Featured God does not Speak by Prophets today

"FACE TO FACE" - 1 Cor. 13:12

This phrase is NEVER used for heaven in the Scripture. Paul was an Old Testament Rabbin and knew exactly where this phrase was used in the Old Testament in regard to the prophetic gift with seeing "darkly"and knew exactly what it meant. It is found in a prophetic revelatory context:

De 5:4 The LORD talked with you FACE TO FACE in the mount out of the midst of the fire,

De 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew FACE TO FACE,

However, remember God told Moses when Moses asked to show him his glory that God said you CANNOT LOOK UPON MY FACE AND LIVE and so he covered him in the cleft of the rock until he passed by and only let him only see his back side. So this phrase did not mean to look directly upon God's face. This phrase is used for communicating revelation from God more direct and clear to men on earth than the method used to communicate revelation to prophets on earth. The methods used to communicate revelation to prophets was "DARK speeches" through inferior methods such as dreams and visions and I quote:

Numb.12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him IN A VISION, and will speak unto him IN A DREAM.
7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
8 With him will I SPEAK MOUTH TO MOUTH , EVEN APPARENTLY, and not in DARK SPEECHES....

See the contrast! When God's speaks to prophets by dreams and visions this is regarded as "DARK SPEECHES" but when God speaks more DIRECTLY to men it is as "mouth to mouth" or "face to face." The difference is between INFERIOR means of revelation to men ON EARTH and SUPERIOR means of revelation ON EARTH.

Why Does Paul select "knowledge, tongues and prophecies" in 1 Cor. 13:8? Because 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 has one in each of the three verses, thus they are the summary of revelatory gifts and sign gifts.

The "sign" gifts cease when what they signified occurred. The revelatory gifts are "in part" and cease when what they provide in "part" is finished, perfected, completed, matured. What is "in part" versus "perfect" speaks of the same thing - REVELATION. The completed written revelation is MORE DIRECT revelation to each child of God than the INDIRECT revelatory gifts which is like a "glass DARKLY" in contrast to the more direct and completed/perfected/matured finished written revelation.

 

Love is

LOVE IS:

1. ESSENTIAL - 1 Cor. 13:1-3 because without it, NOTHING is of value.

2. SPIRITUAL - 1 Cor. 3:4-7 - The characteristics of love is the same characteristics given to describe the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). The Corinthians had all the spiritual gifts but were NOT SPIRITUAL (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

3. SUPERIOR - 1 Cor. 3:8 - Love NEVER FAILS but in contrast to revelatory and sign gifts they do fail. Love is greater than either faith and hope because when that which is hoped for is realized, and what is received by faith is realized then there is no need for faith and hope but love NEVER fails but continues on and on.

4. ABIDING - 1 Cor. 13:9-13 - Love, faith and hope ABIDETH NOW but revelatory gifts and signs ABIDETH NOT NOW, but are stopped in the now. Paul did not say "NOW ABIDETH Love, faith, hope, revelatory gifts and signs" but only "NOW ABIDETH faith and hope and love." The contrast is between what is STOPPED versus what ABIDETH now. Because tongues cease of itself "now" and revelatory gifts are completed now (v. 10) and grow from immaturity to maturity now (v. 11) and replaced with superior revelation now (v. 12) and thus "ABIDETH" not. The contrast is between what is STOPPED and what ABIDETH now.

What causes sign gifts to cease now so they do not continue to abide is when what they signify is completed (1 or. 14:20-22; Isa. 28:11-17).

What causes revelatory gifts to be stopped now, is when what is designed by God to complete (v. 10) mature (v. 11) and replace with greater clarity (v. 12) arrives - the finished revealed written Word of God (Isa. 8:16; Rev. 1:3; 22:18-19).