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The End of the Church Age...and After
Chapter 10. Are We Now in the Great Tribulation?
The very solemn question every believer must face is: Has the period of Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24:21 begun? Since we believe we are living in that time of history, is there clear evidence that this is so? While a number of Scriptures
detail the character of the Great Tribulation, two are especially in
evidence, so we need have no doubt that we have arrived at that final
event.
Never before in all of church
history has there been an interest in signs and wonders and miracles such
as there is today. One of the most prominent signs is the phenomenon of
speaking in tongues. All over the world there is an intense interest in
this kind of activity. This evidence alone assures us that we are living
in the period of the Great Tribulation.
God Uses Satan to Destroy using Tongues, Signs, and Wonders The Bible discloses that right near the end of time, Satan will become the dominant ruler in the congregations. In II Thessalonians 2, God speaks of the man of sin taking his seat in the temple. It will be seen that the man of sin can be only Satan. Matthew 24:24 says, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." In Revelation 13:7, God informs us, "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." Revelation 13 speaks of the beast that comes out of the earth. This can be only Satan and his dominion, as he rules through false gospels. By this means, he is able to destroy the
churches that are under the judgment of God. Thus, Satan is able to overcome the saints, the true believers, within the congregations. Destruction of the New Testament church is not through political action but through the action of the church itself as it becomes apostate. Clues and guidance as to how this will materialize can be learned from God's dealings with ancient Israel because Israel was a type, figure, or representation of the New Testament church. What happened in the nation of Israel gives us insight as to what will happen to the congregations of our day. You may recall that after the death of Solomon, God divided the twelve tribes of Israel into two nations. Ten of the tribes became the nation called Israel, which had its capital in Samaria. Two of the tribes, Judah and Benjamin, became the nation of Judah, which had its capital in Jerusalem. God set up a testing program for both of these nations. The testing program involved contemporary nations. During the days of the demise of the ten tribes, the testing program involved the nation of Assyria. The nation of Israel looked with longing at the beautiful horses and the beautiful apparel of the Assyrians, and they decided that their gods must be victorious gods. They began to play spiritual harlotry with Assyria. They began to run after the gods of the Assyrians, a nation whose language they did not understand, and God used the Assyrians to destroy Israel. Then the nation of Judah began
to play spiritual harlotry with the gods of the Babylonians and the
Assyrians. They looked at the success of these nations (the beautiful
horses and the beautiful apparel), and all that went along with it, and
Judah began to lust after their gods. Babylon, too, was a nation whose
language they did not understand. It was this nation that destroyed Judah
in 587 B.C. This is the scenario that God gives to guide us into truth
concerning the destruction of the New Testament church.
God's Long-Term Testing Program for the Church The principle of a testing program is found repeatedly in the Bible. Israel, for example, was tested by God when Moses left them for 40 days to receive the tables of the law on Mount Sinai. Israel failed the test by making and worshipping the golden calf. As a result, God's wrath came upon them and about 3,000 men were killed (Exodus 32). The number 40 in the Bible, or a multiple of ten times the number 40, such as 400, may be a clue that a testing program is in progress. Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years after coming out of Egypt. They failed the test, few of them trusted in God. The Bible records in Joshua 5:6:
Significantly, it can be shown that the period from the time Israel came out of Egypt (1447 B.C.), to the time Saul became king over Israel (1047 B.C.), was exactly 400 years. The latter occurred in the days of Samuel, who was the last of God's prophets to judge Israel. When Samuel was old, Israel came to him and asked for a king to rule over them. I Samuel 8:4-7:
Saul became king exactly 400 years after Israel, under the direct rule of God, came out of Egypt. They failed the test in that they did not want God to rule over them directly. Another interesting testing program in relation to the number 40 is in the Book of Jonah. Jonah was instructed to cry against Nineveh because of their wickedness (Jonah 1:2). Jonah 3:4 says, "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Wonderfully, the people of Nineveh were victorious in their test. Jonah 3, verses 5 and 10 report:
The first Adam was tested in the Garden of Eden, and the second Adam, Christ, was also tested. The first Adam failed the test, that is, he disobeyed God, and thus plunged the human race into sin, but our Lord was victorious in the test. He remained entirely obedient to God. His perfect obedience has made the incomprehensible kingdom of God a reality for all the true believers. Obviously, the principle that God tests the human race is firmly established in the Bible.
The end-time church, too, is faced with a
testing program. Unfortunately, the Bible reveals that the end-time church
in large measure will fail its testing program, just as Adam and Eve
failed and as ancient Israel repeatedly did. The church will fail the test
and come under God's wrath, just as God's judgment came when Adam and Eve
failed the test. The testing program that identifies with the end-time church is focused on a nation whose language the congregation does not understand. God gives at least two prominent clues in the Old Testament as to the nature of this end-time testing program. The first clue is in Deuteronomy 13:1-3:
God clearly says that He is proving, that is, testing the congregation through the activity of a false prophet within their midst. We should know about the character of this prophet and the nature of his teaching. The introduction to Deuteronomy 13 is the last verse of Deuteronomy 12, where God admonishes the congregation, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (verse 32). God says that man shall not add to nor take away from the Word of God. To recognize the Word of God as His Word and have an intense desire to be obedient to it, is, in fact, worshipping God. On the other hand, to believe that there is an additional source of divine information (to believe that a dream, vision, or tongue is from God when, indeed, it is not), that effectively is worshipping a god other than the God of the Bible. God gives the same warning in the New Testament, in Revelation 22:1819, where we read:
"This book" is the Bible. The Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God. Any additional articulated, verbalized message supposedly from God that is delivered through a dream, vision, or by any other means, is an addition to the Bible. Because God is not adding anything to the divine revelation which is the Bible, if anyone listens to these messages and believes they are from God, he effectively is worshipping a god other than the God of the Bible. God warns in verse 18 that anyone who commits this sin is subject to the plagues written in the Bible. Deuteronomy 13 says the false prophet is a dreamer of dreams, that is, he is convinced that what he hears in his dreams is of God. If the sign or the wonder, the prophetic statement of his dream or vision, comes to pass, he believes he has received a supernatural visitation, but because the message he received was not from God, it had to be from Satan. When he teaches that the message he received in a dream or a vision was from God and, therefore, is the Word of
God, he is encouraging people to go after a god other than the God of the Bible. This is a deadly serious sin within the congregation. Deuteronomy Chapter 13 says that this prophet is to be put to death even if he is a loved one of someone in the congregation. The key phrases in these verses
in Deuteronomy 13 are, "for the Lord your God proveth you" (or
tests you) and "to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul" (verse 3). These phrases teach something
about God's final testing program for the church. God clearly says that He
will test the congregation by allowing those who say they declare the Word
of God but who are false prophets (because their source is something other
than the Bible), to be within the congregation.
