HopeLives365

Mark Finley: Prayer, Bible study, and witness lead us to have the self-sacrificing ministry of Christ at our hearts.

Guest (Male): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today’s message: The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Latter Rain Power, Part 2. Enjoy, and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Now, the true genuine spirit of the revival, kindled by the Holy Spirit, originates with God that’s from above. The false revival originates with the evil one and is from beneath. So, the Bible talks about two great workings in the last days. One, the working of God through the latter rain. Two, the working of Satan through false revival.

False revival has always often taken place. You remember the story of Nadab and Abihu. They wanted the fire. They wanted the fire of the spirit. What did they do? They disobeyed God contrary to the will of God. Leviticus 10:1 says, "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it." What was wrong with that? They were not commissioned to do that. They were disobeying God and put incense on it. Now, this is in the temple of God and offered profane fire. So, this is the false fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.

So, fire came, just like in Revelation. What does it say? Remember in Revelation, it says fire came down from God out of heaven, and that was the false fire in Revelation chapter 13, false revival. Well, what happens in this case? Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. They had fire, but was that the genuine fire? Do you want the fire of Nadab and Abihu, the fire of false revival? We want the genuine fire of the Holy Spirit living within us.

Well, for every genuine, there’s a counterfeit. How many counterfeit $23 bills have you seen? How many counterfeit $16 bills? How many of you ever have a counterfeit 16 in your wallet? Counterfeit 23. You say, why are there no counterfeit 16s or 23s? There is no genuine. And so, the Lord has genuine truth, but the devil counterfeits that. So, here is what the devil wants to do.

In an age where genuine, authentic spirituality is often not found, and at a time of natural disasters, of tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and floods, at a time when the economy is going to tank, at a time of the threat of nuclear war, the devil wants to come with a false revival with the express purpose of that false fire unifying people to get them to conglomerate or unite church and state with a false revival to oppress the people of God.

Now, Satan is conditioning the minds of millions to receive a counterfeit religious experience and be deceived by an emotional form of religion. Let’s look at the counterfeit for a few moments and see Satan’s strategy. Satan’s going to pour out his counterfeit spirit of signs, wonders, and miracles to deceive with a false religious excitement. So, if you want signs and wonders and miracles and a false religious excitement, the devil will give that to you.

Unless you’ve conditioned your mind to study God’s word, unless you’ve conditioned your mind to be saturated with God’s word, the devil will sweep you off your feet with a false revival. Look at it. Matthew 24:24. Let’s read it together. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show what kind of signs? Great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Who are the elect?

Guest (Male): Us.

Mark Finley: The people of God, God’s church. But here, these false religious leaders show what kind of signs? Are they minor signs? They’re great signs and wonders. Will some of them work miracles? And will these miracles apparently be genuine miracles? But are they really false miracles? Notice what Revelation says in Revelation 13:13 and 14. "He performs great signs," King James Version says "miracles," "so that even he makes fire come down from heaven."

Now, what does fire represent in the Bible? It represents the glory of God’s presence. But this is not the glory of God’s presence in true revival. This is the satanic presence or power in false revival. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those miracles or signs that he was granted to do in the sight of the beast. So, the agency that Satan uses to deceive many in the false revival in earth’s final hour is miracles. So, do you see what’s going to happen?

To a generation that wants instant. I put my baked potato in the microwave and it takes three minutes, and I stand there saying, "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up." People today are in a rush, in a hurry. They want to digitize and change the channels on the TV, and they’re pushing this channel, that channel. Or their minds are saturated with the internet and everything quick. "I got to get my news quick. I got to text quick."

And so, here the mind is conditioned to do everything fast, everything rapid today. You can’t have a rapid spiritual experience. An experience with God takes time. It takes time in prayer. It takes time in Bible study. So, to a generation that wants everything rapid, everything quick, the devil says, "You want to get healed? Don’t worry about quitting smoking. Don’t worry about getting on a good diet. I’ll heal you instantly."

