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Charismatic and Pentecostal Page |
IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES
Table of Contents
AND
THE SIGN GIFTS VALID TODAY?
By Cooper Abrams
Introduction
What Does the Bible Say About Tongues?
How Does the Modern Gift of Tongues Compare to the Examples in the Book of Acts?
The Definition of the Word "Tongues."
The New Testament Teaches that Gift of Tongues Would Cease (1 Cor. 13:8-10)
Conclusion:
The Bible plainly teaches that "tongues" was one of the first century sign gifts directing unbelieving Jews to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, and to the Apostles' genuine message of Christ. Further, less that forty years after Christ returned to heaven, the sign gifts ceased because after Jerusalem and the Temple in Jerusalem were destroyed in 70 AD, Israel ceased being a nation, the Jews were dispersed, and the Kingdom postponed because Israel had rejected Jesus as their Messiah. With Israel destroyed there was no longer any need or purpose for the sign gifts and they ceased. During this transitional period between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, most of the New Testament was written which further cancelled the need for signs because the churches now had God's written word.
There is surely a need to proclaim God's truth on the matter because I think all would agree that God can only bless truth! He cannot, nor will He ever bless error no matter how well intended or sincere it may be. If a practice is not biblical it is not of God and not truth, therefore all false teaching honors Satan, the father of lies. Thus it is important to know what God has said in His Word and reject all false teachings that distorts and corrupts truth, and misleads people. There is no middle-of-the-road approach to the tongues issue. If tongues are a valid gift in churches today then every Bible believing church should follow God's Word and accept tongues. However, if it is not a valid gift for the body of Christ today, then we should teach the truth and reject it as being unbiblical.
Unfortunately, many denominations take the middle-of-the-road approach by refusing to take a stand either way. They have compromised with both views. By trying not to offend anyone and by not taking a stand they have, in effect, condoned the practice. To not take a stand against false teaching is tantamount to supporting error and false teaching.
God did not give us His Word to be confusing. Many people however take the approach that the Word of God is confusing on this matter and that we cannot really know for sure what is right. This surely expresses a poor opinion of God, that His Word is too confusing to understand. However, this is not the case. God did not leave the matter in a confused state. The problem is not with God's Word, but with man. God spoke very clearly on the matter, yet many seem unwilling to listen to God, preferring rather to listen to the teaching of men and denominations.
The modern tongues movement has spread across this nation and the world like wildfire. For many years it was confined to the Pentecostal churches, but now crosses all denominational lines in the form of what is called the Charismatic Movement. Even Roman Catholics, Protestants, cults, and some who call themselves Baptists practice tongues and have joined the movement.
Some think that tongues is only practiced by Christian denominations, but it is a phenomena found also in pagan religions. The Oracle at Delphi, for instance, which started in the 400s BC, when Greece was at its strongest, records the pagan practice of using ecstatic speech in the worship of their false gods. It continued into the Roman era which would indicate that members of the churches in Greece and Asia Minor would have been familiar with how the Oracle at Delphi worked. It was a shrine to the Greek god Apollo. In response to someone's questions, a priestess would go into a frenzy and start a babbling speech. An attendant priest would then 'translate' the babble into some glittering generalities that could in some way be understood as an answer. Some of the best-known features of Greek philosophy streamed out from the Oracle's early years (for instance, it bred the saying "Know Yourself"); the great Greek philosophers were very good at finding "jewels in waste water". The cult of Dionysis used rhythmic music, whirling dances, alcohol or herbal drugs, and magic spells with the intent of driving peoples' souls out of their bodies (Gk ek stasis) and into the presence of whatever deity or sub deity was involved; this also occasionally induced some strange sounds. African animists, too, have long practiced ecstatic speech as part of their religion. But, just as glossolalia among Jews marked one as a prophet, glossolalia caused most African animists to project the tongues speaker into the role of religious leader or priest.
"In the Gnostic "gospels" found at Nag Hammadi, archaeologists discovered what may be the earliest, and perhaps one of the strangest, written instances of glossolalia. Gnosticism arose at the same time as Christianity, and Gnostics were skilled at perverting biblical teachings into unChristian Gnostic heresies. They tried to hijack biblical Christianity. While the contents of the Nag Hammadi documents are heretical, they give insight into the false practices of their day. There is a prayer in the introduction of the false "The Gospel Of the Egyptians. " It reads something like this:
Even the translatable words of this so called prayer are very confusing, and like modern tongues are full of vowels and mixed languages. Like modern glossolalia, it has a lot of almost-words, divine titles, and 'really truly'. It's almost like a parody, it's so garbled, but was serious in its intent. The ecstatic speech did not make the book's bizarre beliefs the slightest bit more true.("Tongues as a Gift, a Sign, a Practice," Robert H. Longman, Jr.)
The evidence is clear that one result of worshiping pagan deities was ecstatic speech, not unlike what the modern tongues movement is doing. Surely, the Holy Spirit is not in the religious practices of unbelievers who worship idols and embrace false doctrine.