To understand this clue, one must know the setting in which it is found. I Corinthians 14 discusses the phenomenon of tongues, which was present in the church at Corinth. Certain individuals there received from God, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, messages in a language (a tongue), which neither they nor anyone else in the congregation could understand. In I Corinthians 14:2 God speaks of these as "in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." Additionally, within that congregation, God gave certain individuals the gift of interpretation. By means of this God-given gift, the message received in the tongue was made understandable to the congregation. And I Corinthians 14:5 informs us that when the tongues message was interpreted, it edified the congregation. This was a valid spiritual event in the church at Corinth. They had only that part of the Bible which is now called the Old Testament. God was still breaking the silence between the supernatural and the natural when He gave messages to Paul, John, Peter, and Agabus (Acts 11:28). Because these messages were from God, they were an addition to the Word of God. The New Testament had not yet been completed, and even with these additions, the churches of that day had an incomplete Word of God.
During the same time that it was possible for the apostles to receive direct messages from God, some individuals in the church of Corinth received messages from God in a tongue. The messages could have been in the form of a prayer, praise, or a revelation. Howbeit, it was a message from God, and therefore, it was an addition to the written Word of that time. In the center of the discourse on the phenomenon of tongues (I Corinthians 14:21), is a reference to the Old Testament law wherein God had written that through tongues He would speak to the people and they would not listen. God speaks about tongues in Deuteronomy 28. Moses addressed Israel when they were about to enter the promised land. He warned them that they would not be content with the Gospel he brought them, "Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things" (verse 47). The result of their rebellion against God was punishment. This is declared in the remaining verses of Deuteronomy 28. Verses 48 and 49 summarize the warning as follows:
This is the passage of law referred to in I Corinthians 14 in regards to the tongues phenomenon. The ten tribes of Israel were destroyed by their enemy, the nation of Assyria, after Israel had engaged in spiritual harlotry with the Assyrians. As a result of their spiritual rebellion, God caused the nation of Assyria, a nation whose language Israel did not understand, to destroy them. God gave a final warning of this a few years before it happened. The warning is found in Isaiah 28:11-12, where God says:
The sequel to God's judgment on Israel occurred 122 years later. The nation of Judah ran like a harlot after Babylon, a heathen nation whose language they did not understand, and Babylon is the nation that destroyed Judah in the
God is focusing on a nation
"whose language thou knowest not." This passage, too, is
referred to in the ominous language of I Corinthians
14:21.
The first principle is that ancient Israel was a picture or type of the New Testament church. God's judgment on Israel for their spiritual adultery sheds light on the nature of God's judgment on the New Testament church for its spiritual rebellion. The second principle is that God sets up testing programs for mankind. In Deuteronomy Chapter 13 it is seen that within the churches, a testing program will involve false prophets who receive supernatural messages. These false prophets will encourage the congregations to go after other gods by revealing their supernatural experiences, which come from a source other than God. These two Biblical principles give us understanding as to how God judges the end-time church.
