Joseph Prince - Release The Blessings Of The Latter Rain

TOPICS: Latter Rain, Blessing, New Year

Happy New Year, everybody. Take time to at least greet two or three persons around you, will you? Tell them something like, "You look great". Or tell them, "I'm too blessed to be stressed, how about you"? Look at somebody else and say, "This is gonna be your greatest year yet," amen? Praise the Lord. Wow, one more year to go, praise the Lord. And who knows, this might be the year he's gonna return for us, amen? And we'll be forever young, forever healthy, forever is a long time. And the Bible says all the prophecies pointing to the first coming of Jesus has all been fulfilled. He'll be born in Bethlehem, that was fulfilled.

We just celebrated Christmas last week. And then we have the prophecy that he will come riding on a donkey. That happened also on that fateful day when he went through the gates of Jerusalem, and they were shouting, "Hosanna to the son of David". The Bible says at a time in the Psalms when Capital punishment was not by crucifixion, God foresaw. And the psalmist prophesied, "They have pierced my hands and my feet," and that has come to pass.

So, the Bible tells us everything about Jesus have all come to pass. But then there's a prophecy about his second coming and before that there'll be a rapture. The Bible says we'll all not see death. Not everybody will die, but there'll be a rapture generation where we'll be caught up bodily, and then our bodies will become glorified bodies. We'll still have bodies but bodies that are glorified like his body when he rose from the dead. And good news for Singaporeans, Jesus ate after he rose from the dead, amen? And we are able to eat, in fact, all the functions of our bodies and all that, we can't imagine it, but it's a body that transcends time and space. Jesus could appear bodily in the upper room after his Resurrection, and then disappear, and appear some somewhere else.

So, talking about 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light or 185. Anyway, we'll be faster than light in that, in that realm because God created light. In any case, it's a wonderful world waiting for us, amen? And it may happen this year, amen, the rapture generation. Every year, I want to say as our custom is, but actually it's something that the Lord does, and the Lord has, you know, in the Greek, the word for time, there are two main words. One is chronos, where we get our English word "chronology", that is time in terms of a sequence, literally time.

Then there's another word for time. Many a times in the Bible, it's translated time but actually that word there is different from chronos. It's the word "kairos" and kairos means a seasonal time, a time of favor. And epoch, a season and a year even, all right, where we have seasons of favor, a special marked out season. Have you noticed that God does things in seasons, amen? Our bodies operate on a seven-day cycle. You know, like even when you have flu and all that, your child has a flu, the doctor will say, "It's okay, the child will recover in seven days or in one week".

Okay, never mind, all right? And our bodies work on a seven-day cycle, seven plus seven plus seven. And a lot of things work in that cycle, God ordained it to be so. And if something is out of its season, it's not gonna be good, okay? So, everything is in it's season. Jesus, when he was 12 years old, the Bible says he was in the temple and he was listening to the rabbis and the teachers who were much older than him. He was only 12. And the Bible says he was asking them questions, and they were amazed at his answers. As a boy of 12, it will be out of his place, it'd be out of place for him, out of season for him to be preaching to them, even though we know that he grew up to be the greatest preacher, amen, and teacher. But it'll be out of his place.

But notice his place was asking questions, amen? And then probably the throw back the question of him and they were amazed at his answers. That is season seasonable, amen. The Lord is beautiful in all the seasoning. You look at Jesus, he's beautiful and that's why the gospels is all about Jesus Christ and how this perfect man who lived among us. It's a story. The gospel, when you hear the gospel you say, "Pastor Prince, I hear the gospel, the gospel, what is the gospel"? Well, the gospel is actually old English for godspell, which means good news. Say, "good news," everybody.

All right, we all want good news. The world is full of bad news, amen, but we have good news. And the good news is this, that the Father sent his Son to die for our sins on that cross. And you see, before this, God gave the law to man. And the law, the Ten Commandments, y'all know the Ten Commandments, right? "Thou shalt not commit adultery," is a famous one. "Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shall commit no murder". And the last one usually when people boasted, they could keep all these things. The last one gets them, thou shall not even desire to do these things in your heart. Thou shall not covet, covet what belongs to another, okay?

So, when Jesus came, it was way after the law of Moses came. Moses is a servant, Jesus Christ is the Son. The Bible says grace came by the Son, grace and truth came by the Son. The law was given by a servant. So obviously, God never meant for men to be justified before him by the law by keeping the law. God knew when God gave the law that man cannot keep the law. So, one of the first things that Jesus did when he preached his Sermon on the Mount was to establish that. And Jesus literally said that, "you have heard them say of old, that thou shall not commit adultery. But I say unto you that if a man looks on a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery already with her in his heart".

Wow, that puts everybody as guilty, amen? Because they think at that time, and many of us also still, that adultery is only when you go to bed, literally with another person that's not your spouse. But Jesus says, even if you do it in your heart, it's already adultery. Then he went on to say that, "you have heard them say, thou shall not kill, but I say unto you, whoever hates his brother, or even curse him with the mouth, has committed murder".

So, in God's mind, God looks at the source. The laws of society only indict the action, amen, right? If you think murderous thoughts while you're driving on the road against the person who just got in front of you, you won't go to Changi Prison, amen? But if you do something, if you have a thought of stealing, you won't go, all right, you won't be incarcerated for that, right? But if you commit the act. So, the the world judges the act, but God goes at the source, and at the source God sees the sin. Now, all of us have sinned so the Ten Commandments. In fact, all of us brought the Ten Commandments, if not in deed, in our hearts, in our minds. So, we are all guilty sinners and God sent the law first to show man, not for man to keep. He knew man cannot keep, but it's to demonstrate to man that man cannot keep.

So, when Jesus said those words in the Sermon on the Mount, he brought them all to the end of themselves so that they will see their need for him, the Savior of the world. And that's the good news of Christmas, right? The angel actually said to all the shepherds, "I bring your good news of great joy, which shall be to all people, not just Israel to all people, that unto you is born this day in the city of David Bethlehem, a Savior". Not a judge, not a lawgiver, a Savior. Oh, how beautiful that word is "Savior". And we all need saving, amen? Saving from our sins, saving from the punishment of sin, saving from the consequence of sin, saving from eternal death, save from ourselves, man.

Many a times, we need to be saved from ourselves because we don't understand why we do the things that we are doing, amen? Because who you are is who you are when no one is looking, and what are the thoughts, what are the intents of your heart? So, God knows that all of us need saving. We don't realize it. So, God gave the law first so that everyone will be convicted by it. For by the law is the knowledge, not of holiness, not of righteousness, because that comes through Jesus Christ, but by the law is the knowledge of sin.

So, when God sent his Son, and that's the beautiful story. Jesus told a religious leader who came to him at night because he didn't want to be seen by day by people as coming to Jesus. So, he came to Jesus at night, and Jesus told him this, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". What a beautiful gospel, amen, that God so loved us. And we cannot save ourselves, so God sent his Son. Jesus wasn't murdered. God sent His Son to die. Jesus knew he came to obey the Father, he came to die, because God loves us. And on that cross, when he was on that cross, God who is outside time, because God created chronos, God created time.