Many in defense of the tongues movement refer to its great success as proof that it is of God. Jesus in Matthew 24:24, speaks of the rise of false prophets who would come with great wonders and signs and "if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Although this verse is a reference to the beginning of the coming seven year Tribulation, it clearly teaches that God's elect can be deceived by powerful and charismatic leaders (I use the word in its sense as men with great "charisma" or personal appeal). The deceivers and false teachers, of the spirit of the antichrist are in the world today as stated by John in 1 John 2:18. The truth of the matter does not rest with its popularity or outward success, but on "what saith the Lord!" The Bible, which is God's very word, is the only authority by which we can know what is God's truth and what is error.
The majority of the world is in error today rejecting the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Jesus warned that, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matt. 7:13-14) The popular trend is to choose the wide road that leads to destruction. The matter can only be settled by God's Word!
Many seeing the great numbers, spectacles and seeming success of the Charismatic movement are greatly impressed by it. Jesus in Matthew 7:13-29, warned of false prophets who would come in sheep's clothing, but would inwardly be raving wolves. Christ went on to say that at the judgment of the lost, many would stand before Him and plead that they had done many wonderful things in Christ's name and yet Jesus would say to them, that they "were workers of iniquity! (Matt. 7:21-23) This should make each of us consider the matter in a sober and honest way.
One reason the matter is so important is that many dear souls who are seeking the Lord are hearing the Gospel mixed with error! Further, sincere Christians are robbed of their maturity in Christ and the true blessings of salvation by being channeled into the emotion based tongues movement. They are taught to seek emotional experiences instead of true spiritual growth. They are taught that worship and communication with God, to be meaningful, must be accompanied by physical and emotional experiences such as raising hands in the air, speaking in tongues, and "falling out in the spirit." Their "worship" or "praise" is plainly directed towards participants experiencing a type of spiritual "high." The most recent phenomenon is the so called "laughing revival" where the participants in the meetings break out in uncontrollable laughter "under the spirit." This modern so called worship is basically the same as practiced in pagan oriental mysticism in which a person's consciousness is elevated towards some deep spiritual experience. The New Testament gives no example of any such activities or of modern tongues practices. The opposite is true in that biblical worship is directed towards God, not the worshiper. The Bible shows that worship is always respectful and orderly.
For the many Charismatics, their prayer life is one of praying in ecstatic speech without their understanding. Prayer is thus reduced to an emotional experience instead of pouring out their hearts in thanksgiving and presenting their petitions and supplications to the Lord. Those "praying in tongues" do not even know what they are praying. The services of the tongues movement is completely opposite of what the Bible teaches concerning worshiping God. They come to "receive" a blessing from the service, instead of coming to lift up other believers and worship the Lord as the Bible teaches. The "worship" of these churches is little more than a form of entertainment with an emotional experience, not unlike what happens in a musical rock concert.
One example of this came from a Pentecostal pastor, who was a friend, who often expressed his frustration over the poor attendance at his tongues speaking church. His church was small with limited finances and could not "compete" with the larger churches in their music programs and special big name speakers. Even though he had been misled about what was biblical tongues, I believed he truly loved the Lord and he did not emphasize the matter of tongues and miracle healings. His church in time failed and he becoming disillusioned and fell by the wayside and out of the ministry. The road of the Charismatic movement is littered with thousands of lives it has wrecked. When the emotion created by the Charismatic services runs out, the participants are left empty inside and become castaways on the great sea of Charismatic confusion. For a while it seems great, but like any emotional experience...it does not last. As John 4:24 clearly states, those that worship the Lord must do so in "spirit and truth." Only living and worshiping in God's truth brings true, lasting spiritual peace and joy, because God only blesses the truth.
Because of the popularity and seeming success of the tongues movement, many pastors of Bible believing churches are being pressured to adopt an ecumenical philosophy. The compromise is expressed as, "Its OK, we are both Christians and although we disagree on some things we can still have spiritual fellowship and it is not really all that important." This act of human rationalization is that God's word condones false teaching and supports error. How can a man be led to God's truth by someone who does not think that truth is important? Truth that is compromised and mixed with error is not truth? The true man of God loves the truth and it is important to him that no one ever hear anything from him, but the truth. His calling demands that he only preach or teach God's truth. He does not want to be guilty of aiding Satan by supporting a false teaching which is a lie that honors Satan, the father of lies. Though the whole world rejects the truth, the man of God is to present only the truth and reject all false teaching that is contrary to God's word. Many Christians have been cruelly martyred, in past eras, for taking just such an uncompromising stand on God's Word.
When biblical errors in the tongues movement are condemned, many respond to this call for purity in doctrine with the adage, "Well, at least some are getting saved." A false gospel is a lie and does not and cannot save. A church whose foundational doctrine is based in error does not have the blessing of God. Almost very tongues speaking church denies the biblical doctrine of the eternal security of the believer (Once saved always saved). Denying the eternal security of the believer denies the very heart of the Gospel that a man is saved totally by God's grace through faith and not of his good works. The Bible teaches that man cannot save himself nor keep himself saved by good works (Eph. 2:8-9). It is a false Gospel that teaches that once saved a child of God can lose their salvation and that God will reject His own child.
