And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. [Hosea 6:3] ON THIS PAGE
Defining Revival
Revival In The End Times? The End time “Falling Away” is Already Here…
… And The Antichrist is Around The Corner What, If Anything, Does The Bible Say About an End Time Revival? Prophecies of Joel
Fulfillment of Joel’s Prophecies?
Two Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The Early And Latter Rain
The Purpose of The Latter Rains
The Timing of Joel’s Prophecy is Crucial Defining Revival
In this age of great apostasy the one thing the church needs above all else is revival. However while the Bible speaks lot about end-time apostasy ("When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth" Luke 18:8), what does it say, if anything, about end-time revival. Unfortunately, after the word Anointing, the word Revival is perhaps the second most overused, misunderstood, misinterpreted word used in the Christian world. The Dictionary gives us the precise meaning of the word. REVIVAL - To restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state. A restoration of force or validity
What Revival is NOT.. Revival is not as, I have heard it amusingly but accurately phrased, getting your whoop-de-doos down at the altar. This is not revival. Revival is not a planned evangelical meeting scheduled for the spring or fall. (Valuable, but not revival). Revival is not what has been happening at Toronto, Brownsville, or Lakeland. As perfectly expressed by Congregation Shema Yisrael The whole gamut of today's so-called revival scene, from Toronto to Pensacola, must be seriously faced! Videos of the services show people crawling on the floor, howling like wolves, barking like dogs, roaring like lions, going through bodily contortions impossible without the aid of some spiritual power, unable to speak or even remember their names when they try to give a testimony, and worse. Many of those being baptized at Pensacola seem to lose consciousness or shake so violently that they must be carried out of the baptismal tank lest they drown. Others flail about so wildly as to require several men to handle them. Such manifestations were also found in past "revivals" among the Shakers, the Mormons and many other cults. That such things could now be widely accepted as evidence of the Holy Spirit only testifies to the extent of the delusion that is already permeating the Messianic Community! [1]
What Revival Is.. Revival begins with a burden for the Word of the Lord and a sorrow for sins and always brings repentance). These words from A.W. Tozer sums it up perfectly See Section on Revival
Revival In The End Times?
Opinion is pretty sharply divided on the question of revival in the end times, with the vast majority of conservative evangelical Christians falling into the ‘No Revival’ camp, while many others believe that there will be a great move of the Spirit in the last days… (I am referring to serious students of the Bible, not the lunatic, spiritually weird element that flies off at every tangent).
On the face of it those that believe that there will be nothing but apostasy in the last days have some pretty solid Scriptural evidence to back them up. (Far more evidence than those who believe that prophecy, miracles and sign gifts no longer exist. See DETAILS). For example Apologetics Press says… “The Bible does not predict a great endtime …but rather the very opposite: increasing evil, times of peril, a huge apostasy of those who profess to be Christians, false teachings, false prophets, deceptive signs and wonders, and a delusion that will even deceive God's own people if or when possible.”
Quoting (among others) the following Biblical verses.. And because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12 For false christs and false prophets will be raised up, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. [Matthew 24:24] But know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, not loving what is good, traitors, headstrong, having been puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from these people turn away! [2Timothy 3:1-5 ] For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, they will heap up for themselves teachers, tickling their ears, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths. [2 Timothy 4:3-4] knowing this first: that mockers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts.
[2 Peter 3:3]. [2]
The Website of Congregation Shema Yisrael says this in an article “Rabbi Paul assures us that the Last Days will be characterized by apostasy, not revival. We are not to be deceived into thinking that the apostasy won't come; it must come first, or Messiah simply will not return! Therefore the teaching that there will be a world wide revival in the Last Days, however well intentioned, is biblically untenable. Paul's prediction can only mean that in the Last Days many professing believers will reject the biblical teaching that apostasy is inevitable”. [1]
Jesus Himself warned several times about end time deception saying, for example.. 'See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name saying, I am the Messiah, and will mislead many'" ... "Many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many"... "For false Messiahs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders; so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect" (Mt. 24:4-5, 11, 24).
Paul stressed this as well (Emphasis Added) Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is unveiled, the son of perdition 2Thess 2:3
So the position that there will be no end time revival seems to have strong Biblical support, which begs the question of whether there is any more to it than a superficial reading of the text tells us. There seem to be several points to consider.
