Former Rain and Latter Rain: Difference between revisions

<!-- interlanguage:start -->[[ko:이른 비와 늦은 비]][[vi:Mưa đầu mùa và mưa cuối mùa]]<!-- interlanguage:end -->[[file: Klimadiagramm-metrisch-deutsch-Tel Aviv-Israel.png|thumb|Climate of Israel: The blue line indicates precipitation and the red line indicates temperature.]]The '''former rain''' and the '''latter rain''' are very important for the successful growing and harvesting of crops. Wheat and barley, the '''''basic''''' agricultural products in Israel, are sown in autumn and reaped in spring. The former rain (also called early rain or autumn rain; Hebrew: יוֹרֶה)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/3138.html |title=Strong's #3138 - יוֹרֶה |website=Study Light }}</ref> falls when the rainy season begins around October and November in the [https://www.britannica.com/science/solar-calendar solar calendar]. It wets the land that has dried up during the dry season. The latter rain (also called spring rain; Hebrew: מַלקוֹשׁ [Malkosh])<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/4456.html |title=Strong's #4456 - מַלְקוֹשׁ |website=Study Light }}</ref> is the spring rain that falls around March and April when the rainy season is over. This rain makes the crops more fruitful during the harvest season. In the [[Bible]], the former rain and the latter rain refer to the [[The Holy Spirit|Holy Spirit]], which is the blessing that [[God]] pours out.  

In the Bible, Israel’s grain farming is compared to God’s [[gospel]] work. Jesus likened the process of preaching the truth and reaping spiritual fruit to “sowing good seeds in a field and harvesting them.”<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A24-30%2C+37-39&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV |title=Matthew 13:24–30, 37–39 }}</ref> The special rain that falls during the farming season—the former rain and the latter rain—stands for the Holy Spirit poured out from God. Just as the former rain and latter rain are essential for Israel’s crop farming, the Holy Spirit of the former rain and the latter rain are crucial for the gospel work to be completed. Around the eighth century [[BC and AD|B.C.]], the prophet Joel prophesied that in the future, God would pour out the former rain and the latter rain.

The prophecy about the former rain was fulfilled by the Holy Spirit given to the disciples on the day of [[Pentecost]], who gathered in [[Jerusalem]] for ten days after Jesus’ [[Jesus' Resurrection|resurrection]] and [[The Ascension of Jesus|ascension]], 2,000 years ago when the seed of the gospel was being sown. The number of disciples increased by as many as 3,000 in a day after the descent of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of the former rain became a catalyst for the spread of the gospel of the early Church throughout the world.