TONGUES and the SIGN GIFTS!
Vernon A. Schutz
Phenomenal Growth
Vernon A. Schutz
Phenomenal Growth
Within the last twenty years, Christendom has experienced a Charismatic revival
with special emphasis upon healing and speaking in tongues. Under
denominational names such as Foursquare, Pentecostal, Church of God, Assemblies
of God, etc., the Pentecostal movement has become the fastest growing
Protestant church in the Western hemisphere.
According to Time magazine of November 2, 1962, Pentecostal believers now "outnumber traditional Protestants by at least four-to-one in most Latin American countries. Pentecostals claim one and one-half million members in Brazil. In Chile 700,000 of the country's 835,000 Protestants belong to Pentecostal churches."
Widespread Acceptance and Interest Less than twenty years ago speaking in tongues and healing meetings were acceptable only in Pentecostal churches, but "this is no longer so. Today, the New Pentecostalism is accepted and practiced as the normal experience of the Christian within the ranks of Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic denominations. Leading national publications such as McCall's, Life, Time. Newsweek, Saturday Evening Post, The National Observer. etc., have carried articles on the New Pentecostalism. Even the evening CBS news carried a special report on tongues speaking featuring Harold Bredesen of the First Reformed Church of Mount Vernon, New York, Walter Cronkite reporting, April 21, 1965. The leading Christian publications have had numerous articles dealing with these subjects.
Reports of tongues speaking have come from Yale, Dartmouth, Fuller Seminary, Westmont College, and Wheaton College, and it also occurred within such conservative groups as the Navigators, the Wycliffe Bible Translators and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.
Henry P. Van Dusen, past president of Union Theological Seminary (New York), felt that the Pentecostal movement with its emphasis upon the Holy Spirit was "a revolution comparable in importance with the establishment of the original Apostolic Church and with the Protestant Reformation." David J. du Plessis has presented the charismatic message to the International Missionary Council of the World Council of Churches, the Presbyterian World Alliance, Yale Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary (New York), and Princeton Seminary. Homer A. Tomlinson, who is the bishop and general overseer of the Church of God, Queens Village, New York, has been permitted to lecture on tongues in over twenty-two seminaries, including Yale and Harvard, plus Catholic seminaries and even Moslem groups. Some are now saying that where organization has failed to unite the "Church" of Jesus Christ, this Charismatic gift will re-unite all the churches into one world church.
According to Time magazine of November 2, 1962, Pentecostal believers now "outnumber traditional Protestants by at least four-to-one in most Latin American countries. Pentecostals claim one and one-half million members in Brazil. In Chile 700,000 of the country's 835,000 Protestants belong to Pentecostal churches."
Widespread Acceptance and Interest Less than twenty years ago speaking in tongues and healing meetings were acceptable only in Pentecostal churches, but "this is no longer so. Today, the New Pentecostalism is accepted and practiced as the normal experience of the Christian within the ranks of Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic denominations. Leading national publications such as McCall's, Life, Time. Newsweek, Saturday Evening Post, The National Observer. etc., have carried articles on the New Pentecostalism. Even the evening CBS news carried a special report on tongues speaking featuring Harold Bredesen of the First Reformed Church of Mount Vernon, New York, Walter Cronkite reporting, April 21, 1965. The leading Christian publications have had numerous articles dealing with these subjects.
Reports of tongues speaking have come from Yale, Dartmouth, Fuller Seminary, Westmont College, and Wheaton College, and it also occurred within such conservative groups as the Navigators, the Wycliffe Bible Translators and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.
Henry P. Van Dusen, past president of Union Theological Seminary (New York), felt that the Pentecostal movement with its emphasis upon the Holy Spirit was "a revolution comparable in importance with the establishment of the original Apostolic Church and with the Protestant Reformation." David J. du Plessis has presented the charismatic message to the International Missionary Council of the World Council of Churches, the Presbyterian World Alliance, Yale Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary (New York), and Princeton Seminary. Homer A. Tomlinson, who is the bishop and general overseer of the Church of God, Queens Village, New York, has been permitted to lecture on tongues in over twenty-two seminaries, including Yale and Harvard, plus Catholic seminaries and even Moslem groups. Some are now saying that where organization has failed to unite the "Church" of Jesus Christ, this Charismatic gift will re-unite all the churches into one world church.
Where Do YOU Stand?
Whereas both the liberal and conservative churches, schools, mission boards and
publications have had to deal with these issues; whereas even secular
communications such as radio, television, newspaper and magazines have given
attention to this subject, it becomes important and imperative for every
believer to understand the New Pentecostal movement and its doctrines.
Every student who desires to become a "workman that needeth not to be ashamed," must be able to answer this question- Should the gift of tongues, prophecy, healing (by the laying on of hands), miracles, etc., be practiced by believers today?
Every student who desires to become a "workman that needeth not to be ashamed," must be able to answer this question- Should the gift of tongues, prophecy, healing (by the laying on of hands), miracles, etc., be practiced by believers today?
The Mark 16 Passage
To determine whether or not the evidential or miraculous sign gifts of the Spirit are operative today, we must deal with two pertinent portions of Scripture-Mark 16: 15-20 and First Corinthians 12, 13, and 14.
Mark 16: 15-18 has always been a much discussed text among Bible believers. In attempting to answer the question, Are the sign gifts listed in this passage operative today?, we have met with the following explanations.
Uninspired Text
This passage is often explained away by saying the text is uninspired. They say
that verses 9-20 are not found in some ancient manuscripts such as the
Sinaiticus and Vaticanus; therefore this portion cannot be accepted as part of
the Scriptures. This answer is not acceptable for, evidence that this portion
should be accepted as inspired Scripture comes from three sources: (I)
Manuscripts, (2) Versions and (3) the Early Church Fathers.
Over 600 cursive manuscripts; the Syriac, Latin, Gothic, Egyptian and Armenian Versions; and over 100 Fathers whose writings are older than any of the oldest Greek codices, contain these verses. This portion must be included as inspired Scripture.
Over 600 cursive manuscripts; the Syriac, Latin, Gothic, Egyptian and Armenian Versions; and over 100 Fathers whose writings are older than any of the oldest Greek codices, contain these verses. This portion must be included as inspired Scripture.
Unintended
Others say that these sign gifts were unintended for any except the Apostles.
But this is refuted by such passages as Luke 10 where "the Lord appointed
other seventy also" to exercise these powers (vv. 1719). Both Stephen and
Philip did "great wonders and miracles among the people" Acts 6:8;
8:6, yet they were not Apostles. The explanation that these gifts were
unintended for any but the Apostles breaks down completely in First Corinthians
12: 8 to II where it is clear that such gifts are given "to every man
severally as He (the Spirit) will."
Unbelief or Unspiritual
Others say the reason for the lack of signs in the Body of Christ is due to
unbelief This is not true for in Acts 12:5-15 we see the unbelief in the early
church, but God still worked a miracle. . Faithful Trophimus was left at
Miletum sick Second Timothy 4:20). Paul did not heal Timothy First Timothy 5
:23 even though Timothy's faith was "unfeigned" Second Timothy I :5
and Paul kept his faith to the end Second Timothy 4:7. By reading First
Corinthians and Second Corinthians, we learn that the people addressed in those
Epistles were all saints, all sanctified First Corinthians I: I and 2, all
anointed Second Corinthians I: 21,22, and all baptized by the Holy Spirit First
Corinthians 12: 13. But some of them defrauded other saints (First Corinthians
6:3 to 8, were carnal, and behaved very much like unsaved people First
Corinthians 3:1-3. The Corinthian church had an abundance of "sign
gifts" First Corinthians 12:8-11, they "came behind in no gift"
First Corinthians 1:7, but it was not because they were of "great
faith," or "super-spiritual," or unusually consecrated.
Undispensational
The intelligent, sane Scriptural answer is the practice of these sign gifts is
undispensational. A dispensation is a revelation of a particular purpose or
program from God which requires man's response in faith and obedience. From
God's point of view, it is a revealing or dispensing of a program; from man's,
it is following that program given to him to obey; and in relation to
progressive revelation, it is a stage in the development of the different and
various programs of God for men. Although the entire Bible is acknowledged to
be profitable for the believer, one must understand that not all of the Bible's
commands or programs are for Christians to obey today.
No one would expect that the commands to offer animal sacrifices, found in God's revelation through Moses, are to be obeyed by believers today. Obedience to these commands belongs to the Mosaic dispensation and believers today are not obliged to obey them. Once this simple truth is recognized and realized, it is not difficult to understand that it is at least possible that the sign gifts are no longer in God's plan or dispensation for believers today.
No one would expect that the commands to offer animal sacrifices, found in God's revelation through Moses, are to be obeyed by believers today. Obedience to these commands belongs to the Mosaic dispensation and believers today are not obliged to obey them. Once this simple truth is recognized and realized, it is not difficult to understand that it is at least possible that the sign gifts are no longer in God's plan or dispensation for believers today.
