Please note that the two following verses don't mention tongues at all:Originally posted by Walguy:
I posted this in the other thread, and I'll repost it here for the convenience of those who haven't waded through all those pages: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />"Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." (I Cor. 13:8)
There's a very interesting feature of this verse in the original Greek. The Greek language, in addition to having tenses for its verbs, also has what are called 'voices.' The 'active' voice indicates action by the subject toward something else. The 'passive' voice indicates action on the subject by something else. The 'middle' voice indicates action by the subject toward itself. The word used in reference to 'prophecy' and 'knowledge' in I Cor. 13:8, translated 'pass away,' is in the passive voice, indicating that these things will end due to action upon them. Logically, this can only mean the beginning of God's eternal Kingdom, the 'New Heaven and new earth.' (Rev.21:1) Even with the whole Bible, we are still limited by our fallen human minds. For now, we can only know and understand and speak 'in part.'
The verb used in reference to 'tongues,' however, is in the middle voice. This meant that the Gift of Tongues would die out of its own accord, without anything external acting on it. This is exactly what happened. When those in the early Church who had this Gift died, the Gift died with them. Those who advocate tongues today are trying to revive something that has already ended exactly as the Bible said it would.
There is no mention of tongues there because, as discussed above, Paul knew that the true Gift of Tongues was going to be ancient history at the time that knowledge and prophecy were finally ended."For our knowledge is imperfect, and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away." (I Corinthians 13:9-10)
As usual, the man knew what he was talking about.
