Pastor Myers,

A project of such magnitude as Operation Global Rain has the potential to be a blessing or a curse. It could prove to be the great, final revival, preparing the Church for the wedding or end up as the most delusive false revival ever known in the history of God’s Church.

Since this project was inspired by the events pertaining to the most terrible situation of a final rejection of Israel as the people of God, we need to understand the facts and events of the Former Rain.  At that time, Israel was God’s people. For three years, a strange and unofficial message circulated among the people, warning that:

• It was time for a new kind of faith and practice.

• The sanctuary was more than a mere ceremony.

• A new kind of righteousness has to replace the old covenant.

• The present concept about God’s character has to be abandoned entirely.

These were extremely high standards, entirely new and provocative - an all new religion, we can say. But the proponents and their message were not well received. The Leader of this group was declared fanatical and heretical, ridiculed, rejected and finally condemned to death. Israel was under the direction of another leader, and knew it not.

In this setting we have to understand what the Former Rain was.  A group of individuals, within the Church, understood that Israel was under the leadership of Baal and that the Condemned One was really the Messiah (The Hope of Israel). The disciples were ready to confront the leadership of the Church with the amazing fact that God was no more their King, just as they declared before the Procurator. At that moment, there was still hope and repentance was still acceptable.

But who was great enough for such a task? The trembling disciples were not. How can one tell such a terrible thing to the good, honorable and holy people of God? They needed the power of the Former Rain to go and tell the Sanhedrin and the nation the shocking fact that they murdered their King under the directions of Satan, their blindly acclaimed leader.

Their message was clear cut: “You have crucified your Lord, brethren. You have rejected God, and now this people is under the leadership of a false god.”

This was the first and vital accomplishment of the Former Rain. Without it, nothing could happen, because as long as Israel was the official people of God, The True Church, there was foolishness to start an offshoot movement. First Israel had to decide between Christ and Baal. Unfortunately, in the last confrontation with the disciples, (the condemning of Stephen) the Church decided against Christ and thus the candlestick was removed. Israel was no more the people of God.

This was the Former Rain.

Now we ask for the Latter Rain.

Is it possible for the Church today to be in the same terrible predicament – to be worshipping a false Christ and be unaware of it? Was not this Israel’s problem throughout history? Is not the True Witness telling the angel of the Church of Laodicea that he is blind?

“The enemy is preparing for his last campaign against the church. He has so concealed himself from view that many can hardly believe that he exists; much less can they be convinced of his amazing activity and power. They have to a great extent forgotten his past record; and when he makes another advance move, they will not recognize him as their enemy, that old serpent, but they will consider him a friend, one who is doing a good work” (5T294)

Please look at one of the devil’s amazing “past record”:

“I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and his Son Jesus Christ... Before the throne were the Advent people, the Church, and the world. I saw a company bowed down before the throne, deeply interested while most of them stood up disinterested and careless. Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus, then he would look to his Father and appeared to be pleading with him. Then a light came from the Father to his Son and from him to the praying company. Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne. But few would receive this great light. Many came out from under it and immediately resisted it. Others were careless and did not cherish the light and it moved off from them.

“Some cherished it and went and bowed down before the throne with the little praying company. This company all received the light, and rejoiced in it as their countenances shone with its glory. Then I saw the Father rise from the throne and in a flaming chariot go into the Holy of Holies within the veil, and did sit. There I saw thrones which I had not seen before. Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and most of those who were bowed down rose up with him. And I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after he rose up, and they were left in perfect darkness.

“Those who rose up when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on him as he left the throne, and led them out a little way, then he raised his right arm and we heard his lovely voice saying, wait ye, I am going to my Father to receive the Kingdom. Keep your garments spotless and in a little while I will return from the wedding, and receive you to myself. And I saw a cloudy chariot with wheels like flaming fire. Angels were all about the chariot as it came where Jesus was; he stepped into it and was borne to the Holiest where the Father sat...

