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Sometimes when the soft April showers come, it makes me want to take off my shoes and let the raindrops fall between my toes. I love to walk in that type of rain. There is a rain however that falls in other seasons that can be bitterly cold and damp. That type of rain I try to avoid. Sometimes there are showers of rain and other time’s torrential outpourings of rain, such as cause flooding in many places.  

There is much in the Word of God regarding two rains and two outpourings! The two outpourings of the Spirit are referred to as the first (or former) rain and the last (or latter) rain: 

Zechariah 12:9-10 – And it shall come to pass in that day. That I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications. Verse 10 - And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 

This prophecy from Zechariah is about a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will take place in the last days. There is a similar passage in Joel 2 that I believe to be Pentecost.  

Joel 2: 28-29 – And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out of 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. Verse 29 - And also upon the servants and handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.  

This is exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost! The Holy Ghost came in like a flood as a spirit of prophecy, at the Upper Room in Jerusalem. Even poor servants and housemaids were gifted with prophetic utterances. This great outpouring also became a steady watering of the Holy Spirit that has lasted throughout the centuries. For nearly 2000 years God has poured out His Spirit like showers on His people, daily watering and protecting His church. 

Isaiah 27:2-3 - A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.

The planting and harvest seasons in Israel were just the opposite of ours. The first rains fell from October to the end of December, just before planting season. These rains softened the ground. The last rains fell from March through April, just prior to harvest. Those rains ripened the harvest.  

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 – 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, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain, the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine and

thine oil. 

These outpourings always had to do with the harvest. This is the criterion to use in discerning any move of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit’s work is always focused on the harvest of souls! It doesn’t matter what kind of manifestations you see in a revival, it is not a true movement of God unless it is focused on the harvest! The Holy Ghost rains always fall to produce and ingathering of souls. 

God poured out His Spirit in the former rain of Pentecost, to prepare the ground. This outpouring softened the ground for the gospel seed to be sown. Spirit filled sowers were sent out that day from the Upper Room into all the world – to the uttermost parts of the earth to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  

The Church has been planting, sowing and growing for nearly 2000 years now – and it’s Harvest Time! Those who have died in Christ up to now represent the first fruits, or the early harvest – and that is the reason Jesus has not yet come. He has been waiting patiently for His final, mighty harvest of the earth! 

There have been many so-called Holy Ghost movements that were man centered. They have vanished quickly because they were based on man instead of God’s Spirit. If a movement is truly of the Spirit it will result in a hunger and inclination to reach a lost and dying world. Jesus tied the harvest to lost souls. 

Matthew 9:38 – Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 

There is no true revival without great ingathering of lost souls. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, comforts us, teaches us, sanctifies us, leads us and shows us things to come, it is all meant to prepare us to gather in the harvest – to make us laborers in His vineyard.  

There has been a marvelous measure of God’s grace ever since Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has sent conviction of sin on all nations, teaching believers of every race and tongue how to forsake sin and worldly lusts. The result has been a people who live soberly and righteously in this present world and who are looking for Jesus to come. Yet, when the Spirit’s latter rain comes, we are going to witness an even greater grace. God is going to pour out a spirit of grace that will establish us in truth of our justification.  

I believe that under this outpouring, the Spirit will move on ministers worldwide who have been lukewarm. God will smite them with the conviction of His grace. The Spirit will show them. God will say to them-the world is coming apart and soon you will stand before Me, so you had better start speaking to the hearts of these people. You had better have my anointing when you stand in the pulpit! This is the convicting spirit of grace that leads to repentance, producing godliness and righteousness in God’s house.  

Ministers will wake up to true “Grace preaching” – the kind that convicts people of hidden sin in their lives. We will witness a convicting, sin exposing, repentance preaching, like nothing the church has ever seen. Those in the house of God will feel a “pressure” to do right. When the Holy Ghost comes down and exposes sin, Christians who have been lukewarm or in compromise become convicted. Those who don’t yield to the Spirit’s dealing become blind, unwilling to surrender and eventually the pressure to live righteously drives them out the door. I believe the “Pressure” to do right and forsake sin is going to get “hot” in God’s last day church! 

For centuries Christians have called on God while full of self-will, begging and crying “Oh God, send me here, send me there, give me this, give me that...Ministers have prayed and pled “Oh God, bless my ministry, bless my projects”. Send money and workers for my program. But in the last days the Holy Ghost is going to fall with great power to produce a sense of spiritual bankruptcy. We will wake up to the fact that even with all our money, brains, programs, ministries and plans, we haven’t even touched the world for Christ. The truth is we have lost ground. The church has become weak and pitiful. When the Holy Spirit sends out a Spirit of Supplication, we will see praying such as the world has never known. I believe we will find that a Spirit of Prayer is tied to the last harvest. We cannot in our selves manufacture this kind of desire to pray. It will be a result of the spirit of supplication. God has promised in His word to pour out a spirit of supplication and I don’t want to miss it.  

Zechariah 10:1 – Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. 

We have to ask the Lord for this spirit of supplication! Bright clouds in this verse means “lightning, thunderstorms”. God has promised to give us showers. Once His spirit of supplication showers down upon you, you will find yourself praying for holiness, godliness and purity. You will intercede for your lost loved ones and weep over this dying world.

This last outpouring is going to bring God’s people to their knees.  

At that time the Holy Ghost will deal personally with the church. The church for the most part has so white washed sin and overlooked it that when the Spirit comes down with the spirit of prayer; He will bring a purging as well. There will be weeping, mourning, brokenness and a reality that our sins have grieved the heart of God. The Holy Spirit will not only move in congregations but in families and in every individual as well.  

What greater gift could God give His church just before He comes than a powerful, convicting message against sin? He will bring such conviction that we will not be able to tolerate any unholy or unclean thing in us.  

We need to check our qualifications as we ready ourselves for the latter rain outpouring of the Spirit. If any so-called movement of the Spirit doesn’t measure up to these, you can know it is of the flesh: 

1. A focus on the final harvest of souls. 

2. A spirit of grace leading to repentance. 

3. A spirit of supplication resulting in an urgency to pray in the Spirit. 

4. A longing for Jesus and a mourning and brokenness with godly sorrow for sin.  

Even in the midst of His rain, you could end up in a desert that is dry, withered and empty. We must avoid the Laodicean crowd and refuse to remain halfhearted and lukewarm with God. You don’t want the rain that comes to ripen the last-day harvest to water the thorns and thistles in you.  

Hebrews 6:7-8 – For the earth which drinketh in the rain ... bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected.  

Dear God.

I don’t want to miss out on this last outpouring. I must be included in this outpouring. Father, I pray that you will put a Spirit of weeping in me. I want to be totally surrendered to You in every way. I want to be totally dependent upon you for everything. Amen! 

Copyright 2002 by Rev. Betty J. Lester