Another mark of the Charismatic movement is its ecumenical agenda of seeking to bring all "Christians" together on equal ground without regard to doctrinal purity. Doctrinal and biblical truth take a back seat to Charismatics and Pentecostals, behind emotion, experience and coming together. Unbiblical churches such as the Roman Catholic church who practice heresy and a works system of salvation are treated as equals with Bible believing New Testament churches who preach salvation by grace alone, through faith.
It is God Himself, through the Holy Spirit that convicts men and draws them to salvation. God will not use error or false teachers to accomplish His work. God will only use His truth; it is against His very nature to do otherwise.
A dominate theme of tongues speakers is to promote what is termed the "health and wealth gospel." This unbiblical teaching promises health and wealth to those who receive Christ. However, it is conditional on giving financially to support a church or ministry. It distorts biblical teaching of "giving" into a "give to get" scheme, in which a person supposedly invests "seed money" with God who then gives materially to the giver. This false gospel has made multi-millionaires of many Charismatic and Pentecostal preachers. It is used by most radio and TV "ministers" who cunningly deceive their audiences with the "get rich" or "healing" scheme.
A church which takes the middle road or does not rebuke and reprove these false teachings is a compromising church and is not a church that speaks for God. Even if it does not practice tongues, it condones it by its silence. When a church takes any position contrary to true doctrine it separates itself from God and starts down a road that will eventually lead to apostasy. In over a quarter of a century of ministry I have not known even one church that took the middle road of compromise that was doctrinally sound. Accepting error and false doctrine is sin, and sin grows where it is not quickly addressed, corrected and confessed. (See the Lord's warnings to the churches in Asia in Revelation 2-3) A compromising church loses any clear message of what is right and what is wrong. It will cease to have any power to do the work of God, because God cannot bless error.
Compromising pastors and churches lose biblical discernment. They become unable to determine truth from error. The tremendous growth of the Promise Keepers movement which seeks to do away with all doctrinal differences and bring "Christianity" together with no biblical distinctions is the direct result of this heretical unscriptural philosophy. The very core of the ideology of the Promises Keepers is anti-doctrine and thus it is Anti-christ. It does not matter that they appear to be serving Christ, their doctrinal error brands them as Anti-christs, as clearly as Cain's rebellious offerings branded him as being against God. Cain was acting religiously but was, in fact, disobeying God.
Why are so many deceived and unable to discern the error of the modern tongues movement? The answer is a simple one...they have been in training to accept it for many years by pastors, churches and denominations who have compromised the Word of God and refused to speak out against error. Can God bless error? Will He work where His Word is misused to support false teachings? Is God a party to confusion? The answer to all these questions is clearly a resounding and emphatic "No!"
There is only one correct interpretation or meaning of all Scripture! It is the Devil's device to misuse even the sacred Word of God, to perpetrate his false doctrines. (Read Matt. 4:1-11) He seeks to mislead and sidetrack believers. Satan at Christ's temptation used Scripture to tempt the Lord. He used it falsely and was corrected by Christ. The Devil has not changed his ways or methods through the centuries. This is why the New Testament preacher, if he is true to his calling, must absolutely address error often and warn against it by teaching the truth. By God's grace that is what this article is attempting to do.
A question that requires an answer is this - what does the Bible say? The problem is not to try to explain experiences that people have had, but to determine, "what does God say on the matter." If God's Word says that tongues is a valid gift for today then the matter is settled. If it teaches that tongues ceased after the establishment of the early church, and after the fall of Judaism, then the course is equally clear: modern tongues is not of God!
Is the modern practice of the gift of tongues the same as it is in the New Testament? The answer is no. What is practiced as modern tongues is not what happened on the Day of Pentecost as described by the New Testament. Absent today from the modern practice of tongues is ". . .sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." (Acts 2:2-3) Further, each of those present at Pentecost were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the Gospel in a language that the person had not learned. "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. (Acts 2:6) Verses 9-11 lists the sixteen languages which were spoken. It was not ecstatic speech or used in prayer nor was it something they were coached to perform. Further it was not sought or prayed for but came instantly being given by the Holy Spirit to all present. Further, as the passage states, it was given by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of those Jews who were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost and convey to them the Good News that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.
These Jewish pilgrims had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, as they had been done for centuries. Pentecost, was the Jewish Feast of the Harvest and fell fifty days after the Passover, which was the day God delivered Israel from Egypt. Israel fifty days after leaving Egypt was at Mt. Sinai and there God gave them the Ten Commandments and the Law, and thereby constituted them as a nation. On the day of Pentecost, as Acts 2 records, fifty days after Christ was crucified God began the institution of the local church and the Church Age began. God wanted these Jewish Pilgrims to hear the "wonderful works of God." (Acts 2:11) The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah and had cried for His death before the Roman governor. Many of these pilgrims, being only recent visitors to Jerusalem, did not know about Jesus Christ and what He had done.
