears witness to this end time latter rain revival.
Even in these times of gathering darkness God is bringing us
a message of exhortation and encouragement.
These words were written for God's people as they come to the end of this age.
These words are for us.
1. 'Arise, shine; For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2. For behold,
The darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3. The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4. "Lift up your eyes all around, and see:
They all gather together, they come to you;
Your sons shall come from afar,
And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
5. Then you shall see and become radiant,
And your heart shall swell with joy.'
-Isa 60:1-5 NKJV
HOSEA'S PROPHECY OF A MAJOR REVIVAL AT THE END OF A 2000 YEAR PERIOD.
Hosea, as we have seen, said that God, through His prophets,
had "cut us to pieces".
He goes on to bring us this encouraging word.
"After two days He will revive us,
and on the third day He will raise us up"
That we may live in His sight".
This suggests that this great revival
will come after a time period of two thousand years.
It will carry on into the Millennium that follows the
70th week.
This is quite a bit different from what we have been told
by today's popular preachers of end time themes.
They have not given us any assurance of a revival in the 70th week.
They have painted those final 7 years as little more than
a chamber of horrors, a hellish wrath zone with no Holy Spirit,
no heavenly grace extended and no faithful witness
by the elect people of God.
Our prophecy teachers speak of wrath and horror in those
final 7 years of this age and little else. This is very demoralizing.
And yet the Holy Spirit here
in Hosea 6 is speaking of glory, an end time revival
of all things!
These are not the only scriptures that
speak of a revival in the last days.
In the very same verses we saw earlier the prophet Joel
saw the Holy Spirit outpouring
coming to a peak even as this age was coming to a tumultuous climax.
JOEL 2
28. "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.
29. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out
My Spirit in those days.
30. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant
whom the Lord calls." - Joel 2:28-32 NKJV
From his vantage point around 800 B.C. Joel saw the peak
of the Holy Spirit outpouring. He saw it coming "afterwards"
in the last days. Like the classic fireworks festival
he witnessed the Holy Spirit revival riding up to a glorious crescendo
and peaking toward the end of this present evil age.
It was in the context of the final Battle of Armageddon
and right in the end zone that Joel saw the Holy Spirit
pouring out climactically in a blaze of glory upon all flesh.
Not only that, Joel, like Zechariah (Zech 12:7-13:1),
saw the salvation and deliverance the Jewish house of Judah
in Jerusalem. All this splendor was happening as a counterpoint to
the cosmic signs of the 6th seal where
the sun was turning to darkness and the moon to blood. -Joel 2:28-32
Even at that late hour the Word will go out, "Whosoever
shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be delivered/saved."
From Jesus’ own words we know that these cosmic disturbances
associated with the 6th seal precede and herald
His second coming as Messiah. -Mat.24:29-31
We have been led to believe that the end time revival
spoken of by the prophets is all in the Millennium.
Yet here in these scriptures we see clear evidence
that the Holy Spirit outpouring will come before the Millennium and in fact
will be rising up to a crescendo right inside the very darkness of the 70th week.
This is indeed an encouraging word from the scriptures
for the end time saints.
If we are on approach to a revival, and an epic revival at that,
when might we expect it to open up?
Hosea gives us a clear and unequivocal answer.
The prophecy states,
"AFTER TWO DAYS HE WILL REVIVE US,
AND ON THE THIRD DAY HE WILL RAISE US UP,
THAT WE MAY LIVE IN HIS SIGHT". Hos 6:2 NKJV
Let us take a closer look at these 'two days'
and particularly at the
'third day'
that Hosea spoke of.
The identification of these "two days" as two millennia is given
further credence by Hosea's reference to the
"third day" when His people "live in His sight".
The phrase "we shall live in His sight"
sounds distinctly millennial. 2,000 years ago Jesus ascended into heaven.
He is now with the Father. He will return to this cosmos and this earth.
In the coming 1,000 year Millennium of Messiah
Jesus will be Emmanuel, or
'God with us'.
Surely this "third day" when "we shall live in His sight" speaks of
the 1000 year Millennium of Messiah. See the chart below.