God took all the sins of the world, your sins and my sins, even the sins that you have not committed yet, next year, next two years, you know? And our entire lifetime of sins, God put that, laid them all in Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin, he who didn't know sin, in him is no sin. God laid on Jesus as the Lamb of God, as the sin bearer, all our sins. What love. And not only that, all that we deserve because of our sins the judgment, all the righteous indignation and wrath of a holy God fell upon Jesus Christ because he bore our sins. And this is the design of God. God planned for this. No one, no human can design this, can plan for this. It is God's love planned for all of us so that when Jesus bore our judgment on that cross, not only he bore it, he exhausted all of God's holy wrath and punishment for all our sins, but in the body of Jesus Christ, amen.

So today, God has no anger left for anyone who puts their trust in Jesus. If you believe that Jesus is your sin bearer, that he bore your sins, he's the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, that on that cross, he took your judgment, he took your punishment, God cannot punish you today and still be a holy God. Did you hear what I'm saying? I didn't say that you are perfect. I didn't say that I am, I am sinless. What I'm saying is that we still fail, we still, you know, but God took all our sins, right?

We live in time, but God took our sins of our entire life and God laid it on Jesus Christ, and it has been punished. Our sins have been punished. Our sins didn't get away. God cannot bypass or pass over sin, but he can forgive it, and that's what God did at the cross. And because God's holy wrath was poured on Jesus as our substitute, amen, God's design is that God is now today righteous in making you and I righteous. When it come to him trusting in Jesus, God has no punishment for you, but only favor, good things and blessings for you, amen. And even when you fail again, or use your sin, all right, now, people are afraid that this will produce.

Oh, you know, people will hear this sermon and do all kinds of crazy stuff. Nothing could be further from the truth, my friend. The more you realize how much God loves you and what he has done for you through Christ at the cross, you fall in love with the Lord. When you fall in love with God, you fall out of love with sin. And all the people said? Amen, such is the good news that the world needs today. I'm gonna read you a testimony that was sent, I think last year, and it's very touching because it really spoke to my heart and touched me at my deepest core. In fact, this man was willing, not everyone who sends their testimonies are willing to have your full name, but he has his full name there. But I won't be reading out his name because of the privacy. He's an inmate still in prison, and I want to reserve it, you know, his privacy.

"Dear Pastor Prince, hello, my name is so and so, and I'm an inmate in North Carolina, USA. I have been locked up for the last 11 years. I was convicted of second degree murder. I got saved in 2011, and I have grown spiritually in prison. But up to two years ago, I was still battling very hard with guilt. I have a very hard time forgiving myself. You see, I killed my son, and I always felt guilty, and I've never felt good enough for God".

Even after he became a believer. How many of you know that once you accept Christ, you still have to have the right teaching, amen? So, he still condemned himself and when you condemn yourself, friends, you start to do things even unconsciously. You start to punish yourself and sometimes your body, your DNA is very smart. You know, it's almost like it knows you want to punish yourself. So, what the doctors call psychosomatic diseases, or autoimmune disorders, means your body is fighting against itself. A lot of conditions caused by autoimmune disorders, that means your body is fighting against itself. It's like a form of punishing yourself. You didn't do it, all right, consciously. It is all unconscious.

The moment you accept guilt, your body says, "He wants to punish himself. Let's manufacturer a disease in his body". Or you will start to punish the very ones that you love, and you don't understand why you are doing this, why you are punishing the very ones you love. Or, you start to feel depressed and you're feeling very depressed. You feel like you are in a cycle, a downward spiral of depression, and you can't get out of it. All these are forms of punishment, and this man obviously is very depressed. And he says that because he killed his son, he never felt he can forgive himself. "Then I met a brother in Christ who gave me three of your books. I just finished reading 'The Power of Right Believing.' that book truly helped me find victory over the devil".

And in that book I just shared with you, I mean I shared what I just shared with you about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Can have a good amen? "And I got to experience what true grace is. Since then, I have come to learn so much more about our awesome Lord Jesus Christ". This is a sign, people, that you are hearing something that is from God because if you're hearing from man, it glorifies the man. But if you hear something from God, it will always glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, amen? So, I love this part when he says, "I've come to learn so much more about our awesome Lord Jesus Christ. I know you are truly anointed by God and are teaching the true gospel of grace. I thank God for you and all love he has shared through you. If you can help me with any information on what to study next, I'll be grateful. God bless you richly".

And now he has a desire to learn even more from God's Word. Isn't it amazing? To God be all the glory and the praise, amen? Praise God. No one can imagine the kind of things that, you know, a person goes through when you kill your own son. All right, the theme of the year, what is the kairos, you know, moment for us in this year, 2019? God works, like I said, with time. God created time and there's a purpose for time. There's a time for sowing. There's a time for reaping. There's a time for everything in it's season and it's how wonderful it is when a Word is spoken in due season, the Bible says.

So, for the last year was the year of hesed wisdom. If you look back, you'll find that all our failures last year was a result of the lack of wisdom and all the successes and all the fruits that we had that were good were all the result of God's wisdom operating in us. In fact, we were conscious at times that God gave us a revelation, an insight we never had before, and that brought a fruitful and a successful outcome. For this year, the year of the... sit back, relax, watch.

The year of the latter rain, the year of the latter rain. Zechariah chapter 10, verse 1, "Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds," or in the Hebrew lightnings. "He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone". So, I received this theme for this coming year last year and boy, what a rainy time it's been. In times that you don't expect, you know, when God gave me this last year, which is last month, you know, and I was actually on my holidays. And the Lord told me about this coming year, I began to see all the fingerprints of God pointing to the latter rain.

Latter rain means there is a former rain. We'll look at that afterwards. And then there's a latter rain. We are in a season of the latter rain. What can we expect in this year of the latter rain? And when the Lord gave this to me, you know, I began to see that rain was everywhere. And, you know, even our New Year's Eve, you remember? In fact, they thought it would rain on their parade for all those people celebration, celebrating occasions in different parts of Singapore, it was raining in the afternoon. It was raining in the in the morning, amen? And because the word is coming out from Singapore, Singapore will carry signs. And for me it was a clear sign because I already received from the Lord, and I began to see rain.

And I know that I believed, I prayed to God that the rain will stopped so that the fireworks will go off, and my son wants to see the fireworks, you know? And true enough, the rain stopped, thank God, amen? And then yesterday, usually the culmination of all my preparation is on Saturday. I can prepare even months ahead or weeks ahead, but it all comes to when I put all the ingredients together, okay, on Saturday. So Saturday, I don't even attend weddings because I'm busy preparing food for all you hungry people and y'all got a vociferous appetite. And Singaporeans don't eat only one course or two course. Man, they can really eat.

So, as I was preparing, it started raining. I still remember outside it was raining, and it was heavy rain yesterday. So, I know because usually when prepare, it's hot outside, it is sunny. But yesterday it was like a sign, a heavenly wink from God again. And it's amazing how everything is pointing to the rain. Last year, or when the Lord first gave this to me, Pastor Mark, remember last year? He was preaching his last sermon. He was preaching, by the way, he did something that I've never done. Ever seen God called me into the ministry as a 18-year-old boy, 19-year-old, I've never done this. Up till now, I've never done this, all right? He asked for a sofa on the stage.

