I gotta have my orange juice.

I heard it suggested that a straightforward way of reading “tongues of men and of angels” in 1 Cor 13 is referring to Greek and Hebrew. I’m not convinced that Hebrew is special in this way, but if so, this is consistent with my thesis that Paul is referring to Hebrew in the following chapter. It also implies the passing away of Hebrew as angels give way to men in the government of the church and the world. This coincides with the passing away of the language of the stars, as Gentile nations and rulers are called to recognize Jesus as well.

If you had to discern whether the New Testament commended ongoing prophecy only in the sense of foretelling, only in the sense of forthtelling, or both, on what basis could you do so? It does not seem to me that there is a distinguishing principle for this. Likewise for tongues, if you had to discern whether we should expect ongoing flames of fire, ongoing miraculous public speech in known languages, ongoing public speech in supposed unknown languages, ongoing private speech in supposed unknown languages, or some combination of these, on what basis could you do so? In particular: how could you possibly be content with one and not the others? Why would one be considered almost normative, and the others exceptional?

God appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush which was not consumed (Exodus 3), and then later lit the fire on the altar himself (Leviticus 9). God thereby inaugurated his church with heavenly fire and expected the fire to be preserved by the faithful ordinary ministry of men (Leviticus 6); and it would have been disobedient and faithless for Moses to seek to re-create his earlier experience. “See, Lord, I let your fire run out. I buried your talent. Show us your power! Descend on us!” It is true that with successive covenant administrations, God re-established this fire, often after the sin of his church had extinguished it (2 Chronicles 7, 1 Kings 18, Acts 2); but each time he expected it to be preserved by the faithful ordinary worship of his ministers and people.

It shall never go out. (Leviticus 6)