50 Facts about tongues and healing

  1. The Jews, as a nation, began with signs (Rom. 4:11; Exo. 4:8, 9, 17, 28, 30; 7:3; 8:23; 10:1-2; 13:9; 31:13, 17; Deu. 4:34; 6:22).

  2. The Old Testament Jews lived by signs (Deu. 11:18; Jos. 4:6; 1 Sam. 10:7; 2 Kgs. 19:29; Isa. 7:14; 38:7, 22; Ezk. 4:3; 20:12, 20).

  3. The Jews demanded signs from the Lord Jesus Christ (Mat. 12:38; 16:1-4; 24:3; Jhn. 2:18; 6:30).

  4. The Jews require a sign, not the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:22; Jhn. 4:48).

  5. According to the Lord Jesus Christ, the gifts of tongues and healing are signs (Mar. 16:16-20).

  6. These signs were for the purpose of confirming the word of God (Acts 14:3; Heb. 2:3-4).

  7. These signs are spoken of in the past tense in 2 Corinthians 12:12 and in Hebrews 2:3-4, not in the present or future tense.

  8. Those who still look for signs and wonders today are on dangerous ground for the Antichrist will deceive the world with signs and wonders (Rev. 13:13-14; 2 Ths. 2:8-12).

  9. The Lord Jesus Christ said that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign (Mat. 12:39).

  10. The Bible speaks of various spiritual gifts to believers, but tongues and healing are never emphasized more than the other gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

  11. The gifts of tongues and healing were not considered the best gifts (1 Cor. 12:28-31).

  12. The gift of healing was a sign (Mar. 16:17-18; Exo. 4:6-8; 2 Kgs. 20:8-9).

  13. It is not God’s will for all Christians to be healed (2 Cor. 12:5-10).

  14. The apostle Paul could not heal himself (2 Cor. 12:5-10).

  15. Near the end of his ministry, Paul could not heal Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20).

  16. Instead of healing Timothy, Paul gave him medical advice (1 Tim. 5:23).

  17. Contrary to the modern faith healers, “love gifts” and “faith offerings” were not a part of the healing ministries of the disciples (Mat. 10:8-9).

  18. A Christian who hasn’t confessed his sins and repented of them has no business expecting God to heal him of anything (Psa. 6:1-4; 41:4; 2 Chr. 7:14; Hos. 5:10-13; 1 Cor. 11:29-32; Jas. 5:14-16; 1 Jhn. 1:7-10).

  19. If modern faith healers really have the gift of healing, then they should prove their ministry by visiting hospitals and nursing homes and healing the sick, rather than writing books, holding healing meetings, and begging for money on television (2 Tim. 4:5; Mat. 10:8-16; 1 Tim. 6:5-10).

  20. Satan has the power to heal and this will cause millions to be led astray in the coming Tribulation Period (Rev. 13:1-4, 12).

  21. The gift of tongues was given as a sign (Mar. 16:17; 1 Cor. 14:22).

  22. The gift of tongues was the supernatural ability of some Christians to speak in foreign languages in the presence of unbelieving Jews (Acts 2:7-11).

  23. God has never caused or commanded Christians to speak in UNKNOWN tongues (Mar. 16:17; Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:10; 1 Cor. 14).

  24. The Bible never says once that tongues is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

  25. There is no baptism of the Holy Ghost in 1 Corinthians 14.

  26. Paul said that all true Christians were baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 12:13), and all true Christians were sealed with the Holy Ghost until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30), but all Christians did not speak in tongues (1 Cor. 12:29-31).

  27. The Bible never says that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is a second Christian experience or blessing.

  28. The baptism of fire is the condemnation of the wicked in Hell (Mat. 3:11-12), not being “on fire for the Lord.”

  29. Acts 2:3 speaks of “cloven tongues LIKE AS of fire,” but the Book of Acts says nothing at all about tongues of fire or a baptism of fire.

  30. If a person does not have the spirit of Christ, he has no business waiting for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, because he doesn’t even belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9).

  31. Pentecost was never a religious movement, or a religious experience. It was a Jewish feast day which always occurred fifty days after the Passover (Lev. 23:15-22 ).

  32. Jesus said that when the Holy Ghost came He (the Holy Ghost) would not speak of Himself, because He would glorify Christ (Jhn. 16:13-14).

  33. No Christian in the Bible is ever told to pray, preach, sing, or praise God in tongues.

  34. The disciples received the Holy Ghost in John 20:22, but they did not speak in tongues when this happened.

  35. The filling of the Spirit in Acts 4:31 and Eph. 5:18-20 does not include speaking in tongues.

  36. When speaking of spiritual gifts in Ephesians 4:8-12, Paul does not mention tongues.

  37. There were only three cases in the Book of Acts where people spoke in tongues (not unknown tongues), and these tongues were a sign to the Jews each time, because the Jews require a sign (Acts 2:1-11; 10:44-46; 19:6-8; 1 Cor. 1:22; 14:22).

  38. The former and latter rain of Joel 2 has nothing to do with Acts 2 or the modern-day Charismatic Movement, because the rain of Joel 2 is literal wet rain from the sky in Israel (Joel 2:1-31).

  39. Tongues are not even mentioned in the list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8.

  40. Although tongues (not unknown tongues) were permitted in 1 Corinthians 14 (because there was a Jewish synagogue in Corinth – Acts 18:1-4), they were not encouraged because tongues did not edify the church (1 Cor. 14:4-5, 26).

  41. It is better to speak five words clearly than ten thousand with an unknown tongue (1 Cor. 14:19).

  42. No more than three people were allowed to speak in tongues in the church assembly, and then only one could speak at a time (1 Cor. 14:27).

  43. No one was permitted to speak in tongues in the church without an interpreter (1 Cor. 14:27-28).

  44. Women were not allowed to speak in tongues in the church (1 Cor. 14:34-35).

  45. Those who did speak in tongues (foreign languages) had power over their own spirit (1 Cor. 14:32).

  46. A religious man who doesn’t bridle his tongue is deceived and he has a vain religion (Jas. 1:26).

  47. Many “seducing spirits” are in the world and it is every Christian’s duty to “try” these spirits (1 Tim. 4:1; I Jhn. 4:1; Rev. 2:2).

  48. The word of God is the standard by which we are to judge all doctrines (Isa. 8:20; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

  49. He that is spiritual judges all things (1 Cor. 2:15).

  50. Teaching the Scriptural Truth about signs, healing, and tongues is not a matter of being mean, prejudiced, or intolerant. It is simply a matter of obeying the command to RIGHTLY DIVIDE God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15).

JAMES L. MELTON
Bible Baptist Church, Sharon, TN