And then y'all still remember, he laid down on it. I've never done that. I'm never bold enough to do that. I never lie down, and then he was so cozy. I told him later on, "You slept late last night". Anyway, he was lying down there and he start saying, "Oh, you know, Pastor Prince said this. I hear the sound of the abundance of rain". And he kept on repeating, "I hear the sound of the abundance of rain. Wah, very good, lah," he said. You still remember that? And God already gave me the message so I said "Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay, Mark, don't go anymore". So, he was lying down there, he was being prophetic without realizing it.

So, all the signs are pointing to that and I remember coming back here, and then I switched on the radio on my car as I was driving. I just came back, that was last year, and I start hearing. You know, DJ's, they talk about all kinds of things, the latest celebrity, and, you know, the funny things, or about health and all that. All sudden this DJ start saying, "Now, what is the phenomena of rain? How is rain actually created"? That's like mundane, boring stuff to talk about, you know? And it's like everything is pointing to that and the Lord said to me, "It is the time of the latter rain," last year, this year 2019.

So, let us understand what is the former rain and the latter rain. God user his land, the Land of Israel with all it's typography, with it's seasons, its crop, as well as its rains to teach us deeper lesson. So, while it is true, it is natural. Grain, the wine, it's all natural. There are spiritual truths for us as we go into God's Word. Are you ready? All right, first of all, God says, "Ask the Lord for rain in the time the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds," lightnings. And the Hebrew word here is lightnings. And only Young's translation of the Bible got it accurate. Young's says Jehovah is making lightnings, plural, lightnings, amen? The lightnings will come and then the latter rain will fall.

Now, in Israel let's look now at the first occurrence of rains, the former rain, the early rain, or the autumn rains, which is the early rain, and then the latter rain, which is the spring rain. Let's look at them now. This is the first occurrence of the latter rain in the Bible, so it's significant. God says, "I'll give you the rain for your land in its season. Again, rain must fall in its season, people. In all these verses you read, you find that God talks about sending rain in its season. You know, if all year it rains, it's not good for the crop.

All right, your paddy field, even though it needs rain for its cultivation and coming to maturity, but it cannot have rain all the time. All your, most crops, all right, cannot have rain all the time. It'll be, the harvest will be spoiled, okay? So rains in Israel comes at two times, all right, in the Bible. Today they say three times, but it's twice. The Bible talks about twice, the yearend rains, which is the winter rains, or autumn rains, and then there's a spring rain. The early rain it says God says, "The early rain and the latter rain".

The early rain in Hebrew is called yoreh, and we'll come to that, there's a meaning there. And the latter rain is called malqosh. The early rain comes during the months of October and November and it's for cultivating the seat. So, they plant the seed at that time, and they need the rain to cultivate the seeds for the seeds to germinate. So, they pray for rain. Now, it's very interesting that they pray for rain because God says to them, remember the story? Even Deuteronomy 11 God says that, "I bring you out of Egypt where you used to irrigate, all right, the fields with your foot".

There's a picture here of the people irrigating with their foot, an old picture. That's how they used to do it. They don't look up, they look down. They looked to their efforts. They looked to their equipments. They looked to the field. They looked down. God says, I'm bringing you out of Egypt, a place, a picture of the world, a place of bondage where God brought them out of bondage. And God says, "I bring you to a land where the land drinks water from heaven". In other words, they gotta look up and depend on God.

This year, we're gonna look up and depend on him for all the blessings. While the world is struggling with their own efforts, depending on their own smarts, their own wisdom, their own talent, their own energy, their own works, we're gonna look to the Lord for his blessing. See, animals, for example, they look down all the time. They look down. They cannot look up, but God designed man to look up, to look up. That's the idea of the word "anthropos," it's the idea of upright man, looking up. God made meant to look to him.

So, all the blessings of Canaan land depends on the rains. If the rains don't come, and there were occasions when they were under the law before Jesus came. They lived in the land of Israel, and there were times they sinned against God in such an overt way that God withheld the rains. If the rains are withheld, there is no crop. There's no crop, there's no prosperity for them. There's no means for them to live a good life, amen, because they are so dependent as a people involved in husbandry and farming to depend on the rains.

So, for us, what's the meaning of rain? So here, the early rain, the word "yoreh" literally means arrows, shooting, shooting arrows. So, rain is like arrow, right, right? But the word moreh, moreh, yoreh and moreh. Moreh the word early rain, but also the word for teacher. If you go to Israel today, you go to a school, you hear the children greeting their teacher as, "Shalom moreh". Shalom, teacher. Moreh can mean what from the word yoreh? Early rain or teacher, amen? Then the latter rain, which comes in the months of February and March, the early rain is October, November. The latter rain, or which we are talking about, comes in the months of March, late February usually about most of the time March, March and April. And it's for the harvest. It's for the manifestation. Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's for the harvesting of the crops. God says that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

Now, when you think of grain, you think of bread, amen. We can think of new wine, that's where you get wine, and oil. Literally these things are real in Israel even today. This is their main staple, amen. This is what they eat today. But God has a deeper meaning than just the natural. When you think of bread and wine, God is saying he's gonna bless and gonna see the manifestation of Communion. You've been taking Communion for a certain condition in your body, you're gonna see the harvest of it, the manifestation of it this year because it's the year of the latter rain. Are you listening, people? It's the year of the latter rain. The time of the latter rain, we are in that season.

The early rain happened when Peter stood up and said, "This is prophesied by Joel. It should come to pass afterwards. I'll pour out my spirit upon all flesh". That was the early rain of the church. The early rain came on the day of Pentecost, amen. So, all these years now, 2,000 years, the church has been waiting for the latter rain. God never, you know, shall we say, he never regresses. Whatever God does always grows greater and greater, shining more and more unto the perfect day, ever glorious, ever increasing splendor, amen.

So, the latter rain is gonna be greater than the early rain. But in the early rain in the early church, there was no one sick. There was no one poor. They all had, you know, all things in common, the Bible says. And still it's not communism, it was the blessing of the Lord, and great grace was upon them all. And I love this, every one was healed. If that can happen in the early, early rain, how much more the latter rain? Are you listening, people? And yet the Bible says this, we have to ask God for these blessings.

Go back to Zechariah. "Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain". People think, "Huh? Why ask God for rain in the time of the latter rain? It's gonna come, right". That's the amazing mystery of prayer. You know why we pray? Some people think we pray when we go to the hospital, pray for someone. You're going there to pray for the sick. Oh, it's nice to be soothing the hearts and the minds of the people there and the sick person. No, no, no, we go there for a miracle from God. We go there to expect God to intervene into the impossible situation. For the things which are impossible with man are possible with God. So, we are praying and yet, God says, "Ask me, come on, ask me for rain in the time of the latter rain".

