Some people believe that the gift of tongues and other miraculous signs mentioned in the New Testament are supposed to be present in the church today. “Charismatic,” a term based on the Greek word for “gift,” is often applied to this movement. First Corinthians 13:8-13 is a key passage in the debate over the tongues phenomenon and related claims of the Charismatic Movement. In this passage, Paul says clearly that the gift of tongues and other miraculous signs would cease “when the perfect comes” (1 Corinthians 13:10, NASB). Other translations say, “when that which is perfect has come” (NKJV) or “when perfection comes” (NIV). Charismatics claim that this text is talking about the second coming of Christ at the end of the present age. Most New Testament scholars say that it is talking about the maturing of the church or the writing of the New Testament. Scholars have debated for many years over the meaning of this language in the original Greek text, but the results of this debate have not been conclusive. Some critics of the Charismatic Movement, therefore, have been reluctant to use the argument based on this passage. But there is another way to determine when the miraculous gifts were supposed to end. The rhetorical structure of Paul’s argument shows clearly that he was not talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ. “When that which is perfect has come” must refer to something that would happen before the return of the Lord. The contrast in 1