THE LATTER RAIN
THE LATTER RAIN
May 24 2018, the Year of our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Preached at the conference, The Sound of the Abundance of Rain
It has been seventy years since the beginning of the Latter Rain Revival which began in the spring of 1948. It has been seventy years since Israel was declared a nation. It has been seventy years since Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea was established as a communist country.
Seventy is the number of perfect spiritual order; fullness of accomplishment; release from Babylon; set for increase and a generation.
I came into the river of the Latter Rain as one born out of due time. I was a Methodist until I was 43 years old; although I had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at the age of 33; at that same time I received the Jeremiah call. I knew nothing about Pentecost or the Pentecostal movements. I read the Bible and received the Holy Sprit through Faith in the word. I was seeking the Holy Spirit in my home. The Lord sent a lady to my home to lay hands on me. It was during the time of the Charismatic Renewal when the Holy Spirit was sweeping the earth.
The LORD JESUS CHRIST separated me through a breaking at the age of 43. I spent two years in a Charismatic Church whose leaders came out of the Assembly of God. They believed the doctrine “if there was trouble in your life, it was due to sin.” I had trouble in my life. At that time, I began to “see in the Spirit.” I was having visions and visitations. I was seeing demons, their nature, character and assignment. The prophetic gifts were coming stronger with Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, foretelling, etc.
I didn’t know what to do about the visions. The LORD was revealing the trouble in my family through dreams and visions.
I knew the Holy Bible. I knew Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit; but I didn’t know anything about the Pentecostal culture.
I went to the pastor of the Charismatic Church. I thought He was a man-of God who knew all of these things about the Spirit. Actually he did not believe Christians could have demons. It was too late. I had already seen demons on Christians. The pastor I went to for help attacked me. Three times I went to him thinking surely he would understand what I was saying. I saw the demon in him. He carried a large club. The first time I went to see him, he hit me across the shoulders with the club; the second time, across my stomach; the third time behind my knees. I saw all of this in the Spirit. It was this big, angry, religious demon in him who was beating on me. The third time he hit me with the club I collapsed.
I collapsed for four years. I went into shock not only because of the trouble in my life, but due to the rejection of the church as well as my family. I spent those four years sitting before the LORD. Yes, I dressed, drove the car, bought groceries, etc. My husband traveled in his job; and my twelve year old daughter took care of me. She would lead me by the hand and tell me, “Momma it is time to wash clothes.”
This message is not to go into the details of my life from 45-49; but when I came out of that season, I came out preaching the visions the LORD gave me during that season. I came out preaching the Word of God and I have never stopped. The call came to start a church in 1989. I was 49 years old. I was still clueless about the politics, doctrines, and divisions within the Pentecostal community. I preached straight from the Bible by vision what the LORD was showing me.
I still knew nothing about a move of God, known as The Latter Rain. I was invited to preach at a little church in a gas station near Greenwell Springs, La. The minister (I don’t know his name) had been fasting and praying. While I was preaching, a tangible presence of spiritual rain began to fall. Everyone in there knew it was the tangible presence of the rain of the Holy Spirit. Everyone there came to the altar to get saved. As naïve as I was, I just assumed that awesome rain would always be present. I haven’t felt it since that day. After I finished the meeting, I bid my farewells and left. If I know what I know now, I would have stayed there all night under that rain.
During those days of awesome visitation in my life, I was regularly experiencing the Glory of God through open eye vision. I was raptured to Heaven at least five times. I had a visitation of the tangible presence of the Wind of God; I was given a vision of New Jerusalem. Two other times Jesus Christ visited me in glorious light; keys fell out of the Spirit on my bed. I heard and felt them fall. I even reached for them.
At 50 (1990), I had an incredible Jubilee of restoration of all things Satan had tried to steal from me.
I took a trip to Israel in the spring of 1997. I preached there at a conference. There was a couple there from Texas, Barney and Joann Fuller. They knew all about the Latter Rain and they knew I was preaching from the realm of what I now know to be the Third Heaven. They asked me if I had ever read, George Hawtin, Bill Britton, George Warnock, Kelly Varner, or Clayt E. Sonmore. “No, I never heard of them!”
I ordered George Warnock’s books. Shortly after that time, we were transferred to Houston. I began to read Kelly Varner and Bill Britton. I had found some people who were preaching what the LORD was showing me by vision.