“Then Jesus showed me the difference between faith and feeling. And I saw those who rose up with Jesus send up their faith to Jesus in the Holiest, and praying, Father give us thy spirit. Then Jesus would breathe on them the Holy Ghost. In the breath were light, power and much love, joy and peace.

“Then I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne. They did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne and pray, My Father give us thy spirit. Then Satan would breathe on them an unholy influence. In it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy and peace. Satan's object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God's children.

  “I saw one after another leave the company who were praying to Jesus in the Holiest, go and join those before the throne and they at once received the unholy influence of Satan” (Day Star, Feb., 15 1846).

This is undeniably Adventist history and the last paragraph is warning that we turned from the great work of cleansing the sanctuary to the ecumenical Jesus of the world. This is just as shocking as Israel's departure.

Listen again at this masterpiece of disguise that has deceived the whole world:

“I saw the rapidity with which this delusion was spreading. A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board, that there could not be one left. Said the angel, ‚They are binding in bundles ready to burn.’ Then he showed me the conductor, who appeared like a stately, fair person, whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed and asked my attending angel who it was. He said, it is Satan. He is the conductor in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive. They are given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie, that they may be damned. This agent, the next highest in order to him, is the engineer, and other of his agents are employed in different offices as he may need them, and they are all going with lightning speed to perdition.’

“I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, bound together by the truth, in bundles, or companies. Said the angel, ‚The third angel is binding, or sealing, them in bundles for the heavenly garner.’” (EW 88)

In these passages we are warned of the masterpiece of deception in the last days. Satan has substituted Christ, and all the world is worshiping him, sincerely believing he is Christ.

Where are the true Christ and the true Holy Spirit? In the exact place we, as a people, have abandoned them in 1888:

„All the universe of heaven witnessed the disgraceful treatment of Jesus Christ, represented by the Holy Spirit. Had Christ been before them, they would have treated Him in a manner similar to that in which the Jews treated Christ” (Special Testimonies Series A, No. 6, p. 20).

The opposition in Minneapolis was a clear rejection of the Latter Rain. We cannot have the rain again, as nothing has passed. All these years we have been in denial that such a terrible opposition took place there. Soon there will be 120 years and the Latter Rain has vanished in the thin air. We cannot bring it again without recognizing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, in the Person of the Holy Spirit at that time, no matter how long or convergent our prayers would be.

The year 1888 called the church into an entirely new kind of work. It consisted of the new covenant and putting together the divine and human nature - the law in the temple. The Bride was invited to enter behind the veil, the place where man and God meet.  At that time, God really had a company bowed before the throne in the Holiest, and thus the final work of atonement was possible.

The Church is in great need to know and understand the purpose of God with man, as described here:

“In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah, and entering upon His work [Now watch, point by point, the Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary unfolding, basic science for the final generation]

1 - “That temple, erected for the abode of the divine Presence, was designed to be an object lesson for Israel and for the world.

2 - “From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator.

3 - “Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One.

4 - “But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple.

5 - “God designed that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness to the high destiny open to every soul.

6 - “But the Jews had not understood the significance of the building they regarded with so much pride. They did not yield themselves as holy temples for the Divine Spirit.

7 - “The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts.

8 - “In cleansing the temple from the world's buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,--from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul” (DA 161).

Sadly, “the Jews had not understood the significance of the building.” Do we?

Are we ready and willing to be made “temples” for the indwelling of God? Do we treasure this high destiny? Are we aware that like the Jews, who missed the mark, so have we?

How can the Spirit empower a people from outside, as long as we refuse the only authentic work which involves work inside the temple? How can the Spirit empower His people if we persist that the only necessary work is being justified and believing in Jesus? (1)

Justification is the work typified by Jesus sitting on the throne in the Holy, with the whole world being exposed, even only a few benefiting from it. But Jesus and the Father left the throne in the Holy at some time, moving into the Holiest, signaling that now there was time for some other work – the cleansing of the sanctuary, the atonement, the Wedding, the union of the human nature with the divine. A little company rose up with Jesus and started worshiping before the throne in the Holiest, meaning they understood the need of another phase in the work of God. The rest remained before the first throne, at the justification stage, and marvel, Satan sat on that throne as an angel of light, trying to carry further the work of God.