So, prayer is when God has promised something, you ask God for it. Don't just let it be, "Oh, I just wish that blessing will manifest in my life". Ask God for it. "Let it manifest in me, in my family, in our church, amen, in the life of this person, that person". That's intercession. Pray ask God for rain in the time of the latter rain. We are in a time of the latter rain, the time of the harvest, the time where the fruits are manifested and crops are harvested. It's a time for rain and notice God says specifically, grain, wine, oil. Grain, bread, wine, the blood of Jesus. We take Communion. Oil is anointing. You'll find this year you'll be anointed.

Anointing means like, for example, this simple analogy, right? When your door creaks, the hinges needs, what? Oiling. When you oil the hinges, there's no more sound. Some of you are creaking real loud, and your family can hear it, everyone can hear it. It's called complain, you know? And the thing is that we need more oil. When oil is there, you do things like when oil is on your body, you feel like it's smooth. It is easy. Things are not creaking. Things are not old. Things are renewed. Things are supple, things are flowing. In other words, with anointing, you do things with an effortless ease. You do things you find it's easy, yet you may not have the smarts or the know-how of it. You might be younger than the people who are who are experienced in this area yet there is an anointing there.

I remember one year, and many people in our church who has been there since more than ten years ago, you still remember this. And my leaders, many of them remember this. I was preaching about something, I forgot what it was. And then the Lord spoke to me, the anointing came. Now, this is beyond my smarts. I'm not that smart, amen? I don't study the financial data, statistical analysis of economy downturns, or upturns, or whatever it is. I was preaching and the Lord said to me, "Next year, there'll be a downturn, prepare for the downturn". And then the Thai baht fell next year. How many still remember that?

And then the whole thing was the domino effect, okay, the financial crisis hit, okay? That was more than a decade ago. And the year before, the Lord spoke to me. And then all the experts was saying in Singapore that Singapore's economy will recover in three to four years' time. Another sermon I was preaching and the Lord spoke to me, the oil was released. And all of a sudden, I saw that our economy, Singapore's economy would recover the next year. Now, this is like three years before the predicted year. And how many still remember I said that, "This time next year, our economy will recover"?

And then when it happened, they say that this was beyond what the experts are saying. It's much faster than we expected. But does that mean that I studied this, I know secret information that no one, no, no, no. As a matter of God releasing that oil. There's an anointing within our lives, an anointing on our lives. The anointing on cause you to do things beyond your strength. That's how David killed Goliath. That's how Samson killed the lion. And the anointing comes on you for certain tasks. But there's an anointing within in 1 John chapter 2 where even this year, God's gonna increase it, turn the volume on it. Whether it's an anointing that teaches you, you just know. You don't, I mean it's beyond your pay cut. It's beyond your learning capacity. It's beyond your IQ even, amen.

Thank God for that so God gets all the glory. But it is just a gnawing, "Don't do this. All right, do this instead. Don't say this". There's a hindrance, I don't know why. "Don't trust this person". But he seems okay. "Don't trust him," all right? Don't be in a rush for this contract. Don't be in a rush with this agreement. All right, stay back. Okay, stop. Okay, now move". It's like that, there's a knowing on the inside. It's found in 1 John chapter 2, you can read about it. God's gonna turn that up this year. Are you ready? That's the oil. So, we have Communion, we have the oil. God's gonna bless the grain, the wine, and the oil. And it's a year of what? Manifestation.

Another interesting word that is used for showers is found here, by the way, here it's found also. Go back to Zechariah. We see, "He'll give them showers of rain," the word "showers" there's the word "geshem". Also for showers, but geshem, when they use geshem in Hebrew, that means torrential rain, heavy downpour, heavy downpour. Keep that in mind. Geshem, the root word for geshem is the word "manifests," incarnate. You see, in the Old Testament, God followed them in a cloud, never in the rain. For 40 years in the wilderness, God was in a cloud, all right? By pillar of cloud. God never rained on them. Manna rain yes, but not rain. It was like in the Old Testament, he didn't manifest himself to the people. But the word "geshem" showers means what? Manifests. You can feel it.

So, all the water in the clouds, you can't feel it, but when it rains, you feel it. It comes down to where you are. Rain is very interesting. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of tons of water in the, in the clouds. Imagine if it's all released all at once, splat! There goes your car. There goes the pram. There goes that Hawker Centre. I mean, it just goes off. You know everything will be damaged. People can be injured. If the clouds just release the waters, tons and tons of it just on people. But you know what God does? God says, "So shall my Word be". His Word, it's concentrated wisdom that our minds are not able to comprehend his wisdom because it's concentrated, it's too, too bright, too strong for us anymore than even his creation, we cannot look at directly when we look at the sun. And the sun is but a created thing of God. God created it. But how much more?

So, God in his love and compassion for us, "So shall my word be," Isaiah 55. "It will come down like rain, like snow, and it will prosper in the thing where to I sent it. It will not return to me void. Just like the rain comes down and causes the seed to bud and to blossom, amen, it will not return to me void". So, God brings it. And then instead of the hundreds and hundreds of tons of water falling all at once, when it falls, it mixed with the dust and the particles and becomes showers drops, where even the little flower is not destroyed by it. That's how God gives us his Word that we can understand. And that's how the blessings come, amen?

Geshem means what? Manifests. And Jesus came from heaven, he came down in a way we can touch him, feel him as a baby born in Bethlehem, the mother helped him. He's the geshem from the word geshmut, same root word in Hebrew. God promised, not only that, but this year. By the way, he said this to me. I want to say something real, some things that he showed me. I'm not saying that this world is gonna be hunky dory, I'm talking about God's people. The message, the year of the latter rain, is for God's people. But he talked about the world, "What I see is a lot of chaos increasing, a lot of saber-rattling, that means threats of war increasing, amen? And I think see a lot of chaos and a lot of like mayhem in the world. And especially China, you will see more of China in the news".

And God is telling me that there's gonna be an outpouring of his Spirit in China this year in the time of the latter rain. He's gonna pour out his Spirit, just like he poured his Spirit upon all flesh. One of the flesh is the Chinese people in China. There will be a special outpouring of the Spirit in China. And VIP's, movers and shakers even in business, in high levels of society, will be touched, will be transformed. Get ready for the revival. While there's persecution on right now in China, amen, at the same time, there's gonna be one of the greatest outpouring of the Spirit this year in China.

And that's what I received. But again, the world is not really a place where it's hunky dory and things are... no, the year of the latter rain. I'm not talking about the world, I'm thinking about the church. It's a time of your harvest. It's the time of the geshmut, of the geshem, of the manifestation, and there'll be showers of blessings. And God said this to me, "Tell my people that the promises are for the corporate people, for the people of God that come corporately". In other words, keep on coming to church.

Some of you, we see you for Christmas, and then we see you in the beginning of the year. And then nobody sees you, amen? But God promised it's a corporate blessing. God wants you blessed. First of all, he's gonna bless you in your family life. The same chapter, the first occurrence, back to Deuteronomy 11. The first time the latter rain... back to, yup. In the same chapter as you go on, because of time, I'll just give you the highlights, okay? The blessing of the rains coming will cause this to happen in your family life, that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children. Your days refers to you and your spouse.

