In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the urgency of the gospel harvest in today's world. He shares his experience of witnessing a great hunger for the gospel in unlikely places, such as Indonesia. He references Revelation 14, where a white cloud represents the Son of Man with a sharp sickle, ready to reap the harvest. The speaker believes that God is currently in the process of reaping the harvest all around the earth, even in nations that were previously closed to the gospel. He encourages listeners to have a personal vision for the harvest and not to delay in sharing the gospel.

This is tape number I-4380. Derek Prince speaks on the subject, Prophecy for Today. This message is entitled, Into the Harvest. We're going to make a proclamation which is taken from Isaiah chapter 55, verses 10 and 11, something like that. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and buy, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Amen. Now my theme is appropriate for this occasion. It is the harvest. I have never been much of a farmer. I spent six months in Southern Ireland at the beginning of World War II, working on a farm, looking after sheep, mending gaps in hedges, separating milk and things like that. But basically my knowledge of farming is strictly limited. But I do know enough to say this, that there is a climax to which everything moves forward in agriculture. And it is the harvest. Almost everything else that's done, is done for the sake of the harvest. And that is true also in the spiritual realm. The harvest is the climax. It's the purpose to which all the other activities of God are directed. And in Matthew 13 verse 39, Jesus makes a simple but important statement. It's part of the interpretation of the parable of the wheat and the tares. I'll just take a few words out of that verse. The harvest is the end of the age. It's very important to bear that in mind. The harvest is the end of the age. This age is not going to come to an anticlimax. God is not the God of the anticlimax. It's building up to a climax. And the climax is the harvest. And basically all the processes that have been going on in the church, for nearly two thousand years, have been ultimately directed toward this climax, the harvest. There are many things that have to happen before the harvest can be gathered in. I'm not going to deal with all of them, but I want to mention one particular one. In James chapter 5 verses 7 and 8. James 5, 7 and 8. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. You'll see there that the harvest synchronizes with the coming of the Lord. The two are inseparably united. The Lord will come at the completion of the harvest. And James warns us, we have to be patient. One of the hardest things for me to be is patient. Over the years the Lord has dealt with me on the subject of impatience. And one thing he showed me was that impatience is a form of pride. It's expecting things to go my way, rather than God's way. And I'm not a model of patience, but I'm certainly a lot more patient than I was, say ten years ago. My wife is nodding her head emphatically at that point. But James points out that the harvest cannot be gathered in until we have had the former and the latter rain. I think this is very important. In the economy of Israel it requires both rains to make the harvest possible. If either rain fails, the harvest will fail. The first rain softens the soil so that you can begin the process of agriculture. The second rain causes the seed to germinate. And so James says it's true also in the spiritual. Before the harvest can be gathered in, we have to have the former or the early and the latter rain. The early rain normally falls in September or October. The latter rain perhaps in March or sometimes in April. After that it's full speed ahead into the harvest. And we know from many scriptures that the former rain and the latter rain are scriptural pictures of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The age began with a major outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And it will close and is closing with a major outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And until that outpouring has taken place, the harvest cannot be gathered in. And this brings out one very important principle that runs all through Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy onwards. And it's this. Listen carefully. The rain is given for the sake of the harvest. And that has an application to those of us who are Pentecostals or Charismatics or whatever other label you want to give us. If we do not realize that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is given for the sake of the harvest, we will miss the purposes of God. There are two kinds of Pentecostals or Charismatics. Those who have received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and don't know what it's for. And just use it to form little spiritual bless me clubs. And those who've understood that the rain is given for the sake of the harvest. And they are the people who are turning the world upside down. I think they're in a minority. I think especially in this nation the majority of Charismatics do not realize why the Holy Spirit has been poured out and is being poured out. And consequently we miss the real purpose of