The Cluster Argument: Responding To The Cessationist Documentary

In this episode of The Remnant Radio, we respond to Tom Pennington pastor of Countryside Bible Church, as he uses the Cluster argument to explain the cessation of spiritual gifts. Tom Pennington asserts that there are distinct periods in biblical history marked by a concentration of miracles, coinciding with significant stages in God's redemptive plan.

Cessationists claim that there are only three key periods of concentrated miracles in the Bible: the Moses and Joshua era, characterized by miracles during the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan; the Elijah and Elisha era, featuring supernatural acts confirming prophetic ministries in a spiritually declining Israel; and the Jesus and Apostles era, marked by miracles establishing the Christian church and confirming the authority of Jesus and the apostles as messengers of the New Covenant. Cessationists argue that during these periods, unique displays of divine power occurred, and therefore, miraculous gifts gradually diminished or ceased afterward. But is this argument rooted in biblical evidence, or is it a theological assertion imposed upon the text?

We contend that this argument is profoundly unbiblical and can be easily disproven with minimal effort. To start, Jeremiah 32:2021 unequivocally states that God has performed signs and wonders from the time of Moses to the present day:

“You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.”

Additionally, the New Testament provides explicit time frames for when the gifts will cease, such as Acts 2, which mentions "in the last days," referring to the eschatological period leading up to the "day of the Lord" that we currently live in. Or consider 1 Corinthians 1:7, which explicitly states that the church in Corinth would abound in every gift until Christ appears. Moreover, 1 Corinthians 13:812 tells us that the gifts will cease when Christ returns. The Cluster argument stands as one of the weakest arguments in the cessationist arsenal, and in this episode of The Remnant Radio, we address it headon.
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Josh Lewis' Church Kings Fellowship Church
https://kingsfellowshipchurch.com/
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Michael Miller's Church Reclamation Church
https://reclamationdenver.com/
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Remnant Newsletter
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