Nailing the Coffin Shut on Continuationism: Does the increase in tongues, healings, mirac!es and prophetic utterance evince a continuation of Pentecost (to be continued)?

 One of the most often overlooked aspect of the continuationist and cessationist debate is over the legitimacy of the continuationist claim. In other words, are the charismatic phenomenon which many millions have experienced around the world a continuation of the first Pentecost? What would we expect a continued Pentecost to look like, and how does that compare to the modern Pentecostal experience? What parameters does the New Testament place on the continued use and manifestation of those gifts, and how do they compare to the modern charismatics experience? Cessationism asserts that there is nothing in the modern charismatic movement that remotely resembles a continuation of the first century Pentecost or is consistent with Biblical conditions under which they would expect. 

Let's examine what occurred as the twelve waited for what Jesus had promised at the 1st century Pentecost: "And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."(Acts 2:2-4) There are three phenomena that happened that day

1. the house where they were meeting was filled with wind;
2. an aura surrounded each person that appeared to be a tongue of fire;
3. as each disciple spoke, their message was heard by the many "devout men" in their own individual languages.

This incident is unigue! It has never been repeat in all three forms at the same time. The first two phenomena - the wind and the fire appear to fulfill Jesus' promise to the Apostoles anointin and empowering them with prophetic authority. The third - the speaking- in tongues was an expression of what they had received and was experienced by the crowd. 

Jesus had prepared the Apostles to for the Holy Spirit to manifest himself in the form of wind:

[19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:19–23ESV)

Jesus breathed on them to anoint their apostolic mission and authority. The Holy Spirit's name in the Old Testament is "ruach," and in the New is "pneuma." Both terms mean, "wind" or "breathe". The Holy Spirit is often presented as a mighty rushing wind. It represents the very nature and essence of God's Divine person and presence. It is "the Breathe" of life for all things:

[9] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” [10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. [11] Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ [12] Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. [13] And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. [14] And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” 

The disciples would have understood, wind filling the room with as the very presence of God, as they would have also understood the significance of "tongues of fire." 

God the Holy Spirit often reveals His presence, His passion or His power in the form of fire. Since John the Baptist had promised that messiah who was to come would baptize with fire. (Math 3:11). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would the Person of the Godhead who would come to indwell every believer with God's presence, and the Apostles for a revelatory mission (John 14: 15-16). The Apostles would have recognized the significance of "the tongues of fire." 

These two phemomena - the wind and the fire- were symbolic affirmations to the apostles that Old Covenant had passed away and that the New covenant, the kingdom of God was continuing it's consummation. This is what Peter would later refer to as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2: 28- 32, and which would later be affirmed at the First Church Council (Acts 15: 12- 17) as a fulfillment of the promise of Amos 9:11 & 12. The wind and the fire were unique events affirming the Apostolic mission and function, the coming of the Spirit, and the institution of the New Covenant. They were only experienced by the Apostles as the served of an affirmation of their prophetic call and function., and that a new era had come. They have never been repeated and never will be.

However, the third phenomenon, the speaking in tongues, was experienced to the experience of the multitude of "devout men" assembled that day and seemed to have a significance beyond the apostles. On three occasions there are records of believers receiving the Holy Spirit in the same way the apostles had (Acts 8:9-25; 11:16&17; 19:4 -7). It seems that in these cases where groups previously outside God's covenant protection came to Christ their salvation was affirmed by the presence of tongues. Tongues and prophecies did continue to function in the church for a period of time, but the New Testament applied condition on their use:

• Every Christian was baptized with the Spirit, and along with the baptism came various giftings (Romans 8:9; 1 Cor 12:12-13; Col 2:9 &10)
• Tongues were among a variety of spiritual gifts that God sovereignly distributed among his people. Not all believers who received the Spirit, either in the book of Acts or subsequently spoke in tongues (1 Cor 12:4-11, 27-31), but all were given spiritual gifts. 
• Tongues in the first century church were spoken human languages (1 Cor 14:10-12) and were not to be used without interpretation. The purpose of tongues is the revelation of the gospel to unbelievers (14:20-25)
• Tongues were of less importance than other gifts because they did not serve to edify the body (1 Cor 14:6-12).
• Women are not to speak in tongues in public worship at all (1 Cor 14:35).
• No more than three people are to speak in tongues in a service, and only in sequence and only if interpreted, and tongues are to be controlled and subjugated to those who have prophetic gifts (1 Cor 14:26-33)
• Tongues are among the gifts that Paul predicted would wane away; however, the biblical language implies they will die out on their own without regard to outside influence (1 Cor 13:8).

Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues resurfaced in the 20th century and is a continuation of the promise of the coming of Spirit that the Apostle Peter spoke of in Joel 2:28-32. Is it? 

1. The Spirit teaches that every believer is baptized with the Spirit when they unite with Christ and are given gifts, and that there are a variety of evidentiary gifts. The Charismatic movement on the basis of the four occurrences of tongues in Acts claim every believer must receive a distinct baptism with the Spirit evidenced by the speaking in tongues. The incidences in Acts do not require that and the doctrinal passages of scripture teach otherwise. The expectation of a 2d baptism of the Spirit followed and evidence of each recipient speaking in tongues is false teaching.
2. Every recorded incident of tongues in the New Testament is a language that can be understood by hearers whose native language is different from the tongue's speaker. Tongues as practiced in virtually all charismatic and Pentecostal churches are ecstatic utterances that are non-translatable into any know human language. 
3. The doctrinal passages of scripture teach that tongues as practiced only in the Apostolic church were to be used to reach unbelievers, who did not understand the language of the evangelist, or used not more than 3 times in worship services and then only when interpreted. Tongues are regularly used by a variety of people, speaking sometimes simultaneously, and are almost never interpreted. When interpreted they are often treated as though the interpretation is equivalent to Biblical revelation, and the scriptures are often explained through the lens of the utterance, rather than subject to the review of the prophetic Word. This leads to the acceptance of heresies, and the promulgation of false prophecies (like the near universal prophetic utterances that Donald J. Trump would be re-elected as US President in 2020)
4. Prophecy is superior to tongues, because it reveals the purpose, mind, order and intention of God. Anything uttered in a tongue is to be done by a male or an interpretation is subject to the discernment of the prophets. Many charismatic teachers and prophets are women.  Most charismatic churches place a higher regard on prophetic utterance than they do on a studied approach to hermeneutics, a direct violation of scripture:

[15] Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. [16] But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, (2 Timothy 2:15–16ESV)

Not only is the modern practice of tongues completely dissimilar from the first century manifestation. The practice of these gifts is antithetical to biblical norms and parameters. So as a cessationist I ask, what exactly is it that continuationist claim has continued? There is nothing remotely similar to the modern tongue's phenomenon and the New Testament practice or teaching about the same. The term continuation implies a similarity or a connection to something that has gone before. Where is the connection? 

I completely reject the criticism that cessationist are punctilious stoics afraid to accept anything that is fervent. Rather cessationist search the scripture and discerning the events of their life's conformity to them. Cessationionist simply see no continuation between the first century church's experience and modern Pentecost. Whatever the modern charismatic experience is. It isn't a continuation of Pentecost. It's time for cessationist to demand Biblical proof and accountability. The burden of proof lies with the continuationist, and they have failed miserably. Some continuationist are willing to suggest that tongues may be evidence of the continued Pentecost. because they see a continuation of first century Pentecost in other gifts like healing, miracles and prophecy, the next post will completely dispel that notion, as well.