God. See unfortunately Christianity in the West and I think especially in this nation is essentially self-centered. It's man-centered. What will God do for me? What can I get from God? That's a complete distortion of the gospel. The real question is what can I be for God? What does God want from me? We encourage people by teaching them that God will meet your need. And we often use that to draw people to the Lord. It's true, thank God, God will meet our need. But that's not the supreme purpose of the gospel. The supreme purpose of the gospel is to make us instruments of the kingdom of God. It's not what will God do for me? It's what will I do for God? I've often pondered on the career of the Apostle Paul. And I believe that the tremendous success that he achieved is due to the fact that when he first met the Lord he asked two questions. The first one was, who are you Lord? The second was, what will you have me to do? And the people who can answer those two questions correctly are the people that will turn the world upside down. I wonder if you've ever asked the Lord, who are you? And then have you said, Lord what will you have me to do? Now generally speaking in our contemporary culture when people come to the Lord we tell them how wonderful it's going to be. All the things that God will do for them. That was not God's way of dealing with Paul. He sent a man named Ananias to Paul to pray for him when he was blind. And he said go and tell him what great things he must suffer for my name's sake. How many people treat new converts that way today? But you see we've got a church that is flabby. It lacks muscle. Because we have not put God in his right place. I always get these facts of history wrong. But there was one man who taught that the sun revolves around the earth. Forget his name now. Ptolemy I think. No? Yes. Then there was another man, Copernicus. Who said, no you've got it wrong. The earth revolves around the sun. And there are two kinds of Christians. There are the Christians who think that Jesus revolves around us. And our needs. And those who realize that we revolve around Jesus. It's not what I want. It's what he wants. It's not what will he do for me. But what will I do for him. And actually the American church in my opinion needs a major revolution. It needs what they used to call in previous centuries a great awakening. Because we've got our focus wrong. We've got a blurred and incorrect vision of God. And of the gospel and of the kingdom of God. And we have to change it. We have to realize in particular. That the rain is given for the sake of the harvest. There's two verses in Jeremiah chapter 5. Which have always impressed me. They're in the middle of one of the many passages. In which Jeremiah was condemning the people of his day. For their hard heartedness and unbelief. It's Jeremiah 5 verses 23 and 24. But it follows with a marvelous revelation. Jeremiah 5 verse 23. This people, that's the people of Judah in the day of Jeremiah. And I think I need to pause and say this. If you study the life of the ministry of Jeremiah. He ministered in a time when his nation was in a period of spiritual decline. Leading to ultimate total disaster. And I wonder how many Americans could even conceive that would be possible. Perhaps true of America. Could it enter your head to conceive for a moment. That this nation could be in a period of spiritual decline. Which will lead to ultimate total disaster. See there were many false prophets. In the time of Jeremiah said everything will be all right. We've got the temple. They said the temple, the temple, the temple. They kept repeating that phrase, the temple. As long as we've got the temple everything's all right. And I say there are a lot of professing believers today. Who say born again, born again, born again. Everything's all right, I'm born again. It isn't true. There was only one prophet, as far as I can understand. In the time of Jeremiah, in this time of spiritual decline. Who told the truth. And most of the people wouldn't listen. Because the false prophets, who were numerous. Were telling them the opposite. And I have to say, I could believe. That's true in this nation at this time. The people who are really telling it like it is. Are relatively few. The people who are saying everything's all right. God will bless you, he'll heal you, he'll take care of you. He'll heal you, he'll prosper you. Brothers and sisters, I know all the scriptures about prosperity. As well as anybody. And I've preached them. But let me tell you that prosperity is not what Americans understand. It's not a big car and a refrigerator and a swimming pool. I'll give you two examples. God told Joshua that if you do what I tell you. Then you will have good success. And you will make your way prosperous. And how did Joshua enter the land of promise? Not in a Cadillac. Where did he live? Not in first class hotels. He was in the condition of warfare. The corresponding vehicle today would be a tank. He spent his nights in the open fields. He was continually engaged in forced marches. It was a time of conflict. Prosperity is not having everything the way you want it. Prosperity is accomplishing the will of God. Successful. I think the second example is even more remarkable. In Romans chapter 1 Paul prayed that he