Hi VCO,
Quote from your response: Matthew 24:24 (ESV)
24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 (ASV)
8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;
9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Response: --- Part of the signs of being in the last days is the increase in wickedness and the demonic spirits active in sensual immorality and the drug culture, that often leads to suicide by overdosing or despairing of life.
--- Jesus said in John 10:
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
I agree with you that it is not right to seek to speak in tongues, because here is where the danger lies. --- If you have groups that claim to be Christians, but have one foot in the world, they may want to have this experience, but in their desire, they can open themselves to an evil spirit that can give them a language to speak, --- the devil can duplicate these experiences and the person thinks they are speaking in a spiritual language, but it is of the devil.
Paul lists the Spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, and the last verse says:
31 "But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."
--- Which is the way of Love in 13, which is the identification of true Christians, "If they have love one for another."
Then chapter 14 starts with the acknowledgment of love:
1 "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."
--- In the OT Prophecy meant 'foretelling the future' --- and many prophecies referred to the coming of Christ. --- So in the NT, the gift of prophecy is 'telling forth' the Gospel message about Jesus Christ, so very simply it means 'inspired preaching.'
2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied;
And the last verses in 1 Corinthians 14:
39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
--- More later on the question, "Did Jesus speak in an unknown language."
Mark 15:34 (RSV)
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34 [/SUP] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,
"E'lo-i, E'lo-i, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
If you are going to bring up what Jesus said from the Cross, and claim it was Tongues, you would be wrong. Joseph was a well established Carpenter, which means his income was above average. PLUS he inherited a great deal from his father. PLUS because women were not allowed to inherit property at the time when Jesus was growing up; therefore Joseph inherited a large portion, if not all of the property of Heli, Mary's father; giving Joseph the TITLE Son of Heli, which DOES NOT MEAN OFFSPRING, but rather it a Title that designates who will inherit the property of Heli. THAT MEANS, Joseph could afford the best education for Jesus, and unless the family was very poor, Aramaic was ONE of the languages that most Jews studied, and frequently Greek too. Therefore there is very high degree of probability that Jesus was fluent in Aramaic a large portion of the population spoke , Greek which many people in Israel also spoke, and the Hebrew language the language of the Temple, and which he grew up with. Thus being educated in all three languages was common place among the middle class and wealthy. What biblical evidence is there that Jesus had that kind of education?:
This time, He
cried out with a loud voice as if calling heaven to hear His painful shout. He addressed His Father, saying,
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Those words are from the Aramaic version of Psalm 22:1 (the parallel text in
Matt. 27:46 gives the same phrase in Hebrew).
MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Mark 9-16.
That is a STRONG indication that Jesus was also educated in Aramaic.
John 20:16 (ESV)
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16 [/SUP] Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Matthew 26:55-56 (ESV)
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55 [/SUP] At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,
“Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
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56 [/SUP]
But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Luke 2:41-47 (NRSV)
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41 [/SUP] Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.
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42 [/SUP] And
when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.
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43 [/SUP] When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
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44 [/SUP] Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.
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45 [/SUP] When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
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46 [/SUP] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
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47 [/SUP]
And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
The land of Israel was under the influence of Greek culture from the time of its conquest by Alexander the Great at the end of the fourth century B.C.E. Although scholars have divergent views regarding the influence of Hellenism on religious works, literature and everyday life in first-century Israel, it is generally accepted that the Greek language was used by many of the inhabitants.
. . .
Hebrew was certainly the language of instruction in schools, as well as the language of prayer and Torah reading. The language of instruction in the house of study also most certainly was Hebrew, and this was likely the case regarding instruction in the synagogue. It would seem that Hebrew was spoken in the marketplaces of Jerusalem (Jerusalem Talmud, Pesahim 37d), but there is not enough information to determine whether this also was the case in other cities. It is not impossible that there were religiously uneducated people who did not understand Hebrew and were conversant only in Aramaic. There is some evidence for this linguistic phenomenon beginning in the second century C.E., but it is unlikely that such was the case in the first century.
Although the Jewish inhabitants of the land of Israel in the time of Jesus knew Aramaic and used it in their contacts with the ordinary, non-Jewish residents, Hebrew was their first or native language. It is especially clear that in enlightened circles such as those of Jesus and his disciples, Hebrew was the dominant spoken language.
http://www.jerusalemperspective.com/2551/