When God talks about you in the Bible, he refers to both husband and wife. God doesn't say you husband, you wife, never in the Bible. He speaks to you. In the New Testament, unless he's talking about men and women, it's different. But I'm talking about you, the blessing for the husband is for the wife. The calling for the husband is for the wife 'cause God sees one flesh. I said God sees one flesh. And God says, "I want your days and the days of your children to be multiplied". This year, God wants you not to die before your time, amen.

Now, listen to what I'm saying. Okay, some people find this, "What, Pastor Prince, is it God's will for me to". Yes, do you know the Bible says that Jesus died young, right, at the age of 33? He died on a cross. If anyone deserves to live long, it's Jesus, but he died young. There's a purpose for everything at the cross. He died young that you might live long. I repeat, he died young that you might live long. He was rejected that you might be accepted. He was punished that you might be favored, amen. And the best thing you can say, the way you can say thank you to Jesus is to walk and receive everything that he died for you to have, amen?

So the blessing is that your days will be multiplied and the days of your children, can you see that? But no point your days are multiplied by miserable days, lousy days, bad days. No, it'll be like the days of heaven upon the earth. The days of heaven upon the earth. Again, days of heaven upon the earth. Your days and the days of your children will be multiplied like the days of heaven upon the earth. This is God's Word. God breathed, God cannot lie. "How is it like, Pastor Prince"? I don't know. I'm gonna ask for that but God cannot lie. This is his Word. What are days of heaven upon the earth? I don't know. I'm gonna ask God. I wanna experience it, amen.

I don't think any of us is fully there yet but this year, the same chapter, talking about the rains, he says the days, your days will be multiplied and the days of your children like the days of heaven upon the earth, hallelujah. I feel a song coming. A song like, "I'm lying in your arms, Lord. This is heaven". You'll feel like saying, when you experience this year, there are moments you feel like, "Man, this is life. This is heaven on earth". Like the kind of days. Yeah, I don't fully see everything but you know what we need to do when we see this kind of thing? Covet it. Ask God for it. The exaltation, "Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain". "But Pastor Prince, if the rain are to come why ask God for it"? This is the mystery of prayer. God works with faith. God works with you asking him so that you know when the blessings come, you ask him. You will know to give him the praise and the glory.

You won't think, "I was just lucky". You won't thank your boss. You can say, "Thank you," but in your heart you know God is the source for the increment. You will know that things have happened not because somebody like you but because God gave you favor with that person. You will know God is the source and God himself said, "Covet earnestly the best gifts". You know, there's one place the Bible says in the Ten Commandments, the tenth commandment, the last commandment, God says, "Thou shall not covet". And the word "covet" means greedy. Greedy for, like, an overt desire to have someone's wife, someone's husband, someone's car, someone's house, someone's paycheck, you know, someone's salary, someone's financial status, someone's whatever.

God says, "Don't covet". But there's one place in the Bible that God says, "Covet earnestly". The word "earnestly" is red hot desire. The word "covet" is used. "Covet earnestly," what? "His blessings, the best gifts," the Bible says. So when you see blessings like this in Deuteronomy, "Your days being multiplied," are you greedy for it? Do you want it? Have you asked God for it? You see "days of heaven upon the earth," amen? It won't happen to you automatic. Ask God for it. Ask God for rain in the time of the latter rain. "Will I get it, Pastor"? Okay, since you ask. "I'm a little person, Pastor, in the church. I'm a nobody".

Well, go back to Zechariah. I need to read to you this. "God will give them showers," geshem of rain, grass in the field for," for? Tom, Dick, Harry. For Lim Peng San, Aru Morgum, amen? And Tan Tok Singh, amen? Everyone is involved. Everyone is everyone. Can I have a good "amen"? Ask God for rain. This not just for the pastors. This not for the, you know, especially you think that they are holier than you. No, no, no, it's for everyone. But are you earnest? Are you greedy for it? God loves it when people hold on and say, "I want you to bless me". God loves it. God wants you to because if you look to him, you're not looking to men. You're not looking to self. God will get the glory, okay?

All right, so ask God. You know, the thing is this, like, why ask God when God promised he will do it. There is a story in the Bible where he talks about when children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon, God said to Jeremiah long before they went into captivity, God said they would be in captivity for 70 years, 7-0. And yet, at the end of 70 years when they were in present-day Iraq, Babylon, at the end of 70 years, Daniel, that Jewish prince, I call him a prince because he's a man of wisdom, a man that in God's eyes is excellent spirit. He started praying for the release of God's people when he realized that a prophet Jeremiah many years ago prophesied in the 70th year the people of God will be released from captivity. Yet, the Bible says, Daniel prayed for that to happen.

So because God promised something, God says, "Pray for it to happen". In Ezekiel 36, God actually says, "I'll make the land of Israel like the Garden of Eden," literally, the Garden of Eden. And yet, he says, "For this I'll be inquired by the people to do it". God loves it when people, even God promise, you say, "God, do this for me. Lord, do this for my family". Like a promise you read: "Your health will spring forth speedily". "Do it for my family". Can I have a good "amen"? And the Lord said also to tell you this. That these blessings, go back to Deuteronomy 11, okay? Down to the family one.

Okay, this will happen to your family but nothing that will happen as we come together. There'll be a corporate blessing. Do not neglect coming to church. The church is not a building, but it is a gathering of God's people. If we meet somewhere else, in the field, as long we come together, we are a church. Are you listening, people? It's not a individual blessings. And there is a blessing, a promise, here where he gave me this in Ezekiel 34. He says: "I'll make them". Now, is "them" a singular or corporate word? A plural, right? It's plural. All of us together, okay? So the blessing's coming on our families but also them. "I'll make them and the places all around my hill a blessing".

Now, when he talks about the hill, God always builds his temple on the hill. In Jerusalem, the temple was built on a hill. Solomon built the temple on a hill, Moriah, the hill of Moriah. But today, the church of Jesus Christ made of many membered body of Christ, is built on a hill, the hill of Zion, amen? So note that he's talking about the church here. "I'll make them and the places all around my hill," that's the church, "a blessing; and I'll cause showers to come down in their season". There shall be showers of blessing, geshem showers, torrential showers. This is not just normal rain. Normal rain is called matar. But torrential rain, heavy downpour, copious showers, this will be heavy rain of blessings.

And I advise you when this happens this year do not bring along an umbrella. Leave your umbrella at home. Actually, I gave you a clue last week when I sang that old hymn which I believe was written after the hymn writer saw this verse in the Bible: "There shall be showers of blessing. This is the promise of love. There'll be seasons refreshing, sent from the Savior above. Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need. Mercy drops round us are falling but for the showers we plead," amen? So we've been seeing mercy drops here and there but we don't want mercy drops. We want showers of blessing. And when the showers come, the showers of blessing come on you, you will be unrecognizable.

Have you noticed that someone who has been drenched in the rain, when you meet them they don't look the same. Their hair's not the same, their makeup is not the same, the mascara is running, amen? They look different, amen. That's what's gonna happen this year and I've prophesied to you it happen even by Chinese New Year, amen. Your relatives, your friends, will look at you and they'll say, "Something different about you in a good way". They'll want what you have. They'll covet what you have, amen. And get ready for that because you'll be unrecognizable when you are inundated and you are drenched with the showers of blessing. We don't mercy drops, amen?