might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to Rome. Exactly the same Greek word is used in 2 John verse 2 where it says Beloved I pray above all things that thou must prosper and be in health. It's the same word. Did Paul have a prosperous journey to Rome? He didn't travel as a first class passenger. He was a prisoner in chains. He was in a storm unparalleled that for 14 days and nights they never saw the sun. After that he was shipwrecked on an island. And finally as he was gathering wood to feed the fire, a viper bit him. Would you call that a prosperous journey? It was. Why? Because the will of God was accomplished. We have to adjust our thinking as to what prosperity is. It's not having an easy life and plenty of money and no problems. It's successfully accomplishing the purposes of God in the face of intense opposition. Now let's go back to Jeremiah 5. I tell you I've been so occupied with Jeremiah lately. It's as though God has been saying to me, this is the book that you need to know to understand what's happening in the church today. All right. Jeremiah 5.23 This people, could we say the charismatics, has a defiant and rebellious heart. They have revolted and departed. They do not say in their heart, let us now fear the Lord our God. One thing that is conspicuous by its absence in the contemporary church is the fear of the Lord. People could not say the things and do the things that we see, if they really were motivated by fear of the Lord. Sometimes it would pay many of you to study the fear of the Lord. It's one of the main themes of Scripture. And as far as I've been able to discover, the greatest blessings that God promises, of all His blessings, are promised to the fear of the Lord. Ruth and I have memorized probably 20 Scriptures about the fear of the Lord. But that's only a small portion. The fear of the Lord leads to life. And he who has it will abide in satisfaction. He will not be visited with evil. Have you ever considered that? If you're not in satisfaction, somehow or other you're lacking the fear of the Lord. By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. It's foolish to turn that down, isn't it? Many of you need to pray, Lord, help me to cultivate the fear of the Lord. Anyhow, the problem with Judah in the time of Jeremiah, was they didn't understand, they didn't acknowledge the Lord as the giver of the rain. They do not say in their hearts, let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest. What was the rain given for? In one word, the harvest. And I love that phrase. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Have you ever walked into a restaurant and seen a table that you think you'd like to sit at because it's right there in the window and has a special view. And then as you approach the table there's just a little sign on it which says one word, which is reserved. You can't sit there. And God has reserved the weeks of the harvest. Not months, but weeks. And he says to Satan, you can't have it. I won't let you loose until the harvest has been gathered in. Do you understand what I'm saying? The baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they're all given for the sake of the harvest. To equip us to go out into the harvest. I've said to Jewish believers and friends of mine in Israel, we non-Jews need to apologize to you Jews for ever asking you to believe a gospel that was not supernaturally attested. Because it's contrary to everything your own scriptures teach. God has provided the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be a supernatural attestation to the gospel. That's why they're given. They're not given for us to enjoy ourselves and meet around and be super spiritual and prophesy over one another and then say, goodbye brother, God bless you, see you next Sunday. That's not the purpose. The purpose is for the harvest. And if you don't understand that, you are missing God's plan in your life. Now I want to say, there will be two harvests. Another word that is very seldom used today in the church as I know it, and I mean I don't know the whole church, but I've seen a good many aspects of it, is the word judgment. Jesus said when the Holy Spirit comes He will convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. But that last word has got left out. If we don't speak about judgment, how can the Holy Spirit convict of judgment? We're missing a major part of the message. Jesus is not only the Savior. Thank God He is. He's the judge. You realize that? The same person who is the Savior is also the judge. As I understand it, reading the book of the first chapter of Revelation, John there encountered Jesus as the judge. And the same apostle who had rested his head on the bosom of Jesus at the last supper, and talked with Him in real intimacy, fell at His feet like one dead when he encountered the judge. We need to have a vision of Jesus as judge. So here are the two harvests in Revelation 14. Verse 14 and following to the end. The first harvest is the grain harvest. The second harvest is the grape harvest. And this is true to the agricultural pattern of Israel. The grain comes first, then the grapes. The grain harvest, I believe, is the harvest of salvation. The grape harvest is the grapes of wrath. The harvest of judgment. They follow one another very swiftly. We read about the grain harvest first. In Revelation 14 beginning at verse 14. And I looked, and behold, a white cloud. And on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown. Not a royal crown, but like the gold medal in the Olympic Games. The wreath that was put on the head of the victor. And in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud. Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Actually the Greek says the harvest of the earth is dry. If it's left any longer, it will perish. Now I believe that that's what God is in the process of doing. Casting in the sickle and reaping the harvest all around the earth. In nations that 30 years ago would not have opened to the gospel, would not have listened to the gospel, are crying out for the gospel. The most unexpected nations. The Soviet Union, Southeast Asia, China. Some of which we've heard about. You know why that is? It's the harvest hour. The harvest is being reaped now. And one thing I learned even in six months on the farm, is when the harvest comes, everybody's busy. No one sits at home. Everybody's out in the field doing something to gather the harvest before it's lost. I believe that's how it should be with the church. I don't believe there should be one idle person in the church. Because it's the harvest hour. Then we have the next harvest. This is the harvest of judgment. And it follows immediately on the harvest of mercy. Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven. He also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar who had power over fire. And he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And when I'm speaking to an American audience, I have to explain what I mean by wrath. W-R-A-T-H. I know you call it wrath, but I just can't bring myself to do that. But bear in mind that God is not only a God of mercy. He's a God of wrath. The two go together. Paul said in Romans, Behold therefore the goodness and the severity of God. If you deface one side of a coin, the coin is worthless. And the truth about God is a two-faced coin. On one side goodness, on the other side severity. If you obliterate the severity, you have a worthless coin. You have a message that has no relevance. And the winepress was trampled outside the city. And blood came out of the winepress up to the horse's bridles for 1,600 furlongs, which my Bible tells me in the margin is 184 miles. Now a lot of people interpret the book of Revelation allegorically. And I would like to ask them, is this allegorical blood or is it real blood? What is allegorical blood? I don't understand. It doesn't have any meaning to me. I believe it means precisely what it says in simple language. Now, really being involved in the harvest depends to a large extent on your personal vision. We've had people speaking here this morning who brought tears to my eyes because they were gripped with a vision. They saw what many people don't see. They saw the harvest. They knew the condition of the harvest field. And Jesus said to His disciples after He had had this interview with the woman of Samaria at the well, in verses 35 and 36 of John chapter 4, Do you not say there are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields for they are already white for harvest. Jesus saw things in a different way from those apostles. And then He goes on to speak. He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life. That both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. How do you see the world today? When you look out, do you say another four months and then we'll do something? Or do you see the world as Jesus sees it? The fields are white, all ready to harvest. I have preached and traveled for nearly 50 years. I have never lived in a time when there was greater hunger for the gospel than there is now. In the most improbable places. We have contacts with Indonesia where my material has been given out. And an unofficial estimate is that within a few years the majority of the people in Indonesia will be Christians. It's regarded as a Muslim nation. And they don't let out the details. You have to find them. Fifty years ago there was virtually no response whatever in Indonesia to the gospel. Some of you don't even know where Indonesia is. It's the largest Muslim nation in the world. It's got about 185 million people. And it extends much further than the extent of the United States. Perhaps some of you would do well to make a little study of Indonesia. It could be a very crucial nation in the developments of the next few years. I'm just so blessed that I think 16 of my books have been translated and printed and circulated in Indonesia. I'm staggered because I had nothing to do with it. Most of it has been done by one little woman. You know women don't find it easy in a Muslim society. Do you know what she has? In vulgar language, she has guts. Just one woman. She's unusually bold. We were talking to her one time two or three years ago. And she was telling us how God is continually prompting her to witness to Indonesian Muslims. And she said one Muslim asked her what is the difference between Christians and Muslims? And she said well Christians are going to heaven and Muslims are going to hell. It takes some courage to say that. But there's one thing I admire in women. It's courage.