The Latter Rain

The below is contributed by my friend and guest blogger, Abigail.  I know you will enjoy this insight.

"Jesus Will Come To Us Like Rain"

The Pre-tribulation Rapture in relation to The Feasts of the Lord.

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 month."

This tells us our Messiah will come as the former rain (Spring feasts) and again as the latter rain (Fall feasts). The prophet Joel tells us this events will occur in the first month.

***The month of Nisan is the first month of the religious calendar.
***The month of Tishri is the first month of the civil calendar.

Spring Feasts/Former Rains (First month of the religious calendar)
1. Passover Nisan 14
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread Nisan 15-21
3. Feast of First Fruits Day after Shabbat of unleavened bread
4. Shavuot (Pentecost) 50 days from the same Shabbat

***These first four feasts have been fulfilled by Jesus.

Significance of Yom Kippur 2015

This blog was originally published in September 2014, but while factually correct, did not have much of a point other than to highlight interesting tidbits.  I hope time and recent study will open the subject further.  Two years ago, I stumbled upon the below fact and it has niggled around in my brain since:

June 7, 1967 - Jerusalem (recaptured for Israel)
17640 days = 49 years (360 day years)
September 23, 2015 - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

There are three interesting subjects here:  The Six Day War, 49 years, and Yom Kippur.

Being an American Christian, I didn't know much about any of these.  I doubt I am alone, perhaps you are in the same boat as me?  There is something there, some reason that this is important!  Let's see what we can find out together.

Beyond the Blood Moons - A Timeline for What is to Come

The Lord works in patterns, he holds to timelines, he is not random - from the foundations of creation his orderliness is observable.  From the precision math demonstrated in the perfect tilt of the earth, the perfect distance from the sun, the perfect size and orbit of the moon to the subatomic structures of all atoms - we see his hand.  He also does not operate in secret, a retrospective study of Scripture reveals that he has always told us what is to come, always.  There are types and shadows and prophetic warnings throughout Scripture that only a backward glance reveals their truth.  Since he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow - it should come as no surprise that he has laid out for us the pattern and timing of his coming.

My long term readers will be familiar with my work on this subject, from the The Harbinger Continues, to the Blood Moons, to the Rosh Hashannah Rapture, to the Days of Awe, to the Convergence of Signs - I invite you to read and study those works for it will give you a foundation to understand the timeline of events that could manifest in our lifetimes.  Many of the items I am listing below completely fleshed out, sited, and backed up with Scriptures in the previous works.

The Prophet Daniel writes that 70 weeks are set aside for Israel.  All but one are fulfilled, one remains.  The last 7 years, the time of Jacob's trouble, the 70th week, the Tribulation - this event is foretold and set aside for the judgement of the nations and for the restoration of Israel.  The great and terrible time of the Lord and woe to the inhabitants of the Earth.  The 69th week ended when Messiah was cut off, the exact moment and hour that that occurred is obscured from history. - debate continues on exactly when that date occurred.

Careful study of the facts and dates indicate that Jesus was crucified somewhere between 27AD to 33AD.  The prophetic clock stopped - the time of Israel paused and the church age began.  What date would that have been?  Was it the moment that the Lord died and the temple curtain was torn?  How about when he was raised?  Could be when he Ascended to Heaven or even Pentecost?  Any time in that 40 days could be THE date when the clock stopped, I can not say for certain but I CAN tell you without a doubt that sometime in the future, on that day, the Jews will sign a peace treaty with Anti-Christ and the clock will start again.

Satan is Prince of the Power of the Air

What Does it Mean that Satan is Prince of the Power of the Air  (Ephesians 2:2)?"

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1–2). In this text the apostle Paul describes Satan first as a “prince” with power, because he has authentic power in the world (1 John 5:19). This power has been given him by God (Luke 4:6). Satan has power over some illnesses (Luke 13:16; see also 2 Corinthians 12:7—it’s unknown if Paul’s “thorn” was an illness or something else). In some sense, Satan has power over death (Hebrews 2:14). The reason Satan is called a prince rather than a king is because there is only one King—Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:15).

Satan also has power over some people. The “sons of disobedience” referred to in Ephesians 2:2 are those who have not trusted Christ as Lord and Savior (cf. Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 13:12). The demons are also under the rule of Satan (Matthew 12:24), and one of his titles is “prince of demons” (Matthew 9:34). Satan has a kingdom (Matthew 12:26) and a throne (Revelation 2:13). Satan is called a prince because he is a ruler and possesses power to manifest evil in the world through influencing people and commanding demons.

“The air” in Ephesians 2:2 may refer to the invisible realm above the earth where Satan and his demons move and exist. This space, of course, is the location of the earth’s atmosphere or “air.” In Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This evil realm called the “air” could be an actual locality, but it could also be synonymous with the “world” of John 12:31. This whole world is Satan’s domain (Matthew 4:8–9).

Although Satan has power and authority in the current world system in which we exist, his power is limited, always under the sovereign control of God (Job 1:12), and it is temporary (Romans 16:20). God has not revealed all of the why’s and when’s concerning Satan’s rule, but He has made it clear that there is only one way to escape the power of Satan’s dominion, and that is through His Son, Jesus (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13–14). It is Jesus who, speaking of the impending cross, declared victory: “Now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31).

(from GotQuestions.org, CEO Michael Houdmann)

Prayer is not a Monologue

The other day, I was driving and praying... but was I really?  Out of nowhere, the Lord interrupted me with an answer.  I was shocked.  My prayer time that day was a monologue; a one sided conversation where I did all the talking.   Why was I startled when the Lord answered?

I couldn't get this out of my mind, I kept reflecting back on it and realized that perhaps there is a bigger picture to paint.  As the body of Christ, why do we give each other "the look" when someone says, "Well, I was praying and the Lord spoke to me....".  Why do we hesitate to share with one another when the Lord speaks to us?  When did we accept that prayer is a monologue?

Is it because, somewhere along the line, we stopped expecting to hear from God?  Perhaps it is because He just stopped saying "No" to a certain prayer we keep praying hoping He will change His mind?  Maybe it happened when we were little and some unthinking adult squashed the expectation we had that God would answer?  Or possibly, in our hearts, we are not quite sure He is there so we would be closed to any answer He might give?

Whatever the reason, each believer needs to ponder this.  What's your prayer life like anyway?  Are you a baby praying the same way you prayed as a 5 year old?  Does your mind wander to the grocery list, the errands, and what to cook for supper?  Has it become a duty and an obligation on your daily checklist?  Or are you just so far away from the Lord you don't even talk anymore?  It's time to get serious about this; it's time to pray.

We have but one offensive weapon in this war we are in, "The Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."  We don't wield it effectively or often enough.  I beseech you faithful readers, find a group of people to pray with corporately.  Change your dead routine, step in faith, go deeper, and expect God to answer.  After all, He would like to get a word in edgewise.