As we have noted, the law of the early and latter rains is directly referenced to 3 aspects of the word of God: 1. The inspired written word of God, 2. The word of God made flesh (Jesus) and 3. the word of God expressed in power (the outpouring of the miraculous Holy Spirit gifts). Each of these three early rains from heaven ended at the beginning of the Ecclesial Age. The latter rains for each of these 3 applications will begin again with the introduction of the Millennial Kingdom.
The Holy Spirit gifts were provided to the first 2 generations of the Ecclesial Age. Peter promised them to 2 generations of Jews as well as to the Gentiles (“those afar off”) on Pentecost Day, which was the first day (High Sabbath) of the Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:38-39). Except for the 3 unique Holy Spirit outpourings from heaven (baptism of Jesus, the 120 at Pentecost, the household of Cornelius), the only way to receive the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit would be to have an Apostle laying their hands on a believer. Although there may have been more with this capacity, we only read of Peter, John and Paul having this capacity. Once these Apostles died there would be no possible avenue for receiving the power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles. This timing perfectly agrees with Peter’s time limit for the Holy Spirit gifts to just 2 generations of Jews and Gentiles.
This limited timeframe for the early rains of the Holy Spirit power also perfectly matches Paul’s explanation of when the accessibility of those miraculous gifts would end. When Paul was addressing how the Corinthian Ecclesia was abusing their capacity to perform miracles with the Holy Spirit powers they had been given that these gifts would end when “that which is perfect would come” (1 Cor. 13:8-10). The Greek word translated “perfect” is teleios, meaning mature or complete or finished. That which was perfect that signaled the end of the availability of the Holy Spirit gifts was the completed word of God, the whole Bible. The last book of the New Testament to be written was Revelation, while John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos by Roman authority. This was completed a little over 60 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The ‘early rains’ would end with the death of all the Apostles and the completion of the written words of God: the Bible. As noted in the previous post, this would begin the prophesied period of divine silence that Amos appropriately defines as a famine of the word of God (Amos 8:11-13). This qualifies as the absence of rain that separates and defines the ourpouring of the early and latter rains.
This pouring out of Holy Spirit miraculous gifts, the word of God expressed through power, would be done in two separate ages. Jesus references this ‘2 age’ distinction when he warns about the unforgivable sin of blasphemy to those who witnessed that unveiled power and then defined it as the wicked power of Beelzebub.
Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
It should be noted the Greek word that is twice translated as “world” is aion, indicating an ‘age’. Jesus declares this avenue of unforgivable blasphemy will be possible in 2 separate ages, including that current age and another age yet to come.
This 2 ‘age’ distinction is also expressed by Paul and also in the context of the unforgivable sin of extreme disrespect for that Holy Spirit power. In fact this is also where the pouring out of the Holy Spirit power is defined in the context of rain.
Hebrews 6:4-8 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
If one was a partaker of the Holy Spirit, able to demonstrate that power through miraculous manifestations, then they also “tasted of the powers of the world (Age) to come”. Like Jesus, Paul also refers to 2 separate ages when divine power of the Holy Spirit will be manifested through believers. However, also like Jesus, Paul warns that the extreme disrespect of using that power to teach lies (the falling away of the enlightened who were partakers) is an unforgivable sin. Paul then parallels the faithful receiving the power of the Holy Spirit to how the earth receives the rain from heaven. We are the earth, as we are made of dust and to dust we are condemned to return (Gen. 3:19). If our bodies of earth drink in the rain from heaven (Holy Spirit gifts of power) into which the seed of the word of God has been sown, but only yield fruitless briers and thorns, then our end is to to burned (meaning perishing forever, like the tares in Christ’s parable of the wheat and the tares).
So Paul’s confirmation of Christ’s reference to the 2 ages when the Holy Spirit gifts of power will be demonstrated by the enlightened community includes a parallel to that expression of ‘God’s word confirmed in power’ to rain. Peter also makes this connection when he is defending the miraculous demonstration of the gift of tongues (languages) on Pentecost Day in Jerusalem. Peter quotes from Joel’s prophecy about Yahweh pouring out His power onto His people.
Joel 2:28-30 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 shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth.
However a few verses before this God defines this miraculous power sharing in the context or early and latter rains.
Joel 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
Just like the word of God and the word of God made flesh, the word of God expressed in power is scripturally defined as the early and latter rains. These early and latter rains will be poured out in 2 separate ages with an extended drought between those 2 ages.
This examination of the extensive dual pattern of the early and latter rains has been offered as an example of the distinct and highly extensive pattern of the dual categories of every divine principle. The examples for this pattern are inexhaustible, despite being invisible to those within the enlightened community that are currently imbalancing the right-ness of God by degrading these divine principles into an exclusive single category. The principle of atonement is being degraded into nothing more than forgiveness. The principle of sin is being inappropriately minimalized into nothing more than the exclusive application of guilt assigning transgressions. The principle of righteousness is being limited to the exclusive application of imputed righteousness. The principle of resurrection is being expressed as exclusively applying to immortalization following judgment. The degrading of the principle of mortal life being exclusively understood as an assured death that was supposedly the original creation model prior to the introduction of sin has been corrupting the enlightened community for over 120 years. The mistake of assuming there is only one Sabbath qualification of being a Saturday has resulted in the Christ insulting delusion of a Friday afternoon crucifixion followed by a Sunday sunrise resurrection only about a day and a half later. The often proposed dismissal of the actual breaking of the memorial bread into two components to be shared blinds those embracing that foolishness from the incredible pattern silently shouted through scripture between cleaving and salvation. Even the divinely mandated application of exactly 2 human genders is being denied by some within the enlightened community presuming the legitimacy for the societal corruptions of gender distortions defined as gay, lesbian, trans-sexual, pan-sexual, etc.
The terms of our Creator’s righteousness (right-ness) are being increasingly challenged within the enlightened community, just as the many prophecies about our last generation of the Ecclesial Age have warned us. Our next post will begin to demonstrate the extreme and endless pattern of how our heavenly Father’s eternal principles have 2 separate categories that need to be balanced. Eliminating one of those categories completely imbalances our understandings and reverses the focus of our worship from God to the mirror.