In this last verse, we are commanded to “cover” those sins committed against us — meaning, we are not to expose the sins of others. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (4:10). Who has hurt or wounded you? Who has spread gossip about you? According to Jesus, if you do not forgive and cover that sin, you are like the man who was forgiven a great debt but later choked a man who owed him a few dollars.

Let me give you a glimpse into why this issue of forgiveness is so important in these times.

We have over 100 ethnic groups attending Times Square Church. Christ has unified the many races and ethnic groups here in brotherly love. The sign above our church doors reads, “The Church That Love Is Building,” and that love is Jesus.

I realize this racial unity makes our church a target marked by hell. In a world of racial hatred and tribal upheaval, God has blessed us with a powerful testimony. Simply put, Jesus is the source that breaks down every barrier, including that of race.

Several times in our church’s history, we have felt the fury of demonic forces coming against our loving unity in Christ. And there is no greater weapon used by hell than the unforgiveness of fellow believers.

You may say, “But I’m not holding onto any grudges. I don’t have any bitterness toward anyone. I only have pure love for my brothers and sisters. When someone sins against me, I never expose their iniquity. So, I don’t see how Peter’s admonition applies to me. What does he have to say to me about preparing for the end times?”

The truth is Peter’s message here has everything to do with the future of the church of Jesus Christ. You see, God is preparing his church for a latter-day outpouring of his Spirit. According to the prophets, the Holy Spirit will come in a great wave upon the earth, filling God’s people with joy when the world is in upheaval. This won’t happen, however, in a church where people hold grudges and wounds are left unresolved.

Peter is asking us, “Do you want to be ready for what’s coming? Do you want to be fully prepared when all things are being shaken? Then make sure you have nothing in your heart that hinders the flow of God’s Spirit. Something wonderful is just ahead. Make sure you are not left out of it.”

What is this last-day outpouring of the Holy Spirit all about?

The prophets — from Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel down to the minor prophets — reveal that in the last days God’s Spirit will once again fall on a prepared people. This event is referred to as the “harvest rain.” It is promised to be greater even than the “former rain,” which was the Spirit’s mighty outpouring at Pentecost.

This prophecy of a last rain refers to two rains that occurred annually in Israel. Israel’s seasons were opposite to ours today. The former (or first) rain came in the fall, watering the newly planted crops. This typifies what happened at Pentecost, when the “first rain” fell in a great outpouring of God’s Spirit. That rain watered the seed of the Word, and it grew and spread to become the worldwide church we see today.

Israel’s “last rain” came in the spring, ripening the crops just before harvest. Zechariah refers to this last rain, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days: “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field” (Zechariah 10:1).

Moses said there simply could be no harvest without another rain. The Lord said to Israel through him, “If ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments…I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil” (Deuteronomy 11:13–14).

Finally, Joel gives us a vibrant picture of what it looks like when this harvest rain comes:

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. 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.

“And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed” (Joel 2:21–27).

Joel is saying, in effect, “Wake up, church! Look around you. What you see happening has been prophesied. It is beginning to rain, and the Lord has made the clouds bright and full of water. The Spirit is preparing all things for the last great harvest.”

Satan knows about this final rain to come and the glorious harvest that will follow it.

The devil knows what is written in God’s Word. And he is determined to hinder the great harvest he knows is coming. He has unleashed a furious attack on the church, using every weapon he can to remove the peace of God’s people. Indeed, many Christians have been overwhelmed by the darkness now covering the earth, all set in motion by the fury of Satan’s activity.

The gloom and fear hovering over every nation has left people feeling helpless. Here in America, courts have made laws that glory in perversions, all against the will of the people. And it chips away at the righteous soul. The result is hopelessness and stress, weakening the spirit and even causing physical sickness.

In God’s house, sin has been downgraded and hell discarded. The Episcopal Church is splitting apart over gay marriages. Meanwhile, evangelicals — those who are the supposed torchbearers of God’s Word — are becoming more focused on earth than on heaven, placing their energies in movements that are not Christ-centered.

I hear godly people today asking, “Have we sinned away the day of grace? Will our generation go out being known only for dysfunctional families and dead, dry churches? Will we wither away as Israel did in the Old Testament?”

Not so, according to the prophets! God will arise amid the darkness and begin to rain down his Spirit upon his latter house.

In Haggai’s day, God’s people were downcast because they focused completely on the past.

The Israelites in Haggai’s day were discouraged over the new temple they were building. That work seemed so insignificant compared to the magnificence of the former temple. As they reflected on all of God’s past glories, they wept with despair at the modest house before them. Haggai asked the people, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?” (Haggai 2:3).

Beloved, the same question applies today. You may recall great revivals of the past, where the Spirit fell powerfully with multitudes saved. Tell me, do you see the life of the church today as nothing compared to those past times? Maybe you’re discouraged over how much God’s house has withered in power and witness during your lifetime.

I tell you, the word God gave Haggai for his church is meant for us today: “My spirit remaineth among you… The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace” (2:5, 9).

Peter had been present when the “former rain” fell at Pentecost.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon a prepared people who “were all with one accord [of one mind]” (Acts 2:1). So, what is meant that the people were of “one accord,” one mind? Simply put, mercy was flowing through them. Let me explain.

Consider those who were on the scene at Pentecost, people we revere today as church fathers. Some of these men had sinned grievously against the Lord and against their brethren. They all had to be forgiven, their sins covered, or the church never would have moved forward with the work the Spirit was about to do.

Consider Peter. He had blasphemed horribly, wounding Jesus as well as the other disciples. That church body forgave Peter, and they covered him so his past would never be held against him. Consider also James and John, the “sons of thunder.” They too had sinned grievously, offending their fellow disciples when they professed to be greater than the rest. They also were forgiven and covered.

In truth, anyone present that day might have said, “Hold it, Peter. Who made you the leader here? You denied Christ.” No one did that, because their hearts had been prepared through mercy. And they were ready to receive the Spirit when he came in the great outpouring at Pentecost.

Beloved, this is why Peter’s focus in his epistles is on the issues of the heart. He knew firsthand all these things had to be cast out and forgiven, lest the Spirit’s work be hindered by any flesh. The same is true for Christ’s church today, we who are to receive his mighty harvest rain. Will we hinder that work of the Spirit, by failing to forgive? Or will we be prepared by allowing mercy to flow through us to others?

As the hour approaches, I do not want anything in my heart to hinder God’s work. He is preparing his people to receive his latter rain. And I am determined to continue doing just as Peter has instructed: “Be sober. Take everything to prayer. Show mercy to all.” I urge you to do the same. Pray for rain in this time of God’s latter house!

I leave you with this powerful final image: “Upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (Revelation 14:14–15). So it is!