Rain Making Prophets
By Robert Burgess 5/2/2000
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit (James 5:17-18)."
"And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered (Amos 4:7)."
Holy Ghost Revival
Rain is typical of the Holy Spirit poured out; There is a crying need for the rain of the Holy Spirit to be poured out in our midst today. We live in a time when the Charismatic-Pentecostal Church in general is claiming to be in "Revival;" But a good and honest question to ask is "Revival of what?" Is there any more deep and sincere dedication to Jesus in the lives of these believers who claim to be "Revived," or is it just "Business as usual??" Are there any souls really getting saved to speak of?? Are the sick and dying being raised up off of their deathbeds? Do the demon possessed still come to the Church and find an old-fashioned Deliverance there?? Or is it just a lot of "Joyful Noise" and much Money changing hands?? There is so much emphasis on money that one has to ask; "Where does the "Root of all evil" fit in to this picture?" We are told first to "Buy the Truth" and secondly to "Sell it not." Yet there are such exorbitant fees and prices attached to everything from attending their Conferences, buying their tapes and booklets on how to succeed in God’s economy, right on down to the little bottles of "Anointing oil" (which are supposedly "Blessed" by some great one, or from some special place in Israel) so that no one living on a small pension is able to afford them. The poor are all but shut out of this so-called "Revival" altogether.
Rain Making Prophets
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After TWO DAYS will he REVIVE US: in the THIRD DAY he will raise us UP, and we shall LIVE in HIS SIGHT. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the RAIN, as the latter and former RAIN unto the earth (Hosea 6:1-3)."
What we need and desire most of all is the LORD!! His Presence, His Spirit Outpoured.. He promises to come to us (In the Third Day) as the RAIN; As I said, the word "Rain" is used to describe the Holy Spirit Outpoured. But what does it take to produce "Rain?" First of all let us consider what caused the rain to be withheld in the first place.
In the days of Elijah there was a king in Israel named Ahab, whose wife was Jezebel; Not to get too political here, and get into too many details, but we have some Ahabs and Jezebels in governmental positions as high up as you can go in the USA, and they have been doing the same things as their Biblical predecessors. There are many reasons why God has withheld the outpouring of His Spirit upon this wicked system of Government and this apostate nation of the United States of America. The Churches of this nation are most responsible for the present conditions here, because it is the Church who is called to be the "Salt of the Earth;" When the "Salt" loses it’s ability to "Save (keeping power, it’s Savor)" it is "fit for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men" said Jesus (See Mt 5:13). This is what has happened here in the good old USA.. Not only has the Church failed in it’s mission to keep this country clean of Drugs, Illicit sex, Alcohol, Abortionists, Gambling Casinos, Strip Joints, Homosexual marriages, and on and on; But the Church and Ministry in general are held in contempt of the people, and kicked around like footballs. Why haven’t we had any rain?? First, because God wants to show us His displeasure with our crooked dealings, and the consequences of our passivity; Secondly He wants us to see our need for some "Rain Making Prophets."
Elijah
The Prophet Elijah was a rain maker for sure; What it took for him to become such a one who could, at his Word, break the awful drought over Israel is what we need to find out. Notice how and what God commanded Elijah to do..
"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be DEW nor RAIN these years, but according to MY WORD. And the WORD of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee EASTWARD, and HIDE thyself by the brook CHERITH, that is before JORDAN. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the RAVENS to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him BREAD and FLESH in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook (1 Ki 17:1-6)."
A Covenant
The brook "Cherith;" Meaning to "Cut" as in the "Cutting of a Covenant;" An Agreement, or Covenant Principle is in view. The word "Covenant (the 'C' word)" is a most dreaded word today in some circles of believers. Most modern Christians don't want to be too "Obligated" in the things of God; Sometimes it is all you can do just to convince them they need to be faithful in attending services even. But God says, "If you will do this Elijah, then I will do that." God told Elijah exactly what to do, and so long as he strictly obeyed the voice of the Lord, His Covenant would STAND; No matter what! Ahab and Jezebel were infuriated no doubt, and the Church world probably didn’t like it much either, but if YOU stand, then God’s Covenant will STAND, No matter WHAT.