"Do you want to see miracles?" The devil says, "I’ll show them to you." So, to a generation whose mind is conditioned through mass media for superficiality and not spiritual depth, the devil palms off false miracles to deceive. Notice Revelation 16:14. What leads to the Battle of Armageddon? "For they are the spirits of demons," the spirits of who, everybody? "Demons, performing signs," King James says "miracles," "where do they go? To the kings of the earth and to the whole world to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty."

So, let’s try to summarize the scenario. In the last days of earth’s history, there is famine, fire, flood, natural disasters. There is also war and strife, also riots in the streets. And at this same time, Satan performs miracles for a counterfeit spiritual revival. The masses of people—now, remember what we read this morning in *Great Controversy*. The legislators yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance.

So, it’s not some dictator that rises to the throne. It’s rather in a time of calamity, natural, political, economic disasters, that the devil works on the masses for a false religious revival, and they go to the kings of the earth or to the political leaders. A common day of worship at a time of crisis is passed, and those who don’t go along are considered to be outcasts. And this statement we need to study very carefully.

Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth—now, what’s that? What are the final visitations of God’s judgments on the earth? What are those called? The seven last plagues. So, before the seven last plagues, there’ll be among the people of the Lord a revival of primitive godliness. I praise God for that, don’t you? I want to be part of that revival, don’t you?

As has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children. What do we call that when the spirit and power of God is poured out on His children? We call that the latter rain. The enemy of souls—who is this? Satan. Desires to hinder this work. What work? What does Satan want to hinder? The latter rain.

So, what does he do? Before the time for such a movement will come—before the time of what kind of a movement? The latter rain. Because when the latter rain is poured out, God’s people will go to the ends of the earth to witness for Christ, and when the gospel is spread, Jesus will come. Satan wants to hinder that, so before the time for such a movement will come, he’ll endeavor to hinder it to prevent it by introducing a what? Counterfeit.

So, does the counterfeit revival come before or after the genuine revival? Before. Why does it come before? So that the devil will take as many people into his snare. So, what should you and I expect before the coming of Jesus? We should expect in the Protestant world a false spiritual revival. We should expect mega churches to be packed. We should expect, and should Seventh-day Adventists go aping after those mega churches and say, "Look what they have. Let’s follow it." Should they?

Should Seventh-day Adventists be interested in these multiple miracles that are indeed taking place? Now, will the counterfeit revivals only come in non-Adventist churches? Or will we see some counterfeit revivals among Adventist churches? How can we tell the difference? Well, we’re going to show that. In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power, he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out.

Will they think it’s God’s blessing? Sure. Will many people go flocking there? Will you go flocking there? In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power, he will make it appear God’s special blessing is poured out. There’ll be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. "Look what’s happening over there. I’m in a little Adventist church, and look what’s happening over there. Hundreds of people are coming, thousands. Maybe I should go over there and learn of those methods." What do you think?

Notice what it says. "In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power, he will make it appear God’s special blessing is poured out. There’ll be manifest what’s thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exalt that God is working miraculously for them." How many will exalt that? Multitudes. "When the work is that of another spirit under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world." *Great Controversy* 464. That reference is one worth filling our minds with.

Will there come a genuine latter rain? Will God, in the genuine latter rain, pour out His spirit? Will He work miracles? He will. But will there also be false miracles? There indeed will. So, here’s what that statement says. One: God’s planning to send a mighty revival to His church at end time. Two: His spirit will be poured out powerfully. Three: the enemy Satan desires to hinder the latter rain, and before that, he’s going to introduce a counterfeit revival.

Four: under a religious guise, Satan will deceive the whole world. At a time of economic disaster, at a time of natural, political disasters, at a time of war and conflict, Satan’s going to try to bring the world together in a church-state unity. He’s going to lead people to believe that those miracles indeed are from him. Now, notice *Great Controversy* page 588. Let’s read it together from the screen. "Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed."

