Should Non-Cessationists Clear-Out Hospitals?

Some people ask, "If the gifts of healings have not ceased, then why don't you prove it by going and emptying out all the hospitals?"

Or they taunt, "Why was so-and-so not healed?"

Even in Bible times, someone who had the gifts of healings did not always minister healing to a sick person when he encountered sick folk.

I think there is a common misconception about the gifts of healings, on the part of many charismatics and non-charismatics alike today: and that is the misconception that the gifts of healings in Bible-times meant that every sick person everywhere was always ministered to no matter what, with the gifts of healings. But even in Bible times, those who had the gifts of healings did not always minister those gifts to the sick everytime they encountered a sick person. And yet somehow it is expected that if the gifts of healings are present today, there ought not to be a single sick person remaining!

Nor did the gifts of healings, in Bible-times, mean that the person ministering those gifts was already or always healed himself.

For example, Abraham's prayer healed an entire city's womenfolk of barrenness, yet his own wife was still barren.

Elisha, who did double the number of miracles as Elijah, himself died of a sickness - but even so his bones still were able to cause a corpse to be raised.

There were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elias, but only a single Gentile received healing - not a single Jew was ministered to, using the gifts of healings.

Jesus could no no mighty works in His hometown of Nazareth, even though they taunted Him to do so - and He marveled at their unbelief.

Only one invalid was healed at the pool, as far as we are told - even though there were a great many impotent folk lying there.

Jesus rose a number of people from the dead. I'm sure many more than that had died. But Jesus didn't raise them all.

Peter healed all the sick in Jerusalem. Why had Jesus not already healed them when He Himself was in Jerusalem?

Most of Jesus' mighty works were done in certain cities. Why not in every city?

In a certain city, it was granted to Paul that notable miralces would be done by his hands, even through handkerchiefs. Why not in every city?

At Lystra, a crippled individual was healed. Was he the only sick person in the entire city? But Paul saw that he had faith to be healed.

Philip healed people that had palsies, and who were crippled. Were those the only two diseases in the entire city of Samaria? Why aren't we told of other healings, if there were other healings?

Trophimus and Timothy were not instantly healed - and yet in the same approximate era, Epaphroditus did recover, for the Lord had mercy on him, said Paul.

So if someone today still is not yet made whole, a similar scenario could have happened even in Bible times when Elijah, Elisha, the Lord Jesus, Peter and Paul were around, when the gifts of healings were definitely around. So it isn't in and of itself proof of cessationism.

For those who want to look for it, there are numerous examples today of sick people who have been ministered to in the Name of Jesus by the laying on of hands who miraculously and instantly recovered.