It's Harvest Time
By Kenneth E. Hagin
For any harvest to be reaped, not only does seed have to be sown, but rain has to fall. I don’t care how good the seed or the ground is, we must have rain if we’re going to reap a harvest.
But when God spoke of “rain” in James 5:7, He used something in the natural, or natural terminology, to explain a spiritual truth. Christians in the Early Church understood what the former and latter rains were. During the time of the early or first rain, the Israelites prepared the ground and planted crops. Later in the season, the latter rain fell. This rain came to mature the crops so there would be a harvest.
Spiritually speaking, the illustration of rain is used in connection with the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. And we see in Hosea chapter 6 that the Lord’s coming unto us will also be like the rain.
Hosea 6:3
3 . . . and HE SHALL COME UNTO US AS THE RAIN, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
This is the way God’s blessings will come; they will fall on us. Rain is the way spiritual revival will come to the earth. And before the Lord’s return, there will be a visitation of the Lord that will be an outpouring of His power and Spirit.
Is there anything we can do to hasten the Lord’s return? Yes. We can ask for the rain.
Zechariah 10:1
1 Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
Some may wonder why God doesn’t just send the rain. Why do we have to ask? John Wesley said, “It seems God can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him to do it.” When Christians ask the Lord to send the rain, God can move without the Devil accusing Him of being unjust.
In asking for the rain, we are asking for the harvest. We are asking for an outpouring of the Spirit of God and a manifestation of the power of God.
A harvest is coming! But instead of looking for the harvest, some folks are preaching, “It’s going to get worse. The Devil’s going to take over. We’d better store up food and hide in a cave.”
This is exactly what the Devil would like us to do. If we’re concerned about storing up food, we won’t be focusing on the harvest. But I’m not going to focus on the Devil and what he’s trying to do. I’m going to get ready for the harvest! Some folks are getting ready for the Antichrist, but I’m getting ready for the Christ! I could care less about the Antichrist!
Some Christians think the Devil will take over the earth before the Lord’s return. But remember the time when Jesus asked His disciples who men said He was, and who they said He was (Matt. 16:13–15). Peter replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Jesus then said, “. . . thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (v. 18).
Jesus did not build the Church upon Peter; the Church is built on Peter’s confession. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ! Darkness will not overtake us. And the Devil will not take everything over. No. No. No!
The Devil can’t take the Church over, for the Greater One dwells in us! First John 4:4 says, “. . . greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to lie down and let the Devil take over. I’m going to rise up and carry out the work of God.
The Gospel of this Kingdom must be preached in all nations for a witness, and then the end shall come (Matt. 24:14). That’s the reason we’re preparing people at RHEMA Bible Training Center and sending them out. We’re preparing people to be sent into the harvest!
And we’re going to keep on asking for the rain . . . not just in Oklahoma . . . not just in the United States. We’re going to keep asking for the rain until it rains everywhere on the earth.
Someone may ask, “How long are you going to do that?” Until the harvest is reaped. We’re not quitting just because we see it beginning to rain. We’re going to keep going until all of the precious harvest of the earth is reaped!