I don't know what happened but last month, last year which is last month, when I came back from holidays, I went to eat at a hawker center, you know? It's the first thing every Singaporean does, amen? Every self-respecting Singaporean will find a hawker center, amen? Because we are longing, no place like home food, amen? So I went to this hawker center. I went to this Malay store. I love their chicken rice down there, this particular place. And I ordered my chicken rice and the lady, you know, very precious lady there, she knows me and she knows what I like. She give me the special way of doing things and she pass it to me. I was about to take it, talk about mercy drops.

When I'm about to take it, splat on my hand and I look up and it's almost like this bird looking at me, "Hey, what's happening, yo! You like that". You know, it's like, and the lady look at me, the stall lady look at me and said... she look up, she look at me. "Alamak," she said. Then she said, "You leave your food here". In fact, she was so nice, she gave me another dish later on. So I went to wash my hand and nearby there was a sink and I went to wash my hand there, all right? Then, of course, a few people saw around the area. I hear them exclaim and all that.

Then there was this elderly Chinese man who came to me as I washed my hand, "Oh, actually, you are very lucky, you know? You are very lucky. Go and buy 4D. Hey, when bird do that for you, it means you're very lucky, you know? Go and buy," buy lottery, you know, and buy 4D, you know? "Go and buy 4D". I said, "Thank you, thank you". And washed my hands. That was just before Christmas. And yesterday, I actually go for a quick lunch so I went with my wife for a quick lunch and she was with me and we were eating in another hawker center, all right?

So we sit down there, we are eating, and my food came particularly late, I don't know why but finally it came, okay. So I was happy. I was very hungry by then. I was about to eat and I felt "splat" on my back. Now here, right now. And I jump up. I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa". I thought it was a lizard. It felt like a lizard. And I don't like lizards, you know? Even deep-fried ones. I don't like, I jump up and Wendy was looking, "What happened"? "Something. What is it? What is on back"? And she said, "Whoa"! And then we looked up and there's this big fat pigeon.

The amazing thing is that there's so many people down there in the place, right? You know, and it's lunch-time, it's very crowded. Of all the places, why me, Lord, why? Then I have a revelation. I have a revelation. The revelation is this. That in the Bible, in the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus shared that the enemy, the devil comes to steal the Word. But when he shared earlier, he says the birds of the air come to steal the Word. So these are evil spirits. There's a conspiracy of birds against me, amen?

Gonna share that with you because you might think that the lives of Pastor Mark, you know, the way we share our, you know, Pastor Prince and all that, is a bed of roses. No, it's a challenge just like you. They poop on us also. And I still have to believe that I'm the favored, I'm highly favored, and greatly blessed, amen, amen? Amen, we get caught in traffic jams also, amen? And no, I did not play lottery. I did not go for the 4D, in case you are wondering. Talking about birds, one bird asked another bird, "You know what's the difference between a man who argues with his wife and the man who plays the lottery"? The other bird says, "Don't know". "Hey, bro, the man who plays lottery got more chance to win".

Okay, hey, those of you who are clapping, either you're not married or your wife is not seated with you, okay? So there'll be showers of blessing. Get ready for rain, amen? Oh yeah, change your image. Showers! All right, let's go right now to Joel. And I'll close with Joel. In Joel chapter 2, God says: "Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he has given you the former rain faithfully, and he will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floor shall be full of wheat," say, "full of wheat". "And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil". Say, "overflow with new wine and oil". I love it. I love even the sound of it. "Full, overflow. Full, overflow".

How many know harvest can just be a meager harvest? But it's wonderful when it's full and overflowing. Over and above, amen. Running over, superfluous, copious, extravagant, amen. This year, listen carefully, when the rains come, God promise "the threshing floors will be full of wheat, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil". Now, these are types. The meaning of it is what? We know the grain is for bread, the wine is the blood of Jesus, right? We partake of the Lord's Supper. Many of you, you partake and it's become a ritual.

You said, "Oh, you're sick? Take the Communion". But it's become a ritual. You've got to have a revelation. You've got to pause and think about what happened to Jesus. Even the Old Testament pictures of the Lamb being slaughtered and put on the altar, a picture of Jesus on the cross, even those lambs, they were never tortured. They were never stripe. They were never beaten. They were killed straightaway, like the picture of Jesus on the cross. Why was Jesus scourged? Why didn't he just go to the cross and carry our sins, which happened at the cross? Nut why was he beaten before that?

Most criminals, either they are scourged, they are taught a lesson, they're let go or they go to the cross straightaway. But Jesus both scourged and beaten. Why? The Bible says with his stripe we are healed. By that stroke, your cancer died. By that stroke, your diabetes is normal. By that stroke, your prostate is reduced in size. You can see through the sermon by that stroke your youth is renewed like the eagle's. You know, there's a promise I'll preach on in the weeks to come from Job 33. It says that when God deals with someone "his flesh will be fresher than a child's". This is God's Word and God cannot lie. His flesh, the adult man, "his flesh will be fresher than a child's;" his health, in other words. "He shall return to the days of his youth".

Now, listen. Go back to Joel. God promised overflowing blessings and then, verse 25: "I will restore to you the years," after the rain come, there'll be fullness of revelation on communion and all that. Not only that, "God will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten," amen? Now, I'll share with you, like I said just now, communion is not something you just... oh, let's do it, like, you know, let's try it out or superstitious, let's take communion. It must be a revelation. You need to hear the sermon, read the book, amen, listen to the preaching of it. And then meditate on it and then partake. Don't rush to partake.

Many times we've got no extra time, so to speak, in our church services so we go through it but we hope you have the revelation. But honestly, if you're sick, God can heal you and that has happened. We've seen it happen. Many of you have seen it happen, even last week, the manifestation of the healing. But there's also incremental harvests. In its season, the manifestation come. And we are in the time of the harvest, the latter rain. Are you listening, people? God will send lightnings and then the rains will come. I'm gonna read to you a testimony, a true testimony, of this lady, she sent me this, I shared with you just now about the inmate, right? Did I? You preach more than one service, you wonder what you've shared where. "What, about the bird"? Yeah, okay, anyway. This is a testimony from a lady from Taiwan:

My father went through four big surgeries in six weeks for the spine. For the spine, a heart clot, bladder cancer, and a prostate incision. For an 85-year-old, it took God's grace to survive the back-to-back surgeries. Hoping to recover quickly, my father often overdosed himself with medicines and had to be sent to the emergency room. He grew weaker and weaker. A year later, my father was sent to the intensive care unit due to an overdose again. His vital signs quickly dropped to zero. There was no blood pressure, no breathing, and no urine. He was resuscitated and kept alive on machines so that we could see him for the last time.

Before this I had started listening to Pastor Joseph Prince teachings on the holy communion. I had also studied church history and had asked God to let my find and share only the unadulterated gospel. I examined what Pastor Prince taught by listening to his sermons nonstop for days. I was overjoyed by the gospel of grace. The difference between what has been preached in other places and the gospel of grace was like night and day to me.

