Mystery of the Ages.PDF - Blow the Trumpet

6,000 years. The Church is called out of the world to live the way God, through the Bible,teaches.Synoptic History of the ChurchFinally, we come to a brief history of the Church from its foundation in A.D. 31 to thepresent.The Church started on the day of Firstfruits called Pentecost, in June of A.D. 31.The Holy Spirit came from heaven upon the 120 disciples assembled in Jerusalem with amiraculous display such as has never before nor since occurred.The 120 were all of "one accord." Suddenly "there came a sound from heaven, asof a rushing mighty wind" (Acts 2:2). Have you ever been in a tornado or a hurricane? Ihave. Wind can make a very loud sound. This sound filled "all the house where they weresitting." Next "there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat uponeach of them. And they were all filled with the Holy [Spirit], and began to speak withother tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance."Never has such a supernatural display occurred before or since. Yet the modernsects calling themselves "Pentecostal" claim to repeat this experience.But in their meetings no such sound comes form heaven. No supernatural dividedtongues of flaming fire sit on their heads. Some do break out in a kind of gibberishsupposed to be some foreign language, but emphatically not anything like that happenedon this day of Pentecost in A.D. 31. Notice what kind of languages were spoken at theChurch's inception. Many besides the 120 were present from many countries speakingdifferent languages. Notice particularly, of these strangers, "every man heard them [the120] speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying to oneanother, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every manin our own tongue, wherein we were born?"Now notice carefully. Every man--that is, each individual--heard them, the 120,all speaking in his own native language. The Greek heard the 120 speaking the Greeklanguage. The Parthian heard the same 120 speaking in the Parthian language. The Medeheard the 120 speaking the language of the Medes. They understood what was being said.They got the message!Today, in "Pentecostal" meetings one person may break out in a kind of gibberishthat others in the meeting do not understand (I Cor.14:28). It says if one speaks in aforeign language there must be an interpreter so the others can understand. "But if therebe no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and toGod." In verse 33 it says God is not the author of confusion. In verse 19, God shows therelative unimportance of "tongues" by saying: "Yet in the church I had rather speak fivewords with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than tenthousand words in an unknown tongue."When I speak to an audience in Japan or some other country, I always have aninterpreter who will interpret into the language of that country, every few words, mymessage in their language. When I speak in this kind of "tongues" I speak withunderstanding, and the people get the message.