These Jewish pilgrims were bilingual and surely could understand Greek and Aramaic. However, God thought it was necessary for them to hear the news of Christ's coming through the miracle of hearing in their native language by men who were unlearned in their tongue. The disciples who were gathered in the upper room, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, could have spoken Greek or Aramaic and communicated with these pilgrim Jews. The reason for the miracle (sign) was that God was bringing attention to the prophecy of Joel 2:28f. Tongues was a miracle, a special sign gift, given to the Galilean disciples to show the unbelieving Jews that Jesus whom they had crucified was indeed the Messiah. Note in Peter's sermons that is exactly what he preached. The Jews fully understood that Joel prophesied of the great destruction of the judgment of God in Daniel's 70th Week or the Seven Year Tribulation. In Joel 2:28, deliverance in the "last days" is promised and associated with a great out pouring of the Spirit of God. Peter made the connection that they were indeed in the "last days" and that God had sent Jesus Christ as their Deliverer and they rejected Him. God told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem "for the promise of the Father, which saith He, ye have heard of me." (Acts 2:4) Jesus was referring to what He had earlier told His disciples about the coming of the Comforter and that they would receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:15-17). Particularly note the following excerpts from verse 17: Jesus said that at the time He spoke to them, which was before He was crucified, that the Holy Spirit "dwelleth with you" He further stated that the Comforter (note the future tense), "shall be in you." Therefore Jesus was telling them they would be indwelled in the future by the Holy Spirit and that is what happened on the Day of Pentecost.
The result of their receiving the indwelling (baptism of the Holy Spirit) was that they would ". . . receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
The disciples waited ten days in the upper room. On the day of Pentecost (Feast of the First Fruits), and as Jesus promised, God sent the Holy Spirit who indwelled them and gave them power to be witnesses that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The message was heard by these visiting Jewish pilgrims and about three thousand of them believed and were saved. They were not under the influence and domination of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and they heard the Gospel unhindered by the lies of the priests, Scribes and Pharisees. Note also that the Bible says these were "devout men, out of every nation under heaven." (Acts 2:5) These were saved, God fearing Jews who came to Jerusalem to worship God. They believed in God and when they heard the Messiah being proclaimed in their nature tongues by unlearned men, they knew that this was of God and they accepted Him. Thus the sign of the gift of speaking the Gospel in a unlearned language was used by God to give this wonderful news to Jews who were looking for the coming Messiah. Acts 2:41 records that three thousands of these Jews believed and received Christ as their Messiah. It was absolutely not a sign of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but a sign to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. It is appalling that some churches have so distorted this plain truth of God's Word in their support of the false modern tongues movement.
Jesus in John 8:19 said to the Pharisees in the temple in Jerusalem, ". . . Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also." What a contrast between these two groups. One group had witnessed first hand the miracles and message of Jesus Christ, but had rebelliously rejected Him as their Messiah. This other group of Jews, who came from out of town, already loved God, and when they heard of Christ they believed and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God and became part of the bride of Christ. They then took the message back to their native lands. Clearly, God used the miracle sign gift of languages (tongues) so that each one of them heard the Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ in their own language and understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah. (Reference 1 Cor. 15:1-4)
Why did God present the Gospel to them in this way? We can better understand this if we consider what Paul said about the Jews in 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom." God has throughout the history of Israel always used signs to speak His Word to them. All those who heard the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost were Jews or Jewish proselytes (Gentiles who converted to Judaism). They believed because they witnessed the unmistaken sign miracle of hearing men, who had not learned their language, speaking to them in their native tongue. They knew the Scriptures and Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah's coming. This was the reason that God used this method to tell them of the Messiah and the reason for using the sign gift of tongues. The miracle of tongues authenticated the Gospel message that Peter preached. They knew, unmistakably, that it was from God and three thousand Jews believed and were saved. The Bible says that tongues was accompanied by three supernatural acts:
The first two are conspicuously absent from what is practiced as tongues today. The supernatural act of speaking in an unlearned language can be faked, however the accompanying sound as of a rushing mighty wind and the visual appearance of cloven tongues as of fire cannot be easily counterfeited and are never seen when modern tongues are practiced. Although it is claimed that modern languages are being spoken by those who practice tongues, it is difficult to verify, and the absence of the first two supernatural acts demonstrate that the modern practice of tongues is not valid. To repeat, there is no sign as of a rushing mighty wind or cloven tongues like as of fire. Clearly tongues, as described in the Word of God, is not what is happening today. There are only two additional occurrences in Scripture, that describes tongues, and they are both identical with the first occurrence in Acts 2:2-3. There is no example, in the Bible, of tongues being used as a prayer language or anything different than what happened on the Day of Pentecost.
