The Final Word: A Biblical Response to the Case for Tongues and Prophecy Today

A call for freshness, spontaneity and life in worship has been resounding through the churches of the English-speaking world, together with a desire to hear God speaking here and now to his people. Many have called for a return to the pattern of worship found in 1 Corinthians 14, merging the biblical emphasis of the Reformation with the vitality of the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

Dr. O. Palmer Robertson argues from Scripture that preoccupation with tongues and prophecy shows a failure to grasp the fullness of New Testament privileges. The Christ of the Scriptures is the Final Word. All the church will ever need is to be found in him.

Contents

Chapter One: Prophecy Today?

1. The Origin of Prophecy According to the Old Testament
2. Foundational Passages on Prophecy in the Old Testament
3. Prophecy About Prophecy in the Old Testament
4. The Testimony of Peter and Paul Concerning Prophecy
5. Conclusion

Chapter Two: Tongues Today?

1. New Testament Tongues Were Revelational
2. Tongues Were Foreign Languages
3. New Testament Tongues Were For Public Consumption, Not Private Use
4. New Testament Tongues Were a Sign
5. Conclusion

Chapter Three: Revelation Today?

1. What it Means that Revelation has Ceased
   a. God’s Revelation in Nature and Providence has not Ended
   b. God has not Ceased Communicating Through the Scriptures
   c. There are no Further Inspired, Authoritative Communications Apart From Those in the Bible
2. The History of the Cessation of Revelation
   a. The ‘Do not add’ Declarations
   b. The ‘End’ in Relation to the ‘Means’ of Special Revelation
   c. Evidence of the Decline of the Revelational Gifts in the New Testament Era
3. Objections to the Concept of the Cessation of Revelation
   a. Scriptural Objections
   b. Theological Objections
   c. Practical Objections

Chapter Four: Current Advocacy of the Continuation of Revelation

1. This Viewpoint Asserts that Revelation Continues Today
2. This Viewpoint Hangs on an Exegetical String
   a. Arguments for an Inferior Kind of Prophecy Based on the Teaching about Prophecy in 1 Corinthians
   b. The Evidence of the Rest of the New Testament
3. This Viewpoint Brings a Venerable Institution with an Impeccable History into a State of Disrepute
4. This Viewpoint Introduces A Factor of Uncertainty into Worship
5. This Viewpoint Has the Potential of Bringing into Question Other Prophetic Revelations From God

Chapter Five: Conclusion