There is a problem that can occur when we look in hope for something the Lord will do. It is not hope that is the problem, it is unbelief. In the first and second part of this series of articles I shared concerning a vision the evangelist Tommy Hicks had about a great end-time outpouring. Many prophets have seen that day at a distance. This will be the greatest demonstration of God’s power upon His people that has ever occurred. It will be the last great witness to this world concerning the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ.
In this vision, the minister asked the Lord what the meaning was, and He said: “This is that which I will do in the last days. I will restore all that the cankerworm, the palmerworm, the caterpillar—I will restore all that they have destroyed. This, my people, in the end times will go forth. As a mighty army shall they sweep over the face of the earth.”
If we accept something as true concerning a future event but do not act on it, we are merely acknowledging it. While we look at our present circumstances, we see little evidence of the fulfillment of the promise, so we put it off to the future. That is not faith. Faith takes a hope and acts on it in the present. Faith ushers in the fulfillment of that promise. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). Do you know what happens if you do not respond in faith to a promise? You harden your heart to it. You become dull of hearing. You turn your attention to other things, and when the day comes for its fulfillment, you do not receive it because the word has been choked by the cares and things of this world (Mark 4:19). “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today’, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:12,13).
In the vision, the minister also saw something that was quite troubling. “There were many people as He (Christ) stretched forth His hand that refused the anointing of God and the call of God. I saw men and women that I knew. People that I felt would certainly receive the call of God. But as He stretched forth His hand toward this one and toward that one, they simply bowed their heads and began to back away. And each of those that seemed to bow down and back away, seemed to go into darkness. Blackness seemed to swallow them everywhere.” These were people the minister knew. They were fellow ministers and church members. He felt that they would certainly receive the call because they were already serving in ministry. Jesus spoke of this in the parable of the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-14). When the time came to celebrate the wedding, some of the invited guests were not found worthy to attend. The invitation was sent out to the highways and the byways. Of course this parable applies to the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles after the Jews first rejected it, but it also applies to the time at the end when the remnant of the Jews once again accept it (Rom. 11:1-36). After all the preparations were completed, many who had never heard the invitation finally heard it and the wedding hall was filled.
How do we prepare for the end-times outpouring? We must keep the promise alive. A seed is planted in a time of revelation. This is the early rain. Then the seed must grow but it cannot do that without water. We cannot wait for the latter rain before we grow. We must set our roots deep into the soil to draw living water from the river which flows from the throne of God (Ezek. 47:1). Then when the latter rain comes, we are ready for the final harvest.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Ps. 1:1-3)
The time to live is now. Behold, now is the day of salvation (2Cor. 6:2). Today you must be attentive to His voice. Today you must believe. Today you must obey by the Spirit through faith. If you learn to abide in the grace of God when there is little rain, you will be a tree of life to those around you when the latter rain comes. You see, it is not about the rain. It is about faithfulness.
There is another parable that speaks of this time. The parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) refers to the reward of the Lord for His faithful servants at His Second Coming. We must not forget that before He comes visibly to the world, He will come to His temple. It will be a time of great grace, but also a time of refining (Mal. 3:1-3). In this parable, before leaving to prepare a place for them in the Kingdom, the Master distributes talents to His servants. When He returns for them, He takes the talent away from the unfaithful one and gives it to one that was faithful. Not only did the faithful servant receive another talent to use in the present time, but he was put in charge of cities in the new kingdom (Lu. 19:17,18), which speaks of the Thousand Year Reign after the first resurrection (Rev. 20:5,6).
“Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” (Ezek. 47:12)
Highway in the Wilderness 