You are stuck, and you are not listening or hearing. I am not telling you what I "believe", but what is true from God.
Take it or leave it, but the former, early rain was unto Israel (the natural by example), while with the coming of Christ the kingdom of heaven came upon Israel, whom Christ "finished" with, and then sent the Holy Spirit, for the most part, to the church and the gentiles, fulfilling Joel's prophecy of God pouring out His spirit upon all flesh beginning at Pentecost, which was and is the latter, spring rain, which is the greater downpour.
To the contrary, what you (and many) have outlined, is but a shadow and reminder of the smaller beginning that was before, of the greater outpouring from God which was to come afterward in spirit. Without which we are a house without a firm foundation--like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Dear ScottA,
I have asked you for scripture to support your contention. However, you have provided none. The reason you have provided none is because there is not any. Your belief is nothing more than conjecture and does not come from scripture.
When you look at the Early and Latter Rain teachings in scripture, both the Early and Latter Rains apply to the Jews and Gentiles alike. To be converted and saved, Christ must give a person (Jew or Gentile) both the Early and Latter Rain of the Spirit. There is not even one exception shown in scripture.
Consider the marriage analogy. It (like many of Christ's teachings) teaches the
pathway to salvation that includes a person receiving both the Early and Latter Rains of the Spirit.
In the marriage analogy, a person becomes espoused to Christ and is made into a virgin after Christ gives the person the
Early Rain. Christ (Bridegroom) then goes away to prepare a place for His new bride. His absence is the time of waiting that a virgin endures between receiving the Early and Latter Rains.
The Bridegroom's return is commonly called the second coming of Christ. It is an individual coming to each of His Elect and is therefore a
reoccurring return just as these verses state:
Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne...
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Before Christ appears to His virgin (who has become unfaithful while He was away), He will pour out the Latter Rain upon them which will cause them to repent and be restored to faith. This is shown by the extra flask of oil the wise virgins use in the Ten Virgins parable. Now that the virgin is made ready for Christ's return, Christ will appear (spiritual blindness healed) gather His virgin to heaven for the marriage ceremony. Following the ceremony is the marriage supper where Christ will feed His new Bride the bread and Wine of the New Covenant (Rev 19). After the bride has been sufficient nourished, the Day of the Lord will commence to remove and destroy all the spiritual things within His Bride to purify her. This judgment is also shown in Mat 24:37-41. After this judgment is complete, the person will be converted.
Here is a very short verse that teaches the Early and Latter Rain concept:
Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
The "many" who are given the Early Rain and are called to be saints will fall on the stone (Christ) and be broken (become unfaithful). From that group of many though, a few will have the stone fall on them and grind them to powder. This is the Latter Rain that leads to conversion.
Another teaching that shows the Early and Latter Rain is the story of the woman taken in adultery. The woman represents the Elect. The first time Christ writes in the earth represents the Early Rain when He writes the law in the woman's heart. After the Early Rain, the Pharisees still accuse the woman of sin. Christ writes in the earth a second time which represents the Latter Rain. After the Latter Rain, the law can no longer accuse the woman so the Pharisees drop their stones and leave.
Another example is in Mark 8:15-25. It teaches how and when Christ heals a person's spiritual blindness. In the story, Christ takes a blind man out of the city and places spit on his eyes. This is the Early Rain. At that time, the blind man is looking down which represents the carnal aspect of his healing (the natural). When the man looks up, he sees men walking as trees. A tree is an unconverted believer (a babe) which he is now one. Christ then has the man look up ( the spiritual) and places spit on his eyes a second time. This is the Latter Rain. After the man opens his eyes, he sees every man clearly. His spiritual blindness is now healed.
There are many other examples of the Early and Latter Rain concept in Christ's teachings. They apply within each of His Elect.
Also, Christ is not "finished with" the Nation of Israel as you stated. All Israel will be saved but they will be last (after all the Gentiles are saved).
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Joel 2:1-27 presents in detail the salvation of the Nation of Israel in the final age. Christ's army represents the Elect/Bride. As the Elect are judging the Nation of Israel (v. 1-17), Christ will have pity upon them and show them mercy (v. 18). Because of His mercy, He will give them the Early and Latter Rains:
Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
If the Early Rain only applies to the Nation of Israel as you content, then this scripture is in error. But it is not. It is your belief that is in error. Also, notice that the verse says that the Early and Latter Rains will both come in the
first month. The time an Israelite will spend between receiving the Early and Latter Rains will be greatly shortened compared to the waiting time that occurs in this age for the Elect.
Joe