The End Time Falling Away is Already Here… Apologetics Index says [Emphasis Added] (Note that I am simply using their words as an example of what much of the Christian world thinks). “We are warned that the deception that is to come will be so difficult to discern, even those who genuinely love the Lord might be deceived... a ''great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians'' has been predicted and will certainly happen.”. [2]
The entire sentence reads like this apostasy is something that has been predicted, but is yet to happen. Ummm! Time to wake up? While I suppose that it possible that the apostasy can get worse, I fail to see how it can get much worse. Christianity is at an all time low … scraping the bottom of the barrel as it were. [See For Example Good For Nothing Christianity, Grab a Hose and Which Jesus] The time is NOW when “Christians are not putting up with sound doctrine but are according to their own lusts, heaping up for themselves teachers, tickling their ears. (2 Timothy 4:3). Most have already turned away from the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jacob Prasch says it well.” “There is no easy way to stop the decline of Christianity in the Western world. It has gone too far for too long. We have been sold down the river by our leaders. All the programs and hype and gimmicks in the world will not being a harvest of souls. That takes rain. But the rain has stopped. Why? Partly because of the sin of society, but mostly because of the sin of the Church. And until there is repentance in the Church, there is not going to be a repentance in the world. Why has the rain stopped? It is not primarily the fault of pornographers or pimps or prostitutes or drug dealers or homosexuals or abortionists. It is primarily my fault, because I know the truth and I have the message that can make the difference. It is our fault, because the church in the West is Laodicea (Rev 3:17). Because we are trusting in this life and this world more than we are trusting in Jesus. It is not raining because of my sin and your sin”. [3]
The reason the Great Falling Away has been so ill recognized is simply because it has not adhered to most people perception of what a ‘Falling Away’ should look like. Most people probably expected humanity to become less religious and more materialistic... less spiritual and more worldly. While it is true that a large percentage of humanity has indeed become more carnal, a staggering number of people have actually become more spiritual, seeking out the divine in every possible nook and cranny, including within themselves. So very obviously, this Falling Away is one of the most telling Signs of the Times. [See What Signs Herald The End Of The Age (in this section)]
(If there is any consolation in this very dark time, it is that God has reserved a remnant which has not bowed the knee to Baal… )
… And The Antichrist is Around The Corner:
According to 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the falling away comes first, followed by the unveiling of the man of sin or the son of perdition. This falling away isn’t coming at some vague point in time in the future …. It’s already here. And the tragedy of the matter is that almost all whome the name of Christ have no idea how dumb and dead and damned they are. They trip off merrily to their churches, listen to the latest fad on tape by the latest hot shot preacher, attend yet another in a long line of conferences, and retire to their inner sanctums to ‘get in touch with the Divine’. Nor, I suspect, do many of then suspect how close the man of sin is.
Universal deception is already pretty firmly entrenched, with most of the world, both Christian and otherwise, already prostate before one or another antichrist. [See Antichrists and The Antichrist] However THE Antichrist is commonly held to be a great and powerful world leader whose claims that he is God incarnate will be accepted. He will, with the willing participation of most of the world, usher is a time of unprecedented worldwide deception. In fact the Bible indicates that he and his cohorts are going to make every effort to take over this planet and slaughter all that would oppose him. Although they are wrong about the details, the New Agers seem to know that he is literally breathing down our necks. The Lucis Trust (formerly Lucifer Publishing Co.) which enjoys "Consultative Status" with the United Nations and has not only spawned several other organization… the Arcane School, Triangles, World Goodwill, Lucis Publishing, Lucis Productions, Lucis Trust Libraries, the New Group of World Servers, but also maintain the UN meditation room. And the purpose of these groups? At their core ALL of them exist for one purpose ..in their words “the helping of the Great Ones and the rendering to Them of that intelligent assistance which will make their plans for humanity materialize”. This explosion of individuals and organizations (both large and small) are, by means of occult mediation, the Great Invocation etc, actively working towards creating the conditions necessary for the Reappearance of “the Christ”. Except that this “Christ” has nothing to do with Jesus Christ of the Bible. See Alice Bailey and The Lucis Trust The Global Alliance and The United Nations In light of all this, the question that has to be asked is... What, If Anything, Does The Bible Say About an End Time Revival?
Prophecies of Joel:
Many of those who do believe that there will be a move of God in the last days refer to the words of the prophet Joel. [Note that visions and dreams were not unknown ways for God to give special revelations to people in Old Testament times. See Numbers 12:6].
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. [Joel 2:28-31].
This prophecy by Joel was quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost when Peter said For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is but the third hour of the day. but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: [Acts 2:15-16]
Fulfillment of Joel’s Prophecies? Peter’s words have led many to erroneously assume that Joel’s entire prophecy was fulfilled that day. However a simple reading of the prophecy makes it quite clear that not everything spoken of by the prophet came to pass on Pentecost. No prophecies were made, no one dreamed dreams or saw visions. The promised awesome displays of celestial phenomena were conspicuous by their absence. There was no blood, fire, or pillars of smoke, The sun did not turn to darkness nor the moon to blood. The day of Pentecost was quite simply not the day of the Lord that Joel predicted.