Did we read this in the Bible? Do we read it again through the *Great Controversy*, the divinely inspired commentary? Indeed, we do. If God will work genuine miracles and Satan will work counterfeit miracles, how can we tell the difference? So, will God work miracles? Will Satan work miracles? So, we better be able to tell the difference. Matthew 7:21 to 23 helps us.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name?'" Did they prophesy in His name? Yeah. "Cast out demons in Your name." Did they cast out the demons in Jesus’ name? Yes. "Done many wonders in Your name." "Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you.'" He never what? What does it say here? He never what?

How many of you believe the Bible? Well, that’s a few of you. How many believe the Bible? Okay, he says, praise God, "I never knew you." He never knew them when they were prophesying in His name. Is that what the text says? He never knew them when they were casting out demons in His name. He never knew them when they were declaring that they could do wonders in His name. "He never knew them. Depart from Me, you that work—you practice lawlessness."

So, to them, miracles were more important than to know truth and obey truth. So, here is the key. When there’s an emphasis on signs, wonders, and miracles rather than knowing truth and following truth and obeying truth, beware. Beware. For them, emotionalism was more important than obedience to God. And so, when external trappings of religion are substituted for a heart knowledge of God that is life-transformational, beware.

Beware of any so-called religious revival which is more interested in feeling good than in being good. Don’t miss that. Beware of any so-called religious revival which is more interested in feeling good than in being good. Genuine religious revival leads you to your knees for repentance of sin, for transformation of character. It is not based on feeling.

Some say, "Oh, I went to this revival meeting, and the songs, oh, I just felt so good, and it was like an emotional shock coming up and down my spine, and you know, I just felt such a warmth in my heart." I praise God when God gives me feelings of closeness to Him. But I also can praise Him when I get on my knees and I don’t have those feelings, and He leads me to sorrow for my sin and repentance.

I praise God because the Christian faith is not devoid of feeling. We are three-dimensional beings. We are physical, we are mental, we are emotional—four-dimensional—and we’re spiritual. So, there are times we’re going to have feelings. We feel close to God, but that does not define our spiritual experience. What defines our spiritual experience is a heart that is committed to do God’s will, a heart that desires to do God’s will.

What defines our experience is on our knees saying, "God, whatever You want me to do, I want to do it." You see, the disciples opened their hearts to God in earnest prayer. They repented of their sins. They confessed their faults. They committed their lives to obeying God. They were passionate about living for Jesus and sharing His love with others. God is leading us once again to our knees. He’s leading us once again to be passionate about sharing His love with others.

He’s leading us to a last-day revival. The Holy Spirit will be poured out soon in Pentecostal power. Just as Satan has a counterfeit revival, God has a what? Genuine revival. Revelation 18:1. Let’s read it together. "After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with His glory." So, the Holy Spirit is genuinely going to be poured out.

The earth is going to be illuminated with the glory of God or the character of Christ. The Holy Spirit’s going to be poured out in the full power. The gospel’s going to spread quickly around the world. Multitudes are going to respond to the preaching of God’s word. Thousands are going to share the words of life with their neighbors and find responsive hearts waiting to receive the truth. I believe that God is getting ready to pour out His spirit in abundant power.

We are seeing false revivals outside and within the church all around us. The latter rain is one of the Bible’s symbols for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days. The terms "early" and "latter rain" were part of the agricultural cycle of Israel. Rain is often a symbol in the Bible of the Holy Spirit. The early rain watered the seed that had been planted and helped it germinate. And the latter rain fell at the end of the agricultural cycle to ripen the grain and bring it to harvest.

In Israel, the grain was often planted in late summer, early fall. I’ve heard some people say, well, the early rain fell in the spring and the latter rain in the fall. It’s not so in Israel. In Israel, you often do planting in the late summer, early fall, and that’s when the early rain fell. And the harvest usually begins in Israel in April, depending on what crop, but March, April, you have your grain. And so, the latter rain would fall at the end of the cycle.