The question might be raised: Why does God write extensively in I Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 about the phenomenon of tongues? One might be surprised to read in the Bible about this temporary phenomenon. A few decades after this phenomenon occurred in the church in Corinth, the visions of the Book of Revelation were received by the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos. The Book of Revelation closes with the warning that anyone who adds to the words of this book will be subject to the plagues written herein. Therefore, there can be no further revelation from God by means of visions, voices, tongues, or anything else. Thus, the phenomenon of tongues that occurred in the church at Corinth would also have come to an end. From that time to the present day, do not expect God to bring a message by these means or by any means other than what He has given us in the Bible. It appears that the tongues phenomenon from God was short-lived and confined to the church at Corinth. It was an incidental matter even in that day, thus, the question persists, why did God write extensively about it? The answer lies in the realization that I Corinthians Chapters 12-14, which discuss the matter of tongues, are God's testing arena for the end-time church. God planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, and it was the testing arena of our first parents. Satan saw his opportunity in that testing program to tempt and enslave man to sin. In the warning and testing program of Deuteronomy 13, God allows a false prophet to deceive people within the congregation. God sets up the testing programs, but Satan uses the tests as opportunities to lead people astray. God established the phenomenon of tongues, recorded in I Corinthians 12, 13, and 14, as a testing arena for the end-time church. God gave the true gift of tongues briefly in the church at Corinth so that the end-time churches' fidelity or infidelity to the Word of God could be discovered. Adam and Eve were permitted to eat of every tree of the garden except one. God provided lavish blessings of fragrant and delicious fruits of these trees to satisfy the physical needs of man. But Lucifer wanted man to serve Satan rather than God, and he tempted Adam and Eve into thinking they were missing something important if they did not taste the fruit of the one tree that had been placed off-limits. Throughout the Bible, the church is reminded of the lavish blessings that attend salvation. The blessings are far more than anyone deserves. They are so wonderful that our hearts should continuously praise God. One minor, incidental blessing, briefly enjoyed by a few people in the church at Corinth (that is, being able to receive an additional message from God in an unknown
language), was given before the magnificent blessings of the whole Word of God were available to mankind. God maximized His communicative blessings to mankind by giving us the entire record of His will (the New Testament and the Old Testament), and He placed off-limits the minor blessing enjoyed by some in the church at Corinth. God, in His wisdom, retained the
record. Indeed, He prominently displays the record of the phenomenon of
speaking in tongues in the Bible. Its placement there makes it a testing
arena for the end-time church, just as the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil was the testing arena for Adam and Eve at the beginning of the
human race. Satan uses this testing arena as his final opportunity to win a decisive victory over Christ by defeating the external church. He defeated Adam and Eve by encouraging them to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Likewise, he encourages the end-time church to enjoy the forbidden gift of speaking in tongues. When God set up the testing arena in the Garden of Eden, He used language that made it easy, or at least paved the way, for Lucifer to tempt Eve. God did not give the forbidden tree a foreboding name like "forbidden" tree. God gave this tree the intriguing name "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Certainly, such a title would cause Adam and Eve to wonder what mysterious power the fruit of this tree possessed. This is evidenced by Eve's reaction to Satan's enticements, as we read in Genesis 3:6:
Satan stimulated Eve's lustful thinking by making reference to the name God had given the tree. In Genesis 3:5 Satan declared to Eve, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Surely in giving this tree the name "the knowledge of good and evil," God gave Satan a theme that he could use to tempt our first parents into sin. God, of course, is not the author of sin, nor is He in any way guilty of sin. God did, however, design an insistent and valid testing program for Adam and Eve in that the fruit appeared to be especially luscious ("the tree was
God also made the testing arena for ancient Israel quite attractive. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom, called Israel, were attracted to the Assyrians, a nation whose language they did not understand, a nation that apparently was blessed by God, that is, Assyria. They conquered Syria (II Kings 16:9) and appeared to be the nation with all the answers. Ezekiel 23:5-6:
"Aholah" is another name for the capital of Israel, which was in Samaria. Assyria and its political successes and worldly achievements appeared to be the nation to emulate. Similarly, Judah, the southern kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem, was enamored by the beauty, power, and successes of both the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The beauty, power, and political successes of Assyria and Babylon were the results of God's blessings. These wicked nations were in total rebellion against God, yet God brought them to power and made them attractive to serve as testing programs for Israel and Judah. Israel Goes to Assyria for Help The Bible gives a vivid illustration of how God allowed a wicked nation like Assyria to appear to Israel to be a success story. During the days of Isaiah, Jerusalem was threatened by Israel and Syria. The situation was grave. II Chronicles 28 discloses the wickedness of Judah's King Ahaz and the resultant punishment that God brought upon Judah by Israel and Syria. In II Chronicles 28:5-6 we read:
The king of Judah, a wicked man named Ahaz, and all of Judah, should have cried to God for help. They should have repented in sackcloth like Nineveh did when Jonah preached to them. They should have cried out to God as King Jehoshaphat did when the Moabites and the Ammonites came to destroy Judah (II Chronicles Chapter 20). Instead, the Bible records that Judah went to Assyria for help. II Kings 16:7:
They could not have more
dramatically displayed their complete lack of trust in God. God rescued
sinful Judah by wicked Assyria, as II Kings Chapter 16, verse 9, declares:
Assyria conquered Syria. Until
recent times, Syria had not been an independent nation. God used Assyria
to destroy the ten tribes, so they no longer existed as an independent
kingdom. These two nations, Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel,
therefore, were removed as a threat to Judah by the strength of the
heathen nation Assyria.
The point of this information is that God brought successes to Assyria to intensify the testing program that was coming against Judah. The successes of Assyria in its flower, and Babylon in its flower, suggested that their gods were more powerful and more trustworthy than Jehovah God. And God, for His divine purposes, gave Assyria the victory, but Judah was convinced that the superiority of the Assyrian gods made them victorious. This spiritual mentality is seen in II Chronicles 25:14 where another king of Judah, Amaziah, worshipped the gods of an enemy called Edom or Seir. This verse declares:
II Chronicles 28:22-23 records similar action by the wicked King Ahaz, and we read there: God Intensifies the End-Time Testing Program When God sets up a testing program, He strengthens the test by His choice of words or by allowing the enemies of God to appear to be successful. The same principles apply to God's end-time testing program for the end-time church in relation to God's Word and in relation to the successes that God allows the enemies of the Gospel to enjoy. Three examples of words that God uses to indicate the severity of the test for the end-time church are offered. First, God says that those who spoke in tongues in the Corinthian church were edified as they spoke these mysteries in the Spirit (I Corinthians 14:2-4). Surely anything that serves to edify or build up the faith of the individual believer is to be sought after but the context in which these words are found warns the reader to be careful. Second, God declares in I Corinthians 14:39, "forbid not to speak with tongues." Does this teach that speaking in tongues was sinful in that day? Or, does this teach that speaking in tongues is for today? The third example requires more explanation. In three of the four Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, and John, the sin called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is mentioned. It is also referred to in I John 5:16 as a "sin unto death." This sin is unusual in that those who commit it can never have forgiveness, that is, they can never become saved. Moreover, this sin is unusual in that God protects mankind from it to the point that it is virtually impossible to find anyone who has ever committed this sin. However, the scribes of Jesus' day committed this sin. Mark Chapter 3, verse 22, says of them, "And the scribes which came down from
In verse 30 He explains that the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to believe that Christ was under the power of Satan rather than under the power of the Holy Spirit. The scribes who hated Jesus and desired His death had committed this dreadful sin. They were convinced that He was of Satan. They had no desire to look upon Him as their Messiah. The Bible mentions only that the scribes in Mark 3 and Matthew 12 have committed this sin. The most hardened sinner today ordinarily would not become convicted that Jesus received His power from Satan. There may be those in the world who have committed this sin, but if they have, they will never worry about Christ being their Savior. Anyone who has the slightest interest in Jesus as Savior could not have committed this dreadful sin. Why did God put an extensive record of this sin in the Bible? Its presence in the Bible has produced much sorrow for true believers who have been incorrectly taught that the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to reject Christ. Many true believers, when they were young, repeatedly rejected Christ. They became saved in their later years, but they are haunted by the question, "Can I really be saved?" But rejecting Christ is not the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. One reason why this sin is recorded in the Bible is to increase the severity of the testing program of the end-time church. A simple extension of this incorrect idea of what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means could lead to the wrong conclusion that anyone who believes that a church is under the power of Satan has committed this terrible sin. In other words, it might be said that if someone examines a particular gospel or a church and decides that it is of Satan, by that judgment, he is in danger of having committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This conclusion is completely erroneous but it is widely taught today by those who believe in the phenomenon of speaking in tongues.
