In Christianity today there is much confusion about the "gifts of the Holy Spirit." God is not the author of confusion according to I Cor. 14:33, and if we study all of the Bible verses on this topic, and not just a select few, the confusion can be done away with, and we can have "peace" and the assurance that accompanies a faith that is built upon God's Word. Whatever your views may be on the "gifts,"  keep in mind that the early saints, as recorded in secular history and in the Bible, were publicly proclaiming the salvation message in the city market places at the cost of their lives. Don't try to convince anyone that you are being led by the Holy Spirit, if you are not publicly proclaiming  the clear gospel of the free gift of eternal life in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall [not "might"] be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
 
 

The following verses give us the first Biblical account of "tongues," that is, people speaking in a previously unknown language. The civilization involved had come from Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. They had been told to "be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth." They refused to "fill the earth," so God had to discipline them with other "tongues":

Genesis 11:1-9 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

The next mention of "tongues" is found approximately 1500 years later in Isaiah's prophecies. Around 700 B.C. Isaiah predicted that this would be a sign to the Jews that they had been set aside after rejecting their God and Savior, Jesus Christ. God would give His blessing to the Gentile nations through the body of Christ--His Church, I Cor. 14:20-22.

Isaiah 28:11-12 Indeed, He will speak to this people [Israel] through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” and, “Here is repose,” but they [Israel] would not listen.

God told Isaiah that the Jews "would not listen." Jesus tells the chief priests and Pharisees what is going to happen because they refuse to listen to Him:

Matthew 21:42-43 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders [Israel] rejected, this became the chief corner stone; This came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you [Israel] and given to a people [Gentiles], producing the fruit of it.

Jesus also explains that "tongues," along with the other miracle gifts, will be for the purpose of establishing the apostles teaching authority and will "confirm their words."

Mark 16:14-20 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized [by the Holy Spirit] shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

The following prophecy of Joel, which actually comes approximately 100 years before Isaiah's previous prophecy, does not mention "tongues" specifically, yet it is these verses that are quoted by Peter to explain why the first believers in Jesus to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit are speaking in languages that were previously unknown:

Joel 2:28-29 “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind [not only Jews but now Gentiles]; And your [Jewish] sons and daughters will prophesy, your old [Jewish]  men will dream dreams, your young [Jewish] men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants [all believers] I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Acts 2:4-18  And they were all [the apostles] filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living [temporarily] in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They [the Jews] were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans [apostles]? “And how is it that we each hear them in our own [Gentile] language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”  And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”  But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven [apostles], raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days, God says, That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy."

As we will see later, this unprecedented indwelling of the Holy Spirit predicted by Jesus (John 14:16-17) was initiated not only by tongues, but also other miracles. The purpose of tongues was a prophetic sign to the Jews that they had been set aside.They now would begin to hear the word of God in Gentile languages, no longer in Hebrew. In fact, that is why our New Testament Bible is written in a Gentile tongue --Greek--not Hebrew, even though it was written by Jewish men, totally guided by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul, in the following verses, explains that God always entrusts the writing of His Word to the Jew! (Obviously neither the Koran nor the book of Mormon are from God.)

Romans 3:1-2 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

Peter also explains in Acts 2:19-20, quoting the rest of Joel's prophecy, the signs that will take place immediately before Jesus returns to earth (after the "Church" age and the 7 year Tribulation period--the "time of the Gentiles," Luke 21:24) to rescue the Jews at Armageddon and establish them as the world rulers. Joel 2:28-29 initiates or begins the time of the Gentiles. We will see that these gifts will not carry through until Christ returns, just as the following verses are not happening at this time, but will happen at the end, when Christ returns.

Joel 2:30-31 “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes."

Although people continued to trust in the suffering and resurrection of the Lord Jesus to save them from the flames they deserve, (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1; 8:12, 37; 9:18, 42) there is not one mention of "tongues" in these eight incidents of people coming to Christ. Not until Acts chapter ten, about five years later, do we read of the second "tongues" experience. Peter is sharing the gospel with Roman Gentiles-- Cornelius and his household--but he does not say a word about "tongues!"

