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No.2.
Confirmation and Coming.
pp. 25 - 30
Not only did the confirmatory miraculous gifts of the Acts period look forward to the
Kingdom age, but they were a confirmation of the testimony of Christ which He had
given to Israel. The miracles which He had wrought on earth were a Divine attestation of
His Messiahship to the earthly people:
"Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples, and said unto Him, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do
hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and
the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them"
(Matt. 11: 2-5).
"But I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath
given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent
me" (John 5: 36).
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of
you . . . . ." (Acts 2: 22).
The miraculous gifts and signs of the Acts period which followed were a testimony
that the twelve apostles were continuing what Christ began to do and teach in His
ministry to the chosen people:
". . . . . so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was
confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with
signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His
own will?" (Heb. 2: 3, 4).
"These signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover . . . . . they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them,
and confirming the word with signs following. Amen" (Mark 16: 17-20).
There is no doubt therefore what these miraculous gifts were, and why they were
given. They were a Divine confirmation of the earthly kingdom testimony and they only
have relevance when kept in this Scriptural setting. To force them into the present time
when the earthly kingdom people Israel are laid aside in unbelief and this aspect of
kingdom held in abeyance, is an error which can only reap confusion and division.
The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the last article we referred to no less than eleven N.T. references, chiefly from the
epistles written around this time, which describe the Lord's coming as immanent. This
testimony is overwhelming and cannot be ignored by the true student of Scripture. Peter
had been authorized by God to declare that the second Advent of Christ only awaited the
repentance and conversion of Israel and to this the nation was commanded to respond
there and then (Acts 3: 19-26). No one knew whether the Jew would be obedient or not,