Few dare to make the judgment that a "tongues gospel" is of Satan. Almost no one dares to conclude that a gospel can be a product of Satan when it claims that Christ is the Savior. As a result, the "tongues gospel" is protected from criticism even by some of those who want to remain true to the Bible. In fear of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, they are forced to acknowledge that even though they disagree with many of the doctrines of the "tongues gospel," it must be considered an aspect of the true Gospel. This, in turn, encourages many, many people to follow the "tongues gospel." Thus, God has built characteristics into the tongues testing program that make it appear to be safe in its identification with the true Gospel. The correct understanding of the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to believe that Jesus, when He came as the Savior, was under the power of Satan. The Success of the Tongues Movement An ever-increasing number of individuals and congregations all over the world fail this end-of-time testing program. The tongues movement, also called the "charismatic movement," is sweeping through churches like wildfire. Virtually every denomination has churches or congregations that have welcomed it with open arms. For generations, attempts have been made to unify various faiths and denominations, but no attempt has made progress like the charismatic movement. Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, all gospels that identify with the Christian ethic, find brotherhood under the charismatic banner. To those who embrace the tongues phenomenon, it appears to be a wonderful demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible guides us into truth. We can know the facts. The church has become increasingly apostate. Consequently, God is blinding people so that they believe this movement is of the Holy Spirit. They do not realize that it is of Satan. By means of this phenomenon, Satan appears to be defeating the true Gospel to a degree never before realized. Indeed, God brought judgment on the Old Testament church (Israel and Judah), by nations whose language Israel did not understand, nations with
whom Israel had engaged in spiritual harlotry. God used these nations to destroy Israel and Judah. Today, churches and denominations are engaging in grievous spiritual harlotry by blindly running after gospels that feature an unknown language called "tongues." These false gospels are being used of God as a judgment on the church. Expect to see the church destroyed by them. Congregations will continue to exist. They may appear to be more vibrant and spiritually successful than ever. It may appear that the cause of Christ is advancing all over the world. There are crusades that are attended in ever-increasing numbers, churches are filled to capacity, and seminaries have more and more prospective preachers. Nevertheless, it must be realized that the church is under God's judgment. The abomination of desolation is standing in the holy place. The man of sin has taken his seat in the temple. Two important characteristics always appear to be present in the tongues movement. First, there is acceptance of the idea that God is still speaking today. Additional revelation, it is believed, may be revealed through an unknown language called tongues, or in a vision, or in a dream, or by hearing a voice. Invariably, where there is an interest in dreams and visions, there is an interest in tongues. Likewise, wherever there is an interest in tongues, there is an interest in dreams and visions. The true Gospel is circumscribed
by the authority of the Bible alone and in its entirety. The "tongues
gospel" has as its authority the Bible plus the messages that supposedly
come from God in a tongue, or a dream, or a vision, or a voice. It is easy
to know that it is not the true Gospel, and if it is not the true Gospel,
it is a false gospel. The second characteristic of the tongues movement is an interest in signs and wonders. There is a conviction that God is performing miracles today, as our Lord and the 12 apostles did signs and wonders. Miraculous healing is most commonly expected. The sign of people falling backward (being "slain in the spirit" as some call it), is evidence of a supernatural event. While so-called miraculous healing can be explained in earthly, physical terms, falling backward appears to be unexplainable from an earthly, physical vantage point. The phenomenon of someone appearing to receive a message from God in a tongue or a vision, etc., actually may have a physical explanation. It could be an hallucination or it could be related to the individual's subconscious mind. However, it could be supernatural activity induced by Satan who captivates the hearts of those who are not content with the true Gospel. When it is
supernatural activity, it should be called a sign or a wonder because God calls the activity of speaking in tongues a sign in I Corinthians 14:22. Significantly, the Bible makes reference to "signs and wonders" in connection with the end of time. The fact that these references have nothing to do with the true church is of great importance. Every reference relates to satanic activity. For example, we read in Matthew 24:24:
This verse indicates that false prophets will come with a gospel that is so much like the true Gospel that even the elect would be deceived, if that were possible. The elect are the true believers, they were chosen by God to salvation. They cannot be deceived because God will hold them fast. False prophets can be recognized by their signs and wonders. God warns us that the man of sin, that is, Satan, will take his seat in the temple in II Thessalonians Chapter 2, verse 9, where we read, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." In Revelation 13, in reference to Satan coming as a false prophet, God warns in verses 13 and 14: and 14:
God shows in these references that He will bring His judgment on the end-time church through false gospels that feature miracles. Do not be surprised that signs and wonders are prominent in churches with false gospels. When Christ came with the true Gospel, He attested to its genuineness by performing miracles. John 20:30-31:
As Satan comes at the end of time with his false gospels that feature tongues, he, too, attempts to attest to their genuineness with signs and wonders. Only two miracles are credited to him in the Bible. First, his ability to break the silence between the supernatural and the natural with messages in tongues and visions, and second, he can supernaturally cause people to fall backward. To add further credence to these gospels, Satan comes with lying signs and wonders, that is, his adherents claim to do miracles and believe miracles have been done, when there has been no miracle.