Acts 10:42-47  “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,  “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” (Notice that after "believing," and the indwelling, sealing, and regenerating work of the Holy Spirit," then comes water baptism")

Acts 11:15-17  “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
 

Since Acts chapter two, the "tongues" gift had not been given to anyone, even though many had believed and received the Holy Spirit.  Now, five years later, the "circumcised" Jewish believers are "amazed" that, in this second incident, the "Gentiles" who "believed in Him," have "received the Holy Spirit (with the gift of tongues, or languages), just as we did," the first time in Acts chapter two. Until now all the converts to Christ had been Jewish. Keep in mind that the "tongues" gift was not given for people to communicate with each other, or to worship God better. People have been doing those things for thousands of years without "tongues." Jesus never spoke in "tongues." Remember, "tongues" was a sign to the "circumcised," the Jews, that their nation was being set aside and God was building His "household," the Church, which would include Jews and Gentiles. All would be welcome.

Ephesians 2:11-13,19-20  Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.... So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

Approximately fifteen years after Cornelius is saved, we come to the third and final mention of the gift of "tongues" in the book of Acts. The previous nine chapters record many people trusting Jesus as their Savior, even the apostle Paul. But in all of these conversions there is not one mention of "tongues." Many miracles are being performed by the apostles and church leaders, but still no mention of "tongues."

Acts 19:1-6 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John [water] baptized with the [teaching] baptism of repentance, [teaching] telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  When they heard this, they were [taught] baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

Notice that Paul asks them two questions. The first question focuses on what happened "when they believed." Since they knew nothing about the Holy Spirit, Paul then asks, "Into what then were you baptized?" They knew Paul was not asking about "water," otherwise they would have answered, "water!" Paul was asking them "what were you taught?" They did not "believe the gospel" because they had not heard the "gospel!" They believed Jesus was coming. That is what John "taught" them. Paul had to (baptize) "teach them" the whole story of what Jesus' name meant and what He had done. When they "believed" the gospel, Paul laid his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit, and spoke in "tongues." The "tongues" were just another visual, audible reminder to all Jews present that their nation had been set aside, and that Jesus was building His "church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it!" (Matt. 16:18)

I Corinthians chapters twelve through fourteen give us all the final information on "tongues" in the Bible, after the Acts of the Apostles. The majority of these chapters are devoted to instruction on the use and abuse of the gift of "tongues." The following verses once again remind us of the purpose of the gift of "tongues."

1 Corinthians 14:20-22  Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people [Israel], and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those [Jews] who believe but to [Jewish] unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.

Paul is trying to clarify the purpose of the gift of "tongues"  to these "childish" Corinthian Christians, who were abusing the gift.  He wants them to "be mature,... know the Law," or what the Bible says. "Tongues" was a sign to the "unbelieving" Jew that the temple sacrifices and the Old Testament Jewish way of worship was set aside because of Israel's disobedience and rejection of their Messiah. "Tongues," along with the other sign gifts, would "cease," according to these verses:

1 Corinthians 13:8-12  Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

There is no question that these gifts would cease "when the perfect comes." The question is, what is "the perfect?" Since the word "perfect" is in the neuter gender, literally "the perfect thing," it cannot refer to Jesus Christ. Does the Bible make any reference to some thing that is "perfect?"

James 1:21-25  "Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."

In James, God refers to the Bible or "the word" as a "mirror," and the "perfect" law. That would fit the context in I Cor. 13:8-12 above. The Bible is the collection of all the "parts" of "knowledge" and all the "parts" of  "prophesies" given to those who had the "gifts."  When did "knowledge and prophesy" stop?  If "knowledge and prophesy" have continued down through history, and are still going on today, where are they recorded? Why haven't they been preserved in the Bible? It is obviously true that "tongues, knowledge, and prophesy" ended when the Bible was completed. The warning in the last verses of the last chapter of the last book of the Bible make this quite clear:

Revelation 22:18-19 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

Then what is all the phenomena going on today--visions, knowledge, healings, miracles, and prophesying? They are definitely not of God. Ponder these warnings that God gives us in His Word

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him."

Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

Do miracles determine whether something is really from God? Obviously not, even if they are done in the "name" of our Lord, as we saw above.  We see clearly that the Bible teaches that all miracles are definitely not from God. Any miracles must be in accord with sound Biblical precepts and doctrine pertaining to that time frame in the Bible. Consider the following verses:

Exodus 7:8-12 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ” So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
Exodus 7:20-22 So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Exodus 8:6-7 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. The magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

Can evil people copy God's miracles? Can there be people who profess the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and do miracles, who are not genuine Christians at all?  The answers are clear in the above verses.

1 Corinthians 12:4,7-11 "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.... But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."

We have learned that four of these gifts ended when the Bible was completed: tongues, interpretation, knowledge and prophesy. What about "wisdom?"

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (Wisdom is no longer a gift. When we need wisdom, we ask for it, and study diligently the completed Word of God.)

"Faith?" Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Before the New Testament was completed, "faith " was a gift necessary to the early saints who did not have the completed word of God, and with it all of His promises. Now we receive "faith" by studying the "word of Christ," the Bible.)

"Healing?" James 5:14-15 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore [heal] the one who is sick [if it is God's will], and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins [and they are confessed], they will be forgiven him. (Here we see the proper Biblical method of seeking healing for today's Christians. No one today has the apostolic gift of "healing!" No one today is healing people the way the apostles healed, or causing people to be "blind" as Paul did in Acts 13:11. No one is having Christians fall "dead" at hisr feet for lying, as with Peter in Acts 5:1-11.   Today's so-called "healing ministries" are some of the most perverted money-making hoaxes ever foisted upon gullible people, and sadly, they are being done in the name of Christ. Ten thousand dollars will be given from this church to anyone proving to have the gift of healing by accompanying us to the local hospital and the public streets and producing the evidence.

"Distinguishing of spirits?" 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (It is not necessary to cast out demons at this time. When someone "believes" the gospel, the Holy Spirit immediately comes into that person and takes up residence, and all demons must leave! We cast out demons by sharing the gospel. We "test the spirits" by investigating what a person believes. We try to get them to change their mind--repent--and believe the gospel.)

"Miracles?" Philippians 4:6  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (We have had many miracles happen to people in our church, but none by the hands of men. They have all been through God's gracious mercy and prayer, the post apostolic Biblical method. The greatest miracle is the saving of a soul.

Since none of the Spirit gifts are functioning today, one might ask, "What then was the purpose of the gifts?" The following verses reveal that God was establishing the apostles' authority as they were speaking new revelation, in "parts." Once the Bible was complete, apostolic authority would be replaced with the Bible, and the Bible itself would become as it is today, the final authority.

Mark 16:17-20 “These signs will accompany those [apostles] who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them [the apostles], He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.And they[the apostles] went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them [the apostles], and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

Acts 3:6-8 But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

Acts 5:9-10 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Acts 5:12 At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico.

Acts 5:15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

Acts 8:6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing.

Acts 13:10-11 and [Paul] said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.

Acts 14:3 Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their [Paul and Barnabas] hands.

Acts 19:11-12 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.

2 Corinthians 12:12  The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.

Hebrews 2:4  how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

God continues to work miracles and healings today as he always has, but not at the hands of men. Those who claim to have this power are bilking naive people out of millions of dollars. There was never a charge for what the apostles did. They didn't pass the "plate," nor did they dress or live extravagantly. Notice how the methods of today's "false prophets" differ from those Jesus taught His apostles:

Matthew 10:7-10  “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.

Colossians 2:18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Those who get caught up in these money-making scams are usually not really born-again Christians. Iif they are true Christians, they are those who are not familiar with Satan's trickery. The false Christians caught up in these schemes have set themselves up for some future "miracles" that God warns about in His Word, as follows:

2 Thessalonians 2:8-10  Then that lawless one [Antichrist] will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming,  that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

God is going to allow Satan, through Antichrist, to deceive many of the religious people who are not reading their Bibles. Many miracle-seekers will be led astray even further by the "deception" of Satanic "power, signs and wonders," because they did not want the "truth" of God's Word, the Bible, and were not "saved!