This would fit the outline seen by
the ancient sages of Israel. They saw six millennia of man's rule
followed by a rest, a sabbatical 7th Millennium.
During those final 1,000 years mankind and the created order would enjoy
peace under the glorious rule of Messiah.
HOSEA'S 'TWO DAYS' = TWO MILLENNIA.
A TIME FIX ON THE ENDTIME REVIVAL?
Hosea's prophecy of the 'two days' is truly remarkable.
It may in fact be giving us an accurate measurement
of the time span that would connect the years from Palm Sunday
entry of 'Messiah the Prince' and His cutting
prophetic pronouncements given in the
Olivet Discourse to the year of a great revival in the last days.
Such a revival might open up in an impending year,
a difficult yet awesome year when all things would change.
In what year might that great latter rain revival come?
Hosea said " after two days He will revive us".
As we observed earlier, the context
indicates that these are not likely to be two ordinary 24 hour days.
Elsewhere in scripture we read that
"a day with the Lord is as one thousand years
and a thousand years as one day......" -2Pet.3:8 NKJV
If these "two days" do indeed refer to two millennia then when
might this time-span begin and end?
If we reckon each 'day' as a thousand years and
the "two days" as 2,000 years then we can lay out a timeline from when the
last cutting prophetic words were given by Jesus in the
Olivet Discourse.
Since one biblical year is 360 days our 2,000 biblical years
become 1971.3 solar years.
Add that to 32 A.D. and the year 2003 comes up.
Are we now in the window of the revival Hosea spoke of? - Hos.6:2
Might we see the 70th week of Daniel and the attending
latter rain outpouring opening up soon?
THE TRUE MEANING, TIMING, AND PURPOSE OF THE END-TIME REVIVAL.
So just what sort of teaching have we received on this
important matter of the timing of the true Latter Rain Revival?
Well unfortunately the answer is 'precious little'.
There is a genuine Latter Rain Revival coming if we can believe the Bible.
It will not be driven by human charisma, powerful personalities,
powerful amplifiers, or hype.
The Holy Spirit will truly be present.
And His covering Presence will be holy.
We shall see this growing glory among God's people.
The light of this magnificent revival
will become brighter and more evident as we enter the darkness of the
70th week of Daniel.
The climactic Holy Spirit outpouring will come late in the age.
It will be pure, authentic, and powerful. This will be the genuine
article, the true Latter Rain Revival
that was foretold in Joel chapter 2.
Unfortunately the true meaning, purpose, and timing of the Latter Rain
Revival has not been taught. Nor is it understood in the church today.
Who wants to hear 'negative' things?
Who wants to hear about the latter days?
People are not just interested in these messages right now,
even if they are scripturally sound and hold very important information
for future times.
True end-time teachings from the Bible just don't sell well at all.
People prefer cheap melodrama. We do not realize
that the curtain of future Church history will open up into an awesome
and spellbinding drama. And we shall be there!
This truth is exceedingly hard for us to take. Christian believers
are content right now.
They are happy with the current level of Christianity
that they have bought into.
This is sad.
But all this will change in times to come.
And this information
concerning the tribulation context
of the true Latter Rain Revival
will suddenly become vitally important information.
God's provision for his covenant
people during the coming Apocalypse is a wonderful truth.
It should be something
that Christians might look into. But alas, they don't.
Dear saints. This is essential information.
God will empower His people in the end time. He will provide us
with oil for our lamps, even the provision of the Holy Spirit.
But we must purchase the oil ourselves. That oil will be
in critically short supply among many of God's people in times to come.
As we see in
the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins
those who are wise will seek out and find that oil.
It is the oil of anointing, and the oil of illumination
of the Holy Spirit.
Those who are wise will look for the oil.
This will be job #1 as they prepare for
their passage through the coming night.
They will need that oil for the lamps as they
go out in the dark hours after midnight.
And where will the oil be found?
They will find it at an unexpected place.
They will find the oil at the oil press, the place of crushing,
even at a spiritual place called Gethsemane, which means 'oil press'.
