No offense, but I am sooooo glad this isn't true (Luke 10:19).
No offense taken
Who was Jesus speaking to in Luke 10?
Personally I don't believe any of the instructions Jesus gave to His original disciples in Luke 10 or Matthew 10 were meant for us today. The disciples had a different mission and were reaching out to one particular people group; the lost sheep of Israel.
Jesus told His disciples
"not to acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff;" and
"Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans." When Jesus sent out the 72 and said that
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," he also said
"not to take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road."
In Mark 16 when Jesus says that His disciples
"will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues, place their hands on sick people, and they will get well;" He also says
"they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;"
Are you willing to drink a deadly poison to show that these abilities are available to Jesus' disciples today?
Are we to only go to the house of Israel with our message today? Should we refuse to greet people we may pass on the street? Should we go into the mission field without means to support ourselves or shoes on our feet? Isn't that also what Jesus told His disciples to do?
Isn't it possible that these instructions were given to specific disciples at a specific time for a specific purpose? I believe they were.
I've spoken the Father's heart into people's lives; healed people on the spot in Jesus name (arthritis, cataracts, injuries, chronic pain). I want to see missing limbs come back and the dead raised. I was healed in one night after 10 years of chronic asthma. I also (accidentally) cast a demon out of someone (funny story).
I see the word "I" being used when these "miracles" took place. Shouldn't all of the glory belong to God?
Why in the word would God cut off the spiritual tools/weapons we need to minister to them? That's like disarming your soldiers in the middle of a war.
I think every Christian will agree that miracles and spiritual gifts played an essential role in God's plan and we must appreciate and understand that role, but the way I see it, that role is no longer necessary since the purpose that God intended them to be used for has already been fulfilled.
In the time of the Apostles, the external spiritual gifts were essential in reveling the Word of God, Jesus, to the unbelievers.
Paul in his writings says that the time will come when the spiritual gifts will no longer be needed.
"If there are prophecies, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; or knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect comes, that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror, in an enigma, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall fully know just as I am fully known." (I Cor. 13:8-12)
Let's examine the phrase
"That which is perfect" mentioned in the above verses. The Greek word for
"perfect" as used here is (telios), and it means to be
"complete", "full grown", or "mature". Below are some other verses where this word is used that will help us to understand what
"that which is perfect" [TELIOS] is referring to.
"...until we all may come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown [TELIOS]
man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...." (Ephesians 4:13 shows this to be the perfect man, the temple of God)
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man [TELIOS]
, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians. 4:11-13 tells us that
"that which is perfect" was to be the matured Body of Christ, the mature Church.)
"In whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord," (Here Ephesians 2:21 teaches us that once the Church reaches maturity or
"perfection" through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it was to become God's Temple)
It was through the gifts of the Spirit that the Church was
"being built together into a Dwelling-place of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22). Peter also referred to
"that which is perfect" when he wrote, "...you also as living stones are being built a spiritual house...." (1 Peter 2:25)
The gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to the Apostles so that the Body of Christ (The Church) would eventually become the perfect (Telios) Temple of God. So now we have to determine when the work of the Holy Spirit in perfecting the Body of Christ was finished so that there would no longer be a need of the spiritual gifts. The answer to this can be found in the book of Hebrews where the final reference to the coming of "that which is perfect" is mentioned.
"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect [Telios] tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;" (Hebrews 9:11)
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them" (Revelation 21:3)
This
"more perfect Tabernacle" is the one the early Church was no doubt looking forward to arriving:
"Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." (John. 14:23)
"My children, with whom I am again in labor UNTIL Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19)
It was Paul who was made the first minister of this new and perfect tabernacle when it was revealed to him by the resurrected Christ.
"Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God (Jesus)
, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:25-27)
With the above in mind, as long as the worldly, Old Testament tabernacle/temple of God was still standing, then "that which is perfect", the blood perfected Church/Temple of God, was not able to come. Remember, scripture tells us that the spiritual gifts will cease
"when that which is perfect comes" (1 Corinthians 13:10)
So with everything that has been said up to this point, we are now in a position to answer the question: When in history did that
"which is perfect" come?
It came when the Old Testament worldly temple/tabernacle was
"thrown down" just as Jesus prophesied would happen to the temple at worldly Jerusalem:
"And Jesus said unto them, 'See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down'.” (Matthew 24:2)
This event was also prophesied in the Book of Daniel:
"Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary (tabernacle). And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.” (Daniel 9:26)
So we can now say with certainty that in 70 A.D., about 40 years after Jesus' prophecy and centuries after Daniel's, that the old temple and the old covenant world were
"thrown down" and God's heavenly Temple was then completely established among men.
"That which is perfect" (Telios) had come! It was at that time that the Old Testament way of worship passed away and the spiritual gifts ceased.
"When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." (Hebrews 8:13)
"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians. 5:1)
A simple way to look at the purpose of the spiritual gifts is like when a child first comes into this world he cannot speak or walk well. The child drinks only milk, has to have his diaper changed, etc. As he matures, he no longer lives by the childish acts. So when God's Church was just being born, gifts of prophecy, tongues, etc., were needed to deliver His message. But once His Church became mature (Complete and
"Perfect") the gifts that pertained to its birth, were no longer needed and therefore ceased.
Another way to show this is the period during which a house is being built the builder needs to hammer and saw, etc. Once the house is complete, there is no longer a need for hammering and sawing, so they come to an end, they cease. So in much the same way, the gifts were needed while the Church was being built, but were no longer needed once the Church was complete.