Modern means of communication such as television enhance the spread of these false gospels. People who worship in churches that are reasonably faithful to the true Gospel may become familiar with the blandishments and enticements of false gospels in the privacy of their homes. With no one knowing, they drink deeply of the poisoned water, and as the plague enters their churches, they are prepared to accept it as an aspect of the true Gospel. Right before our eyes, church after church capitulates to gospels that do not consider the Bible alone and in its entirety to be the true Gospel. The destruction of the church, to a high degree, is accomplished through the testing program of tongues. In blindness, a church will fail the test as Satan deceives the congregation into accepting the false gospels of tongues and signs and wonders. Thus, congregations will continue to exist during the final tribulation period, but they will be increasingly false. True believers will either voluntarily leave the churches or they will be asked to leave when the congregation begins to follow a false gospel. Those who remain within the congregations in reality are serving Satan even though they think they are serving Christ. Does Baptism in the Holy Spirit Relate to Speaking in Tongues? We might wonder if there is a relationship between baptism in the Holy Spirit and the phenomenon of speaking in tongues that occurred in the church of Corinth before the Bible was completed. The Bible is very clear that there is no relationship between baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Let
us first consider baptism in the Holy Spirit, and we will start in the Old Testament, where four signs pointed to salvation. First, there was circumcision, to indicate that spiritually, we must have the foreskin of our hearts cut off. We must be cut away from our flesh and its sinful lusts. Jeremiah 4:4 tells us:
Second, there was the burnt offering. Meal offerings and animal sacrifices as burnt offerings pointed to Christ, who became our burnt offering. In Hebrews 10:5-7 we read:
Third, there was the shedding
of blood, for instance, a lamb or an ox, which pointed to the shed blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, who endured the wrath of God to pay for our
sins. Hebrews 9:22:
The fourth sign used in the Old Testament was water ablution, which ceremonially indicated that a person had been cleansed of his sins. For example, Aaron and his sons were washed when they were consecrated as priests (Leviticus 8:6). The sign or symbol of water ablution or washing in water is used also in the New Testament. From the time of the entrance of sin into the world, to be saved, a man, woman, or child must have his sins washed away, be born again, become a new creature in Christ. The Holy Spirit, who is eternal God, is given to the person who becomes saved. Beginning with Pentecost, God began His work to evangelize the world through believers, who were qualified by God to be witnesses, to proclaim His Word and share the Gospel. God utilized different terminology in talking about salvation. Christ talked about being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Believers in the
New Testament are saved the same way believers were saved in the Old Testament. The difference is that in the New Testament, every believer is qualified to share the Gospel. We read of this in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. Acts 1:5, where we read, "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence," speaks of an Old Testament sign because John the Baptist was a prophet on the Old Testament side of the cross. They were told that before many days, they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and become qualified to be witnesses in the New Testament program of evangelism. When we are saved, we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. The word "baptize" means to wash, cleanse, or purify. Therefore, it denotes the fact that our sins have been washed away. Baptism in the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with outward miracles, signs, or wonders. Jesus says in Acts 1:8:
In the Book of Acts we find illustrations that in each of these places, there was a special miracle to indicate that the Word of God was to be sent out to evangelize the world (Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19). After these illustrations in Acts, there is nothing recorded in the Bible that indicates an outward miracle occurred when a person was saved. In the first letter of Paul to the church at Corinth (I Corinthians Chapters 12, 13, and 14), however, we learn that in that church there was a phenomenon known as tongues or speaking in an unknown language. This was a gift that was given to a few individuals in that church, including Paul, whereby they received information from God in an unknown language. The phenomenon bears no relationship to baptism in the Holy Spirit, and this gift was not bestowed upon them when they were saved. The believers at Corinth who were given this gift were instructed to pray that they might interpret. The purpose of interpretation was to share with the congregation what God had revealed to them, that is, for the edification of the congregation. This was possible because in that day, God had not yet completed the Bible. Around A.D. 95, God completed the Bible with the writing of the Revelation of John. God is the author of the Bible, and in the last chapter of the Bible, He declares, in Revelation 22:18-19:
With this statement, God ended the possibility of any further information coming from God. From that point on, we cannot expect anyone to receive a vision, tongue, or voice from God because God will not violate His own rules. God said that He has given us His Word, the revelation of His will. We are to study it, be obedient to it, and not expect any phenomena of tongues or visions such as occurred before the Bible was complete. Since A.D. 95, various people in the New Testament period have claimed to have received a vision or a message in a tongue, which might seem very glorious. Based on the Bible, however, these activities cannot be from God. It might be from their own minds. It might be from an evil source. It might be hallucinatory. Our minds are very tricky. Today, everyone who becomes saved is baptized in the Holy Spirit. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit comes with salvation. It is not a separate gift; it happens to everyone who is truly saved. The true believer has come to recognize that he is a sinner, that he was under the wrath of God, and he knows that his salvation is entirely the work of God. He has come to trust the Bible concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior given to mankind. When an individual is saved, that is, born again, he is baptized in the Holy Spirit. His sins are washed away, and the Holy Spirit takes up His abode with him. Does the Bible Say that Tongues would Continue until the End? Another important question we should address is whether the gift of tongues would continue throughout the church season. Let us consider I Corinthians 13:8-12, where God says:
