Book Review/Summary - An Evaluation of the Claims to the Charismatic Gifts (Douglas Judisch)

Tongues

• Before our era, *nobody* in scholarship thought that Paul was talking about ecstatic tongues in acts, but simply foreign, earthly languages. The church fathers acknowledge that something in Corinth was weird, but then go on to dismiss it. The reformers considered it nothing more than the normal practice of liturgical ritual retaining foreign language, Hebrew at first, and then later Latin. New Theology can never be correct, or someone somewhere would have taught it before.
• The sign of speaking in tongues has always been a sign of judgement and punishment.
• In Deuteronomy 28:49, it was a covenantal curse, that is one of the things to show the covenant is ended because Israel did not keep it.
• Isaiah rebukes leaders 7:8 and belittles them in 9-10 because the people did not listen to the prophet who was speaking clearly, God brought alien tongues as a sign of punishment.
• Jeremiah 5:15 was a warning the south the same thing is going to happen to them as the north. If they reject clear word of god, they get words that make no sense to them.
• The Speaking in tongues in Acts 2 fulfilled the prophecy of Joel it quotes about the Spirit being poured out in the last day. Since it was a sign for the times as the final alienation and punishment for the Jews not being faithful, why then would it continue after that?
• In Acts 10:45 gentiles speak in tongues that Jews cannot understand, cementing the end judgment. The temple was then destroyed in 70 AD. Speaking in tongues was a temporary sing of end of old covenant, shown also with temple. There is no need for them anymore.
• In 1 Corinthians 12:1, the word is not gifts, but “things”. Some good things and some bad things. The rest of the book he is rebuking those who are setting up their “gifts” as them being above the rest of the community. A more excellent way than these “gifts” is love in chapter 13. 1 Corinthians 13:8 even says that prophecies will pass away and tongues will cease. Speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 is not a sign for believers, but unbelievers. A sign that they don’t believe. Verse 19 even says that speaking in tongues is not good.

Prophecy

• The Old Testament stated that prophecy would end
• Zechariah 13 states that God will remove out of the land the prophets
• Daniel 9:24 speaks of the end of covenant coming with sealing up of vision and prophecy after the messiah comes.
• Miraculous signs were proof of the prophets of old. Likewise, they were proof of the prophecy (proclaiming of God's Word) of the apostles was divinely inspired and inerrant (qualified for cannon). However, New Testament does not say signs are proof of prophets for us today.
• In Matthew 10 Jesus calls and names people sending them out, giving charismatic gifts among Jews to tell them the Messiah has arrived in the present age. In Matthew 28, during the great commission, Jesus sends the apostles out to all nations, telling them that to continue on into the ages, they should baptize and teaching.
• The apostles could lay hands to pass on the some gifts, but not the gift of passing it on. The second generation could not pass on the gifts.
• Phillip preaches and gives communion in Acts 8. However, Phillip can’t pass on the gifts, so he calls the apostles to do it. 
• “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”(Hebrews 1:1–2)
• The author of Hebrews points out how God has spoken to those who have gone before us in the faith. Now, in these last days, God has spoken to us by His son. His disciples have recorded the words and deeds of this Son, Jesus Christ. Not only that, but Jesus also instituted Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Absolution, and the preaching of this Word. It is through these, which we identify as the external Word (in contrast to an “inner” or hidden word), that Scripture promises that the Holy Spirit works. For this reason we confess that we reject the teaching which would say that the Holy Spirit works outside of the external Word.
• Sola Scriptura - The Bible is the only rule and norm for understanding Gods will and what he wants you to think, believe, know and do. Nothing extra-Biblical is allowed.
• I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book" -Revelation 22:18

Other things to read:

• The Charismatic Movement and Lutheran Theology (CTCR Report for the LCMS, January 1972)
• The Lutheran Church and the Charismatic Movement: Guidelines for Congregations and Pastors (CTCR Report for the LCMS, January 1977)