The second occurrence of tongues mentioned in Scripture is three years later in Acts 10:44-48. Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, after hearing and believing the Gospel as Peter preached, experienced the same exact circumstances as did those on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:2-3. Peter reported back to the Jewish believers and said, "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" (Acts 11:17) Peter says God gave them the "like gift" (meaning the "same gift") as he did unto us. What happened at Cornelius' house was the same as on the Day of Pentecost. Cornelius was a Gentile who had been proselytized to Judaism. He was "A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." (Acts 10:2) God sent an angel to him and told him to, ". . . send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:" (Acts 10:5) The next day God prepared Peter to preach the Gospel to a Gentile. The Jews thought of the Gentiles as being unclean and a very low class of people. Peter saw in a vision, God lowering down unclean animals in a great sheet and God told him to, "Rise, Peter; kill, and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean." (Acts 10:13-14) God replied, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." (Acts 10:15) God thus prepared Peter to preach Christ to Cornelius. As Peter wondered about his vision, Cornelius's servants arrived at his house in Joppa. Peter then returned the next day with the men to Cornelius' home to the north in Caesarea. Peter as recorded in Acts 10:25-43, told him of the Lord Jesus and Cornelius received Christ. Acts 10:44, says that all who heard the word received the Holy Spirit. Note that "they of the circumcision" meaning the Jews, were astonished that these Gentiles had received the gift of out pouring of the Holy Spirit and they too did speak in tongues and magnified God. (Acts 10:45-48) When Peter returned to Jerusalem he reported to the Jewish believers there, "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." (Acts 11:17-18)
What happened to the Gentile Cornelius and his household, was the exact same thing that happened on the day of Pentecost. "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." (Acts 11:15) Here again the gift of tongues was a sign to the Jews back in Jerusalem that the Gentiles had received Christ the same as had the Jews in Jerusalem. One thing is clear, those that received the gift began to speak the Gospel to those around them. Acts 10:45, says, "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." It greatly impressed the Jews (they of the circumcision) that God had poured out on these Gentiles the Spirit in the same way as He had the Jewish believers. Clearly the gift of tongues was used of God to present and authenticate the Gospel message that Jesus was the Messiah.
The reason for God giving the gift of tongues is obvious. God wanted the Christian Jews to know that Jesus was the Messiah, and the Gospel was for Jew and Gentile alike.
The third occurrence of tongues mentioned in Scripture is twenty-two years later in Acts 19:1-7. These were the disciples of John the Baptist. They were not Christians but saved Old Testament saints who lived in Ephesus and had repented, anticipating the coming of the Messiah and they followed the message of John the Baptist. Probably they had heard John preach on a pilgrimage they had made to Jerusalem. However they had not heard about Jesus Christ, his life, death and resurrection. They were unaware of Jesus' coming and were still looking for the Messiah to come. Although the sound as of a rushing mighty wind and the cloven tongues like as of fire are not mentioned, there is every reason to believe that these supernatural acts were present. Often in Scripture you will find an event, subsequent and similar to one that was mentioned earlier, that is described without relating all the details, because it relates to a known phenomena that was commonly understood; all the details are not given in Acts 19. It is totally conceivable that since Luke had already fully described the matter earlier, he only mentions the important facts in the repeated event. The details he does mention is the fact that they spoke in other languages (tongues) and prophesied. This testifies to the effect of the experience on the men and those who witnessed it.
Why did these men at Ephesus receive the gift of tongues? It was a sign to prove to these Jews in the synagogue, who did not believe in Christ and who were ignorant of His death, burial and resurrection, that Jesus Christ was in truth the Messiah. This gift of tongues was received by those who believed and was a sign to those who witnessed the event that Messiah had surely come. Note also that only about twelve men spoke in tongues and prophesied. "Prophesied" in this context simply means that they spoke or gave witness to the Word of God. It does not mean they foretold future events.
In this account, some Jews at Ephesus believed in the Messiah. However, even after Paul had taught there for three months in the Jewish synagogue, some Jews hardened their hearts and spoke evil of the Gospel. Paul then left the Jewish synagogue where he had been preaching and separated the believing disciples from these unbelieving Jews. They then began to meet daily at the school of Tyrannus which was a lecture hall. Paul for two years discipled these Jews who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. The result was that ". . . all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." (Acts 19:10) They too fulfilled Christ's prediction that, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Again the purpose of tongues was a sign to unbelievers and those that received the gift of tongues used it to witness of Christ. That is not the modern day use of tongues, as will be discussed later. In Acts 19, when John the Baptist's disciples received the gift of tongues they clearly became Christians. They were saved Old Testament saints who after hearing the Gospel, which is the Good News of the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ (Reference 1 Cor. 15:1-4), they believed and were immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit and became a part of the body of Christ. The effect of their receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was that, as in the other two accounts (Acts 2, 10), they became witnesses of the Gospel to Jews. (Acts 1:8)
These are the only three times an account of the receiving of the gift of tongues is recorded. There is no reason from Scripture to believe that the three events were any different. Modern churches which practice tongues make note that in Acts 19, the account does not mention the sound of a rushing mighty wind or the cloven tongues of fire. They point to this as support for the modern practice of tongues, because of the absence of these supernatural acts. However, they are forcing a point that is not stated. They are, in fact, admitting that the supernatural acts are absent in modern tongues and are trying to use this account as an example to justify their use of tongues. As stated, that is forcing the point. Every event describing the use of tongues in Scripture happened exactly as in Acts 2.
2. The modern gift of tongues is used as a so called "prayer language." There is only one verse in the Bible that seems to associate tongues with prayer. In 1 Corinthians 14:14-19, Paul says, "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he who occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
Paul goes on to say in verse 20: "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." Clearly Paul is condemning the misuse of tongues among the Corinthians as a prayer language. His rebuke is plain and establishes clearly that the gift of biblical tongues was not a prayer language. He says he would rather speak five words with his understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Could God make it any clearer that tongues is not given as a prayer language.