Our Administration
A believer must know which administration or dispensation he is living in if he
is to follow the correct plan and program God has revealed for him to obey. For
example, it is important for a person to know what country he is in when
driving an automobile. If he is in England, he is to drive on the left side of
the road; if he is in the U.S.A., he must drive on the right side. It is our
contention that we live in the "dispensation of the grace of God"
Ephesians 3:2, which is a special revelation given to the Apostle Paul
Ephesians 3: 2, who is the Apostle to us Gentiles Romans I I: 13. This special
revelation concerns the Church which is Christ's Body, which is declared to
have been a mystery or secret never before revealed Colossians 1:24-27. The
plan and program of this dispensation for Christ's Body Church differs from the
Church of the Messianic Kingdom for it does not include the evidential sign
gifts.
The Corinthian Passage
The truth of what we have just stated depends largely upon a correct exposition
or understanding of First Corinthians 13:8-13. We suggest you follow
carefully in your Bible. (We trust that you have been doing this all along In
First Corinthians 12:8-11 Paul lists nine gifts of the Spirit of God. These gifts
were to pass away or cease out of the Body of Christ Church eventually, for in
First Corinthians 13:8 Paul selects three of these gifts, prophecy, knowledge,
and tongues, as representative of the nine, and states that they are to fail,
cease, and vanish away.
Things that ASIDE. .. Things that CEASE
Although prophecy, tongues and knowledge will cease, in verse thirteen he says
there are three things which will abide-faith, hope, and love. Of these three,
love is the greatest. Why? Because it will outlast faith and hope. It will
abide after faith and hope have ceased.
While we are here, we are absent from the Lord, and we walk by FAITH, not by SIGHT (Second Corinthians 5 :6-8. Someday, when we are in the PRESENCE of the Lord-either by death, but especially when the Lord comes for us-we will walk by SIGHT, not by FAITH. It is plain to see that when FAITH gives way to SIGHT, it follows that our HOPE will then be realized and cease also (Romans 8:24,25).
Therefore in First Corinthians 13: 13, Paul is suggesting that both FAITH and HOPE will cease when Christ comes, but LOVE abides forever and consequently is the greatest. Thus the context presents a series of things which pass away in contrast to that which abides.
While we are here, we are absent from the Lord, and we walk by FAITH, not by SIGHT (Second Corinthians 5 :6-8. Someday, when we are in the PRESENCE of the Lord-either by death, but especially when the Lord comes for us-we will walk by SIGHT, not by FAITH. It is plain to see that when FAITH gives way to SIGHT, it follows that our HOPE will then be realized and cease also (Romans 8:24,25).
Therefore in First Corinthians 13: 13, Paul is suggesting that both FAITH and HOPE will cease when Christ comes, but LOVE abides forever and consequently is the greatest. Thus the context presents a series of things which pass away in contrast to that which abides.
When Do They Cease?
It is important to notice not only what things cease-prophecy, tongues,
knowledge, faith and hope-but when they cease, that is, at what time or in what
order they are to cease. They do not all cease at the same time. There are two
distinct groups dealt with here, and each group will disappear at its appointed
time. If you follow Paul carefully, he is saying, prophecy, tongues and
knowledge will cease First Corinthians 13:8. After these gifts have
ceased, faith, hope, and love will abide for a time First Corinthians 13: 13.
(This we believe is our present status.) Next, faith and hope will cease when
Christ comes, and then, only love will abide. Since faith, hope, and love abide
after these gifts cease, and then faith and hope cease after Christ comes, IT
IS OBVIOUS THAT THE GIFTS OF PROPHECY, TONGUES, AND KNOWLEDGE CEASE BEFORE THE
COMING OF CHRIST.
When Paul wrote the Corinthians then, here is what he had in mind. The diagram on page 9 will help you to see the grouping of the things that cease and the time sequence involved.
When Paul wrote the Corinthians then, here is what he had in mind. The diagram on page 9 will help you to see the grouping of the things that cease and the time sequence involved.
Prophecy, Knowledge, and Tongues
Prophecy and knowledge must be distinguished from tongues for several reasons.
First, although the King James says: "prophecy shall fail, "and
"knowledge, it shall vanish away," actually the same Greek word, katargeo.
is used for both fail and vanish away.
This word is translated elsewhere, "to make of none effect," "to bring to naught." Paul uses a different word in connection with tongues, "they shall cease. " The word for "cease" is, pauomai, and is translated "cease" one times in the New Testament.
Why does Paul use katargeo with the gifts of prophecy and knowledge, which means "brought to naught," and a different word, pauomai, for tongues, which means "to cease"? This suggests that tongues will cease for a different reason than prophecy and knowledge shall be brought to naught.
The gift of tongues must also be distinguished from the gifts of prophecy and knowledge because the gift of speaking in tongues was one of the "sign" gifts Mark. 16:17; First Corinthians 14:22. The gifts of prophecy and knowledge were the gifts by which God revealed and communicated His truths directly to men before the Scriptures of the New Testament were written. They could be called the "revelatory" gifts. The "revelatory" gifts did not cease with the "sign" gifts, such as tongues, healings, and miracles. The "sign" gifts ceased with the casting away of the "sign" people, Israel, as we shall see subsequently. The "revelatory" gifts were to become inoperative when "that which is perfect is come."
This word is translated elsewhere, "to make of none effect," "to bring to naught." Paul uses a different word in connection with tongues, "they shall cease. " The word for "cease" is, pauomai, and is translated "cease" one times in the New Testament.
Why does Paul use katargeo with the gifts of prophecy and knowledge, which means "brought to naught," and a different word, pauomai, for tongues, which means "to cease"? This suggests that tongues will cease for a different reason than prophecy and knowledge shall be brought to naught.
The gift of tongues must also be distinguished from the gifts of prophecy and knowledge because the gift of speaking in tongues was one of the "sign" gifts Mark. 16:17; First Corinthians 14:22. The gifts of prophecy and knowledge were the gifts by which God revealed and communicated His truths directly to men before the Scriptures of the New Testament were written. They could be called the "revelatory" gifts. The "revelatory" gifts did not cease with the "sign" gifts, such as tongues, healings, and miracles. The "sign" gifts ceased with the casting away of the "sign" people, Israel, as we shall see subsequently. The "revelatory" gifts were to become inoperative when "that which is perfect is come."
Why Prophecy Came to Naught
Many do not know what the gift of prophecy was. It was not foretelling the
future, but was the telling forth of a direct revelation received from God.
Before the New Testament Scriptures were written, the church at Corinth and
elsewhere had no New Testament. It was necessary for the Lord to instruct and
teach the assembled believers by revealing certain truths or doctrines-such as
now recorded in First Thessalonians 4: 14-18 to a man who would tell it forth
to the assembly. Such a person had the gift of prophecy. Note carefully the
following Scriptures.
Let the PROPHETS speak two or three, and let the others judge. If anything be REVEALED to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all PROPHESY one by one, that all may LEARN . .. What? came THE WORD OF GOD out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a PROPHET, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord First Corinthians 14: 29-31,36,37.
Believers in the early church, before the New Testament was written, received through the PROPHETS, who received by direct revelation from God,a little tmth at a lime. That is why Paul said: "We know in PART, and we prophecy in PART" First Corinthians 13:9. He then goes on to tell the Corinthians, "When that which is PERFECT is come, then that which is in PART (prophecy) shall be done away" First Corinthians 13: 10.
The word "perfect" (Greek teleios) refers to completeness or maturity. In First Corinthians 14:20 it is translated "men" and has the idea of full grown for it is contrasted with "children." The idea of maturity appears in First Corinthians 2:6 and in Hebrews 5: 14 it is translated "full age." Prophecy shall be "done away" when that which is "perfect" or complete or mature is come. This does not refer to Christ coming for believers. It is not the masculine: When HE who is perfect is come, but the neuter gender is used: When THAT WHICH is perfect complete or mature) is come. "That which is perfect" is the Bible, the Word of God. When the perfect (full and complete) revelation of God's will was written in the Scriptures, the "revelatory" gift of prophecy would be "done away," "fail," or "vanish away." Prophecy as a gift would no longer be needed because all the truth God would want us to know would be written down in the Scriptures. We would then be "face to face" with the Truth of God in the written Word First Corinthians 13: 12.
Let the PROPHETS speak two or three, and let the others judge. If anything be REVEALED to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all PROPHESY one by one, that all may LEARN . .. What? came THE WORD OF GOD out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a PROPHET, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord First Corinthians 14: 29-31,36,37.
Believers in the early church, before the New Testament was written, received through the PROPHETS, who received by direct revelation from God,a little tmth at a lime. That is why Paul said: "We know in PART, and we prophecy in PART" First Corinthians 13:9. He then goes on to tell the Corinthians, "When that which is PERFECT is come, then that which is in PART (prophecy) shall be done away" First Corinthians 13: 10.