Let us look at this passage carefully. In I Corinthians 13, God is saying that tongues shall cease, but He is not telling when they shall cease. God says that prophecy and knowledge will pass away, and in verses 9-12, He says that they will pass away when we see Him face to face, that is, when we get to heaven. Notice that verses 9-12 are speaking of only knowledge and prophecy. These verses are not speaking about tongues. This passage does not tell us when tongues will cease. God teaches in Revelation 22:18 that if you look for divine truth from sources other than the Bible, it indicates that you are still subject to the plagues written herein, that is, you are unsaved and subject to the Lake of Fire. Therefore, Revelation 22:18 gives the answer as to when tongues will cease, and that is when the Bible was completed. It is true that the Bible speaks of signs and wonders that will still come to pass. The Bible speaks about signs and wonders in a number of places, and speaking in tongues is a sign. We read about this in I Corinthians 14. The Greek word for sign is simeon, which also can be translated "miracle." The Bible speaks of signs and wonders, and particularly in relation to the end-time church, it speaks ominously, and all references to signs and wonders near the end of time are satanically related. God declares in Matthew 24:24: We read in II Thessalonians 2:3-4:
The man of sin taking his seat in the temple represents or is a picture of Satan ruling in the church. Satan will come with signs and wonders of falsehood. God will make the followers of Satan believe a lie, so they will be prepared for judgment.
Revelation 13 speaks about the beast that comes out of the earth and a second beast. The second beast makes an image, and he gives life to that image and brings signs. These are gospels that Satan has designed so he can enslave the nations of the world to a higher degree than ever before. He will come as an angel of light and attest to the genuineness of his gospels with signs and wonders. Satan is the big deceiver. Every reference to signs and wonders near the end of time relates to satanic activity. This is very ominous. It indicates that we have to be extremely careful today because we are so near the end of time. We must make absolutely certain that we look only to the Bible for divine truth. The Bible alone and in its entirety is the divine Word of God. Satan can speak in a lot of
ways, and he comes with all kinds of occult activities. Apart from the
church, he comes through witchcraft, Ouija boards, tarot cards, and so on.
In the church, he also comes with occult activity. The Bible says he does.
II Corinthians 11:14, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of light." We must be on guard and make sure that the
only place we look for divine truth is the Bible.
Could Tongues be Used to Reiterate the Teaching of the Bible? We might wonder if it would be possible that God could speak in a tongue today just to reiterate something in the Bible or to put emphasis on a particular Bible passage. However, we know that this is not possible because God will not violate His own program. His program is that He has given us all the information that He wants us to have in the Bible. Some information is repeated in the Bible. For example, four times in John 6 God says concerning the believer that, "I will raise him up at the last day." We read this in verses 39, 40, 44, and 54. It seems unnecessary to repeat this four times, but we would not dare think of removing one of these phrases, to reduce it to three times. We would be removing something from the Word of God. In the same way, if God had repeated this phrase again, if He had given it to us a fifth time, then that would be a valid addition to His Word. We must keep in mind that God has told us in Revelation Chapter 22, verses 18 and 19, that the Bible is the complete message from God. If we want to grow stronger in the Word, we are to read the Bible. Psalm 119:11 tells us,
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." God gave us four Gospel accounts so that we have plenty of information concerning who the Lord Jesus Christ is. We are to go to the Word of God to seek the voice of God. If we say, "Well, the Word of God in not sufficient," then we are violating the Word of God. Does the Bible Command that We Are Not to Forbid Speaking in Tongues? We read the command not to forbid speaking in tongues in I Corinthians 14:39. We learn from a careful study of I Corinthians 14 that in the church at Corinth, speaking in tongues was somewhat of a problem. And yet, they were given the mandate not to forbid speaking in tongues. However, we have to look at these passages of I Corinthians in the light of the whole Bible. In the Old Testament, for example, the law was that males were to go to Jerusalem three times a year to offer sacrifices. Now, we do not go to Jerusalem any more to offer sacrifices. Why don't we? It's in the Bible. It's a command of God. Why don't we do that? The reason we do not do that is because we read that command in the light of everything else the Bible offers or teaches, and we discover in the New Testament that God says those ceremonial laws have been completed in Christ. So, we are not to be obedient to them any more. In fact, today, it would be wrong to offer sacrifices. By the same token, in I Corinthians Chapters 12-14, God laid down rules concerning speaking in tongues. But in Revelation 22:18, He has more to say about His Word. We have to read I Corinthians Chapters 12-14 in the light of Revelation 22:18, Deuteronomy 13:1-10, Deuteronomy 28, and other passages that speak on this matter. When doing this, we learn that God ceased to give messages in tongues once the Bible was completed. When we realize that the Bible alone is the Word of God, and we know that Satan comes as an angel of light, then we can try to put ourselves in the shoes of Satan. This is not too difficult because all of us have a sinful nature. Satan thinks, "I'm going to try to snare someone who is a very religious person. I'm certainly not going to come to that person with horns and with a forked tail. I'm going to come as an angel of light. I'm going to look like a legitimate emissary of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the first thing I'm going to do is encourage that person to be drawn away from the Word of God and then convince him that the Bible is not the only authority. Then I can get him to begin to understand the Bible in the light of other authorities, and he will no longer attempt to get truth from the Bible only."