First we need to define what is a "tongue." In every reference in the New Testament the word simply means a language. In old English the word "tongue" means language. In Acts 2:6, the Greek word is "dialektos" and means a language or "dialect." It is the Greek word used in Acts 1:19, 2:6 & 8, 21:40, 22:2; 26:14 which record the three times that "tongues" is recorded as happening in the New Testament. In the other passages the Greek word is "glossa" it refers to the tongue as the organ of speech. (see Mark 7:33, Rom. 3:13, 14:11, 1 Cor. 14:9, Phil. 2:11, James 1:26, 3:5-6 & 8, 1 Pet. 3:10, 1 John 3:18, and Rev. 16:10 ) This word means the supernatural gift of speaking in an unlearned language. In every case the word refers to a language, and there is no New Testament reference to "glossa" being ecstatic speech. Paul then states the reason for tongues in 1 Cor. 14:22: "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not:"
Is tongues a valid prayer language? The answer is no. At Pentecost it was a sign to unbelieving Jews, in which they heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Acts 2:11, it says that those present testified, ". . . we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." In 1 Corinthians 14:14-15, Paul is correcting the error of using tongues as prayer language. In verse 15 he says that he would pray and sing both with his understanding, because to do otherwise is unfruitful. Plainly Paul is condemning those that had perverted the gift of tongues by teaching it was a prayer language. Earlier in verse 2, he concluded that when men spoke in tongues no one understood but God. He points out the singing and praying in a language that no one else knows does not help that person by teaching those present the truth. This is always in view in the Bible and in the correct use of tongues. Paul emphatically states that tongues is not for believers, but a sign for unbelievers who hear the Gospel truth in their own language. The whole thesis of Paul addressing "tongues" in 1 Corinthians is that no one should be speaking tongues in the presence of others hearers who could not understand what was being said. (1 Cor. 14:33-40)
Using tongues as prayer language clearly violates 1 Corinthians 14:22, and this condemns the modern tongues movement as false, because it teaches in error that it is a special prayer language. Tongues speakers often falsely use Romans 8:26 as their proof text for tongues as a prayer language. But note what the verse really says, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." In this verse tongues is not mentioned or implied. The verse says that the intercession of the Holy Spirit is NOT audible, but "with groaning which cannot be uttered." Modern praying in tongues is verbal and audible, this verse says that the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer is something that CANNOT be uttered. Note that the word "spirit" is not capitalized in 1 Corinthians 14:14. This is not praying in the Holy Spirit, but praying in a person's human spirit. Paul says, "my spirit prayeth" in other words those that practice tongues as a prayer language are not doing so though the Holy Spirit, but by their human spirit. Using 1 Corinthians 14:14 as an example of "praying in tongues" is a gross error. Praying in the spirit, as practiced by the modern tongues movement is promoted as being something highly desired, yet God, speaking through the Apostle Paul condemns it. Today modern tongues is presented as a special spiritual communication with God, but the truth is the Bible does not teach this anywhere! In Verse 9, Paul says that speaking in tongues as the Corinthians were doing was "speaking into the air."
1 Corinthians 14 is a lengthy admonishment against falsely speaking in tongues. It is clear that what the Corinthians were practicing was not Scriptural and Paul is admonishing them to stop. Paul says in verse 19, "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." (1 Corinthians 14:19) Paul is clearing saying that there is no benefit in a person saying something they or others who hear them do not understand. In Verse 6, he says, "Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?" (1 Corinthians 14:6)
A careful reading of Chapter 14, clearly reveals several things:
2. There is no reference in the Bible of a woman speaking in tongues. In 1 Corinthians 14:34, women were forbidden to speak in tongues in public. In contrast to that, in tongues speaking churches today, it is practiced mostly by women. Paul says if they had questions they were to ask their husbands at home. This is a command. If women were not to speak in tongues in public, when were they to practice tongues? The Biblical example is that tongues was a sign gift which was always done in public in front of unbelievers. It leaves no other time for women to use tongues except in private, and then one could ask for what reason would a woman want to speak in tongues, in private, when there are no unbelievers to hear. In two accounts in Scripture of tongues being practiced it specifically states it was men who received the gift.
On the Day of Pentecost: "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? . . . Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine." (Acts 2:8, 13) In Acts 19:7, it says, "And all the men were about twelve." (Acts 19:7) In Acts 10:44, the Bible says the Holy Ghost fell on all who heard the word. Women could have been present although it was not their custom to have women present when men were meeting. Customs of the day separated the men and women in all public meetings, and when other men visited the home.