First God commanded Elijah to leave and forsake his comfortable surroundings in old Gilead (the realm of the Anointing - a Type of Pentecost), and move out of Israel altogether into the wilderness side of Jordan (Death). Separation unto the will and purpose of God is the first step of obedience for the End-Time "Rain Maker." The classic call of the believer is revealed in Gen 12:1.. "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy COUNTRY, and from thy KINDRED, and from thy FATHER’S HOUSE, unto a LAND (Realm) that I will show thee (by Revelation):" But does the Holy Spirit still place it into the hearts of true "Disciples of Jesus Christ" to love Him enough to forsake all, and to follow Him (See Luke 5:11)?? When you start believing and obeying the Word of God as it is revealed by the indwelling Spirit, you will get "Flack" from everyone coming and going, I guarantee. Even some of those who are supposedly in the forefront of the latest "Move of God" will rebuke you openly, and call you "Crazy." You will find that you will be even less and less popular when you refuse to Worship "God" with them in an Unscriptural way. You will find yourself separated, in the desserts, and in the wilderness, separated from the Commonwealth of Israel (the Church World) altogether.
Elijah’s worst source of humiliation at this point, probably were those RAVENS! The Raven was an unclean bird in the Jewish mind; It is very NON-KOSHER indeed. It represents an UNCLEAN MINISTRY, the exact OPPOSITE of the DOVE (Holy Spirit). This had to be an act of "Raw Faith" on Elijah’s part, an "Acid Test" of his willingness to trust that the LORD would cover him in such seemingly UNSCRIPTURAL circumstances. The "Legal Mind" of the Pharisee would condemn Elijah outright in this; But the mind of Christ revealed to him that there was a LAW and a PURPOSE beyond the LETTER of the WORD that would make him "FREE from the LAW of SIN and DEATH (See Ro 8:2)."
There are true Prophets in this day who have been "Hidden" like Elijah, from the Beast System, and even from the "Organized Church." Some of them don’t look very much like what you might think a Prophet of God should look like, but remember they are the "Hidden ones," known only to God and to those to whom God would reveal them. Does this seem incredible?? I will say this; In Jesus’ day it was easy to spot a religious figure, you could tell a Pharisee or a Sadducee a block away. But what did John look like?? The Bible describes his appearance this way: "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey (Mat 3:4)." His appearance was such that no one would easily guess him to be a "Holy Man" such as one of the Scribes or Pharisees; and you must admit that his "Diet" was a little peculiar. I said all that to say this: If you are one who can’t take being despised, rejected, even hated by the religious elements, then don’t take God up on this Covenant of separation; Because it will make you a peculiar person, and people who are "Different (in God’s ways)" aren’t going to be accepted by the religious element in general.
The Brook Dries up
The next step in Elijah’s schooling was when the brook dried up.
"And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days (1 Ki 17:7-15)."
The Furnace
Zarephath means "Refinement," a "Furnace," or, "To Purge." Now the Lord has another step beyond separation from "Home, family, Church, and State;" It is to dwell for a while in the "Furnace of Affliction.." "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have CHOSEN THEE in the FURNACE of AFFLICTION. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should MY NAME be POLLUTED? and I will not give my GLORY unto ANOTHER (Isa 48:10-11)."
I have often been asked "How are the many that are called separated from the few that are chosen??" The above passage explains this very plainly.. We are all, of course, called, but the chosen are "CHOSEN" in the "FURNACE of AFFLICTION." How do we qualify then? By being willing for the sake of our Lord’s Holy Name, to endure the fiery trials of our faith and to endure unto the "END;" Lest His Holy NAME (or Nature) be POLLUTED. He is looking for a people who will allow His Spirit to Baptize them in more than just a "Real good, feel good" experience; We are looking at a baptism in FIRE here folks. I must say before we get away from this area of thought, that the Fire of Tribulation is not all that is in view here; It is a part of this, but only an "Outward Fire." There is another fire that must be burning even hotter within us than that which is burning on the outside; It is the Fire of God’s Divine Nature.. "Our God is a CONSUMING FIRE (See Heb 12:29)." And what is it that He consumes?? Wood (Lust of the FLESH), Hay (Lust of the EYES), Stubble (Pride of LIFE [Soulish Life]- See 1 Cor 3:12-13, 1 Jn 2:16). God is refining us in the Furnace of the widows house. The widow is one who’s "OLD MAN is DEAD (See Ro 6:6)."