The word "perfect" (Greek teleios) refers to completeness or maturity. In First Corinthians 14:20 it is translated "men" and has the idea of full grown for it is contrasted with "children." The idea of maturity appears in First Corinthians 2:6 and in Hebrews 5: 14 it is translated "full age." Prophecy shall be "done away" when that which is "perfect" or complete or mature is come. This does not refer to Christ coming for believers. It is not the masculine: When HE who is perfect is come, but the neuter gender is used: When THAT WHICH is perfect complete or mature) is come. "That which is perfect" is the Bible, the Word of God. When the perfect (full and complete) revelation of God's will was written in the Scriptures, the "revelatory" gift of prophecy would be "done away," "fail," or "vanish away." Prophecy as a gift would no longer be needed because all the truth God would want us to know would be written down in the Scriptures. We would then be "face to face" with the Truth of God in the written Word First Corinthians 13: 12.
Tongues Would Cease
The gift of tongues was the God given ability to speak in a different language;
one which the person had never studied or known Acts 2: 1-12; First Corinthians
13: I. We have noted that we must distinguish between the gifts of prophecy and
tongues. Prophecy is a "revelatory" gift having to do with a direct
revelation and then the preaching of this word from God I Corinthians 14:29-32,
36, 37. The gift of tongues has to do with praise and prayer Acts 2: II; First
Corinthians 14: 14,15 and 17, and is called a "SIGN" gift (Mark.
16:17,20; First Corinthians 14:22. Paul said in verse eight that prophecy would
fail (Gr. word is katargeo); whereas tongues shall cease (Gr. word pauomai),
which suggests the fact that tongues would cease for a different reason than
the gift of prophecy.
Why and when would the sign gift of tongues cease? In order to find out why tongues would cease, we should find out why they were given. There was once a need for tongues; if that need has ceased, then tongues have ceased since there is no longer a need for them.
Why and when would the sign gift of tongues cease? In order to find out why tongues would cease, we should find out why they were given. There was once a need for tongues; if that need has ceased, then tongues have ceased since there is no longer a need for them.
Why Were Tongues Given?
Paul tells us why tongues were given in First Corinthians 14:21,22.
In the law Isiah 28: 11 ,121 it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto THIS people [IsraelI; and yet for all that will THEY [Israel] not hear Me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a SIGN [to Israel] , not to them that believe, but to [Le., to Israel] that believe not.
Paul quotes from Isaiah because he finds a parallel between the days of Isaiah and the present situation. Isaiah prophesied that the Assyrians and Babylonians would take Israel captive and in this sense God would speak to Israel "with men of other tongues." The fulfillment of Isaiah's prediction was a SIGN of God's displeasure and judgment upon the nation. Strange tongues or languages were a sign to Israel in the past First Corinthians 14: 21 and tongues among the Gentiles of Corinth had this significance again First Corinthians 14:21,22.
Paul says in First Corinthians 1: 22, "The JEWS require a SIGN." After quoting Isaiah where God said He would "speak unto THIS people" (Israel) in strange tongues he adds, "Wherefore tongues are for a SIGN." There should be little doubt that tongues were a sign specifically for Israel. This is even more fully confirmed if you are aware of the historical background surrounding the founding of the church at Corinth. Read the account in Acts 18: 1-11. Paul preached first in the SYNAGOGUE and "testified to the JEWS that Jesus was the Christ." And when they "opposed" and "blasphemed," Paul announced, "Henceforth I will go to the Gentiles." "Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue" was saved and along with the believing Gentiles, Paul established this church NEXT DOOR to the SYNAGOGUE. No wonder tongues were so prominent in the carnal church at Corinth. They were a SIGN to the Jews that Paul's message concerning their Messiah was right.
In the law Isiah 28: 11 ,121 it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto THIS people [IsraelI; and yet for all that will THEY [Israel] not hear Me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a SIGN [to Israel] , not to them that believe, but to [Le., to Israel] that believe not.
Paul quotes from Isaiah because he finds a parallel between the days of Isaiah and the present situation. Isaiah prophesied that the Assyrians and Babylonians would take Israel captive and in this sense God would speak to Israel "with men of other tongues." The fulfillment of Isaiah's prediction was a SIGN of God's displeasure and judgment upon the nation. Strange tongues or languages were a sign to Israel in the past First Corinthians 14: 21 and tongues among the Gentiles of Corinth had this significance again First Corinthians 14:21,22.
Paul says in First Corinthians 1: 22, "The JEWS require a SIGN." After quoting Isaiah where God said He would "speak unto THIS people" (Israel) in strange tongues he adds, "Wherefore tongues are for a SIGN." There should be little doubt that tongues were a sign specifically for Israel. This is even more fully confirmed if you are aware of the historical background surrounding the founding of the church at Corinth. Read the account in Acts 18: 1-11. Paul preached first in the SYNAGOGUE and "testified to the JEWS that Jesus was the Christ." And when they "opposed" and "blasphemed," Paul announced, "Henceforth I will go to the Gentiles." "Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue" was saved and along with the believing Gentiles, Paul established this church NEXT DOOR to the SYNAGOGUE. No wonder tongues were so prominent in the carnal church at Corinth. They were a SIGN to the Jews that Paul's message concerning their Messiah was right.
Israel and Signs
These SIGNS were given for the benefit of the nation of Israel, the SIGN
people. From Adam to Moses God did not work any miracles, signs, or wonders
through men. Moses was the first man to whom God gave SIGN GIFTS. God gave
Moses these "signs" to convince and prove to Israel that Moses was
His chosen vessel.
And it shall come to pass, if THEY I Israel will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first SIGN, that they will believe the voice of the latter SIGN ... if they will not believe also these two SIGNS ... thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land ... [it] ... shall become blood upon the dry land Exodus 4:8,9.
Since then God has always given the nation of Israel signs Deuteronomy 28:46; Joshua 4:6; lsaiah 7:10-14; Ezekiel. 12:6, II; 24:24; Second Kings 20:9, (etc.). These sign gifts were used in abundance to convince and prove to Israel that the Kingdom was at hand and that Jesus was the Messiah.
And it shall come to pass, if THEY I Israel will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first SIGN, that they will believe the voice of the latter SIGN ... if they will not believe also these two SIGNS ... thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land ... [it] ... shall become blood upon the dry land Exodus 4:8,9.
Since then God has always given the nation of Israel signs Deuteronomy 28:46; Joshua 4:6; lsaiah 7:10-14; Ezekiel. 12:6, II; 24:24; Second Kings 20:9, (etc.). These sign gifts were used in abundance to convince and prove to Israel that the Kingdom was at hand and that Jesus was the Messiah.
The Kingdom and Signs
These miraculous SIGNS accompanied the Gospel of the Kingdom (Mathew 10:7-10;
4: 17,23; 9:35, etc.). When the Kingdom would be set up upon the earth (Daniel
2:44; Zecharich 14:9; Jeremiah 23:5), there would be no more sickness (Isiah
35: 1-8; 29: 17-19; 33:24; Jeremiah 30: 17. What better proof or SIGN could God
have given that the Kingdom long prophesied by the prophets had "come
nigh" Luke 10:8-11 or was "at hand" Mathew 10:7; 4: 17, than to
heal those that were ill? Whole cities were healed and all manner of diseases
cured Mathew 9:35; 4:23-24; 8: 16; 15:30. When the Kingdom is established on
earth, creatures with venomous stings will not hurt nor destroy anyone Isiah
II: 1-8. What better authentication of the Gospel of the Kingdom could be given
than by giving believers power over "serpents and scorpions" Luke
10:1-9 and Mark.16:18-18?
The Kingdom was "nigh" or "at hand" during the Gospels. It was offered during the first half of the Book of Acts Acts 1 :6; 3: 17-26. Israel's persistent rejection of the risen Christ culminates in the stoning of Stephen. "All manner of sin" against the Son might be forgiven the nation; but they now had committed that deeper sin against the Holy Spirit, for which there could be no forgiveness Mathew 12:31,32. The crisis of their national destiny had come, and the special proclamation and offer of the Kingdom was withdrawn. God now raises up the new Apostle, Paul, pronounces judicial judgment on Israel First Thessalonians 2: 16, casts them aside Romans II: 11,12 and 15, postpones or holds in abeyance the Kingdom, and begins the new church Ephesians 2: 15, the Body of Christ First Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:4,5. We no longer preach the Kingdom is "at hand," nor do we offer it to our converts; we only proclaim that it is coming after the Body Church is completed and raptured into glory.
The Kingdom was "nigh" or "at hand" during the Gospels. It was offered during the first half of the Book of Acts Acts 1 :6; 3: 17-26. Israel's persistent rejection of the risen Christ culminates in the stoning of Stephen. "All manner of sin" against the Son might be forgiven the nation; but they now had committed that deeper sin against the Holy Spirit, for which there could be no forgiveness Mathew 12:31,32. The crisis of their national destiny had come, and the special proclamation and offer of the Kingdom was withdrawn. God now raises up the new Apostle, Paul, pronounces judicial judgment on Israel First Thessalonians 2: 16, casts them aside Romans II: 11,12 and 15, postpones or holds in abeyance the Kingdom, and begins the new church Ephesians 2: 15, the Body of Christ First Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:4,5. We no longer preach the Kingdom is "at hand," nor do we offer it to our converts; we only proclaim that it is coming after the Body Church is completed and raptured into glory.