So what did Peter mean? Perhaps he was simply telling his hearers that they should have recognized that the phenomenon of tongues was a work of the Spirit, not a result of being drunk. Peter’s words This is what was spoken could mean that the same Holy Spirit that would cause the people of God to dream dreams and see visions etc. was also responsible for the events on the day of Pentecost. Note that after the plague of the locusts, Joel speaks of the repentance of the people and their turning back to God, which causes God to heal both the land (2:18-27) … "and the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil," (V 24).
…and restore them spiritually (2:28-32). Peter applies this spiritual restoration to the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, although the ultimate fulfillment of this will be at the Second Coming of Christ. This is typical of Hebrew prophecy which usually had multiple fulfillments which build up to the final and most important one (In this case the partial fulfillment is that all believers have the indwelling Spirit) .. This is similar to the situation when Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 but, by His words, shows that only part of Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled at the first advent. For example Jesus said nothing about God’s “day of vengeance” that Isaiah spoke about. The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; [Isaiah 61:1-2] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. [Luke 4:18-19]
Also to be noted is that just as Passover was fulfilled in the death of Christ, Pentecost fulfilled the Feast of Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks, which came fifty days after First-fruits. Shavuot was one of three major feast that required all able-bodied Jewish men to travel to Jerusalem (the other two being Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles). This is why Peter was able to preach to so many Jews from different countries who were in Jerusalem that day to celebrate the completion of the harvest season. Neither Feast will ever be repeated. [See The Seven Feasts of Israel].
Two Outpouring of the Holy Spirit:
It has to be noted here that there is a connection between the work of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and His work in the coming days.
On Pentecost the Holy Spirit ushered in a new period, with remarkable transformations in the attitude and lives of the disciples who just a few weeks earlier had denied even knowing Jesus. They went from a dispirited and rudderless band of men who had just lost their leader to dynamic preachers and leaders of the Church. Not even the resurrection of Christ had had this kind of effect on them. Pentecost ushered the time when all believers can be transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Note that the Holy Spirit was alive, well and very active in the lives of some in the Old Testament, but under the New Covenant the gifts of the Spirit have been more universally poured out. In the final days when the prophecies of Joel are fulfilled in their entirety the work of the Holy Sprit will again be to user in a new period.. The Millennium.
Which exactly corresponds with…
The Early And Latter Rain
More than one of Israel’s seven major Feasts were tied to the seasons and the harvest. For example
First-fruits, was a celebration of the harvest, when a sheaf representing the very first of the harvest was waved before the Lord as a symbolic gesture that dedicated the coming harvest to Him. Jesus rose from the dead on the Feast of First-fruits. Shavuot or the Festival of Weeks (fulfilled at Pentecost) was a celebration of the completion of the harvest season. It was called Weeks because they had to count seven complete weeks from Firstfruits.
In a similar vein the former and latter rain were also a type of spiritual events yet long in the future. In ancient Israel there were two distinct seasons of rain. The Former, or early rains, came in Autumn (October-November) after the seed was sown. These light rains ensured the first harvests of early spring when the farmers were able to enjoy the "firstfruits" of their crops, Barley being the first crop to ripen. The Latter rain, which were usually a much heavier rain, fell in Spring, between February and March or April, when the ears were filling. It was these rains that ensured that the main crops, including fruit and grains, would fully mature for harvest.
Without these two rains, which marked the beginning and the end of the harvest, the earth would have been unfruitful. If either were withheld, the harvest failed. that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, and thy new wine, and thine oil. [Deuteronomy 11:14]
The Purpose of The Latter Rains
In Christian theology a Type is a representation by one thing of another… A factual happening in history, which is a glimpse of one or more actual events yet to come (this significance is not always apparent at the original occurrence). The subsequent happenings are called the antitype, which usually are more intense and/or more important than the original type. [See Understanding Prophecy and Typology]
In this case, the ultimate fulfillment of the Latter Rain that fell year in and year out is in a spiritual outpouring of God’s Spirit that will serve to bring the ‘crop’ to maturity. The Former Rain that fell on Pentecost was (by comparison) a much lighter rain which brought forth the "firstfruits". Understanding the reason for the Latter Rain is key to understanding why God will pour out His Spirit in such an extensive fashion… These rains ensure that both the grain crops as well as the usual annual summer crops and fruits would fully mature for harvest. The outpouring of the Spirit of the Early Rain watered the seeds that had been sown, and powerfully established the New Testament Church. The outpouring of the Spirit of the Latter Rain will bring the crops to maturity and usher in the Kingdom of God with a similar, but much bigger, display of power, demonstrated by the much difference between the light autumn showers and the tremendous downpour of the harvest rain.
