“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.”
1 Corinthians 13:8-9
The book of Acts records several transitional phases occurring in the early days of the Church Age. For example, the gospel was first preached to the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 2), then among the Samaritans (Acts 8), and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10). This was according to Christ’s plan to build His Church, as reflected by His command to His followers in Acts 1:8. Additionally, we observe a transition of Church authority in Acts: from the apostles initially, then later this authority was shared with church elders, and then church elders became accountable to God for those believers who had been entrusted to their care.
Paul informs us of another transitional phase that would be occurring during the Apostolic Age, that is, the giving and use of certain spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 13:8 we learn that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge (direct revelations) from God will all cease, but love will continue forever. The three gifts mentioned in verse 8 are representative of all three categories of gifts discussed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, thus representing all the sign gifts. (In this latter passage, the Greek word eteros means “of a different kind or sort” and appears twice in verses 8-10, between the second and third gifts and the seventh and eighth gifts to create three distinct categories of gifts.)
The Greek verbs used in 1 Corinthians 13:8 to describe how each gift will cease enables us to better understand the meaning of “that which is perfect” of verse 10. Katargeo is a future tense verb in the passive voice which describes the “putting out of action” of the gifts of prophecy and knowledge. The passive voice means that God Himself will act to cause these two gifts to cease. However, the Greek verb associated with tongues ceasing is pausontai, also in the future tense, but in the middle voice. This indicates that the gift of tongues would “be stilled” on their own. This is why verse 9 only mentions the gifts of prophecy and knowledge. These gifts were for the edification of believers and will cease when God brings about that which is perfect, namely Scripture, the ultimate expression of truth and knowledge that believers in the Church Age were now receiving (v.10). However, tongues, which were for reaching the lost (1 Cor. 14:22), will vanish on their own.
In general, while prophecy (foretelling or forthtelling the truth), speaking in tongues, and revelations all concluded at the end of the Apostolic Age, we will be recipients of God’s love throughout eternity. The evidence from Scripture indicates that gifts such as tongues, healings, and miracles generally ceased by approximately 60 A.D. The majority of the New Testament was written after this date with no recorded use of any such gifts. Furthermore, these gifts were referenced in the past tense (1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14; Heb. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 1:19-21) or were not available when needed. For example, in about 64 A.D. Timothy is told to drink a little wine to settle his ongoing stomach issues (1 Tim. 5:23) and Paul could not heal Epaphroditus of a sickness that nearly took his life in about 60 A.D. (Phil. 2:25-30).
Why would the sign gifts of prophecies and knowledge cease? At the dawn of the Church Age, believers did not have the full canon of Scripture to guide them. The expressions of prophecy through various individuals to guide Christians into deeper truth and protect them from the influence of false teachers was thus necessary. But once that which was perfect had been received, then these individual declarations would no longer be necessary. This is why the book of Acts reveals a clear historical transition from “apostles” to “apostles and elders” to just “elders” (local church leaders) – the apostles died and were not replaced. What God wants the Church to know presently has been revealed through the inspiration of Scripture.