As the bridal party
awaits the midnight hour they will need that supply of oil.
They will use that extra supply of oil
to fill their lamps as they set out
on their passage through the night.
Is this important?
It certainly is.
The saints will be going out into thick darkness.
This will be the conclusion of the grand adventure of the saints.
They will be on a passage to meet the Bridegroom.
This should be elementary Christianity.
But the message here is still largely untaught and unknown.
But all this news meant to encourage and exhort Christian believers
in the Holy Spirit is not getting through to the church.
The whole story of this tribulation revival,
(and this is surely what it is),
has been 'cloaked'.
Very few evangelicals have studied their Bibles.
And so very few know anything about this great Holy Spirit outpouring
which will be seen during the last seven years of this age.
THE TRIBULATION SAINTS AND THE END-TIME REVIVAL.
One of the hidden secrets of modern eschatology
relates to another truth about the coming Great Tribulation.
There is a news blackout
on the tribulation saints. John saw them as they
came into the glory in Revelation chapter 7.
What about these dear people as they face
the 70th week of Daniel? Could they be
us?
Well the fact is they well could be.
But we will search long and hard to find a Bible teacher who will tell
us that this could even be a remote possibility.
OK, let us suppose that this could be a possibility.
If we are going to become the tribulation saints
then mightn't we need the encouragement this message
of the End-Time Revival brings? Let us look at Joel 2:28-32 one more time.
The latter rain outpouring is timed to climax late
in the time period of the latter days is it not?
So isn't this a much needed message of hope for those who
consider that they might possibly be called to witness
in the coming tribulation period?
Here is the central thesis of this article.
If God has an important end-time message for
His true and faithful covenant people
then nothing
in that message should be left out.
The whole truth concerning the End-Time Revival,
including its eschatological future historical context
should be told.
If it has been laid out clearly for us in the Holy Scriptures then
the end-time pilgrims deserve to know the scoop.
They should be told!
False Christians might not deserve to know.
But true saints should be told.
They can be trusted with the information.
They are not going to start an insurrection.
They are Christ's witnesses.
So they deserve to know the 'rest of the story'.
Beloved of God, this is no light matter.
This is not an arcane academic issue for empty eschatological sophistry.
The saints need the truth!
God's pilgrims saints will not be deprived of correct information.
They will get a correct road map.
They will not be confused about
which road to take.
They will be listening to God and attending to the chart
He has given them in the Bible.
They will not be the ones to end up with a head full of misinformation
which spawns misunderstandings, confusion, fear, anger, and violence.
These lead to wrong choices bringing untold grief and heartache.
The true saints need correct information. As we
move forward into holy history
the truths of the end-time are not to be neglected.
They are very serious and important matters.
Daniel prophesied that "The wise will understand". - Dan.12
Here are the facts about the End-Time Revival.
God has promised a genuine Holy Spirit Outpouring
even upon all flesh.
It will come into its fullness at the end of the age.
It will be pure and without the hype.
It will come without the domination, manipulation, and intimidation
we have been seeing of late.
Charismatic witchcraft will be a thing of the past.
The genuine End-Time Revival
will be authentic, powerful, and glorious.
THE END-TIME REVIVAL WILL START WITH THE EPIC SIGNING OF
A 7-YEAR COVENANT. - Dan.9:27 A GLOBAL PEACEMAKER WILL ENTER
INTO AN ACCORD WITH THE G-8 NATIONS AND ISRAEL AND WITH THE
APPROVAL OF THE ESTABLISHED WORLD CHURCH
How will the End-Time Revival get started?
It will come the way all revivals do.
God's people will cry out to Him at a time of distress.
The seven year covenant will be signed.
When the promised pre-tribulation rapture fails to occur
God's people will be on their faces.
Some will be unprepared.
They will be angry at God.
They will shake their fist in God's face.
This will turn out to be bad news for them.
Now for the good news.
Other Christian believers will come before God in repentance and prayer.
This will be the beginning of a revival of unprecedented magnitude.
At a certain point in future history
the Christian church and the world will enter a period of unprecedented
turmoil.