The Timing of Joel’s Prophecy is Extremely Important.
That there is a Latter Rain is without a doubt. The Acts 2 outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the "early rain" but the "latter rain" outpouring of the Holy Spirit will occur at the end-times. Both Revelation 6:12 (the 6th seal) and Matthew 24:29 seem to speak of the same event as Joel did. Both make similar references to the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood. Compare the three relevant paragraph. [All Emphasis Added] Joel: And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. [Joel 2:28-31]. Matthew: Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light; and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” [Matthew 24: 29-30] Revelation: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? [Revelation 6:12-17.
So when does this take place? Revelation 6 says when He opens the Sixth Seal, while Matthew says “Immediately after the tribulation of those days”. The problem here is that many do not realize that the Seals are not God’s judgment on humanity. What is also not often realized is that the Seven Seals (Revelation 6-7) exactly parallels the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24). In summary, both sections of Scripture include, in the same sequence, both the events leading up to, and the actual tribulation of the church. Both then go into the Great Tribulation of God’s wrath… a period of time such as the world has never seen. Matthew 24 (the Olivet Discourse) which has always been a notoriously difficult chapter to understand, and has given rise to umpteen different interpretations, becomes much clearer if the reader bears in mind that Jesus seems to differentiate between the ‘tribulation’ He speaks of in verse 9, and the ‘tribulation’ of verse 24. Although He uses the same Greek word in both verses, He qualifies the second usage by the word ‘great’ (verse 24), which is translated from the Greek meg'-as, the word our ‘mega’ comes from. If Jesus is talking about two separate and distinct tribulations, the tribulation or persecution of the church followed by the Great Tribulation of God’s Wrath, the chapter falls into perfect chronological order. There is a tribulation in which Christians will be hated, betrayed and killed, followed by the “Great Tribulation” which is heralded by the “abomination of desolation”. [The subject is too long to go into here. For Details See The Seven Seals and Matthew 24 in which Matthew 24 has been analyzed one verse at a time]. The Sixth Seal summarizes or incorporates the trumpets and bowls to come. For example the “Great Earthquake” mentioned at the sixth seal takes place at the end of the Seventh Bowl [Rev. 16:18].. While the upheaval in the heavens takes place at the Fourth Trumpet.. [Rev. 8:12].[Similarly the seventh Trumpet does not describe one specific judgment as do the first six, but incorporates all seven bowls]. Jesus says the events of Joel take place …"Immediately after the tribulation of those days” (referring to the persecution tribulation of the church) and when He opens the Sixth Seal heralding the Trumpet and Bowl judgments to come. In other words the last days outpouring of God’s Spirit in Joel 2 will take place after the persecution of the church and somewhere around the start of the Great Tribulation. This is the time when the children of God will most need the abundant outpouring of God’s spirit, since not only will the times be terrible beyond measure, but they will need to be fully mature for the harvest that is soon to arrive when Jesus gathers His crop into His barn. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13, tells us that “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom”. While Jesus’ words… “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn." (Matthew 13:30) indicates the tares are separated and symbolically ‘bound’ in some way, before the believers are gathered into His barn. This harvest, or gathering in of the good crop, is also spoken about in Revelation 14: 14-20, which makes it clear that this take place at the Seventh trumpet which incorporates all seven Bowls. This harvesting in of the “sons of the kingdom” is “the Rapture”, when the believers are physically moved away from the earth so that the Bowls can be poured out on the earth, in which the wrath of God is finished. Until this point the faithful were protected from God’s wrath by the mark on their foreheads, but now it has come time to make an end of all things… The battle of Armageddon and the final Bowl when the cities of the nations fall, and the islands and mountains ‘disappear’. However the ‘harvest’ will be standing on the far shore of the Red Sea when the waters come crashing in over the heads of the Egyptian army. [For Details See That Earth Shaking Seventh Trumpet And The Rapture] End Notes
[1] Last Days Revival or End Time Apostasy? Website of Congregation Shema Yisrael. http://www.shema.com/articles/articles-042.php [2] The Way of Cain - Page 37. http://www.apologeticsindex.org/r06a37.html [3]Jacob Prasch. Elijah- A man who could make it rain. http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/elijah.htm | 
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