When I flew home from the US, I decided to take the holy communion with my father, even though he was still in coma, because he had no kidney function, fluid was being retained in his body and he was completely puffed up. I prayed Psalms 91 over him and I took communion with him by wetting his lips using cotton filled grape juice. I sprinkled breadcrumbs on his lips to signify him taking Jesus's broken body. I decided to take the holy communion every time I visited him. Jesus is faithful to his covenant.

After the first communion, 500mLs of urine was released, which means his kidney function had recovered. With the second communion, his heart rate and blood pressure were restored, and he no longer needed to be resuscitated by injections. At the third communion, he could breathe independently. His vital signs stabilized at the fourth communion. The doctors told us that my dad would very likely be in a vegetative state since he had been in coma for six days. However, we prayed that his mind, emotions, and reasoning would be restored. After the sixth communion, he opened his eyes slightly, and with the seventh communion he was able to open his eyes wide and turn his head towards voices. At the eighth communion, he awoke fully.

Then he began to suffer after that massive internal bleeding and could have gone back into a coma. Because of the bleeding, the doctor could carry out an endoscopy to determine the reason or source. We took Communion and commanded the bleeding to stop in the name of Jesus. We did not have enough faith ourselves and were not sure that the bleeding would stop. Amazingly, it stopped on the second morning and the tubing had no trace of blood. We continued with our tenth Communion, and we heard bowel movement as soon as we finished praying. All the unclean blood was executed out.

At the twelfth Communion, my father spoke. Again and again the Lord demonstrated his healing power through the Communion. My father was in and out of ICU until one day my sister and I partook of the Holy Communion ourselves and asked the Lord to grant my father a few good days without the sickbed. Three days later, my father's health improved by a big leap. He was able to sit in the wheelchair and get some fresh air outside the hospital. My father was discharged after 50 days in the hospital. We celebrated his 86th birthday in his favorite restaurant. Even in my father's doctor admitted his recovery is a miracle. Praise the name of Jesus.

And all the people said? This year, the year of the latter rain, the bread, the wine, will be full and overflowing. And all the manifestation you are waiting for, child of God, is gonna manifest. The Geshem, the manifestation, is gonna come forth this year. Don't give up, amen? Amen, come to the gathering of the honor of the Lord. Honoring the Lord one day out of seven days is like a tithe to the Lord. God's principle of first fruit, he's gonna bless the six days, amen? Trying to do your own things, saving yourself, saving your own finances, or creating more on the seventh day or the sixth day or whatever, you're not observing the principle of rest is like not trusting the Lord, amen.

Come and let the Lord fight your battles back home. Let the Lord fight your battles, you rest. In fact, God said to me many years ago these words, "When you rest, I work. But when you work, I rest". Which do you want, amen? "When you rest, I work". So, trust that the Lord will work on that situation as you come and worship the Lord. Corporately, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to come together in unity, to dwell in unity. There, you find the dew of Hermon. There, you find the refreshing, there God commands life forevermore. Can I pray at the end of the service that no one dies before your time this year, amen? Can I pray for you that got renews your youth, and strength, and health this year, amen?

The world says natural wisdom and experts and all that, they will say you know as your days, so the weaker you'll get. The Bible says, "As your days, so shall your strength be". As your days increase, your strength, your health, will increase. Can I pray that for you, amen? But before that, we'll finish this passage, one last passage. "I'll restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten". Swarming locust is when the locust come all at once, even making the sun as if it didn't shine. It's nighttime, it swarms the entire sky and farmers are so afraid of the swarming locust. They come all at once, they swoop upon the crop, and they leave behind everything that, you know, completely devastated, completely void of even a green leaf. Farmers in America, in Israel, everywhere, they're afraid of these swarming locusts. You don't know when they're coming.

And then that's how the enemy is like. God says the swarming locust, then God says, the consuming locusts. It consumes, it devours, it stays there on the branches. You can see there and it's every time a green leaf comes up, it consumes it. Do you feel that way? Have you have you had experience in the past year, or the past years, where you felt like all of a sudden something bad happened, it changed your life? It's not good. It's like a swarming locust, it happens suddenly. You never foresaw it coming. Well, God says, "I'll restore to you the years the swarming locusts have eaten, the consuming locusts". And only that, the chewing locusts.

Now, these locusts is like you realize one day, you wake up and realize that the business you're running somebody's stealing from it. Someone you trust is stealing from it. That's like a chewing locust. It's there and it's like a caterpillar, don't even have wings and it's chewing. You don't realize. It's not swarming. It's very quiet behind the scenes chewing, chewing, chewing, gnawing at your health. Have you gone to a doctor and then you never felt any symptom and doctor says, "Hey, you have this condition and all that," and you're stunned. That's the work or the chewing locust, the devil, you know, God... let me tell you this, God always gives health. God is not out to take away your health, but there is an enemy out to destroy you. That's why he promote people to become drug addicts because he know drugs will kill you. He promotes smoking, why? Smoking will cut your life short, amen.

People say, "Pastor Prince, can you smoke or not and still go to heaven"? I say, faster. So, God wants you to live long. God loves you, man. Even when you don't love yourself, God loves you. So, have you had these four armies, I was meditating on this and I say that, is there a New Testament counterpart? God showed me the verse, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. That colleague who stole from you is not your real enemy. The one who cheated you is not your real enemy. The one who, you know, whatever. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness.

Notice the four groups, these are the locusts but God says, "I'll restore to you all the devil has stolen. I'll restore to you, amen, lost relationships, lost health". Pastor Prince, can God restore the years? That's why he says, God created time, God created days and years, and he can restore the years. And just now we saw what? Can return you to the days of your youth. He can even return you the days of your youth. You'll feel like, you know, some days you find that it's so fast, same 24 hours chronos is 24, but the day feels like so wonderful, so long, you know, you have time to do everything. And yet, the same 24 hours another day can be like so short, and you're tired. It's not a good day.

Well, everyone has the same day, but the quality of it, listen, don't let the devil rob you of it this year 2019. Make every moment count. And with this rain, just enjoy the rain, enjoy the grain, enjoy the wine, and enjoy the oil. Flow with the Spirit. It's not possible for me to share everything that God has for us in one service but in the days to come. But there's one thing that must happen before these things happen and with that I'll leave you with this, "Before God restores and you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord".

Before this God says what? Your vat will overflow, your threshing floor will be full of wheat. Go back. Before all these things happened notice God will give you the former rain faithfully, and he will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain, and latter rain. Doesn't make sense when you read it, it says he has given you the rain to come down.

Now, did I tell you about mowreh just now? Mowreh means what? Teacher right? In Israel, you know, all the students, all the kids were saying, "Shalom, mowreh". Like I said just now, it means what? Mowreh can mean from the word yoreh, it means early rain or it can mean, what? Teacher, former rain or teacher, okay? Here it says God has given you the former rain faithfully. And it's amazing that in the Hebrew it is not the word yoreh, which is used former rain in other places. This one place where it says it appears only two times, mowreh. Here is one place it says teacher actually, but I don't know why the King James and New King does not translate there. It says the former rain. And faithfully is not faithfully, it is the word righteousness, tsidqah, which is righteousness. God will give you the teacher of righteousness. God will give you the teaching of righteousness, and then he will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain. In the first month, the word "month" is not there. It's like the beginning.

