LESSON 13 - THE LATTER RAIN - II

INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK OUR STUDY IS THE LATTER RAIN. IN A SENSE, OUR LESSONS EACH WEEK HAVE BEEN BUILDING UP TO THIS TOPIC, SO LETS DIVE IN!

I. TIMING OF THE LATTER RAIN

A. LETS TAKE A VOTE: WHEN IS THE LATTER RAIN OF THE HS?

1. WAS IT IN THE PAST?

2. IS IT PRESENT?

3. IS IT IN THE FUTURE? (OUR LESSON CLEARLY SAYS THE FUTURE! (MON))

B. LETS LOOK AT A FEW TEXTS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DISCOVER. TURN WITH ME TO ACTS CHAPT 2:1-6. READ

1. THIS IS THE DAY OF PENTECOST.

2. VERSE 5 SAYS THAT THE PEOPLE ARE BEWILDERED. WHY? (BECAUSE EACH ONE HEARD IN HIS OWN TONGUE. v.6)

C. SO WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, AND THEY ARE ASKING QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT IS GOING ON?

2. HOW CAN THIS BE?

3. FROM YOUR STUDY OF PENTECOST IN THE PAST, WHAT IS ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR ANSWERS AS TO HOW THIS COULD BE HAPPENING? (THEY HAVE BEEN DRINKING! v. 13)

D. PETER JUMPS UP WITH HIS EXPLANATION FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING. LETS READ ON. ACTS 2:14-20.

1. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND PETER TO BE SAYING? (THIS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY -- PARTICULARLY JOEL 2)

E. JOEL 2 IS ONE OF THE MAJOR TEXTS IN OUR LESSON THIS WEEK. LETS TURN TO IT AND READ v. 28-31.

1. ISN'T THIS EXACTLY WHAT PETER QUOTED?

F. OUR LESSON (TUES) CALLS THE JOEL 2 PROPHECY THE LATTER RAIN.

1. WAS PENTECOST THE LATTER RAIN?

G. THEN WHO IS RIGHT? THE LESSON OR PETER?

H. ALL THIS QUARTER I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS. THE LESSON KEEPS REFERRING TO THE LATTER RAIN, BUT GIVES NO EXPLANATION FOR WHY PETER IS BUSY REFERRING TO PENTECOST AS THE LATTER RAIN.

1. DOES ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTED EXPLANATION FOR THIS?

2. SHALL WE SIMPLY WRITE TO THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AND SEE IF THEY WILL ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS QUARTER'S LESSONS?

II. WAS PETER RIGHT?

A. LOOK WITH ME AGAIN AT JOEL 2:28-31. HELP ME LIST ALL THE THINGS THAT WILL CHARACTERIZE THIS LATTER RAIN:

1. POUR OUT SPIRIT ON ALL PEOPLE

2. SONS PROPHESY

3. DAUGHTERS PROPHESY

4. OLD MEN DREAM DREAMS

5. YOUNG MEN SEE VISIONS

6. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN HAVE HS (SEE#1)

7. WONDERS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH:

a. BLOOD

b. FIRE

c. SMOKE

d. SUN DARK

e. MOON BLOOD

B. LOOK AT OUR LIST. NOW LET ME ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THE UNTHINKABLE: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT PETER WAS WRONG?

1. DID THIS HAPPEN AT PENTECOST, OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER?

2. WASN'T IT MOSTLY THE APOSTLES THAT WERE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?

3. NONE OF THESE SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS AND EARTH HAPPENED, DID THEY?

C. IS THERE ANY OTHER EXPLANATION OTHER THAN PETER WAS WRONG? (YES!:

1. EXPLANATION #1: THAT PENTECOST WAS MERELY AN ILLUS TRATI ON OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE LAST DAYS. PETER IS SAYING, "THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WILL HAPPE N IN THE LAST DAYS. "

a. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS EXPLANATION?

2. EXPLANATION #2: PETER WAS RIGHT, BUT THE TOTAL FULFILLMENT OF JOEL'S PROPHECY WAS DEPENDED UPON THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE AUDIENCE RESPONDED. IF A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF ISRAEL REPENTED, THE END-TIME EVENTS DESCRIBED BY JOEL WOULD HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED AND THE LORD WOULD COME.

D. TURN WITH ME TO MATT 24. READ v.3. JESUS DISCIPLES ASK HIM ABOUT THE SIGNS AND THE TIMING OF THE END OF THE WORLD.

1. SO IN VERSES 4-33 HE TELLS THEM. NOW READ v.34-35.

2. IF YOU WERE THERE, WOULD YOU THINK THAT JESUS WAS COMING BACK DURING YOUR LIFETIME?

3. SOMEBODY READ 1 THESS 4:13-18. WHAT DID PAUL BELIEVE ABOUT THE 2ND COMING? DID HE THINK IT WAS COMING WITHIN HIS LIFETIME?

E. LETS HEAR THE EXPLANATIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR THIS.

1. WHY DID JESUS TELL THE DISCIPLES THAT HE WAS COMING BACK AGAIN IN THEIR LIFETIME.

2. WHY DID THEY BELIEVE THAT? (BECAUSE: IT WAS TRUE. JESUS COULD HAVE COME BACK THEN. PENTECOST COULD HAVE BEEN THE FULFILLMENT OF JOEL 2. IF A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF ISRAEL HAD REPENTED, THE LORD WOULD HAVE COME.)

F. IF THAT IS TRUE, THEN HOW DO WE ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT IS THE CAPTION FOR MONDAY'S LESSON? "WHEN WILL WE RECEIVE THE LATTER RAIN?" (WHEN WE ARE READY. WHEN WE PUT SIN AWAY. SEE SUNDAY'S LESSON)

G. (THE REAL POINT TO MAKE TO THE CLASS IS THAT ALL THIS DEPENDS UPON YOU TO A MUCH GREATER EXTENT THAN YOU THINK.THIS MAKES SUNDAYS LESSON ABOUT HAVING OUR ACT IN ORDER SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT.)

III. WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN WE'RE READY (SKIP THIS UNLESS NEED TIME)

A. TURN WITH ME TO REV 18. THE THREE ANGELS MESSAGES OF REV 14:7-11 ARE LINKED TO THE ANGEL THAT WE SEE IN REV 18. THE REV 18 ANGEL HAS THE SAME MESSAGE AS THE 2ND ANGEL OF REV 14.

1. READ REV 18:1-5.

2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN V. 1 THAT "THE EARTH IS LUMINATED BY HIS SPLENDOR?" (THIS IS US, SHARING HIS MESSAGE WITH THE WORLD UNDER THE OUTPOURING OF THE LATTER RAIN OF THE HS)

3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN v.4 "COME OUT OF HER [BABYLON] MY PEOPLE?" (IT MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE A GREAT GATHERING OF PEOPLE OUT GROUPS THAT ARE UNFAITHFUL TO GOD. A GREAT RELIGIOUS AWAKENING!)

IV. NEXT WEEK: WITNESSING BY THE SPIRIT.