Please forgive me in advance for my poor formatting. I’m using my phone and haven’t figured out an easy way to organize quotes in a post. I’m going to try to respond as best I can to each of your points. I will try not to be too overzealous as I am a pretty hard core continualist who believes in the five fold ministry.
It is about seeing Jesus face to face. But it is about seeing His reflection in the mirror of God's Word when we conform to His image in this life. So when we look into the Bible, we see more of Jesus in our life. We are told to mature in this life and not the next one. 1 Corinthians 13 parallels James 1 on what the "perfect" is. The "perfect" is the perfect Law of liberty (i.e. the mirror/Bible). We see Jesus in our lives when we read the Bible and walk in His good ways.
Also, verse 12 is talking about looking into a glass (a mirror) darkly. When we see our image in the mirror face to face (our reflection, or image of Christ vs. our real face). This is compared to knowledge and knowing in part. The Bible is about knowledge of the faith. The Bible was not complete yet at the time of Paul writing to the Corinthians. Paul says that what he writes should be regarded as the Lord's commandments (See 1 Corinthians 14:37). Commands is what it is all about. The "perfect." James talks about the perfect law of liberty and he also talks about the Word of God being like a mirror, too (See James 1).
1. It seems as though Paul IS saying just that. He says that we only see in part right now, like babes, but, when that which is perfect comes, in verse 12 he describes this as “face to face”, we will have knowledge in full and likens this to wisdom of a grown man. What makes this stand out to me is the use of the words “face to face”. This has very strong connotations of seeing Jesus in His fullness, IE the 2nd Coming and in Heaven.
It is not in the next life we mature, but it is in this one. Paul says:
"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." (1 Corinthians 14:20).
"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,
even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:14).
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2. This is purely speculation and taking verses out of context. Perfect may be neuter, but that does not prove that it refers to the Bible. It just as easily could be referring to the afterlife. In fact I find this far more likely. The imagery of glass and mirrors ties strongly into his use of the phrase “face to face”, which, again, has strong connotations of when we see Jesus face to face in the afterlife.
There is no mirror if you are seeing Jesus face to face for real. The mirror is merely more clear and not taken away. The Bible says we are to conform to the image of Christ.
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29).
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3. Tongues are not only for a sign. You cite scriptures that state that they are for a sign but there are far more purposes listed in scripture, such as edification, and also the Holy Spirit interceding for us when we know not what to pray for.
Tongues are only for edification IF there is only an interpreter. Tongues by themselves are for a sign and they mean judgment to the Jew. Most Charismatic churches I have heard about, witnessed via by video, and by the reports of Charismatics themselves does not always include an interpreter (Which is not biblical). They also allow women to speak in tongues over having authority of believing men (Which is not biblical). They also do not speak by 2-3 at most and take turns in doing so, either. They also are involved in ecstatic utterances (i.e. not a real language or actual words), and they are not speaking real foreign languages (Which is what tongues really was).
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4. That is an interpretation. This is not proof. You make an interesting point bringing up Jesus and a period of silence in miracles. I will bring this back up in a later point.
And to state that the need for tongues and miracles has ceased today is a massive assertion to make.
No. It is not an interpretation but it is yet another link in the chain of biblical evidences that show that Cessationism is true. The fact that we see that according to the Bible there are periods of silence after Moses, and Elijah and even towards the end of Paul's life is not a coincidence.
5. The argument from silence is flawed in and of itself, and this is a rather weak argument of silence here. Just because Paul doesn’t mention the gifts in these later letters does not mean they stopped. If anything he just no longer needed to address issues with them after his initial writings on how to use them correctly.
No. It is not an argument from silence. We are able to piece together a logical conclusion based on the biblical data that we have. If Paul was able to heal like he used to, then he would not tell Timothy to drink a little wine for the infirmities of his stomach, but he would have sent a healing cloth to him like he did others. Either that or he would have told Timothy to visit a healer or Paul would have had a healer visit him. Even Paul had a thorn in his own flesh. Again, why could he not heal this? What happened to his power or ability to heal that he had before? This means that his power or ability from God was only temporary and for a very specific cause or reason. This was to confirm the Word by the working of miracles (Mark 16:20); The miracles were a way a way to authenticate the messenger (Jesus) and His followers (See Hebrews 2:3-4).