Christians will be asked to enter
a compromised harlot church system. This harlot church will be in covenant
with a certain global peacemaker.
He will be the one who has just brokered an
epic 7 year covenant with Israel,
the G-8 nations and the Church. - Dan.9:27
It will be a time of decision for all mankind.
It will either be "his way, ..... or the Highway".
Fortunately God will be guiding His people.
And they will indeed choose 'the Highway'.
They will be streaming onto the 'Highway of Holiness'. (Isa.35)
This will be the passage of the covenant people of God.
The road they have chosen will be strait and narrow.
And yes, it will be difficult.
But they are a "royal priesthood and a holy nation". - 1Pet.2:9
And they are destined for better things.
It will be a day like no other.
The trumpets will be blowing in alarm.
The true saints of God will be off on the adventure of their lives.
The 'Way of the Cross' will lie before them.
And they will be in passage along the King's Highway.
This will be the end-time drama. This is still an untold story.
It will be in this time frame that the saints will cry out to God.
And in this 'dark night of the soul' the lamps will be seen
shining in the gathering gloom.
The saints will be given a 'song in the night'.
And the true and genuine end-time
Latter Rain Revival will have finally arrived.
And what will God be doing?
He will be busy answering the cries of His people.
He will respond just as He has always done.
The Body of Christ will go deeper
into their relationship with Christ
than they have ever gone before.
And the consequences?
The final blow out Holy Spirit outpouring will have begun!
This will be a Holy Spirit Revival
of stupendous proportions. These will be times
like no other. The true Latter Rain outpouring of the latter days
will be far more holy and far
more glorious
than anything we, (or this world), has ever seen before.
THE FINAL LEG OF THE RELAY RACE
AND THE EPIC CLIMAX TO THE CONTEST OF THE AGES.
.......IT MIGHT BE JUST UP AHEAD.
As we have seen, it is quite possible that in some future year
and on some upcoming Feast of Trumpets the 7 year covenant of Dan.9:27
will be signed. This event will propel us into the last
seven years of this age. At that time we might expect the latter rain
will start to fall in earnest.
The latter rain, Joel's outpouring, or
Hosea's revival will surely break forth at that
time and increase from that point on.
Our God is a consuming unquenchable fire.
Should we not prepare our hearts for that coming time of witness and glory?
Now is the time for us to seek the face of our God.
He died for our sins as our Savior. He deserves first place in our lives.
This article is sent out for two main purposes.
1. It is to alert the saints to watchfulness now that
the end time drama could be quite near.
2. It is to encourage the saints in their critical role of witness
and to assure them that God is with us.
Our task and our commissioning is clear.
We are to
finish the race begun by the saints who have gone before us.
The world and the whole company of angels are watching.
1. "Therefore we also,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with patient endurance the race that is set before us,
2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God." - Heb. 12:1-2 NKJV
In the coming years we
may be called upon to bring our
personal witness to the Everlasting Covenant we have in Christ.
This is already happening to our brothers and sisters of the faith
in places abroad.
They do not have the political
cover we have enjoyed in the western world since the Nicea.
But they understand
that our faith
is a
blood covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our Chinese brothers and sisters continue to witness under persecution.
They witness under the principality of the dragon, Lucifer himself.
And yet in spite of this
they double their numbers every 7 years.
The saints under persecution are invincible.
In the covenant we have with our God He has always made ample provision
for His witnesses. We have been given the Holy Spirit.
He is our Strengthener/Comforter and personal Guide.
Through many dangers, toils and snares He will lead us on
towards the gates of splendor.
NOW IS THE TIME OF SALVATION.
NOW IS THE TIME TO TURN OUR EYES UPON JESUS.
For those who do not know
Jesus Christ personally or have not given themselves totally to Him
now is the time to answer His call. Invite Him into your heart and life.
We are creatures of a fallen world.
We all need our character changed
from the inside out. We cannot do this ourselves.
Only Jesus/Yeshua has the power to do the job.
And He will do that work within us
just as fast as we get down on our knees and invite Him in
surrendering ourselves to His gracious rule.