James chapter 5, verses 7 and 8. "Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord." So, Peter—James takes that symbolism of early and latter rain, and he applies it very carefully to the end events. "Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

Right now, we send out our telecasts. Praise God for *It is Written*. Praise God for every Adventist telecast. Praise God for 3ABN, for the Blue Mountain Television, for Hope Channel. We send out the message of God via internet now. We give out literature. How many of you have ever participated as student colporteurs in a Magabook program? Praise God. You are sowing seed. How many of you have ever given a Bible study? You’re sowing seed.

How many of you have ever given out a piece of literature? How many of you ever witness to a friend? Sometimes when you give out that literature, sometimes when you give out a book, sometimes when you witness to others, do you ever say, "What good is all this doing because I don’t see many results from my labors?" When the latter rain is poured out, the seeds that you have sown will come to harvest.

And someday in heaven, men and women and boys and girls are going to walk down streets of gold with tears coming down their face saying, "Thank you for knocking on my door. Thank you for giving me that *Great Controversy*. Thank you for selling me that Magabook, *Desire of Ages*. Thank you for coming to my house and giving out the literature." So, when the latter rain is poured out, the seeds that we have sown.

But in the agricultural cycle of Israel, can the rain germinate any seed we have not sown? The only literature that God can bless is the one you give out, not the one that’s sitting on the back shelf in your church. The only Bible studies God can bless are the ones you give, right? The only sermons God can bless are the ones you preach, brother. You better preach. The only books that God can bless are the ones we give out.

You see, so we may not see immediate results now. But we know that under the latter rain, the seeds that we’ve sown are going to generate an amazing harvest. Joel chapter 2, verse 23. "Be glad then," be what everybody? Glad then, "you children of Zion." How many of you children of Zion? Be glad then, you children of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God. Why? "For He has given you the former rain moderately."

Now, circle the word "moderately" here in your mind. "And He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain." So, the former rain is moderate. Now, historically, the former rain, early rain fell at Pentecost. We have the early rain falling in our personal lives, but historically the early rain fell at Pentecost. What does the Bible say that the early rain was when it fell at Pentecost? It fell—what was that word? Moderately. Moderately.

Pentecost is going to be repeated on a grander, larger scale. How many were baptized in one place in one day? 3,000. If you saw 3,000 baptized in your city, would you say that’s the moderate outpouring of the Holy Spirit? It’s only moderate comparison to what’s going to come. What God is going to do in the latter rain for a people who are totally committed to Christ, we have not yet dreamed of or imagined.

Now, notice *Great Controversy* 611. Let’s read it together. "The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close." So, the great work of the gospel won’t close with less manifestation of the power of God.

So, when you look at the book of Acts, 3,000 were baptized in a day. And then you look at Acts chapter 4, another 5,000 are baptized. You look at the book of Acts, and by the end of the book of Acts, there’s at least one million believers. It starts with 120. Thousands were baptized in the days of the book of Acts. The prophecies that were fulfilled at the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are going to be fulfilled at the latter rain. God’s work is not going to flicker like a candle and go out. God’s glory will be manifest. His power will be manifest in the world.

Guest (Male): You’ve been listening to HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: By thousands of voices all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, signs and wonders will follow the believers. Now, how do you know the difference? In genuine revival, men and women are on their knees with repentance for sin. In genuine revival, their great desire is to know the will of God. In genuine revival, they’re saturating their minds with the living word of God.

In genuine revival, they are witnessing for Christ. When God has a group of people whose hearts have one desire—to do His will—who are filled with His Holy Spirit, He will pour out His spirit. Miracles will be wrought; the sick will be healed. It’s one thing to recognize the counterfeit; it’s another thing to receive the genuine.