Paul says in verse 37, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 14:37) Especially note that all these admonishments against tongues are the "commandments of the Lord!" In verse 38, Paul is literally saying a man who will not respect and accept these instructions should not have his words respected in turn. "But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant." (1 Corinthians 14:38)
3. Tongues was a sign to unbelievers, NOT to believers. Today among the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches the gift of tongues is presented as a sign that a believer has received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is contrary to what 1 Corinthians 14:21-22 says. Also, not once in the New Testament are tongues presented as proof of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 and 19, unbelieving Jews were present and some believed and were saved. In Acts 10, it was a sign to the unbelieving Jews that the Gospel was to go to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
Paul states in Romans 8:9, that all believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. He says that if a person does not have the indwelling of the Spirit of God he is not God's child or saved. "Be ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ is none of his." All believers receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment they are saved. This was not so in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit "came upon" the one God had chosen for special service. David is the only person in the Old Testament that the Bible says was continually indwelled by the Spirit of God. (1 Samuel 16:13) On the Day of Pentecost the fifty, who waited in the upper room, were the first to receive the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them, just before He ascended into Heaven, ". . . that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." (Acts 1:4-5) Verse 8, explains that after they received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth." From Pentecost unto the Rapture, all believers are indwelled by the Spirit of God. Jesus told His disciples this truth in John 7:37- 39, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
It is totally a perversion of God's word to teach that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is the indwelling of the Spirit, is some second act of salvation that must be sought and accompanied by speaking in an unlearned language. Ephesians 5:18, instructs believers to "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." There is only one indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but there can be multiple "fillings." A believer can neglect God's presence by letting sin into his life and get out of fellowship with the Lord. The "filling" actually means being controlled by the Holy Spirit. When we sin and disobey God the flesh is in control and not God. However, if we confess our sin and ask God's forgiveness, we then allow the Holy Spirit to take over and thus are "filled" with the Spirit.
4. Paul said that the Corinthians were not to forbid a person from speaking in tongues. More will be said about this later on. The reason for Paul's statement was that tongues was still a valid gift in 56 AD when this book was written. It will be shown later that according to 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, the sign gifts would cease when the Scriptures were complete. This happened around 70 AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jews dispersed all over the earth and the nation of Israel ended and Judaism ceased to be practiced. The offer of the Kingdom was temporarily withdrawn and we live now in the Church Age in which God is working primarily with the Gentiles.
5. The modern tongues movement actually teaches people how to speak in tongues. No one in the Bible had to be trained and taught how to practice the gift of tongues or, for that matter, any special gift from God. In each case the gift was received instantaneously and no one prayed or asked God for the gift. However, today men are taught to pray and diligently seek the gift of tongues.
Don Basham, who was in the early forefront of the Charismatic movement in the 1970's, instructs those trying to practice tongues. He says in his book, A Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism, "If you have been praising God in English, you may find your speech becoming difficult, your voice stammering. Yield to this stammering and the new language will form itself easily. Or you may experience the beginning of this "unknown tongue" by having the Holy Spirit insert strange sounding syllables and words in your mind." (page 106) He continues and says "You may even stutter and stammer like a baby at first. Beginning tongues often sound like baby talk." (p107) Clearly, when God throughout the Bible performed a miracle or gave a special gift, the recipient did not have to be prompted or taught how to receive it. Basham warns his readers that they may think, "That's not it! You're just making up sounds and syllables." But he urges them on and says, "Go ahead and speak and keep on speaking." Clearly, modern tongues speaking is something someone learns to do. Again, there is no comparison between today's "tongues" and the examples in the New Testament; they are completely different.
In all the Bible's instructions on how to pray, tongues is never mentioned. If tongues is a special prayer language between a believer and God, then why is it not mentioned and emphasized. When asked by His disciples how to pray Jesus gave them the model prayer of Matthew 6:9-15. The model prayer shows the one who is praying is to do so intelligently and with specific content. Every prayer recorded in the Bible is show as a person speaking with his full understanding and presenting his praise, supplications and requests before the Lord. I think a good question the person who "prays" in ecstatic speech should ask themselves is this: "How do I know if God answered my prayer when I do not know what I prayed for?"
6. In 1 Corinthians 14:23, Paul says, "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?" Many times I have been told by unsaved men and women of their experience of attending a tongues speaking churches. They report on being greatly alarmed and "turned off" by all the emotional antics they saw. This is what Paul is speaking of here. If an unsaved person comes to our church, they should hear a clear presentation of the Gospel. How could God be in something that actually hinders people from hearing the Gospel? It is interesting that in America, English speaking people would go to certain churches and all they heard were people speaking something they could not understand. Does it make sense that God would give a gift today of speaking some foreign language to someone in a church where everyone speaks the same language! What is the point of having someone speak in a foreign language to people who cannot understand. In many churches today in the west there are Spanish speaking people. Yet, not once in talking to hundreds of Charismatics have I ever heard of some English speaking person, who had never learned a foreign language, witnessing to Spanish speaking people in their native tongue. Paul gives the clear principle in 1 Corinthians 14:33, that if anything causes confusion it is not of God. The Corinthian tongues speakers did not have the biblical gift of tongues because if they did have it there would have been no need for Paul to address this matter.
In 1 Corinthians 14:37, it is clear and imperative that these admonitions against improper use of tongues are to be followed. That leaves no grounds for the unbiblical practices of the modern tongues movement. These instructions Paul gave were commandments from God. If those who practice tongues today would apply these simple admonishments, the modern tongues movement would die over night.
There is no evidence of the continuance of the gift after the period of the early church, nor later in the ministries of the apostles. Only Paul in 1 Corinthians mentions tongues. The modern tongues movement began at turn of the 20th Century as it was unknown in churches after 70 A.D. In approximately 400 Lectionaries, which were the written sermons and teachings of those who followed in the church after the apostles, there is no mention of tongues. If it was being practiced by first and second century churches why did not these church "fathers" mention it? The answer is obvious: it was because this sign gift had ceased. In 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, Paul clearly states that tongues would cease as well as "prophecies" and "knowledge." "Prophecies" and "knowledge" are both references to the supernatural writing of the Scriptures. The question is why did Paul single out prophesies, tongues and knowledge as being temporary? It is unmistakable that he says these things would cease.