One last "Stoke of the Furnace"
One last element must be introduced into this formula before the "Rain Maker" is ready to "Open the Heavens." He must be rejected by the very ones he is sent to deliver..
"And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son (1 Ki 17:17-18)?
Can’t you just hear old Elijah crying out.. "OH, LORD MY GOD!! What an awful thing to happen at a time like this!! After all the months of enduring famine, eating food brought by an UNCLEAN MINISTRY, and then living under the reproach of this community by dwelling alone in the same house with a WIDOW!! OH LORD, what can possibly happen NEXT??" These are major tests and trials we are looking at folks; Is anyone sure they want to be a "Rain Maker" still?? At this point, Elijah had nothing else to do but to do what he had been doing all along; Continue to trust in the GOODNESS of the LORD in the LAND of the LIVING!!
"And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched (or, Measured) himself upon the child three times (30-60-100 Fold), and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, SEE (??), thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I KNOW that thou art a man of God, and that the WORD of the LORD in thy mouth is TRUTH (1 Ki 17:17-24)."
Even after the daily miracle of the flour and the oil not wasting, or diminishing in quantity, the widow said; "Now by THIS I KNOW that thou art a man of God, and that the WORD of the LORD in thy mouth is TRUTH (vs. 24)." She was ready to throw him out on his ear one minute, but because of the Power of Prayer, and of the unbroken COVENANT between God and Elijah, the child was restored back to life as good as new, and she was ready to practically fall down and worship him!! People will never know for sure if you and your God are for real, until their most precious possessions are taken away, and then restored by the Power of GOD working in and through His DIVINE COVENANT.
We are coming now to the bottom line of what I have to say; I believe that God has some Prophets "Waiting in the wings" who are called into the same order, and who are getting prepared to operate in the same anointing (Spirit) as Elijah. This drought MUST be BROKEN; The Word of God will never bear any fruit unto perfection in people’s lives without the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon it. Paul said; "I have PLANTED, Apollos WATERED; but God gave the INCREASE. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but GOD that giveth the INCREASE (1 Cor 3:6-7)." Remember, that Paul was living in a day of one of the Greatest Outpourings of God's Spirit upon the EARLY CHURCH, and He recogized full well the deep need for this WATERING; Without it there could be NO INCREASE .of God in the Church. There is much good seed today rotting in the ground, drying up for lack of Spiritual moisture, and becoming no more than "Spiritual Birdseed!!" Beloved, all the good preaching in the world will not fix the problems we face presently in America and around the world; We need real, GENUINE, HOLY GHOST RAIN..
Now, for lack of time and space (I am a typical Preacher you know) I am going to Boil this all down to what I shared with a Prophetess the other day; "Whenever you see a group of Five-Fold Ministers come together in earnest prayer for God to DO SOMETHING in the West, it won’t be long before a "Cloud like a man’s HAND" begins to emerge (See 1 Ki 18:44)." I knew I was speaking with the authority of a Prophet of God, I believe this "Drought" will be broken in much the same manner as it was in the days of Elijah. The "Rain Making Prophets" have been, and are even now, being prepared for the task at hand. There are going to be some major showdowns along the way with false teachers and false religious leaders over some things; But do not fear, God will show Himself alive by MANY INFALLABLE PROOFS and by STANDING for His COVENANT People.
Beloved, the Ravens may feed you, and a widow woman may supply your daily rations of bread and water, but God will always be there, and there will always be flour in the barrel, and oil in the jar.
Robert Burgess