The Transition Period
Paul is separated in Acts 13 for the purpose of dispensing the new dispensation of the Grace of God Ephesians 3:2. The next twenty years from Acts 13 to 28 is characterized by a transition from the Gospel of the Kingdom program, which is to diminish and be phased out, to our present program of Grace which is to increase and be established.
It is during this transition period, from Acts 13 to 28 or to the final blow of judgment upon Israel at the desolation of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., that God in grace continued to give SIGNS, even through Gentile converts, to unbelieving Israel for the purpose of saving "some of them" Romans 11:14.
We now know why the SIGN GIFT of tongues, as well as healing and miracles, were given. They were needed to demonstrate to Israel that Jesus was the true Messiah. When God finally broke off His relations with that nation, He ceased demonstrating that fact to Israel. The need for tongues ceased, so naturarIy, tongues as well as all the SIGN gifts ceased for a lack of a need for them. God never intended the SIGN GIFTS among Gentile members of the Body of Christ to be permanently exercised First Corinthians 13:8. They were operative only during the transition period.
The discerning Bible student will observe that when Christ commissioned His Apostles to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and go only to Israel in Matthew 10: 1-10, they had power to perform all the gifts. In Mark 16:15-18 where the Gospel of the Kingdom was to be preached to all nations and every creature, all believers were to have all the gifts.
BUT twenty-six years later-during this transition period-we note in First Corinthians 12:28-30 that certain ones, that is, one person had only one gift. During this transition period, there was a turning away from the sign miracles. Why? Because God was turning away from, and setting aside the nation of Israel, the SIGN people.
There were no sign miracles seen by Felix, or Festus, or Agrippa, nor when Paul stood before Nero. Why? The purpose of sign miracles was to accredit the Messiah to Israel. and not. as generally supposed. to accredit Christianity to the Gentile.
Scripture clearly indicates, the sign miracles continued while the Gospel of the Kingdom was being preached during the Gospels and the first half of the Book of Acts. God's judicial-not final-rejection of Israel followed the stoning of Stephen. God pronounces judgment upon Israel First Thessalonians 2: 16, blinds them Acts 13: 6-13 with Romans I I: 25, casts them aside Romans I I: IS, and begins the Body of Christ First Corinthians 12: 12-27 We now enter the Transitional Period, between Acts 13 and 28. During this period Gentiles exercise the sign gifts for the benefit of unbelieving Israel. This sign gift ministry continues until the final rejection of Israel, which is recorded scripturally in Acts 28: 17-31 and took place historically at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. THE SIGN MIRACLES OF I CORINTHIANS 13 WERE OPERATIVE ONLY DURING THE ACTS TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, NOT AFTERWARDS, FOR THEY CEASED WHEN ISRAEL WAS FINALLY SET ASIDE.
The Post Transition Period
So in regards to the sign gifts, they are seen to be operative up to the end of Acts, BUT NOT AFTERWARDS. In the Pauline epistles written after the Acts period Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Timothy, Philemon and Titus, which give us the normal course for the present dispensation, there is no mention of any of these sign gifts; there is no trace of them of any kind.. On the contrary, for ....example, the gift of healing has disappeared. Paul no ' longer exercises this gift. In the normal course of this dispensation we do not believe any man has the "gift" of healing. We do not believe in "divine healers," bu t we do believe in Divine healing through prayer and God's sovereign and gracious will Second Corinthians 12:7-9; Phillippians 2:25-30.
In Second Timothy 4:20 Trophimus, Paul's traveling companion in the Gospel, is left at Miletus sick. Epaphroditus is spoken of as dangerously ill in ~, Philippians 2: 25-30. It is not Paul's gift of healing but God's mercy that spares this minister of the Gospel. In First Timothy 5: 23 Paul's son in the Lord is given medical advice. Paul is no longer sending out aprons for healing physical afflictions as he did in the transition period Acts 19: 11-12. Why? Because after God has cast aside Israel. the sign gifts have no further place. After Acts 28, the normal course for the present dispensation has set in, and the only gifts we read about are special gifts for the saved in the Body Ephesians 4:7-11, and not the sign gifts for the unsaved in Israel.
See Appendi
The divine method for raising men from the dead in this administration is not the supernatural sign gifts of the Spirit, but the Gospel of Christ Romans 1:.16. Nothing more, nothing less, than believing what the Scriptures say about the cross will save anyone First Corinthians 1: 18,21.
Evaluation of the Sign Gift PHENOMENON
We feel, as we have stated in this booklet, that the Word of God determines that the sign gifts are not operative today. Still the question will be asked, Yes, but what about those who claim to heal, or have been healed, or have spoken in tongues, etc.? Our evaluation of such phenomenon is that these things are either Artificial, Psychological or Satanic.
Artificial
This author and his wife visited a couple who had been in Pentecostalism and
spoke to them about their "tongues" experience. The young man spoke
in "tongues" for us on his own initiative at will, without any
effort, emotion, or mental concentration. When we asked how he did this, he
replied that he had grown up hearing these phonetics and jargon and he was
merely imitating the sounds he had assimilated since his early childhood.
Needless to say, he was questioning the whole Pentecostal experience. At least
his speaking in tongues at a Pentecostal meeting had been a mere artificial
simulation of what he had heard, locked in his mind and then unleashed at will.
We have heard of missionary children who spoke some tribal dialects they knew
at Pentecostal meetings, and then waited for the interpretation. When it was
given, it was not anywhere near an accurate translation of what was said.
Surely it is fair to say that the gift of interpretation was
"artificial" in these cases.
Reverend Carroll Stegall, Jr., who has done one of the most thorough studies of "faith healers," having attended hp,aling campaigns and interviewed the sick before and after such meetings for some six years, believes the testimonials of healings fall into four categories. Those who had a momentary fancied relief which the sufferer in his rapture endorsed, but later repudiated, those fraudulent or staged fakes, and stories invented or passed from person to person which had little or sometimes no basis in fact. In many cases nothing really happened at all, even though it was announced from the platform that a cure had occurred. The fourth category leads us to our next point, a genuine relief from psychological disturbances through suggestion.
Reverend Carroll Stegall, Jr., who has done one of the most thorough studies of "faith healers," having attended hp,aling campaigns and interviewed the sick before and after such meetings for some six years, believes the testimonials of healings fall into four categories. Those who had a momentary fancied relief which the sufferer in his rapture endorsed, but later repudiated, those fraudulent or staged fakes, and stories invented or passed from person to person which had little or sometimes no basis in fact. In many cases nothing really happened at all, even though it was announced from the platform that a cure had occurred. The fourth category leads us to our next point, a genuine relief from psychological disturbances through suggestion.
Psychological
Healing claims can easily be understood to be mental aberrations or psychological trauma which affect the human body. Medical men have revealed that perhaps as much as 80% of all physical diseases have their source in psychic problem. Many of the cures effected by spiritual or faith healings are mainly due to suggestion. These healers also capitalize on a certain psychological phenomenon called a "ready-made frame of desire." A great desire tends to produce the result, in facsimile at least, and at times in reality. Reverend Stegall says: "Dr. Alexis Carrel accepts the Lourdes miracles; but he calls them 'white magic' -that is powerful psychic suggestions, mind over matter, and not divine intervention." That there is power in "faith," and that there are cures through the power of the mind brought about by the powerful psychological factors in these healing meetings is not hard to understand. Christian Science, which we believe is thoroughly non-Christian, and Spiritualism, which denies the efficacy of Christ's shed blood, have many genuine testimonies of healing. We cannot believe that God has wrought these healings. Plato said: "This is the great error of our day in the treatment of the human body, that physicians separate the soul from the body." The British Medical Journal once stated that "no tissue of the human body is wholly removed from the influence of spirit." The mind or soul or spirit tends to hand over its pain caused by guilt, fear, hostility, inferiority resulting from self-rejection, jealousy, envy, or whatever, to the body. Diseases of the body which stem from such sources often disappear when the person accepts God's forgiveness, believes in God's acceptance of them, and believes in his own worth because Christ died for him. He is cured not by some man's gift of healing powers, but by the potent psychological factors inherent in the Gospel.
The psychological factors in so-called "tongues" speaking should be just as obvious. Linguistic scholars such as William Welmes, professor of African Languages at UCLA, as well as Eugene Nida, famous linguist of the American Bible Society, have studied the modern phenomenon of "tongues." Their conclusions were that the glossolalia they studied was composed of unknown sounds lacking in grammatical features. The intonation patterns were American "English employing one's own inventory of sounds in nonsense combinations. In other words, that which they studied was not unknown "tongues" but unknown "sounds," a gibberish having no resemblance to any actual language at all. From my observation of those who speak in tongues, a stiffening of the body, a tilting back of the head, eyes rolled up into the head, etc., this seems to me to be a semihypnotic state. I attended an Assemblies of God meeting, at the invitation of the pastor, who was a good friend of mine, and everyone seemed rather embarrassed when a lady, whom we all knew as a convert from Catholicism, spoke in "tongues." No one interpreted, and it sounded just like the chanting of a Roman Catholic priest.
