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Anointing - Or Apostasy?

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Anointing - Or Apostasy? Anointing - or Apostasy? The Latter Rain Legacy BY Charles S. Graves 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 1 .....................................................................................................................................................5 CLOUDS WITHOUT WATER.....................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2 ...................................................................................................................................................14 A NEW THING ...........................................................................................................................................14 CHAPTER 3 ...................................................................................................................................................22 SONSHIP AND REBELLION ....................................................................................................................22 CHAPTER 4 ...................................................................................................................................................31 THE THING THAT WOULDN’T DIE.......................................................................................................31 CHAPTER 5 ...................................................................................................................................................42 BLASTING THE BLESSED HOPE............................................................................................................42 CHAPTER 6 ...................................................................................................................................................55 DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR ..................................................................................................................55 CHAPTER 7 ..................................................................................................................................................68 THE NEW BREED......................................................................................................................................68 CHAPTER 8 ...................................................................................................................................................83 MIRACLES, SIGNS, AND BLUNDERS ...................................................................................................83 CHAPTER 9 ...................................................................................................................................................99 THE WAY OF CAIN...................................................................................................................................99 CHAPTER 10 ...............................................................................................................................................114 A NEW PARADIGM.................................................................................................................................114 CHAPTER 11 ...............................................................................................................................................129 COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE.........................................................................................................129 2 Dedicated to the memory of Larry Thomas – a true “Watchman” INTRODUCTION “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.” (Joel 2:23 NKJV) “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…” (2 Th 2:3 NKJV) In 1948 a movement was born that has become the foundation of the great apostasy that the Apostle Paul warned us would come prior to the return of our Lord. Known as the New Order of the Latter Rain or just the Latter Rain Movement its influence has steadily grown within the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches since 1948. Today, through the influence of various “revivals” its leaven is spreading even further into the Evangelical world. An apostasy or “falling away” is essentially a rebellion of God’s people against His Word. It would be within the Latter Rain “revival” which broke out in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, in 1948 that the last great rebellion against the word of God would be birthed. It is my belief that this movement has ushered in the very apostasy that the Apostle Paul warned would come. Rebelling against the New Testament picture of the Church in the last days as a despised remnant of the faithful holding on until the rapture, they began to develop a heretical doctrine of a triumphant Church – conquering the world and bringing in the kingdom of Christ. The first time the Church adopted such a theology it resulted in the development of Roman Catholicism and ushered in the Dark Ages. This time the result will be much the same but of a much shorter duration. It will produce the one-world ecumenical church, “The Great Harlot” that will triumph for a short time under Anti-Christ - “Drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus.” It came to be taught that the “Latter Rain” revival of 1948 was to be the first in a series of “restorational moves of God” that would restore to the Church all of the truths that Satan had “robbed” her of. The five-fold ministries of apostles and prophets would also be restored to the church. These restored “apostles” and “prophets” would lead the Church into “present truth” and the “last great moves of God.” Eventually when the Church was mature enough the “rapture” would occur. But the rapture of the Latter Rain would be a much different rapture than the Church had ever taught before. It would be a “spiritual” coming of Christ into His Church, His “corporate body.” A “corporate anointing.” The saints would be “glorified”, even “deified” - right here on this earth. This overcoming army of saints believes it will go forth conquering and triumphing over all of it’s enemies in the Great Tribulation. When they are done Christ will be “released from the heavens”, to come and take control of the kingdom they have established. This doctrine is known as the “Manifest Sons of God” or “Sonship” and has spread throughout the Evangelical Church through the Charismatic and Kingdom/Dominion Movements. The Latter Rain “revivals” that are occurring in Toronto, Pensecola, and various other places are popularizing and spreading this heresy at an alarming rate. It is known popularly today as “Joel’s Army”. Thousands of Christians are coming into a strong delusion because they did not receive the love of the truth. While they may have received the truth, they did not have a love for it and have therefore fallen away from it. They are trading their blessed hope for an earthly delusion. 3 What follows is a short history of the Latter Rain Movement and its roots. I will attempt to chronicle how this movement started, how it struggled after it was condemned by the Assemblies of God for its unbalanced and heretical doctrines, and how it has triumphed today after re-emerging openly in the mid 1980s. The Latter Rain got its name because it was believed that God had poured out the “former rain” of the Holy Spirit on His Church to get it started on the Day of Pentecost. The “latter rain” it was believed, was being poured out on the Church in the 1948 “revival” to prepare her for the last “great harvest” at the end of the age. Today it is being proclaimed by the Latter Rain “apostles” and “prophets” that we are soon going to enter into this harvest. They claim that a worldwide revival is soon going to occur that will sweep millions, perhaps billions into the Church. Unfortunately, neither the New Testament nor the Old teaches such a thing. I will try to present the teachings and aims of the Latter Rain proponents as much as I possibly can in their own words. I think that to let them speak for themselves is the best way to present this material. Even so, I realize that many will accuse me of being unfair and “quoting them out of context.” I also realize that many will accuse me of having a “lack of love” and a “religious spirit.” I originally had no intention of ever writing such a book but I have been studying the movement for many years and recently felt compelled by the Lord to do so. It is my hope that it will reach some and bring them back to the Biblical hope – the “blessed hope” of the rapture - to “meet the Lord in the air”. “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Th 2:19 NKJV) 4 CHAPTER 1 CLOUDS WITHOUT WATER “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds…” (Jude 1:12 NKJV) There were several important influences that contributed to the birth of the Latter Rain movement in the late 1940’s. The first was a general state of dissatisfaction with the level of spirituality within the Pentecostal denominations. Many in the rank and file, and some within the leadership, felt that the Pentecostal Church was going the way of all previous denominations.
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