If you are willing to take that step of faith
and to ask Him into your life click
here.
Then go out and find someone to baptize you under the water
before a crowd of witnesses.
This will help enormously as you set out on your walk of faith.
THE LATTER RAIN WILL COME DOWN IN EARNEST
AS WE ENTER THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL AND
THE FINAL SEVEN YEARS OF THIS AGE
As we have seen, 70th week of Daniel
may open up on some coming Rosh Hashanah, or
Feast of Trumpets.
It will bring with it Joel's latter rain outpouring, or Hosea's revival.
These will be times of awe and soul searching.
Our Jewish friends, many of them coming to Yeshua,
are ready to restore the sacrifices on the temple mount.
Perhaps the Ark of the Covenant or the Ark of Noah will be found.
When the 70th week opens up in some future Feast of Trumpets
it will truly be a time for being 'sold out' for God.
God's people will cry out to Him.
And He will answer, as usual.
On this occasion He will answer with the promised
outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The latter rain will surely come, and in increasing deluges,
right on schedule, and as promised.
It will be a time of renewal and of rediscovery in God.
He is the promised Sacrifice Lamb.
He is the One who died for us.
The Church and Israel, as wanton Gomer, will find
true love at last, even in the Valley of Achor,
(tribulation). - Hos.2:15
She will go on beyond
calling Him 'my Lord'(Baali).
She will go deeper into her relationship with the
One who redeemed her from the slave market.
She will come to love Him.
And in this new deeper relationship she will
come to call Him 'my Beloved' (Ishi).
Jesus exhorts us to "remember Lot's wife". - Luke 17:32
In those times to come we are to turn our backs on the things of this world.
As in the time of Joseph and his brothers
it will be a season soul searching.
It will be a time for liquidation of assets.
The Bread of Life will become precious.
And the Cup will be found and brought out at last
from the sack of Benjamin, the 'son of the Father's right hand.
Truly these will be a time of discovery and a time of new beginnings.
These will be awesome times for the God's people.
The Church and in national Israel will come into confluence and unity.
They will come together under the dual offices of Messiah.
They will be united in the
Order of Melchizedek.
It will also be a time like no other
for the world at large. The raging of nations
against the coming of Messiah will cease. - Ps.2
And those who have hated His appearing
will call upon the rocks to cover them and hide them from
the face of Him who sits upon the throne and from the
face of the Lamb. - Rev.6:16
For those who have committed themselves to Christ and His Kingdom
there is no reason to fear this coming time.
They are covered! And the final outcome is assured.
Jesus is the One who opens the seals. - Rev. ch.5.
He alone sets the agenda here. He alone is the One
with sovereign oversight and in control of holy history.
The trumpets announce His coming Kingdom.
He has set a time limit for the end-time drama.
The 70th week
will last seven prophetic years and not a day over that. -Dan.9:24-27
The nations are increasingly raging against the coming of Messiah. - Psalm 2
But at the second coming of Christ the Word coming from His mouth
will put a stop to the rampage of humanistic evil.
Jesus Christ will return just in the nick of time;
before godless humanistic rule threatens to completely
destroy all life on earth. -Mat.24:22.
As the 70th week ends He will return
to His Holy City.
Right there, and at that time, the trampling of Jerusalem will cease.
He will come as the Deliverer and Conquering King,
riding upon a white horse.
Out at the ends of the earth Messiah will come
bringing deliverance to His hard pressed people.
'The Breaker'will come
to the the Sheepfolds of Bozrah. -Mic.2:12-13
Back at Jerusalem center,
the Lion of the Jewish house of Judah will roar from Zion. - Joel 3:16
He will bring the scepter of His righteous rule to this earth.
The long expected Son of David will come at last.
And He will rule from the David's Throne. -Luke 1:30-33
In that magnificent future Millennium of Messiah, Jerusalem
will finally become the 'city of peace'.
The nations will find salvation under Messiah's glorious ministry and rule.
And this poor ruined creation will again be restored
to the beauty and order it once knew.
Grace and shalom to all those who love his appearing.