The significance of revival! Does the Bible talk about an end time revival? What Does it take for a revival?

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. Zechaierah 10:1.

What’s Latter Rain? What its significance to the Church?

A quick contest of the above reference- The author hear speaks about the agriculture activity at Israel. The First rains fell from October to the end of December, just before planting season. These rains softened the ground. And the last rains fell from March through April, just prior to harvest. Those rains ripened the harvest. Through these words we drive the more / inner spiritual meaning – The Lord tells – “ ASK ” to Lord – it talks more of the desperate cry that the Lord is looking forward from the people! And this is the season for it – ask during this time of later rain, even as we go through this end time –the word of God assures of that fact – Joel 2:28-32, (28- "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.).

Jesus use a similar phrase “..how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ASK him!" Luke 11:13. Off late my strong prayer and word I keep sharing are being “ soaked in the holy spirit” Paul mentions in Ephesians 5:18-20 “18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As go deeper in his presence- we find a great joy doing his will, his desires being over!

There are 2 important point/ outcome that we must note ( Personal and to others )

First- Is the personal, infilling experience a person would go through- as John the Baptist referred it as baptism in fire and the holy spirit. We see the phrase be used in the book of Act second chapter, post the outpouring of the holy spirit on the day Pentecost- Peter stood up and spoke to the crowd of people who came running see this experience… Even Jesus mentioned to disciples before he ascended to heaven – stay in Jerusalem and receive the power of the holy spirit and then be my witness. So the question now pops up – Is just a kind of super natural experience and the story get over with it? NO! As any tree is been recognized by its fruit- so is the person who has got the real – transformation experience

I would like to quote the below reference - Ezekiel 36:25-27 "25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

In this passage we see about some radical change God tells – he is bringing on the people, starting with cleansing them and then he moves on to tell – I will remove the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh! What’s with a person have a heart as stone – Its num/cant respond feel /hear – it like you pouring water on a stone, it would just float down! Many a time- even while people keeping hearing the word of God-they just don’t understand, as paul mentioned in epistles- it’s the ruler of this age who has darkened their eyes from seeing God. If you are going through that period of life –where you hardly feel a relationship with God or there could be certain areas out in your life, where you have shown a deaf ear to the voice of the lord – a numbness has been developing in your life. I remember/ could connect with the story of King David – who even after committing sin- went ahead with regular life. Probably offering sacrifice/ other rituals – but then he comes to the presence of the Lord and tell “ Lord create in me a clean heart Lord and renew the spirit within me”. The words in ezheil – it goes to tell – not only God would change the heat, he would also pour his spirit upon the people and then God gives the most the most wonderful promise that he will write his laws in our hearts- till then people looked from afar and was burden seeing the great number of laws nowhere there is the change where he tell he is going to come in our heart and lead us to the path he wants.

John 16:13-14 – Jesus tells “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

The second outcome of the infilling experience– The later rain is not just poured to make the leafs wet, it is the preparation for a harvest! The Lord is sending this wave to prepare his people, the church for a great time of harvest that is going to come – the end time revival- a promise God has spoken in the words and through his servants – a strong wave of the spirit to come across the lands, which I believe/convicted would be greater than the 1stand 19th century revival and this time it would not be a concentrated around an individual but rather God is been raising upon a generation/ his people in different place – The church of God returning back to the authority God has placed- the stronghold/ the dark power that been ruling over the people would be broken, as we read the promise in Joel – Yes signs and wonders to be performed – young people seeing vision.. This was just the way the new testament church was built for! I recollect the statement Elijah telling to Ahab get ready – a great rain is going to come back to the land after all these years of wilderness.

The below words showcase the authority/ the mission God has placed on his people

Isaiah 61:1,4 – “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captive and release from darkness for the prisoners. 4 - They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

In Ezekiel 37 – we read on how the Lord raised a great army from the dead dry bones – when the spirit of the Lord moves over it!

The Third outcome is a Baptism of Anguish!

During the season of later rain – we would start seeing God bringing a thirst for God among people across the land – this would not be a result of some hype / musical concert but a wave of repentance and burden would be laid on the people by the spirit himself !

(Please meditate through the below words)

Zechariah 6:15 Those who is far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.”

Zechariah 8:20 "Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lordand seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him." 23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'"

I am sure these Passage where exciting to read – But what would cause this move of God ?

Joel 2:12-17 – The below words speaks for itself ( I request – to please ponder through these words).

12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 17 Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord...”

We see hear God asking the entire congregation to sanctify themselves and come to the Lord with a great sense of desperation. I would also want to highlight that the words/promise of Revival God speaks only after this above words. A preparation and deep desperate cry from the church is very much need for the later promise to fulfill.

Joel 3:9-10,13 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. 13 Swing the sickle,for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes for the winepress is full and the vats overflow—so great is their wickedness!”

These words sound to me like the Lords Final call – As Moses shouted out in the Mount of Horeb – Who is on the Lord's side, let him come to this side! God hear tell the people repurpose the instrument that they had plowshares and pruning hooks to be changed as swords and spears – All for one reason harvest is Ripe!

On a closing note, I would also want to remind God hate fake – fire, In Number:3,4 – we see Gods wrath falling on Nadab and Abihu as they offered to the Lord a “strange fire”. We are leaving in a generation where there a lot of hype going around .. Amos 5:3 “Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.” A lot of so-called “ Worship Leaders” playing various tactics to make people sing / calp / raise hands –might be people would raise hands/tears may come – but these are just emotional appeal – it just for these reason people go back home without turning away from sins. Paul keep mentioning across his epistles that he never spoke to them/church with human wisdom or skillful words but spoke in the power of the holy spirit. Paul warns about a set of people “having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. ”-2 Timothy 3:5. We have come to a time where we see a lot of people falling in this zone.

May we pray – Lord I humble myself and desperately seek for your divine touch over my life, change the numbness in my life, let my ears be tuned to hear your voice – let me be soaked in your presence. Lord please forth your wave of revival in my church, in the community I am in …lord its your promise that you would send the latter rain- may we see your glory and power moving in our land- lord not for us, but for your glory alone. I ask you in Jesus name ! Amen