The LORD started the church in Houston. No matter where I preach in the Bible, I am preaching the Kingdom of God, the Glory of God, the Feast of Tabernacles, Joel’s Army, The Joseph Company, The Man Child Company, The Sons of God, The Overcoming Church, Beyond Pentecost, Beyond the Bride, etc.
I count it all joy!
“The Cross and Pentecost were but the dawning of the great Day of the Church. That Day has already extended over 2000 years. The sun rises higher and higher and higher in the heavens of God’s eternal purpose.
Through the disobedience of the reapers, the sun was darkened, and the moon (even the Church) did not give her light. During the dark ages, did the Sun of Righteousness set in the heavens? Was the church swallowed up in defeat? No! It was not the setting of the Sun, but it was a great eclipse that caused the darkness, even the eclipse of the Dark Ages.
First there was the eclipse of the moon, the Church. In her circuit about the heavens, she was caught in the shadow of the earth, and the corruption of the earth transformed her beautiful glow into blood and sorrow. A few Godly saints were left. For God has always had His remnant. They must have thought the sun had set forever upon the once---glorious Church! But no! It was just an eclipse, and in due course---according to Divine pattern, the moon began once again to take on her celestial glory, and the Sun began to shine brilliantly in the heavens of the Church Age. The Reformation had started. Light began to dawn upon the darkened understanding of men, and truth began to be restored to the Church.
The Reformation has not ended by any means. Indeed, in 2018, the church again seems to have gone into partial eclipse. But rays of promise are again breaking forth from the heavens. The darkness is passing away, and the true light now shines. (1 Jn. 2:8)”
God always brings light out of darkness, life out of death, joy out of sorrow, strength out of weakness, and fruition out of barrenness. The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing… (Isa. 35: 1-2).
For the past seventy years, the LORD continues to bless a remnant with His “latter rain”. We are thirsting for the living streams from heaven.
My whole purpose for choosing the obscure and humble structure of the Little White Church in Houston was to sort out the “crowd” who were “following the crowd”. I wanted to join with the remnant, who were seeking after the Lord with their whole heart. There were times I would think the “crowd mentality” that measures success by numbers, names, and nickels wore me down. Yet the fire in my eyes and the fire I saw in the eyes of Jesus continue to drive me onward, ever pressing in for more.
There is an appointed hour when God will bestow His latter rain and bring in the Harvest of the earth. James says, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” The coming of the latter rain is the coming of the Lord into the midst of His people. That is exactly what the prophet Hosea declared: then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hos. 6:3).
The time is at hand when we may with all confidence expect the latter rain, for this is the last day, and God’s triumphant Church must be a glorious Church. However, it is not only the latter rain for which we are looking, but the latter and former rain!
“God promised that His people should have the seed rain and the harvest rain, both in due season as they walk in His ways; the first rain and the latter rain that you may gather in your corn, wine, and oil. This is what James was referring to, and it is what Joel prophesied about.”
Be glad, you children of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has 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. The floors shall be full of wheat. The vats shall overflow with wine and oil. (Joel 2:23).
Of course, this passage (Joel 2:23-32) had a partial fulfillment at Pentecost. Peter declared: This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel… Pentecost, however, is a harvest of First-fruits. The fullness of the harvest is the Feast of Ingathering in the seventh month when the wine and oil were gathered in. Be glad then you children, and rejoice in the Lord, you’re God; for he has given you the former rain moderately… Dispensationaly this was Pentecost, when God first poured out His Spirit in showers of the former rain. Joel 23-32 has continually been fulfilled for those who live in the Spirit in a remnant.
He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain, in the first month The period from October to April was the rainy season. Then followed the long summer months when no rains were to be expected. The October and early November rains were called the former or the seed rains---the rains which prepared the ground for the seed; then the rainy season ended with the latter rains of April, or the harvest rains—that which caused the grain to ripen; preparatory for the harvest.
Joel’s prophecy, therefore, speaks of Pentecost---but it goes on to embrace Beyond Pentecost, even the Feast of Tabernacles.
