I suspect some of the problem of understanding this is caused by the fact that the disciples of Christ cast out demons, healed the sick, and did other works by the power of the Holy Spirit while Christ was still with them. This is explained by the following words of Yahshua.

John 14:16-17
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you."

Many men had done mighty works by the power of the Holy Spirit prior to Pentecost. Moses was used of Yahweh to demonstrate His power to Egypt and Pharaoh. Samson manifested immense strength by the power of the Spirit. Elijah and Elisha performed miracles. Yet, all of these men did these works as the Spirit worked "with them." Until Pentecost the Spirit had not been given to indwell any man.

Some might argue that John the Baptist was an exception, for the Scriptures state that he was "filled" with the Spirit from his mother's womb. John, however, was not filled in the sense of being born again. The Holy Spirit was upon John from the time he was in his mother's womb, but Yahshua again reveals the difference between John, and those who would be born again.

Luke 7:28
"I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

These words are not difficult to understand. John was the greatest of men who had been born of woman, but who had not been born of the Spirit. It was after John's ministry that Yahshua declared to Nicodemus the great deficiency of Adamic man.

John 3:3-6
Yahshua answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Yahshua answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Let us connect the dots. Yahshua says only those born of the Spirit can enter the kingdom of God. He also said the least in God's kingdom were greater than John the baptist. Why? Because John came prior to Pentecost. He was an Adamic man. He had been born of woman, but he had not been born of the Spirit. The least of those in God's kingdom, which is to say, the least of those born of the Spirit of Christ, were greater than John, for he was born of the seed of the first Adam, but had not experienced being born of the seed of the Last Adam, who is Yahshua.

If you desire to correspond further on this subject, please contact me via e-mail.

You may be unaware of the policy for posting comments to this site, so I will re-state it here. I have written on a number of occasions that anonymous comments are discouraged, and in few cases will they be published. I desire to promote openness, integrity, and civility among those who post comments. Requiring that individuals identify themselves helps to advance these aims. I would appreciate it if in posting future comments that you would identify yourself.

Regarding the statement that the disciples were not born again of the Spirit until the day of Pentecost, I was somewhat surprised by your objection to this. I was not aware that there were Christians who disputed this fact. I will be happy to share with you a few scriptures that establish this truth. Let me begin with the following:

John 7:37-39
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Yahshua stood and cried out, saying, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Yahshua was not yet glorified.

John declares here that the Holy Spirit could only be given to indwell mankind AFTER Yahshua had been glorified. It was AFTER Yahshua ascended to the Father that He was glorified. Yahshua's ascension was 40 days after His crucifixion, and 10 days before Pentecost.

This truth was declared elsewhere by the Son of God. Following is another example:

John 16:7
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."

Please note the requirement here. The Holy Spirit would only be sent to indwell mankind after Yahshua went away. He said, "If I go, I will send Him to you." When was it that Yahshua left His disciples? It was at His ascension, ten days before Pentecost.

Comment to be continued…

When you wrote that "The early disciples were NOT born again until the day of Pentecost." I find this statement too wide and too erroneous to pass up. Are you saying that some were not born again or do you mean that the disciples, including the apostles, were not born again?

