There are still those who think the speaking in tongues (unknown) is a sign of acceptance from God and proof they have been saved from in-born sin. Many of these fail to follow any study of scripture thinking theirs is a valid experience of the “special favor of God” given them. It makes then special, a feeling they have often wanted from any source. To take from them this special attention from Deity is to take from them their soul’s salvation. It would be like telling a child their parents do not love him/her, there is NO WAY they will or can allow this!! For these types got what they wanted from following Jesus and you nor any verse of scripture will ever be sufficient to take that away. In short, there are some people you cannot help. Striking at the heart of their own self-worth, Biblical proof falls short of satisfaction and never convinces. For these you have to have pity, not proof. In the last effort to convert someone to Jesus Christ you run into this problem, the final study on this subject is devoted.
Mark 9:1 reads: “And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you. That there be some of them which stand her, which shall not taste of death, TILL they have sent the Kingdom come with power.” Anyone reading this verse for the first time may fail to see the truth shown in it and the striking down of error it houses, if they do not look closely. To whom is Jesus speaking? He is NOT speaking to you or I unless we are greatly advanced in age, or about 2,000 years old. To show Christ is speaking to the apostles ONLY strikes in the heart of all who think they can receive any SPECIAL kind of miraculous gift (there goes their “special” worth). Do we need to discover who the “some” are so we can see who they are not? Who would be the only apostle with Christ at that time that was not with Him on the day of Pentecost? Judas Iscariot. The rest of the twelve were present when the Holy Spirit came from heaven “as fire and sat upon each of them”.
The Kingdom had to “come with Power”. The Kingdom, when it came, came as a result of that Power. Christ told His disciples: “tarry ye, in the city of Jerusalem until you have received ‘power’ from on high”, Luke 24:49. “Wait for the promise of the Father ye have heard of Me. John truly baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence”. Acts 1:4 “But ye shall receive Power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” Acts 1:8 One can see why the coming of the Holy Ghost, the coming of the Kingdom, and the life expectancy of the apostles were all tied together. One can also see that the promise made, “some of you shall not taste of death until the Kingdom comes with power” shows WHEN the apostles would receive the Comforter that would lead them and direct them into ALL the truth. John 16:13
As was prophesied, so was performed; on the day of Pentecost the apostles were all together with one accord “when suddenly there came from Heaven a rushing mighty wind which filled all the house where they were setting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were fall filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:2-4 It is interesting to me that none of the apostles were LATE for that meeting!. If they had drug into the services as some of us, the tense of the Greek verb would have been destroyed and the teaching of the truth of God’s Word impaired. When Jesus told His disciples to “tarry in the city of Jerusalem”, He used, as recorded by Luke in the Greek, a tense called the punctilliar passive future. This tense means that the action described must take place at one particular time at one particular place, once and for all. This was a meeting they could not have been late!!