Satanic
In the Christian Herald (May, 1964), V. Raymond Edman, the late chancellor of
Wheaton College, mentions accounts of pagan glossolalia in Tibet and China:
One of our Wheaton graduates who was born and reared on the Tibetan border tells of hearing the Tibetan monks in their ritual dances speak in English with quotations from Shakespeare, with profanity like drunken sailors, or in German or French, or in languages unknown. Quite recently a retired missionary of the China Inland Mission told of the same experience.
Voodooism, which certainly elevates all that is satanic, has been known to have glossolalic experience. Spiritualism and Mormonism (in early days) report the "tongues" experience in their movements. These sources certainly prove that Satan can perform this phenomenon. God seems to warn about satanic power in this area in Isaiah's words about "wizards that chirp and mutter" (Isaiah 8: 19, R.V.).
The Egyptian magicians, under the influence of Satan, were able to duplicate the divine miracles performed by Moses (Exodus 7: 10- 8: 7). The Scriptures predict satanic "signs" and "wonders."
There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect Matthew 24:24.
In the Great Tribulation the Antichrist will be able to duplicate the miracles of Jesus Christ with satanic power Second Thessalonians 2:9. In Matthew 7:21-23 Christ predicted that miracles and wonders would be done in His name apart from His sanction and power. Miracles and signs cannot be accepted without questioning whether or not they are of God. These Scriptures teach us that such wonders may be of Satan himself. Our only final authoritative guide is not an experience, or the observation of the working of wonders, but the Word of God. For the reasons stated in this booklet, we believe the sign gifts have ceased during this dispensation.
One of our Wheaton graduates who was born and reared on the Tibetan border tells of hearing the Tibetan monks in their ritual dances speak in English with quotations from Shakespeare, with profanity like drunken sailors, or in German or French, or in languages unknown. Quite recently a retired missionary of the China Inland Mission told of the same experience.
Voodooism, which certainly elevates all that is satanic, has been known to have glossolalic experience. Spiritualism and Mormonism (in early days) report the "tongues" experience in their movements. These sources certainly prove that Satan can perform this phenomenon. God seems to warn about satanic power in this area in Isaiah's words about "wizards that chirp and mutter" (Isaiah 8: 19, R.V.).
The Egyptian magicians, under the influence of Satan, were able to duplicate the divine miracles performed by Moses (Exodus 7: 10- 8: 7). The Scriptures predict satanic "signs" and "wonders."
There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect Matthew 24:24.
In the Great Tribulation the Antichrist will be able to duplicate the miracles of Jesus Christ with satanic power Second Thessalonians 2:9. In Matthew 7:21-23 Christ predicted that miracles and wonders would be done in His name apart from His sanction and power. Miracles and signs cannot be accepted without questioning whether or not they are of God. These Scriptures teach us that such wonders may be of Satan himself. Our only final authoritative guide is not an experience, or the observation of the working of wonders, but the Word of God. For the reasons stated in this booklet, we believe the sign gifts have ceased during this dispensation.
APPENDIX
Others have seen the transition period of the book of Acts, and that in the
Post-Acts period there is a marked absence of any reference to tongues, signs,
healings, visions, etc. We quote a few of these to show our readers that this
dispensational stand is not a peculiar or unique position taken in this
booklet.
A little 24-page booklet written by A. E. Bishop, a missionary for Central American Missions, copyrighted in 1920 and published by Moody Press, titled Tongues. Signs and Visions, Not God's Order for Today. is clear and forceful in its presentation. It is significant that the truths set forth were "unreservedly" endorsed by C. I. Scofield. In a brief introduction to the book, he says:
It . is in every way to be rejoiced in that Mr. Bishop has set forth the testimony enclosed in the pages following. Never has there been greater need, both on the mission field and here at home among the churches, of a clear word of testimony concerning this important part of divine revelation. I am glad to commend it unreservedly. -C. I. Scofield
We quote the foreward of A. E. Bishop's booklet and then a selection from the booklet itself.
A little 24-page booklet written by A. E. Bishop, a missionary for Central American Missions, copyrighted in 1920 and published by Moody Press, titled Tongues. Signs and Visions, Not God's Order for Today. is clear and forceful in its presentation. It is significant that the truths set forth were "unreservedly" endorsed by C. I. Scofield. In a brief introduction to the book, he says:
It . is in every way to be rejoiced in that Mr. Bishop has set forth the testimony enclosed in the pages following. Never has there been greater need, both on the mission field and here at home among the churches, of a clear word of testimony concerning this important part of divine revelation. I am glad to commend it unreservedly. -C. I. Scofield
We quote the foreward of A. E. Bishop's booklet and then a selection from the booklet itself.
Foreword
After repeated study of the Epistles written after Paul's arrival at Rome, I am
convinced that in them is found a curative teaching for all of the present-day
delusions and fanaticisms found among many of the most sincere saints in the
Church.
Also by careful restudies of the Book of the Acts and of the Epistles written before its close, I am convinced that those who contend for a purely kingdom dispensation covering the Book of the Acts period are as much deceived by Satan as are those who contend that the sign gifts are still in the Church and would be in manifestation everywhere if God's people were in a healthy spiritual state and exercising faith to that end.
From Romans 9 to II, it is evident that Israel was set aside nationally before the close of the Acts. The imprisonment of the apostles, the inhibition to preach, and the stoning of Stephen seem to be Israel's answer to the proffered amnesty granting pardon for the Deicide committed and of national repentance Acts 3: 19,20.
That the Jew is in the forefront right down to the end of the Acts cannot be disproved, not. withstanding the setting aside of his nation during the present dispensation and the clear revelation given in the Acts period First Corinthians 12:12, 13; Galatians 3:26.29, proving that the Jew has no preference over the Gentile in the Body of Christ.
It is impossible that the Spirit of God could have wrought in the things which kept the Jew to rhe front after God had set him aside, and, if we leave Satan out of the question, we will never be able to understand it. Likewise, if we fail 10 see the hand of Satan in the present eccentricities and fanaticisms prominent in the "Tongues: 'Pentecostal,' and 'Holiness' movements, we will dishonor the Lord, and not be able to serve Him in the deliverance and protection of His own from these delusions.
Also by careful restudies of the Book of the Acts and of the Epistles written before its close, I am convinced that those who contend for a purely kingdom dispensation covering the Book of the Acts period are as much deceived by Satan as are those who contend that the sign gifts are still in the Church and would be in manifestation everywhere if God's people were in a healthy spiritual state and exercising faith to that end.
From Romans 9 to II, it is evident that Israel was set aside nationally before the close of the Acts. The imprisonment of the apostles, the inhibition to preach, and the stoning of Stephen seem to be Israel's answer to the proffered amnesty granting pardon for the Deicide committed and of national repentance Acts 3: 19,20.
That the Jew is in the forefront right down to the end of the Acts cannot be disproved, not. withstanding the setting aside of his nation during the present dispensation and the clear revelation given in the Acts period First Corinthians 12:12, 13; Galatians 3:26.29, proving that the Jew has no preference over the Gentile in the Body of Christ.
It is impossible that the Spirit of God could have wrought in the things which kept the Jew to rhe front after God had set him aside, and, if we leave Satan out of the question, we will never be able to understand it. Likewise, if we fail 10 see the hand of Satan in the present eccentricities and fanaticisms prominent in the "Tongues: 'Pentecostal,' and 'Holiness' movements, we will dishonor the Lord, and not be able to serve Him in the deliverance and protection of His own from these delusions.
The Sign Gifts Retired
... The fact that the Bible does not give a hint of the manifestation of the.
sign gifts after the close of the Book of the Acts period, must carry
convincing evidence to the careful student who compares scripture with
scripture, that they have been retired.
We who work among Roman Catholics fimd a potent contra Manufactory arguments in the fact that the Virgin's name is not referred to after Acts I: 14.
In contrast with the sign gifts of First Corinthians 12, limited to a portion of the believers and operative only during the Book of the Acts period, Ie) us note that the non-sign gifts of Ephesians 4: 10, II were given for the purpose of perfecting all of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man Ephesians 4: 12,13.
In connection with what has previously been set forth, how convincing, how final is this latest proof that the non-sign gifts, and not the sign gifts, accompany the continuation and unfolding of the purposes of God in the present dispensa. tion! All of the proofs are by no means inferential. Some say that the fact of the 'sign gifts' having been given to the Church is prima-facie evidence that they are still there, though dormant, for lack of faith. This argument falls to the ground at once by a study of chapters 12,13 and 14 of! Corinthians. The apostles were a gift to the Church First Corinthians 12:28, but they soon passed away. The New Testament prophet was a gift to the Church First Corinthians 12:28 for the definite purpose of giving divinely inspired messages to the Church until the written Word was completed. At the very time these prophets were given to the Church, it was stated that their prophesies would fail (I Corinthians 13:8). They accomplished their purpose and soon failed. Not one of them is incorporated as such in the written Word. In that connection it was also stated 'whether there be tongues, they shall cease' First Corinthians 13:8. The 'knowledge' that was given as a special gift to some in the Church First Corinthians 12:8 for the short period of time until the written Word should be completed, vanished away First Corinthians 13:8 soon after the canon of Scripture was completed.
