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"And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments…to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil."

Deuteronomy 11:13-14

Theme: The Rain is Coming

God Himself says He is coming to us as rain (Hosea 6:3). Not just as rain, but specifically as the former and the latter rain.

What is the former and latter rain? In everyday speaking, the Israelites knew the former rain as the fall rain that prepared the soil for planting, and the latter rain as the spring rain that moisturized the soil to bring forth a good harvest.

In spiritual terms, the former and latter rains represent the move of the Holy Spirit under the Old and New Covenants.

The Bible calls the former and latter rain of the Spirit, under the old covenant, a "moderate" rain. Under that covenant, people would go hundreds of years without hearing God's voice or seeing anyone whom He was miraculously working through. If there was anyone whom He was working through, it would be some prayer warriors somewhere who didn't draw much attention to themselves, so people didn't see them.

Eventually, however, a little rain would fall: A prophet of God, a great priest or a king would be raised up in the land. The Holy Spirit would be upon that person and miracles would flow through them. If you could get near them, you could be healed, have your needs met supernaturally and hear the voice of God.

To understand how powerful that "moderate" rain was, you have to realize that even Jesus' ministry was under the old covenant. He was the Son of God sacrificed under the old covenant. So, as powerful as the ministry of Jesus was, it did not show the fullness of the Holy Spirit's power.

He said it didn't! Just before He went to the Cross, He told His disciples, "Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father"

(John 14:12).

How could Jesus say such an astounding thing? He knew the latter rain was on the way!

Hosea 6:1-3