Are we the church as blind as the world? Can we not see what God has promised His people in this great hour? Not only the fullness of a great and glorious harvest, as in Pentecost. Not only the wonderful harvest of Tabernacles, the Feast of Ingathering. But all the glory and power of the early Church combined with all the glory and power which rightfully belongs to the triumphant Church of the last days! All her former glory combined with all her latter glory! Truly we cannot begin to imagine the great and tremendous things which God has prepared for them that love Him!
And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall over flow with wine and oil; literally “new wine and oil”. “Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. God (Theos) bestows His gifts freely by His grace upon whosoever He will, but the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are not evidence of spiritual attainment. Fruit must grow. God has never intended that the Body of Christ should ever bring forth fruit except through a continual Divine growth in the Spirit of God (Theos/Trinity).
The Ascension gifts are given by Jesus Christ by visitation for the purpose of adding growth to God’s Garden that we “may grow up into Him”. God will not come to us looking for gifts, but for fruits of the Spirit. He gave us His gifts freely by His grace. All we had to do was to receive them and use them to edify and build up His Church. What God wants now is fruit. That is something which must grow in us by our patient and continual walk with God and the operations of His Spirit.
Until now the Husbandman has come into His garden, pruning, cultivating, and watering. But surely the harvest time is approaching, and soon He shall visit His garden for one purpose and for one purpose only; seeking for fruit, and trust that His tender care over the vine has produced genuine fruit of the Spirit.
Let us never forget that the fruits of the Spirit, not the gifts of the Spirit, constitute the real test of spiritual life. It is the fruit that is the embodiment and expression of Christ-likeness within the heart and soul.
Paul exhorted, Follow after love, and desire spiritual gifts.
Oh what a grand and glorious day awaits the Church in the Feast of Ingathering! The Day of the fruit of the Spirit!
Our chief difficulty seems to be a limited and finite understanding of the greatness, vastness, height, depth and width of God’s Truth. In finding God, one must be prepared to go ever onward and upward into the vast expanses of the Spirit of God (Theos/Trinity). God is infinite. There is no limit to the experience which we may have in union with Him by the Holy Spirit.
There were three events which comprise the Feast of Passover. All three blended harmoniously together to form that first great Feast of the Church. These are Passover, Unleavened Bread, and the Sheaf of First-fruits: distinct events, yet blending together to form one Feast ---beautiful type of the death and resurrection of Christ, and the new life which His death made possible.
So now in the last Feast, the events are of a threefold nature; The Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Ingathering. Again these three events blend together to form one great Feast, the last great revival of the Church age.
This move of the Spirit of God (Theos) must rise and rise and rise (through much sifting, testing and trial), even unto the fullness of the revealed Christ in Sons of God.
“As the day of glory and of triumph begins to dawn upon the eastern horizon, we may expect to receive a foretaste of that glory as the first rays break forth upon the church. But we dare not, we must not, settle for anything that God has yet given to any people in any age or dispensation.
We must go forward to explore the infinite realms of the Spirit of God…We must pass out of the realm of the natural, and into the realm of the spiritual... we must progress from the “length and breadth”… and begin to comprehend somewhat of the “height and depth” of spiritual things. The “running to and fro” must give way to the “ascending and descending” experience on Jacob’s ladder. We must pass from a knowledge of the understandable…to a knowledge of the inconceivable. We must rise from the visible to behold the invisible. We must hear the inaudible…grasp the intangible…explore the unsearchable…and declare the unspeakable.”
God has set eternity in our hearts. We will not rest---nor will we give Him rest, until He establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Church/The Bride of Christ must yet bring forth a child that shall rule all nations with a rod of iron. For it is given unto the overcomer to rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter, shall they be broken to shivers. (Rev. 2:27).
I had a vision of the birth of the man-child in 1989. That was 29-years ago. Thirty is the number of maturity. Lord let it be. The Lord spoke to me last year that something momentous will happen when I am 79. The man-child within me will be 30 years old. Perhaps the present move of the Sons-of-God (Man child company) is coming to maturity.
We can expect that with the travail of the saints to bring forth this son, there shall also be the travail of a dying priesthood to bring forth something to perpetuate and sustain the old order. But it shall not prosper. The Aaronic priesthood---glorious as it was in its day, must give way to a new priesthood, the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom.
May 24, 2018 @ River of Life Conference
The Sound of the Abundance of Rain.
Scripture from K.J.V. – I entered into the labors of George H. Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.