We who work among Roman Catholics fimd a potent contra Manufactory arguments in the fact that the Virgin's name is not referred to after Acts I: 14.
In contrast with the sign gifts of First Corinthians 12, limited to a portion of the believers and operative only during the Book of the Acts period, Ie) us note that the non-sign gifts of Ephesians 4: 10, II were given for the purpose of perfecting all of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man Ephesians 4: 12,13.
In connection with what has previously been set forth, how convincing, how final is this latest proof that the non-sign gifts, and not the sign gifts, accompany the continuation and unfolding of the purposes of God in the present dispensa. tion! All of the proofs are by no means inferential. Some say that the fact of the 'sign gifts' having been given to the Church is prima-facie evidence that they are still there, though dormant, for lack of faith. This argument falls to the ground at once by a study of chapters 12,13 and 14 of! Corinthians. The apostles were a gift to the Church First Corinthians 12:28, but they soon passed away. The New Testament prophet was a gift to the Church First Corinthians 12:28 for the definite purpose of giving divinely inspired messages to the Church until the written Word was completed. At the very time these prophets were given to the Church, it was stated that their prophesies would fail (I Corinthians 13:8). They accomplished their purpose and soon failed. Not one of them is incorporated as such in the written Word. In that connection it was also stated 'whether there be tongues, they shall cease' First Corinthians 13:8. The 'knowledge' that was given as a special gift to some in the Church First Corinthians 12:8 for the short period of time until the written Word should be completed, vanished away First Corinthians 13:8 soon after the canon of Scripture was completed.
Delusions, Hobbies and Fanaticisms
The healings divinely wrought in connection with the shadow of Peter and the
handkerchiefs 'brought unto the sick' from the body of Paul were signs in the
early days of the present dispensation, wrought for the purposes already
stated. Those purposes accomplished, the sign gifts were removed.
Even in the Jewish Christian Epistles we find no indication of a continuation of the sign gifts. The prayer of faith that always saves the sick James 5:15 is not the exercising of the sign gifts of healing.
In the latest Epistles of Paul not only is it noticeable that the sign gifts are nowhere in manifestation, but a different order is brought forth by the Holy Spirit for the correction of prevailing hobbies and fanaticisms. A remedy is suggested to Paul's ablest helper; a choice servant is sick nigh unto death, not because of sin, but because of excessive labors in the Gospel; another companion. journeying with Paul must be left at Miletum sick and the apostle, who had once the gift of healing, proceeds on his journey with no attempt to heal his sick fellow traveler, and a beloved physician is commended, the emphasis being placed upon the 'beloved physician; and not upon the beloved brother.
There is no foundation in the Word of God for the prevailing popular doctrine of 'divine healing.'
In 1913 that scriptural giant and scholar, W. H. Griffith Thomas, delivered his lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey on The Holy Spirir of God, and subsequently this material was published in a book by that title. In the quotes given from this book,' it should be noted that Dr. Thomas believed that the first chapters of Acts emphasize the Kingdom aspects in relation to Israel, and he believed in a definite cutting off of the sign gifts in the Post Acts period. We quote from the chapter titled, "In the Acts of the Apostles."
. . . The true view is pretty certainly to be found in a fresh and fuller consideration of the Acts in relation both to what precedes and follows. As a commencement, let us contrast the earlier and later parts of the book. Nothing is more striking than the Jewish features in these early chapters, which link on the Day of Pentecost to that which precedes. While a new dispensation has begun, the emphasis is rather upon Pentecost as a close of a former than the opening of a new era. In a word, Pentecost is really transitional, and almost everything found at least in the first twelve chapters bears out the principle of the Apostle, 'To the Jew first.' The fact is that Acts is almost entirely Jewish until the time of Stephen's martyrdom, followed by Saul's conversion, and even then the Jewish element does not materially recede, but is found more or less fully until the end of the book. So that the key to the proper understanding of Acts is to regard it primarily as the record not of the founding of the Christian Church in its wide sense, but rather as the account of the last offer to, and the willful sin of the Jewish nation.
*The Holy Spirit of God, by W. H. Griffith Thomas. paperback $3.50, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 225 Jefferson, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The first chapter is concerned with the Kingdom of God in relation to Israel, thereby indicating the last chapter of Israel's history rather than the first chapter of Church history; the close of an old dispensation rather than the beginning of a new.
The same Jewish features are strikingly evident in the story of the Day of Pentecost. Not only was the date one of the Jewish Festivals, and Jews were the original recipients of the Holy Spirit, but the Apostle's address is to 'men of Judea, and all that dwell in Jerusalem,' with a special use of an Old Testament prophecy Joel 2:28-32. The more the context of Joel 2 is studied, the more fully it will be seen to refer to Israel rather than the Church.
Then, again, a comparison of the references to purely Jewish matters and to miraculous gifts durirfg the time of the Acts with those found afterwards produces some very striking results. Thus in the Acts there are twenty-five references to the Jews, while afterwards there is only one; in Acts nineteen allusions to Abraham, but afterwards none at all. So also in regard to gifts. They are seen to be in operation up to the end of Acts, but not afterwards, for while, for example, the gift of healing is found throughout Acts, we have no trace of anything of the kind afterwards; on the contrary, Epaphroditus is spoken of as dangerously ill, Timothy is given medical advice, and Trophimus is left at Miletus sick. The same contrast is seen if we take the Epistles of St. Paul written before Acts 28 First and Second Thessalonians; First and Second Corinthians; Galatians and Romans, and compare them with those written during the Roman captivity. In the former there are twenty five references to the Jew, and only one in the latter; twenty-two references to tongues, and none in the latter; nine allusions to gifts as opposed to two; thirteen references to prophecy as a gift, with none in the latter.
These facts, and more that could be adduced, seem to show that the miraculous gifts recorded in Acts were specifically and solely for Israel; that they were demonstrations of power to vindicate the Messiah ship of Jesus of Nazareth, but not intended for permanent exercise in the normal conditions of the Christian Church when Christ had been rejected by Israel. When these remarkable differences between Acts and St. Paul are thus viewed historically and dispensationally, they are seen to be explicable on these grounds, and do not in any way involve either a defect in the Acts or a correction of the defect by St. Paul. When once it is realized that the Pentecostal period was transitional, and was more closely connected with the Jewish past than with the universal Christian future, everything becomes quite clear. The key is found in Acts 3:19-21, which plainly teaches that if only the Jews had there and then repented, Jesus Christ would have come back according to His own promise, but as they willfully refused to accept Him, and maintained this refusal on every occasion when the offer was made, the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit came to an end, and the normal graces of the Spirit became naturally more prominent in the Gentile Christian Church and as associated with the Apostle Paul.
A recent publication by Zondervan (I970) of J. Sidlow Baxter called, The Strategic Grasp of the Bible, • follows the same point of view. We have selected some excerpts from the chapter, "A Re-survey of the Acts Part One."
-The Strategic Grasp of the Bible, by J. Sidlow Baxter, cloth $6.95, Zondervan Publishing House, 1415 Lake Dr., S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Beyond any question, this record known as the 'Acts of the Apostles' is one of the most momentous episodes in the Bible drama of God and man. From a dispensational point of view no other historical juncture can be more commanding-unless our perspective is strangely out of focus. It marks the transition from the message of the 'kingdom' in the four Gospels to the mystery of the 'Church' in the Pauline epistles. It records the greatest adventure of all time. It describes, in fact, one of the most fateful turning-points in history. To understand it rightly is of corresponding importance. Yet to my own thinking, at least) it is a seriously misunderstood part of the Bible, and calis for earnest reconsideration.
Dr. Baxter explains that. the "Gospel" which the Apostles were to proclaim under the commission given them was twofold.
. . . They were to witness to our Lord as (1) Messiah-King of Israel; the crucified but now risen Deliverer of His people; the predestined King of the long-promised 'kingdom of heaven'; (2) the personal Saviour who, through His atoning death and resurrection, saves all who accept Him from the guilt and power and eternal penalty of sin.
Even in the Jewish Christian Epistles we find no indication of a continuation of the sign gifts. The prayer of faith that always saves the sick James 5:15 is not the exercising of the sign gifts of healing.
In the latest Epistles of Paul not only is it noticeable that the sign gifts are nowhere in manifestation, but a different order is brought forth by the Holy Spirit for the correction of prevailing hobbies and fanaticisms. A remedy is suggested to Paul's ablest helper; a choice servant is sick nigh unto death, not because of sin, but because of excessive labors in the Gospel; another companion. journeying with Paul must be left at Miletum sick and the apostle, who had once the gift of healing, proceeds on his journey with no attempt to heal his sick fellow traveler, and a beloved physician is commended, the emphasis being placed upon the 'beloved physician; and not upon the beloved brother.
There is no foundation in the Word of God for the prevailing popular doctrine of 'divine healing.'