Now, what's gonna happen first? The teaching of righteousness. By the way Young's has it accurate. Young's, believe it or not, Message Bible says, "The teacher. And Young's, show them the Young's. "He has given you the teacher for righteousness and causes to come down to you a shower". Now, look up here, people. First of all, teacher of righteousness, do you know how many people in the world? And it's still in church, in church, in the church world today. How many of them believe that righteousness is something you perform, something you do but the Bible says righteousness is a gift? Righteousness is a gift. You know why it's a gift? Because at the cross, the first and the only teacher of righteousness came and he died on the cross for our sins, Jesus Christ. And he became sin with our sins that you and I might become righteous with his righteousness.

Today we preach righteousness as a gift, have you received it? When you receive this gift, God treats you like a righteous man. Even though your actions are not altogether there, even though you're not perfect this side of heaven, God treats you as if you're righteous. Like Abraham, God never rebuked him. Even when his sinned, he lied and God treated him with blessings. Now, God is not for lying, God is not for sin, but God wants you to know when you receive the teaching of righteousness, you will, when you believe right, live right. Can I be good amen?

So, the teacher of righteousness, which is Jesus, came. Have we received his teaching, the true gospel? What's the teaching of righteousness? It's not performance, it is a gift. Once you receive that, then go back again to the King James. "Then he will cause the rain to come down for you". Young's says, "sprinkling and gathering," it's referring to former rain and the latter rain gathering. He will cause to come down. So, before you can have the latter rain, you must have the teaching of righteousness. The more you embrace this teaching, you will see your years being restored. You will see yourself come back to the days of your youth, you will find revelation in a greater measure in wine, your grain, your oil, and then it'll be said of you, "True wherever he goes, wherever she goes, it seems like good things are happening". They will call you lucky, amen. "She's so lucky". But you know you are blessed, amen.

You know that the word "luck" is how the world users that work but you and I know, it's not luck, we are blessed. And just like be under the rain for sometime, you step out of the rain and people can hardly recognize you, amen. Same thing will happen. The blessings of God will drench you, and you'll be, it'll be said of you, blessed is that man, blessed is that woman because they have been drenched by the rain". In the time of the latter rain, God will send his grain on everyone. And all the people said? Give him praise, hallelujah.

Now, I just want to say this to all of you, in the weeks to come God will unveil it. And now, I just touched the surface, you all know that, right? You know, and God will reveal more and more and more, how to walk in it, how to ask, how to flow in it. And this year, I'm just believing because God knows what's gonna happen before it happens. Last year, there was a spirit of depression released upon the world. Even amongst in the church, I see the Spirit of depression attacking my leaders and out there in the world, it's attacking even celebrities and all that. One by one took their lives, still remember last year? Last year, east and west celebrities, I'm not gonna just isolated cases. It seems like there's a darkness, a depression released and the only way to defeat it is not by psychology. It's not by thinking with great, greater clarity. It is not even medication because medication can make you like, you know, slowly you become addicted to it and you move in a zombie-like stupor. That's not good. Even the doctors who give you that will tell, "You don't be addicted to it".

So, what's the answer? The Bible says the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, the spirit of gloom, the spirit of depression. The answer is the garment of praise. Keep on coming. Keep on living in that spirit. When you feel depressed, sing songs like... "There shall be showers of blessing, this is the promise of love". We'll teach you this song next week, okay? All right, you can learn it online on YouTube, whatever and sing it. And, you know, it's amazing how it drives away depression, how it drives away and just believe there'll be showers of blessings. No mercy drops, amen? And all the people said, amen. Give Jesus the praise, the glory, the honor.

I want to pray for you right now. I'm gonna pray that no one dies before their time, amen. Before that, perchance, you are here and you are watching and you are saying, "Pastor Prince, I want Jesus Christ and what he did to become real in my life. I believe he died on the cross for my sins. I know that there's no way I can save myself by my good works, by my morality. It will never reach God's perfect standard. I need a Savior, and I see now I need a Savior. Pray for me, pastor, that I will enjoy the abundant life that Jesus promised. I want my sins forgiven. I want to be a child of God". If that is you, pray this prayer with me from your heart just for a while, and then I'll pray for the rest of you that the blessings that I've mentioned just now will become actual, realized, and manifested in your life. So, if that is you wherever you are right now say this after me:

Heavenly Father, I believe that you love me and you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be my Savior. He bore my sins on that cross and all my judgment and punishment. He exhausted them all, fulfilled God's law, and rose again without my sins as a proclamation to me that all my sins are put away. Jesus Christ is my Lord, and my Savior. And I thank you, he's alive today. And I thank you I'm greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved. I love you, Father, because you first loved me. In Jesus's name.

And all the people said, Amen. Amen, praise the Lord. Stand to your feet. Usually for the first part of the year, I preach slightly longer because we are building in the weeks to come by the grace of God, I'm gonna cut my sermon shorter. And in order for me to do that, I won't share everything at one time. I'll be sharing it in the weeks to come, okay? This coming year, you don't have to depend on your smarts, on your talent, on your connections, you can depend on the Lord. All the known connections are now collapsing in the natural, amen. Just focus on the Lord as far as you and your hill and your places around you, God can make showers of blessing, amen, upon you. Praise the Lord. I'm gonna pray that no one dies before your time. Lift your hands all across this place.

Father in heaven in the name of Jesus, I pray for everyone under the sound of my voice. I pray, Father, that none, none will die before their time. No life will be cut short, Father. We don't allow, Father, in the name of Jesus, anyone, anyone not to live out their lives, Lord, in the number of the days that you have for them. We pray, Father, that what you promised in your Word, that your days and the days of your children be multiplied like the days of heaven upon the earth, be actualized in the name of Jesus. Let it happen, Lord, in the lives of everyone who hears this sermon right now, Father, in the name of Jesus that this year they will see the manifestation of it.

We know, Father, there will be trials. We know that there'll be testings. We know that there'll be areas where some days, they'll be challenges, but we thank you for the showers of blessings. Let the shower be so strong, Father, torrential, Lord, heavy downpour, it will destroy everything of the enemy. The Lord just spoke to me and said, "And Son you know the enemy loves dry places". Yeah, unclean spirits like dry places. When the rain comes, there is no more dry place. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. I just received that.

And Father, I pray for everyone under the sound of my voice, renew their youth and their strength, and cause their health to spring forth speedily for this coming year, Lord. Let it be said of them, they look younger than their age. Let it be said of them, Father, they are healthier than they think, Father, and let it be testified, Lord, that Jesus is alive and well and Lord of their lives, Father. And Father, I pray that where the people are saying, "lucky person, lucky woman, lucky," I pray, Father, you'll grant revelation that you'll use these people, Lord, as a testimony to provoke others, Lord, to know you more, to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Thank you, Father, showers of blessings coming your way this year in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And all the people said, amen.