Satan is very careful to come with gospels that sound like the true Gospel. He quotes the Bible, but he is very deceitful. In this way, the person is completely disarmed. That person will become accustomed to listening for the Word of God from sources outside the Bible. Satan is the father of lies. For a while, he might come with just the Word of God, then slowly, he adds a statement or a little something that is contrary to the Word of God. Satan is the great deceiver. The person listening might not know that he has begun to accept ideas that are contrary to the Word of God, ideas that are half-truths. That person might think only that he has had a happy experience, a good experience, with a vision, and it seemed so holy, and he trusts that source of information. And so, that person might not even know what happened to him. It is so wonderful that we have
the Word of God, the Bible, and we can be absolutely certain that it
is the Word of God. It will always be the Word of God. We do not
have to wonder or fear that perhaps Satan had something to do with this or
that statement in the Bible. We might wonder if the "book" of Revelation 22:18-19 is speaking of just Revelation or of the whole Bible. As we consider this question, we must understand that the Book of Revelation is an integral and cohesive part of the whole Bible. Therefore, if we add a chapter to the Book of Revelation, then we have added it to the whole Bible. Whether we tried to add it at some time during the first five years after it was written or we tried to add it 1,500 years after it was written, we have attempted to add to the whole Bible. Once the last words of the Book of Revelation were penned, in about A.D. 95, then the Bible was completed, and God gathered all of the separate books together into the one whole Bible that we have today. In other words, anything that was written after the Book of Revelation was completed could not be part of the holy canon. The ending verses of the Book of Revelation set the limit as to the Word of God. It does not take long to review all of the writings that came forth during the period prior to this date to see why this is the Bible that we have and not something else. There is an internal cohesiveness in the Bible. One problem that people have in
accepting the fact that the Bible is the only message from God is that
they read a verse like Revelation 22:18 from the vantage point of having
accepted the premise that God does speak in visions or voices or tongues
today, and as a result, they will not understand a verse like Revelation
22:18 in the same way that someone who is determined to let the
Bible alone be his guide and his authority will understand it. This is because they have additional information that they are putting into the equation, and they are bound to come up with a different answer. Therefore, it is not surprising when so many people believe in tongues or visions or voices. This is the conclusion that people come to when they allow information outside of the Bible lobe used in their understanding of what the Bible says. As a matter of fact, they reach conclusions in regards to many Biblical passages that are different from the conclusions reached by those who limit themselves to the Word of God. The minute one tries to add to the Bible, from this vision or that tongue, or whatever, and one person adds this, and another one adds that, and another one adds something else, and then they attempt to interpret the Bible in the light of all this new information, they end up with a gospel that will take them almost anywhere. This is exactly what is happening today. The false gospels are going off in all directions.
The true Gospel, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, is circumscribed by the Bible alone and in its entirety. Only in the Bible, the whole Bible, can truth be found. Therefore, as we look at the church world today with its abundance of tongues, signs, and wonders, there is no doubt that Matthew 24:24 has been fulfilled. We have our first and most striking evidence that we have come to the time of the Great Tribulation. Second Evidence: Calling Down Fire from Heaven The second evidence that we are in the Great Tribulation time spoken of in Matthew 24 is the worldwide evidence of people falling backward. The churches that practice this miracle call it "being slain in the Spirit." This miracle was foretold in Revelation 13. The whole chapter is describing the Great Tribulation period. In verse 13, we read:
Falling Backward Equals Fire from Heaven As we learned earlier, causing someone to fall backward is equivalent to calling down fire from heaven. Thus, this miracle of people falling backward to the ground, which is occurring all over the world, is clear evidence that we are now in the Great Tribulation period spoken of Revelation Chapter 13 and Matthew Chapter 24. Third Evidence: The Latter Rain The third evidence that we are in the Great Tribulation time of Matthew Chapter 24 is that we are experiencing the "latter rain." As we have been learning, the time of the latter rain is when God is sending out the Gospel worldwide outside of the churches and congregations, and it is a time when God is making sure that the Gospel that is sent out this way, by individuals who are outside of the local churches and congregations, is very faithful to the Bible. The high places of the church age are no longer acceptable. The kingdom of God is now keeping its sabbaths. As we will see, the latter rain is during the second half of the Great Tribulation, and it shows that we are now well into the tribulation time. Therefore, since we are experiencing the latter rain right now, we can know that we are well into the Great Tribulation time. Let us look at some verses that tie the church age, the Great Tribulation, and the latter rain together. The Great Tribulation Could Not Begin Until the Church Age Was Finished There is another evidence that
shows us that we are in the second part of the Great Tribulation.
Remember, Matthew 24:22 declares:
In Revelation 7, the Bible
teaches that after the 144,000 from 12 tribes of Israel have been sealed
on their foreheads, a great multitude that no man can number would come
out of Great Tribulation into salvation.
