MIRACULOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT NOW?

Question:

"Exactly what are your teachings on tongues, laying on of hands, prophecy and etc.?

Answer:

I do not teach that miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit are present in this age. I believe all such manifestations ended in the first century. I will be glad to discuss any of the following in greater detail.

1. The purpose of the miracles was to confirm the word.

Hebrews 2:3-4
"How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?"
Mark 16:15-20
"And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.' 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen."

According to verse 14, Jesus was speaking to the 11 (the 12 minus Judas). When we couple this fact with the actions of verse 20, we see that the Lord was working with the apostles to accomplish the confirmation of the Gospel.

Once confirmed, we do not need the truth confirmed again.

2. The Bible says the signs were to end.

I Corinthians 13:8-10
"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away."

In this passage the "perfect" is sometimes questioned. Certainly in the context it deals with what is being discussed which is love in comparison to the signs and other miraculous feats, I Corinthians 12:31. Note verse 9 speaks of knowledge and prophecy being in part. These things at the time of Paul's writing were soon to reach perfection or completion. That time was drawing near. This statement by Paul is very clear. He says that the signs which were so much desired were coming to an end. This is one reason for using the "better way," love. Love is the greatest abiding entity, verse 13.

Ephesians 4:11-15
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ . . ."

Notice the "till" beginning verse 13. These gifts were not meant to be for all time. The gifts were to come to an end. The word "perfect" in this passage, as it does in I Corinthians 13 also, refers to completeness, or maturity as in full grown. The complete man will not need the gifts. He will be complete because the complete word was given and he has full knowledge of Christ. The way we, in the time in which we live, have those things which the gifts provided in the first century is by speaking the truth in love, verse 15.

3. Only the apostles could pass on the gifts.

Acts 8:14-18
"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money."

Philip did not have the power to pass it on; only the apostles could do this.

There are only two cases of spontaneous receiving of the Holy Spirit (the receiving of the Holy Spirit without the apostles actions) recorded in New Testament. One is in Acts 2, which was to show that the last days had arrived and was for those who believed the promises that the last days were to come. This was not to confirm the word which Peter was about to deliver, but to make significant notation of the event which fulfilled prophecy. The apostles did receive power as was promised them in John 14:26, Acts 1:8 and other scriptures. There is nothing in the text to indicate that this receiving of power was the reason for the display of the Holy Spirit. We do not know the exact moment the Apostles received this power. We do know, however, that only the apostles were promised this power of the Holy Spirit.

The second case of spontaneous receiving of the Holy Spirit is in Acts 10. Acts 10:42-48 says:
" 'And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.' 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 'Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days."

The reaction of Peter and those who came with him and the statement of Peter in verse 47 shows that this was a message to Peter and those who came with him. It was not to confirm the word to Cornelius. It signified the coming in of the Gentiles, Cornelius was the first of many which were to fulfill all the prophecies concerning blessings to the Gentiles.

Note also in this passage, the receiving of the Holy Spirit by Cornelius and his household did not save them and was not part of the obedience necessary for salvation. They were still commanded to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

4. The last days ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century.

Acts 2:16-18
" 'But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 `And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy . . .'"

This passage shows the beginning of the last days as prophesied by the prophet Joel.

Luke 21:20-22
" 'But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.'"

This passage tells when all prophecy would be fulfilled. This by definition must include prophecies concerning the last days.

Since the prophecies, dreams, visions were items of the last days, it is important to realize that the last days have ended. We no longer have those things. We now have, "all things that pertain to life and godliness," II Peter 1:3 and we can know all things, I John 2:20. Those things are part of the confirmed word, the apostolic teaching of the first century which was, is and remains as the only inspired teaching directly to and for the only church that Jesus ever built - Matthew 16:18.

Sincerely, in love of truth,