In 1913 that scriptural giant and scholar, W. H. Griffith Thomas, delivered his lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey on The Holy Spirir of God, and subsequently this material was published in a book by that title. In the quotes given from this book,' it should be noted that Dr. Thomas believed that the first chapters of Acts emphasize the Kingdom aspects in relation to Israel, and he believed in a definite cutting off of the sign gifts in the Post Acts period. We quote from the chapter titled, "In the Acts of the Apostles."
. . . The true view is pretty certainly to be found in a fresh and fuller consideration of the Acts in relation both to what precedes and follows. As a commencement, let us contrast the earlier and later parts of the book. Nothing is more striking than the Jewish features in these early chapters, which link on the Day of Pentecost to that which precedes. While a new dispensation has begun, the emphasis is rather upon Pentecost as a close of a former than the opening of a new era. In a word, Pentecost is really transitional, and almost everything found at least in the first twelve chapters bears out the principle of the Apostle, 'To the Jew first.' The fact is that Acts is almost entirely Jewish until the time of Stephen's martyrdom, followed by Saul's conversion, and even then the Jewish element does not materially recede, but is found more or less fully until the end of the book. So that the key to the proper understanding of Acts is to regard it primarily as the record not of the founding of the Christian Church in its wide sense, but rather as the account of the last offer to, and the willful sin of the Jewish nation.
*The Holy Spirit of God, by W. H. Griffith Thomas. paperback $3.50, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 225 Jefferson, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The first chapter is concerned with the Kingdom of God in relation to Israel, thereby indicating the last chapter of Israel's history rather than the first chapter of Church history; the close of an old dispensation rather than the beginning of a new.
The same Jewish features are strikingly evident in the story of the Day of Pentecost. Not only was the date one of the Jewish Festivals, and Jews were the original recipients of the Holy Spirit, but the Apostle's address is to 'men of Judea, and all that dwell in Jerusalem,' with a special use of an Old Testament prophecy Joel 2:28-32. The more the context of Joel 2 is studied, the more fully it will be seen to refer to Israel rather than the Church.
Then, again, a comparison of the references to purely Jewish matters and to miraculous gifts durirfg the time of the Acts with those found afterwards produces some very striking results. Thus in the Acts there are twenty-five references to the Jews, while afterwards there is only one; in Acts nineteen allusions to Abraham, but afterwards none at all. So also in regard to gifts. They are seen to be in operation up to the end of Acts, but not afterwards, for while, for example, the gift of healing is found throughout Acts, we have no trace of anything of the kind afterwards; on the contrary, Epaphroditus is spoken of as dangerously ill, Timothy is given medical advice, and Trophimus is left at Miletus sick. The same contrast is seen if we take the Epistles of St. Paul written before Acts 28 First and Second Thessalonians; First and Second Corinthians; Galatians and Romans, and compare them with those written during the Roman captivity. In the former there are twenty five references to the Jew, and only one in the latter; twenty-two references to tongues, and none in the latter; nine allusions to gifts as opposed to two; thirteen references to prophecy as a gift, with none in the latter.
These facts, and more that could be adduced, seem to show that the miraculous gifts recorded in Acts were specifically and solely for Israel; that they were demonstrations of power to vindicate the Messiah ship of Jesus of Nazareth, but not intended for permanent exercise in the normal conditions of the Christian Church when Christ had been rejected by Israel. When these remarkable differences between Acts and St. Paul are thus viewed historically and dispensationally, they are seen to be explicable on these grounds, and do not in any way involve either a defect in the Acts or a correction of the defect by St. Paul. When once it is realized that the Pentecostal period was transitional, and was more closely connected with the Jewish past than with the universal Christian future, everything becomes quite clear. The key is found in Acts 3:19-21, which plainly teaches that if only the Jews had there and then repented, Jesus Christ would have come back according to His own promise, but as they willfully refused to accept Him, and maintained this refusal on every occasion when the offer was made, the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit came to an end, and the normal graces of the Spirit became naturally more prominent in the Gentile Christian Church and as associated with the Apostle Paul.
A recent publication by Zondervan (I970) of J. Sidlow Baxter called, The Strategic Grasp of the Bible, • follows the same point of view. We have selected some excerpts from the chapter, "A Re-survey of the Acts Part One."
-The Strategic Grasp of the Bible, by J. Sidlow Baxter, cloth $6.95, Zondervan Publishing House, 1415 Lake Dr., S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Beyond any question, this record known as the 'Acts of the Apostles' is one of the most momentous episodes in the Bible drama of God and man. From a dispensational point of view no other historical juncture can be more commanding-unless our perspective is strangely out of focus. It marks the transition from the message of the 'kingdom' in the four Gospels to the mystery of the 'Church' in the Pauline epistles. It records the greatest adventure of all time. It describes, in fact, one of the most fateful turning-points in history. To understand it rightly is of corresponding importance. Yet to my own thinking, at least) it is a seriously misunderstood part of the Bible, and calis for earnest reconsideration.
Dr. Baxter explains that. the "Gospel" which the Apostles were to proclaim under the commission given them was twofold.
. . . They were to witness to our Lord as (1) Messiah-King of Israel; the crucified but now risen Deliverer of His people; the predestined King of the long-promised 'kingdom of heaven'; (2) the personal Saviour who, through His atoning death and resurrection, saves all who accept Him from the guilt and power and eternal penalty of sin.
He then says:
New Light on Pentecost
Once we grasp that in its primary meaning the Acts of the A postles is the
renewed offer of the Messianic kingdom to Israel, as distinct from the supposed
instituting of the organized Christian Church, we see the whole phenomenon of
Pentecost in a new light-in its true light. This guards us against certain
popular modern errors. It exposes the fundamental mistake of the present-day
Pentecostalism, and the fallacy of the new mis-emphasis on 'speaking in
tongues,' and the faulty basis of the big faith-healing campaign.
There are numerous groups today teaching that the miracles associated with that long-ago Pentecost and the days of the Apostles should be just as much in evidence now as they were then. Moreover, nearly all evangelical believers seem to have the idea, often perhaps vaguely, that somehow our present-day Christian experience ought to square with that of those early days recounted in the Acts. Well, if that miraculous Day of Pentecost away back in Acts 2 was the declared inauguration of the organized Church, and if those Apostolic days of long ago were therefore an intended nonn for the Christian Church throughout this present age, then those who say that the Pentecostal miracles should be in operation today are quite right, and we really have no answer to them.
But was that historic day of Pentecost the declared inauguration of the Church?-and did those Apostolic days set a nonn for the Church in later days? The answer is, No. When Peter was asked what was the meaning of the Pentecostal effusion and its supernatural effects, did he reply: 'Men and brethren, this is the beginning of a new and wonderful institution called the Church or Assembly of the Lord Jesus Chris!'? No; he replied, 'This is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel.' When we consult the Joel passage, has it anything to do with the New Testament Church? Nothing whatever, as we have before mentioned. It is very decidedly one of the Old Testament passages which we call kingdom prophecies.
As for those Apostolic days setting a norm for the Christian Church (which was then as yet unrevealed and humanly unknown), on the contrary they were intendedly abnormal. The speaking in 'tongues' and the startling miracles were divine 'signs' to Israel that the renewed offer of the kingdom was bona [ide. The thirty-years interval covered by the Acts was a suspense-period in which, although God foreknew the outcome, the human will remained free, and events were allowed (as always) to take their natural course. Therefore, viewed from the human side, everything hung on Israel's Yes or No to the renewed offer. Primarily, and to the best of their intelligence, the Apostles were offering the kingdom, rather than knowingly establishing the Church. When Israel's impenitent aversion to our Lord Jesus crystallized into utter, final rejection, the Apostolic suspenseperiod was over. When the Apostles died, that abnormal interval died with them.
Much the same point of view is expressed by Alva J. McClain in his book, The Greatness of the Kingdom.. We quote" Dr. McClain's remarks because we feel that, in the main, he has captured the truth of the Scriptures on the subject of the "sign gifts," the transitional character of the Book of Acts, and the "signless" Post-Acts period. Our quote is taken from the chapter titled: "The Mediatorial Kingdom in the Book of Acts."
.The Greatness of the Kingdom, by Alva 1. McClain, cloth $7.95, Moody Press, 820 North LaSalle St., Chicago, Illinois.
In preaching and testimony the Acts period must be regarded as transitional, displaying characteristics which belong to both the Kingdom and the Church.
Just as in the period of the Gospels the Kingdom had been offered to the nation of Israel. In both periods the offer was authenticated by the same 'signs and wonders' which, according to the prophets, belonged properly to such an offer. And its establishment, in both periods, was conditioned upon repentance and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah on the part .of the nation. Furthermore, in both periods there was Jewish opposition which moved to a crisis of rejection .
. . . As the period of Acts ends, we pass from the time area of 'signs and wonders' into an era characterized chiefly by the demand for unquestioning faith in the presence of a silent heaven as great public miracles are concerned.
The period opened with the triumphant sermon of Peter on Pentecost, followed almost at once by his official offer of the Kingdom made from the temple porch, both addressed to representatives of the nation of Israel assembled from all nations at the city of Jerusalem. The period moved to its close with the day.long appeal of Paul, now a prisoner in chains, addressed to the 'chief of the Jews' assembled in the great Gentile metropolis of Rome. It was followed quickly by the 'prison epistles' in which the unique glory of the ekklesia was fully revealed. The end came in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in A.D.70.
