Didn't Miracles Stop When the Last Apostle Died?
Many people teach that miracles stopped at the end of the first century when the last apostle died. Those people misinterpret I Corinthians 13:8 which says, "Whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away." The chapter goes on to say that when the perfect has come, the imperfect will be taken away. Some say "the perfect" is the Bible.
There is only one that is perfect, Jesus Christ. So, I Corinthians 13:8 is not referring to the Bible but the return of Jesus to earth. When that happens tongues will cease because we will be in His presence. We will not need prophecy and knowledge, because He will reveal all things to us. The things that are imperfect will be done away with when we see the perfection that will come in Jesus Christ.
Until He comes, we need to have His life and His weapons for bringing His rule on earth (see II Corinthians 10:3-6). Perhaps we need His power more today than the church did nineteen hundred years ago, because today we are faced with powerful forces of unbelief and satanic power.
As we draw closer to the return of the Lord, spiritual warfare will intensify (see ). Those who oppose God will be stronger and more malevolent than ever before, and those who serve Him will experience an intensification of God's miraculous power as never before.
Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson.
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