Speaking in Tongues Continued

Being slain in the spirit is not a Christian experience. It is not found in the Bible. It is decidedly of Satan, and is unbiblical without any Scriptural support whatsoever.

Consider:
Isaiah saw the glory of God: the angels proclaiming the glory and holiness of God.
His reaction: He fell forward prstrate on the ground in an act of humility and reverence to God.

Paul saw a light from heaven, heard a voice from heaven.
His reaction: He fell from his horse, but he fell forward, and lay on the ground prostrate in an act of humility and in subservience to the Christ that he had formerly opposed. His answer now was "What would you have to do Lord?

After John had seen all the wonders of heaven he was awe-struck at what he saw. He fell temporarily out of character and fell dowrn forward in an act of worship, but was sharply rebuked by the angel: "See thou do it not!"

There is not a single instance in the Bible of one being slain in the spirit. The closest one can come to is the angry mob of unsaved soldiers who came to Jesus while he was in the garden. Jesus asked them, "Whom do you seek?"
They answered: "We seek Jesus of Nazareth."
When Jesus answered with the "I am" of John 8:58, the same title God gave to Moses to give to the Israelites, the great name of Jehovah, all the soldiers fell backward. Thus if you want to classify yourselves in the only ones that come close to being slain in the spirit, you put yourself among a mob of unsaved soldiers who fell backward at the word of Jesus. They fell backward for fear, not because of worship. If it were of worship they would have fallen forward and adored him.

Benny Hinn is a heretic, possibly demon-possessed. he is not a Christian. His theology does not even come close to Christian theology. He even believes that it was satan that atoned for our sins and not Jesus. Benny Hinn, and others like him push people back ward. Others in the crowd fall backward under a semi-hypnotic spell, or even a demonic influence. It is not of God. It is not Biblical. It has not Biblical support. It has much support showing it to be of the devil, but not of God.
DHK

 

I agree completly. And what we are speaking of fits with that perfectly.

Sometimes the "real genuine foreign language" that is "unknown to the speaker" is an angelic heavenly language and it IS known to the "hearer"...for the hearer is God.
</font>[/QUOTE]Then it is quite evident that you don't agree. Foreign langauges are understood by men, are heard by men, can be translated by men, as Paul commands them to be. You are referring to something completely different, something not referred to in the Bible, something made-up, something not tuaught, an unBiblical doctrine. Nowhere in the Bible does it teach "a heavenly language" that only God can understand.
DHK

 

But it is what Paul meant. No where in the Scriptures do you find any doctrine of a private prayer in tongues. That is unScriptural. Speaking in tongues was always public, always for the edification of the whole church, always had to be interpreted. If those conditions were not there one was not allowed to speak in tongues (including pray). It was for the church, not outside of the church. That automatically excludes a prayer life in tongues. Why? It does not edify the church.

List all of the gifts of the Spirit and tell me which ones could be used selfishly in the way that you described? How many gifts of the Spirit could be used outsided of the church, or just for one's own benefit
Helps--just for yourself?
Healing--just for yourself?
Administration--just for yourself?
Prophecy--just for yourself?
teaching--just for yourself?
miracles--just for yourself?

All these gifts were for the entire church, as was tongues. None of them were to be used selfishly for ones own selfish edification. Tongues was a gift for the entire church--always. It was never a private prayer language.

No, The prayer was perfecly intelligble. The one who had the gift of tongues didn't have an interpreter, and therefore it seemed unintelligble, just as if I were to speak Arabic or some other mid-eastern langauge to you. If God gave me that ability you wouldn't understand. It would be a mystery. For the same person to try and pray in an unknown language would be somewhat unfuitful as well. Prayer is communication. He is far more conversant with God in his own language than any other. Therefore his spirit might be in the right place, but his mind is unfruitful, because he really doesn't have a good grasp of that language. It is miraculously given to him only for one purpose--to edify the believers. I don't believe he had that language on a permanent basis. They were given for certain times and occasions, when needed.

This is only if there was no interpter present, as Paul clarifies later on. If there is no interpreter let him keep silence in the church. The verse is a rebuke to those who speak in tongues without interpretation. Only their spirit prayed. Therefore don't do it. That is his message. The whole church was not edified, therefore don't speak in tongues.

That is correct, and that is why praying in an unknown language is wrong. It doesn't edify the whole body.
DHK

 

God does't lie.
The Bible says "God is not a man that he should lie."
He said that prophecy, tongues, and (revelatory) knowledge would all come to an end or cease. Does he lie? The Charismatic posters on this board make God a liar in the sense that they change the word cease to "continue." They make the statement to read that. Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge shall continue. That is not what God said.

Think of it this way. God is making a contrast between certain gifts, and their importance. What is the most important gift of all? He tells us that very clearly? Verses 8 and 13:
"Love never fails"
"The greatest of these is love"
The greatest gift is love. It will continue on throughout eternity. It will never end. It is the only gift that will endure throughout eternity and will never come to an end. All other gifts will cease at some time.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
--Faith and hope still abide or remain. They did in Paul's day, and they do now, 21 centuries later. When will they cease (for they certainly will). We walk by faith and not by sight. When Christ comes Faith will cease. The same is true of hope, since Christ is our hope. Both faith and hope will cease at the coming of Christ. These are the two gifts that will cease at the coming of Christ.

Therefore, the three temporary gifts mentioned: prophecy, tongues, and (reveletory) knowledge, will cease sometime before the coming of Christ. They will not last as long as love (throughout eternity). They will not last as long as faith and hope (to the coming of Christ). They will cease. They will cease well before the coming of Christ. Paul is drawing a comparison. These were temporary gifts that served for a temporary period of time. They were still in operation at the time of Paul's writing (55 A.D.), but they did cease not too long after that, and definitely before the end of the first century. The sign gifts were for a sign. Signs don't last for 21 centuries. The signs of an apostle and the apostles' message--the gospel have already been cofirmed (Heb.2:3,4; 2Cor.12:12). The sign of tongues has already been given to the Jews and rejected. They rejected their Messiah (John 1:11), and they rejected the apostolic message, as is evident by the stoning of Stephen. The prophetic message of Isa.28:11,12 quoted by Paul in 1Cor.14:21 came true. They knew judgement was imminent, and it was. It came in 70 A.D., and thus that sign was also fulfilled. There is no more reason for these signs to be in place. They were removed by the end of the first century.
DHK

 

The word of God:

"For though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels..."

"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. For no one understands him. However, in the Spirit he speaks mysteries"

"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself..." (notice again, no rebuke here) "...but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied"

He wishes they all spoke in tongues, and what does tongues include?...

"For though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels..."

"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. For no one understands him. However, in the Spirit he speaks mysteries"

Just like today.

"What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding"

Grace, peace, and Merry Christmas,

Mike </font>[/QUOTE]If it is a distinct possibility that Paul spoke with the tonges of angels (which it isn't), then logically it is a distinct possiblity that Paul "had all knowledge" a claim to deity which is blasphemous.
He didn't say he could do either one.
All of these statements are purely hypothetical.
Even if he could do these things, and have not love they would be useless things to do. That is what he is saying. Nowhere does he admit even the possibility of doing these things.
DHK

 

Tam I have pointed out to you repeatedly how Scripture shows that these temporary gifts cannot last as long as you suggest. I give you Scripture. You reply: You are wrong, for no other reason than you say I am wrong. Not much of a debate there, is it?
DHK