Their power came from this spirit, and they make great noise about Jesus and being born again only by faith. But there is perfect darkness in that camp.

The final part of the vision above confronts us with a tragic reality:

“I saw one after another leave the company who were praying to Jesus in the Holiest, go and join those before the throne and they at once received the unholy influence of Satan.”

This is the ONLY reason for our presence here, in this world, at this late hour of history. “One after another,” we have joined those before the throne where Satan was distributing justification, and his “unholy influence” blinds us believing we worship the true Jesus.

After 1888, “one after another” we have renounced the great work of the atonement in the Holiest, counting more and more on justification, not understanding that this phase of the work is over.

All Christendom claims believing in Jesus. Only by faith, only believe, they all shout together, bowed down before the throne that Jesus left. And as long as they receive power and light, „live as you please, you, born again.”

From this, another problem is raised. To be the recipient of the bestowal of rain in the final stages of the great controversy, to receive the power of the Loud Cry, you must have the message of the Loud Cry: “The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love” (COL 415).

Well, at this we fail miserably. We are telling the world that God employs brutal force in the pursuing of His plans, and He will bring by force the end of the civilization. This is not the message of the Loud Cry.

Soon, when His presence will be declared unwelcomed on Earth, and because of this planetary disasters will come one after another, the religious voice will declare that God is angry with those that are unwilling to bow to the popular demand. Our present position on the character of God is now precisely the same, and will facilitate our complete merger in that general apostasy.

A lack of the true understanding of the character of God will put us in great peril, and exposes us to the malignant scheming of the devil. Moses was told, “Speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water.” But Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice.” This was such a perversion of the character of God that Moses unfitted himself for bringing the congregation into the Promised Land.

There is no need to “smite” the Rock of Ages with a simultaneous attack of thousands of prayer-missiles for it to deliver the blessed water. God is able and willing to give water, but it cannot be done as long as we are bowed down before the throne where the whole world is worshiping a false Christ.

When this people will be willing to listen to the message of Christ’s righteousness in connection with the law, a divine sequence is possible, a sequence that allows for the authentic work of the Holy Spirit:

Act one:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.” [God’s initiative]

Act two:

“And they shall look upon Me, whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.” [The reaction of the people] (Zechariah 12:10-11).

Act three:

“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” [The final work of God] (Zechariah 13:1).

This is the divine sequence of events as a result of a heartfelt return to the 1888 message of the righteousness of Christ.

New to many? Yes, unfortunately!

________

1) It is misleading to call the 1888 message “justification by faith;” this cannot be, and we put ourselves in a pathetic position. Justification was the light of the Reformation, well received all the time, and especially by the church of Philadelphia. Even Elder Uriah Smith wrongly identified the 1888 message as being “justification by faith,” declared believing in justification since he first opened his Bible, and wondered how Sister White could call him a rejecter of the message.

True, sometimes sister White used the general naming of the message as being about “justification,” because some thus perceived the message to be, and she was willing to speak their language. But she emphatically calls the 1888 message as being “The righteousness of Christ in connection with the law.” Listen:

“If our ministering brethren would accept the doctrine which has been presented so clearly--the righteousness of Christ in connection with the law--and I know they need to accept this, their prejudices would not have a controlling power, and the people would be fed with their portion of meat in due season” (The 1888 EGW Materials, 164).

“You know that precious light has shone forth in connection with the law of God, as the righteousness of Christ has been presented with that law. Dr. Waggoner has opened to you precious light, not new, but old light which has been lost sight of by many minds, and is now shining forth in clear rays” (The 1888 EGW Materials, 174).

“At this meeting I bore testimony that the most precious light had been shining forth from the Scriptures in the presentation of the great subject of the righteousness of Christ connected with the law, which should be constantly kept before the sinner as his only hope of salvation” (The 1888 EGW Materials, 212).