Note that the Lord, in John 17: 6, called these disciples "… the men which thou [God] gavest me out of the world…" He said in 17:14, "they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world". By this Jesus ranked them with Himself in being born again. In John chapters 14-17, Jesus signified by many statements that the disciples were born again believers in God and the Messiah.
In John 13:11, He said they were all clean except Judas who was ordained for that role. And talking about being chosen, was it not written that He chose the apostles after an all-night prayer session apparently seeking the face of God on the crucial matter? Also, were not seventy (70) of these disciples sent out by Jesus and they cast out demons and healed the sick and performed other miracles? We saw what happened to the sons of Sceva who were not born again when they tried to cast out demons in Acts 19:14.
So, although I agree with you that the speaking in tongues does not confer holiness and Christlikeness, yet there is a difference between the stage of believing and that of being endued with the Holy Spirit as confirmed in Acts 19:2 when Paul, passing through Ephesus, met brethren and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed. Whey they answered in the negative, he preached unto them and laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.
There are very many other proofs that the early disciples were indeed born again, some instances of carnality or resurgent Adamic nature, notwithstanding.
Nevertheless, your caution against the excesses of making a doctrine out of speaking in tongues seems well-placed.
My only shock came from the statement that the early disciples were not born again; if so, the implications would be far-reaching on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have read a number of Dmitru Duduman's prophecies, and I do not remember any of them that included dates. Because you did not cite a specific prophecy, nor give evidence of what you are asking about, I am unable to answer your question.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

I have encountered the viewpoint you have written about. It is a view that I find to not be in harmony with the Spirit or the Word.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Thank You.

Thank you for writing to express your concern. If you will read carefully what I wrote you will find that I am NOT writing in denial of the gift of tongues. What I have sought to emphasize is that the Bible never uses tongues as a test for whether a person has received the Holy Spirit.

Although I did not mention it in the article, I have spoken in tongues since 1999. When I received the git of tongues I did NOT receive any more of the Holy Spirit than I had previously. It was simply the activation of a gift. I was born again while still a child, and baptized (water immersion) at the age of ten.

There is another quotation of Paul's that I would make mention of. He wrote:

I Corinthians 14:6-19
But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching? Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air… So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church… I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind, that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

I have found those who promote the doctrine of the baptism of the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, do not speak in tongues to edify others. They speak in tongues as a mark of pride to show others that they too have received the Holy Spirit. This is a grotesque distortion of the purpose of tongues.

You have been reading my teachings for years. I assume you have been doing so because you sensed that the Spirit of Christ has been directing me in comprehending truth and teaching the things set forth. Why would you then conclude that I lack the evidence of the Holy Spirit if I did not speak in tongues?

If my life manifests the fruit of the Spirit, and I am exercising spiritual gifts such as prophecy and teaching, why would you conclude that I lack the Holy Spirit simply because you believed I did not speak in tongues?
Is not such a conclusion contradictory to Scripture? Christ said we would recognize His disciples by their fruit, and Paul declared that prophesying with intelligence is a greater gift than tongues.

And how does speaking in tongues cause me to arrive at the full stature of love? The Bible provides no link between these two things. Have you never encountered a Christian who spoke in tongues profusely, yet they were selfish and carnal in their actions? I have observed many in this condition.

In your comment you speak of your personal experience as evidence of what you believe. Personal experience is valuable, but it is insufficient to base doctrine upon. That is the function of Scriptures.

II Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…

Please know that all of my words are intended to provoke further consideration of this matter. I have taken no offense to any of your statements.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Jesus said that the Spirit of God was with them and would be in them. The Baptism of the Spirit is going from "with" to "in." (John 14:17). I have seen some instances where believers did not pray in tongues but did prophesy.

As I have read your material for several years I have often wondered about this with your ministry. My personal take on this is that the Lord would give you a prayer language. I can't imagine not having mine. John Hyde, Smith Wigglesworth, Dumitru Duduman….many righteous men wrestled with this issue and found the breakthrough. THe apostle Paul himself prayed in the tongues of angels.

He thanked God that he spoke/prayed in tongues with great frequency (1 Cor 14:18), pointed out that those who spoke in tongues did so for personal edification (1 Cor 14:4) and stated that he wanted all believers doing so (1 Cor 14:5).

I know that tongues does not equal fruit. But is one of many sorted means to the same end. It's a vital component of prayer and is to be pursued and obtained that we might continue in our maturation in the full stature of love (1 cor 13).

And it is extremely, extremely rare per my observation, that a man has received the inner dwelling of the Spirit and has not received the gift of tongues.

But maybe I have something to learn on that.