Understanding the Former and Latter Rain 2
(week 42/08)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week, we saw that rain is the power of God released in response to the teaching of His Word. We further saw that the former rain was the limited power of God released in response to the teaching of the elementary principles of the faith: new birth, baptism of the Holy Spirit, healing, deliverance and prosperity. This former rain is what we have experienced hitherto.
The latter rain is the unlimited power of God that is released in response to the teaching of God‚Word on perfection of the church. We are now in the 3rd day: the time of the latter rain. Without the latter rain the church will not manifest the perfection and fullness of Christ and so bring in the harvest of the fruit of perfect love and discipleship of the nations:
James 5:7 ESV Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
So we are now to ask for or pray in this latter rain.
How do we do this?
By praying in the Spirit with tongues and deep travail (Galatians 4:19, Romans 8:26, see our book‚ A Practical Guide To Prayer‚ for more details) with an attitude of love and humility:
1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Psalms 42:7 ESV Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.
Genesis 7:11-12 ESV In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. (12) And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
John 7:38-39 MKJV He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (39) (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified).
It is instructive to note that praying with tongues alone will only bring down the former rain; it is the combination of praying in tongues and travail that will cause the Christ nature to be formed and perfected in our souls and bodies and so bring in the combination of the former and latter rain together:
Galatians 4:19 KJVR My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Joel 2:23 LITV Then be glad, sons of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. For He has given to you the early rain according to righteousness, and He will cause the rain to come down for you, the early rain and the latter rain in the first month.
Furthermore, as we do this we will be following on to increasingly know the Lord both by revelation and experience until He comes in and to us as the latter and former rains together: a double portion (2 Kings.2:9) of the unlimited power of God within and without!
Hosea 6:2-3 LITV After two days He will bring us to life. In the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live before Him. (3) Then we shall know, we who follow on to know Jehovah. His going forth is established as the dawn. And He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain to the earth.