The Book of Acts, therefore, presents another one of those probationary periods ordained by divine grace for the nation of Israel. And like a similar period in Old Testament history, when Israel wandered in the wilderness, it lasted approximately one generation. This time, however, the nation Cailed to enter the promised 'rest' of the Kingdom, not only at the beginning but also at the end of the probationary period.
Significantly, both in Old Testament prophecy and in our Lord's eschatological discourse, the last landmark before we enter the uncharted time of the present age, is the destruction of Jerusalem Daniel 9:26; Luke 21 :24. Beyond this now historical landmark looms only the beginning of the end. Between the destruction of Jerusalem and the Rapture of the Church (I Thessalonians 4:13-18), divine revelation indeed speaks of general conditions and tendencies, but there is no single event by which the Church may infallibly locate herself in the ocean of time.
The period covered by the Book of Acts, therefore, while a genuine segment of the present Church age, has nevertheless a character which differs markedly from that area of time following the destruction of Jerusalem. In this peculiar character we may find at least a partial explanation of the complexities of that Biblical history of the Church which by divine inspiration was recorded by 'the beloved physician.'
It is important to offer a refinement to both Dr. Baxter's and Dr. McClain's beliefs regarding the offer of the Kingdom in Acts as a "renewed" offer. We feel the Kingdom was not offered to Israel during the period of the Gospels; therefore the offer of the Kingdom in Acts was not a "renewed" offer but the first offer that could have been made. During the pre-Cross period Christ was identified as King and the Kingdom was only proclaimed "at hand." The Kingdom could not have been offered until after He paid for the sins of the world. "The prophets ... testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (I Peter 1:10,11). When the sufferings of the Messiah were accomplished, then all was in readiness for the Kingdom to be set up and only then was the offer of the Kingdom made Acts 3: 18.26. This took place during the first chapters of the Book of Acts.
We must conclude this section merely quoting once from the numerous writings of J. C. O'Hair. In his booklet called, The Great Blunder of the Church, he says:
In Paul's Epistles, written after Acts 28:31 ... there is a marked absence of any reference to tongues, signs, healings, visions, water baptism. etc. Certainly after Acts 28:31, Paul would never have become as one under the law to Israel. Compare Acts 23:5 and 6 and Acts 21 :24 to 27 with Philippians 3:3 to 9. God's order was no longer, 'to the Jew first,' and has not been since Acts 28:31. But remember that a new spiritual Post Acts program does not mean a different Post-Acts Body.
"NOW ABIDETH FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE." First Corinthians 13:13.
There are numerous groups today teaching that the miracles associated with that long-ago Pentecost and the days of the Apostles should be just as much in evidence now as they were then. Moreover, nearly all evangelical believers seem to have the idea, often perhaps vaguely, that somehow our present-day Christian experience ought to square with that of those early days recounted in the Acts. Well, if that miraculous Day of Pentecost away back in Acts 2 was the declared inauguration of the organized Church, and if those Apostolic days of long ago were therefore an intended nonn for the Christian Church throughout this present age, then those who say that the Pentecostal miracles should be in operation today are quite right, and we really have no answer to them.
But was that historic day of Pentecost the declared inauguration of the Church?-and did those Apostolic days set a nonn for the Church in later days? The answer is, No. When Peter was asked what was the meaning of the Pentecostal effusion and its supernatural effects, did he reply: 'Men and brethren, this is the beginning of a new and wonderful institution called the Church or Assembly of the Lord Jesus Chris!'? No; he replied, 'This is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel.' When we consult the Joel passage, has it anything to do with the New Testament Church? Nothing whatever, as we have before mentioned. It is very decidedly one of the Old Testament passages which we call kingdom prophecies.
As for those Apostolic days setting a norm for the Christian Church (which was then as yet unrevealed and humanly unknown), on the contrary they were intendedly abnormal. The speaking in 'tongues' and the startling miracles were divine 'signs' to Israel that the renewed offer of the kingdom was bona [ide. The thirty-years interval covered by the Acts was a suspense-period in which, although God foreknew the outcome, the human will remained free, and events were allowed (as always) to take their natural course. Therefore, viewed from the human side, everything hung on Israel's Yes or No to the renewed offer. Primarily, and to the best of their intelligence, the Apostles were offering the kingdom, rather than knowingly establishing the Church. When Israel's impenitent aversion to our Lord Jesus crystallized into utter, final rejection, the Apostolic suspenseperiod was over. When the Apostles died, that abnormal interval died with them.
Much the same point of view is expressed by Alva J. McClain in his book, The Greatness of the Kingdom.. We quote" Dr. McClain's remarks because we feel that, in the main, he has captured the truth of the Scriptures on the subject of the "sign gifts," the transitional character of the Book of Acts, and the "signless" Post-Acts period. Our quote is taken from the chapter titled: "The Mediatorial Kingdom in the Book of Acts."
.The Greatness of the Kingdom, by Alva 1. McClain, cloth $7.95, Moody Press, 820 North LaSalle St., Chicago, Illinois.
In preaching and testimony the Acts period must be regarded as transitional, displaying characteristics which belong to both the Kingdom and the Church.
Just as in the period of the Gospels the Kingdom had been offered to the nation of Israel. In both periods the offer was authenticated by the same 'signs and wonders' which, according to the prophets, belonged properly to such an offer. And its establishment, in both periods, was conditioned upon repentance and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah on the part .of the nation. Furthermore, in both periods there was Jewish opposition which moved to a crisis of rejection .
. . . As the period of Acts ends, we pass from the time area of 'signs and wonders' into an era characterized chiefly by the demand for unquestioning faith in the presence of a silent heaven as great public miracles are concerned.
The period opened with the triumphant sermon of Peter on Pentecost, followed almost at once by his official offer of the Kingdom made from the temple porch, both addressed to representatives of the nation of Israel assembled from all nations at the city of Jerusalem. The period moved to its close with the day.long appeal of Paul, now a prisoner in chains, addressed to the 'chief of the Jews' assembled in the great Gentile metropolis of Rome. It was followed quickly by the 'prison epistles' in which the unique glory of the ekklesia was fully revealed. The end came in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in A.D.70.
The Book of Acts, therefore, presents another one of those probationary periods ordained by divine grace for the nation of Israel. And like a similar period in Old Testament history, when Israel wandered in the wilderness, it lasted approximately one generation. This time, however, the nation Cailed to enter the promised 'rest' of the Kingdom, not only at the beginning but also at the end of the probationary period.
Significantly, both in Old Testament prophecy and in our Lord's eschatological discourse, the last landmark before we enter the uncharted time of the present age, is the destruction of Jerusalem Daniel 9:26; Luke 21 :24. Beyond this now historical landmark looms only the beginning of the end. Between the destruction of Jerusalem and the Rapture of the Church (I Thessalonians 4:13-18), divine revelation indeed speaks of general conditions and tendencies, but there is no single event by which the Church may infallibly locate herself in the ocean of time.
The period covered by the Book of Acts, therefore, while a genuine segment of the present Church age, has nevertheless a character which differs markedly from that area of time following the destruction of Jerusalem. In this peculiar character we may find at least a partial explanation of the complexities of that Biblical history of the Church which by divine inspiration was recorded by 'the beloved physician.'
It is important to offer a refinement to both Dr. Baxter's and Dr. McClain's beliefs regarding the offer of the Kingdom in Acts as a "renewed" offer. We feel the Kingdom was not offered to Israel during the period of the Gospels; therefore the offer of the Kingdom in Acts was not a "renewed" offer but the first offer that could have been made. During the pre-Cross period Christ was identified as King and the Kingdom was only proclaimed "at hand." The Kingdom could not have been offered until after He paid for the sins of the world. "The prophets ... testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (I Peter 1:10,11). When the sufferings of the Messiah were accomplished, then all was in readiness for the Kingdom to be set up and only then was the offer of the Kingdom made Acts 3: 18.26. This took place during the first chapters of the Book of Acts.
We must conclude this section merely quoting once from the numerous writings of J. C. O'Hair. In his booklet called, The Great Blunder of the Church, he says:
In Paul's Epistles, written after Acts 28:31 ... there is a marked absence of any reference to tongues, signs, healings, visions, water baptism. etc. Certainly after Acts 28:31, Paul would never have become as one under the law to Israel. Compare Acts 23:5 and 6 and Acts 21 :24 to 27 with Philippians 3:3 to 9. God's order was no longer, 'to the Jew first,' and has not been since Acts 28:31. But remember that a new spiritual Post Acts program does not mean a different Post-Acts Body.
"NOW ABIDETH FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE." First Corinthians 13:13.
Grace Bible Church (Click Here)
(A 10 Minute Video)
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
How God Saves Men
Believing Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s
SALVATION.
ead Acts 16L31 Romans 1:16, and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
(A 10 Minute Video)
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
E-mail this BIBLE STUDY
to all your friends
No comments:
Post a Comment