"And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." (Mark 16:20)

There are many today who claim to have the supernatural gifts of tongues and healings. This cannot be true, because the purpose of the miraculous gifts in that early age was to "confirm" the word of God. The word "confirm" means to "establish...to prove its (the word's) truth and divinity" (Thayer, p. 99)

The U.S. Constitution was confirmed, Sept. 17, 1787, by the signatures of George Washington and 38 other statesmen. That document was confirmed over 200 years ago, and no one can reconfirm (re-sign) it today.

Just as our nation stands on the foundation of the Constitution, the church of our Lord is founded on the New Testament. Both documents were confirmed in their beginning. The very nature of "confirming" takes place at its beginning and not throughout its existence.

The miraculous gifts of the first century are to the New Testament what the signatures of the fathers are to our Constitution, and neither can be duplicated or reproduced today.