Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to possess miraculous power?  I know that some claim to do so today, but they don’t.  Miraculous powers only came by the laying on of an apostle’s hand, as we are told by the inspired writing of Luke (Acts 8:18).  Since that is the case, when the last apostle died, or at the very least, when the last person on whom they laid hands died, the miraculous age came to an end.  This is verified by the teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.

Some of the saints at Corinth were abusing their spiritual gifts, especially those who could speak in tongues.  For some reason, they concluded that tongue-speaking was the best gift, while in reality, from the standpoint of usefulness, it was one of the least important gifts, particularly when there was no interpreter of the language being spoken (1 Corinthians 14:2, 4-9, 18-19, 23).

Because of their misunderstandings about the gifts, Paul told these saints that he was going to show them a more excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31), and that way was the way of love.  What made love greater than the gifts of the miraculous age?  Many things point to the superiority of love, but Paul‘s emphasis was on its duration.

1 Corinthians 13:8 (ESV)
⁸  Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

When would spiritual gifts cease?  Paul tells us.

1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (ESV)
⁹  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰  but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

What is the perfect thing that Paul is referring to here?  We must keep the context in view.  If we do that, we realize that whatever was in part in ver. 9, is the thing that is perfect in ver. 10.  What was in part?  The revelation of God that was being revealed in piecemeal fashion through the miraculous gifts like prophecy, tongue-speaking, and knowledge.  If revelation was that which is in part, would not the perfect be the complete revelation of God?  The answer is yes, and, by the way, the Greek word here is teleios and means complete, and is the word that James used to refer to the Word of God (James 1:25).

So, when did miraculous gifts cease?  They ceased toward the end of the first century, shortly before the last apostle (John) died, when God’s perfect revelation was completely revealed.  Now, what about love?  It continues.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)
¹³  So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The abiding nature of faith, hope, and love is in contrast to the ceasing of spiritual gifts.  This poses an inescapable problem for those who claim that spiritual gifts will last until Jesus returns.  Faith and hope are going to outlast the gifts, which is why Paul says they will abide.  But, will faith and hope be in heaven?  No (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 8:24).  So then, faith and hope will cease at the second coming of Christ.  That being the case, the gifts must cease before that time.

Herein we see the greatness of love.  It is not only greater than any miraculous gift, it is greater than faith and hope, for while they will cease when Jesus comes back, love will never fail.  

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.