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6. But we will not attain fullness of knowledge until we reach the ‘end’ of eternity. For that is how long it will take for us to fully comprehend an infinite being, in our case, God.
Paul is not trying to get us to be concerned about our next life. He wants us to be concerned about this life here and to live the faith by God's Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that Scripture is profitable so that the man of God may be perfect unto every good work. Paul is concerned with how we live now and not the next one.
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7. According to what verse? This “it would happen 100% of the time” argument comes up a lot but I have yet to come across any verses that truly back it up. In fact in Marks gospel there is an instance where it clearly states that Jesus was unable to perform any miracles in a town because of the people’s unbelief.
There are many who desire to be healed today, and yet nobody today can heal like the early apostles did.
Peter:
12 "The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.
13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.
14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.
15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.
16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and
they were all healed." (Acts of the Apostles 5:12-15) (NLT).
Paul:
11 "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons,
and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them." (Acts of the Apostles 19:11-12).
8 "And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
9 So when this was done,
others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: " (Acts of the Apostles 28:8-9).
As for unbelief being the cause of a people not believing.
In Acts of the Apostles 20:9-12, Paul brings back a man from the dead. He heals him of death. Surely this was not based upon the dead person's faith in order for them to be healed.
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8. That verse in Revelation refers to the written scroll, and has absolutely nothing to do with prophesy. This verse is taken out of context all the time for so many reasons. May I be so bold to say that it isn’t even talking about the Bible in its entirety, but the book of Revelation itself. Some scholars believe that Revelation pre-dates Jude. If that’s the case, then Jude would be in trouble!
Do you have a scroll of Revelation?
No.
Do Christians today have scrolls of the Bible?
No.
God knows the future, and He knew that His Word would be preserved in a book called, "the Holy Bible." So yes, while John wrote on a scroll, God had John write ahead of his time.
The word "
biblion" (βιβλίον) can refer to a written document or a writing.
The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible.
It even has an ending that ties up the whole of the Bible with our future.
Also, scholars who have added to the Bible have lost their voices.
These are plagues from other parts of the Bible and not Revelation.
Again, look at the links for yourself.
Bible Corrector Loses Voice on Ankerberg Show
Bible Correctors lose Voice
I mean, do you think that these men losing their voice is just a sham?
If so, then what purpose would it serve the devil to have men of GOD have trust alone in God's Word (i.e. Sola Scriptura)? So what you propose does not make any sense.
In fact, lets say Revelation 22:18 is talking exclusively about the book of Revelation. If this is the case, can you tell me of anyone violating this rule and some plague from the book of Revelation has cursed them?
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9. Except the scripture explicitly includes apostles and prophets along with pastors, teachers, and evangelists in the five fold ministry of the church. Again you are nitpicking verses and taking them out of context to fit your pre-determined view that apostles and prophets are no more. The requirement for being a part of the 12 disciples/apostles of Christ was to see Him resurrected. This does not refute apostolic succession. Technically Paul didn’t witness the physical risen Christ. He had a post-ascension encounter on the Damascus road, akin to a vision. There is no verse that says something similar can’t happen today. And if Paul equates this to seeing the risen Christ, then this can easily become an argument FOR the apostolic, rather than against it.
No. Paul calls himself the last apostle. He says, "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?" It was one of the requirements in being an apostle to see the risen Christ.... so no. Also, Scripture says that the saints are of the household of God and they are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone:
19 "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner
stone; " (Ephesians 2:19-20).
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10. But the Word says we are not to forbid the speaking of tongues. Moreover, the Bible says we are to “earnestly seek the gift of prophecy”. And it never said ‘until it stops then don’t do it anymore’.
Jesus told a man to reconcile with his brother before offering his animal sacrifice.
"Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Matthew 5:4).
In other words, Jesus was commanding animal sacrifices, but that does not mean we offer animal sacrifices today under the New Covenant.
We know that the miraculous gifts have ceased because:
(a) The Bible points to that conclusion with many verses.
(b) We don't see them operating exactly the early church did them today.
Nobody is being healed by clothes. Nobody is being brought back from the dead. Nobody is being healed by a believer just speaking.