The context of this passage is Paul addressing the improper use of the sign gifts and explaining what they truly were. In the middle of the discourse Paul gives us a contrast or illustration. He uses love (charity) as an example of something that will never cease. "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. " (1 Cor. 13:8) He says love would not cease, but prophecy, tongues and knowledge would. Each of these three things deals with God giving forth His revelation to man. In other words, Paul says that the writing and completion of God's Word would in time stop. The word "prophecies" is plural and refers to many prophecies. The word is made up of two Greek words "pro" meaning "before" and "phemi" meaning "to speak." Literally it means to "speak before." Its primary use was in speaking "before" people and preaching or proclaiming the Word of God. Its normal meaning was not "foretelling" or predicting the future, but rather preaching the Word of God before people. In the early churches the Apostles literally spoke the Word of God that was not yet written. This is what the passage is referring to. After 95 AD, when the canon of Scripture was complete by the writing of the Book of Revelation, this type of prophecy ended. From that point on the "teacher" has been used of God to prophesy what God had recorded in the written Word of God. Therefore Paul said that in time the giving of revelation from God, which was the written Word of God, would end.
The word "tongues" refers to the supernatural gift, as recorded in the Book of Acts, which was a supernatural sign given to believing Jews to attest that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and that the message of the Apostles that proclaimed this truth was accurate. Thus the sign gift of tongues was related to God giving revelation, in that it was a supernatural gift that authenticated Jesus as the Messiah and the message of His disciples as being valid. Therefore the gift of tongues was tied to divine revelation.
The word "knowledge" is also related to a supernatural understanding of the Word of God before it was written. The word used is "gnosis" and primarily is used as "a seeking to know, an enquiry, or investigation." It also refers to being able to know and understand God's revelation and be able to communicate that knowledge to others. Jesus spoke of this ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 16:13-14, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide the apostles in knowing the Word of God and reveal to them the things to come.
Therefore prophecy, tongues and knowledge are singled out as ending because they are each revelational. Further the words prophecies and knowledge use the same verb which is in the future passive tense. However, the word "tongues" is in the middle voice which means they would cease automatically of themselves. (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, New York:Harper & Row, 1931, p179) It shows that Paul is using this verse to show the contrast of love with the temporary gifts. Love is permanent, but prophecy, tongues and knowledge which were related to the giving of divine revelation were only temporary.
In 1 Corinthians 13:9-10 says, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. "
In other words when the canon of Scripture (that which is perfect) would be completed there would no longer be any need of these special gifts that were related to revelation of the Testament Scriptures, which were at that time in the process of being written. Some have concluded that the verse is a reference to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. However, that is impossible because in verse 10, the word "perfect," is neuter in gender. In the Bible, where there is a reference to the Lord Jesus, He is always referred to in the masculine gender. The word "perfect" is neuter and thus a "thing" and not a person. The "thing" from the context is easily understood as a reference to the Word of God, because that is what "prophecy" and "knowledge" are related to. If the word "perfect" was masculine it could legitimately be referring to Christ, but as a neuter noun it cannot be a reference to Christ. The word "perfect" is clearly related to the afore mentioned prophecy, tongues and knowledge, therefore it is linked grammatically with giving divine revelation, not the Second Coming of Christ. There in nothing in this discourse that hints that this is about Christ's Second Coming. What is in view is the giving of revelation and specifically the verse is saying when revelation is "perfect" meaning completed, the process of God's giving revelation would end.
Paul then makes his statements even clearer by using the illustration of being like a child. He says, in 1 Corinthians 13:11-12: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." The illustration points out the difference between being partial and being complete. A child has only partial understanding, but an adult has full understanding. Paul continues with another illustration which contrasts being about to see through a darkened glass and being able to see something face to face. Paul was explaining to the Corinthians that at that point in time, they had only a partial revelation of God's word, but in time it would be completed. He used this instruction to point out their misunderstanding and how seriously wrong was their use of tongues. Like the modern tongues movement, around 50AD the Corinthians were not practicing biblical tongues.
We must understand that the gift of tongues was still to some degree valid because Israel was still a nation and the offer of the Kingdom was still valid. God was offering the Jews the Kingdom and therefore tongues was still a sign gift to point them to Jesus as the Messiah. Therefore Paul did not speak against the valid gift of tongues, but against its misuse and corruption. In God's providence and long suffering, He continued for the next twenty years to offer the Kingdom to the Jews, but they rejected God and His offer. In 70 AD Israel was destroyed and the offer was withdrawn until the Church Age is finished. In the future Seven Year Tribulation the offer will be renewed and Israel restored with the Jewish people, in the end, receiving their Messiah and promised Kingdom. Paul's discourse in 1 Corinthians 12-14 was effective in ending the abuse of the sign gifts and therefore starting with 2 Corinthians they are not spoken of in the churches anymore. In 90-95 AD, when John finished the Book of Revelation, the period of the sign gifts ended and therefore they are not valid today!