Who are these 144,000? We read in Revelation 7:1-4:
In this very revealing passage, God is speaking of a time when four angels would hurt the earth and the sea. But they could not bring their hurtful activity until the servants of God were sealed. These servants numbered 144,000 and were from all the tribes of Israel. These four angels are at the four corners of the earth indicating that when they are loosed their impact will be on the entire earth. This language is pointing to the 23 year (8400 day) Great Tribulation period when Satan has been given rule over all of the churches, as well as authority in all the world. We read about this in Revelation 13:7,8:
This change in the authority of Satan would take place immediately when the 144,000 were sealed. 144,000: The Complete Fullness of Those Saved During the Church Age As we try to understand this, we know that to be sealed means to be saved. We read in Ephesians 1:13-14:
Thus, we can know that these 144,000 have been saved. We must realize that the number 144,000 is a symbolical number. It is made of 12,000 from each of 12 tribes of Israel. Especially in the Book of Revelation, the number 12 signifies the fullness of whatever is in view, and the number 10, or 100 or 1,000, signifies the completeness of whatever is in view. For example, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, is 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia. It has a wall that is 144 (12 x 12) cubits. These numbers signify the fullness or the complete fullness of all believers who make up the eternal Jerusalem. Likewise, the 144,000 of Revelation 7 are also the complete fullness of all those who would have become saved prior to the loosing of the four angels who will hurt the land and the sea. Thus, the language that speaks of the loosing of the four angels who will hurt the earth and the sea is speaking of the same event as the killing of the two witnesses of Revelation 11. It is the same event that is spoken of in Matthew 24:21, "For then shall be great tribulation. It is the same event that is spoken of in Revelation 13 when a beast comes out of the sea and a beast comes out of the earth. It is the same event that Daniel 7:23 describes as the fourth beast that shall devour the whole earth. It is the same event as that in the account of Daniel 8 where God describes the little horn that will magnify himself even to the prince of the host and cause the sanctuary to be trodden under foot for 2300 days. It is the same event as that described in Matthew 24:15 concerning the abomination of desolation that stands in the holy place. It is the same event that is spoken of in Luke 21:20 which says Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies. It is the same event spoken of in Matthew 24:2, in Mark 13:2, and in Luke 21:6 where God indicates that all the stones in the temple will be thrown down so that not one will be left upon another. It is the same event spoken of in II Thessalonians 2:3-11 wherein God says that He that restrains (restrains Satan), will be taken out of the midst, and Satan will rule in the temple (the churches and congregations). It is the same truth as that which is in view as God describes the destruction of the ships of Tarshish in Isaiah 23 and the destruction of Tyrus and Zidon in Ezekiel Chapters 27 and 28. It is the same event that was anticipated by the trauma Jacob endured when he went to Egypt to escape the famine. It is the same truth anticipated by the destruction of Judah that began in 609 B.C. when the last good king, Josiah, was killed. It is the same truth that is pictured by the destruction of the ship from which 276 were saved, as recorded in Acts Chapter 27. All of these accounts together with many others are vividly recorded in the Bible. It is amazing how much language of the Bible is employed by God to
illustrate what will happen when the 144,000 have been sealed. We can be sure that God is making certain that we do not miss the significance, the importance, and the reality of this tremendous event. Because this information had been sealed until the time of the end, believers heretofore had not been made aware of this tremendous event. Remember, God wrote in Daniel 12:9:
Therefore, before the present time, the Holy Spirit gave no believers an understanding of these verses. But now that we are in that time of Great Tribulation, it signals that the end of the world has come very close. God is opening our understanding so that we become completely aware of this tremendous change in God's plan of evangelizing the world. Returning to the 144,000, we must notice that they were from all the tribes of Israel but the tribe of Dan is not mentioned. The reason is that if national Israel were in view, 13 tribes would be named, including the tribe of Dan. But the Israel that God has in view in Revelation Chapter 7 is all the churches and congregations that are located throughout the world. They were typified by the tribes of Israel. In this connection, it is interesting and significant to note that James 1:1 is addressed to the 12 tribes scattered abroad. We read there:
Here also the phrase is speaking of the churches and congregations which were typified by 12 tribes of Israel. Significantly, in James 1:18, they are called the firstfruits of His creatures. Earlier in this study, we learned that firstfruits identify with Pentecost. We also learned that firstfruits and Pentecost have an intimate identification with the church age. We might also note that James 4:4 uses the language of Revelation Chapters 17 and 18 as God speaks of the harlot Babylon. Later, we will learn that this harlot is the churches during the Great Tribulation. But already in James 4:4, God declares:
Summarizing what we know of the 144,000, we know that they are the complete fullness of all those who became saved during the church age. After they were sealed, that is, after their salvation had been accomplished, the Great Tribulation began, as typified by the four angels being loosed to hurt the earth and the sea. We are certain that the 144,000 are the complete fullness of all those who would become saved by the activity of the churches during the New Testament era. As we learned from Revelation Chapter 11 and II Corinthians Chapter 10, there would come a time when the work of the churches was finished. As we have seen, this coincides with the beginning of the Great Tribulation. It also coincides with the end of the season of the early Pentecostal rain at which time all of the harvest of the firstfruits has been brought in. But this is not the end of the evangelization of the world. In Chapter 9 of this study, we learned about the season of the latter rain when a great multitude which no man can number will be harvested. Latter Rain Comes after the Church Age Back to Revelation 7. The sealing of the 144,000 is completed as we read in verse 8. It is a symbolic number that represents all those saved during the church age. Notice what the next verse, Revelation 7:9, says:
Notice that God says, "After this." We can understand this now. God is speaking of another group. Notice that God is emphasizing that it is from all peoples of the world and no man can know the number of them. God gives more information about those mentioned in verse 9. In Revelation 7:14, He says:
God explains that those in Revelation 7:14 are those who came out of Great Tribulation. That ties them back to the Great Tribulation time that we are in, the Great Tribulation of Matthew 24. They were saved after the 144,000
were saved, and the 144,000 represent all those who were saved during the church age. Once the Great Tribulation began, the Holy Spirit was taken out of the midst of the churches, meaning that God was no longer saving in the churches. Therefore, they had to be saved outside the churches. Those in Revelation 7:9 are saved during the latter rain, which begins in the second part of the Great Tribulation. Since we can see evidence of the latter rain today, we can know that we are in the second part of the Great Tribulation.
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