Steps to Life

Prophecy Seminar

Session 19: The Tongues Speaking Movement

In our last session on "The United States in Prophecy," we noted that something is going to happen in America to unite the majority of Protestants and Catholics in working toward a common goal of religious legislation, which will include enforcing the mark of the Beast (that is, laws enforcing Sunday observance), in order to cure the evils of a permissive society and to bring again the blessings of God upon this nation.

In our upcoming lesson on "Armageddon and the Seven Last Plagues," we will note more of the prophetic particulars of this unholy union of spiritual interests. It will be through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, that Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While belief in the immortality of the soul lays the foundation for spiritualism, through which Satan will be able to deceive the masses, reverence for Sunday creates a bond of sympathy between Protestants and Rome.

The Protestants of the United States, as noted in our last seminar, will be foremost in accepting the delusions of Spiritualism, and through this great spiritualistic power will be enabled to generate a great religious revival. This revival will bring about a spirit of ecumenicalism and will cause the Protestants of the United States to reach across the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power. As noted in our last lesson, and as will be noted even more clearly in the study of Armageddon, this threefold power of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Spiritualism will cause this country to follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.

Today we already see this development taking place all around. Years ago, it was only by faith that these clear Bible prophecies could be accepted, but today we already see them beginning to be fulfilled. We are living in exciting times. We are living in the very day and age foretold to exist just before the return of Jesus.

A Unifying Force In Christendom

The Bible makes clear that before Jesus’ second coming most of Christendom will unite in trampling upon the commandments of God and in following the Beast: "All the world marveled and followed the beast" after "his deadly wound (which occurred in 1798) was healed" (Revelation 13:3).

Today we are already witnessing a unity and harmony developing between Protestants and the Papacy that would never have seemed possible years ago. What is it that the Bible says will bring about this final union?

Revelation 13:12 "And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

This union will be accomplished through the performance of "great signs," even to making "fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

Undoubtedly, literal fire will be called down from heaven in some of the spiritual revivals to take place—in fact, such occurrences are not uncommon even today in some charismatic meetings. Yet, in a prophetic book, we must understand the meaning of the symbols.

"Fire," throughout the Bible, stands for the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:3 "Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

On the day of Pentecost, all the believers in Christ were united, which brought about the true gift of tongues and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which was symbolized by the appearance of fire from heaven.

But in Revelation 13:13 we have pictured a counterfeit gift of the Holy Spirit, also appearing to be as fire from heaven, which also unifies people. However, on the day of Pentecost, truth and unity came FIRST and then the gift of the Holy Spirit; whereas in Revelation 13:13 the manifestation of the spirit comes first, which then leads to unity.

This is a very important difference, for Satan can counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit, and if we are trusting in the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us and to unify us, Satan can easily supply the apparent manifestation and can thereby lead and manipulate us into unitedly following him. This is exactly what is pictured in Revelation 13.

The True and the Counterfeit

On the day of Pentecost, the believers were all united in love to God and obedience to His truth as revealed in His Holy Word, and then, and not until then, was the Holy Spirit manifested in their midst (Acts 1:14; 2:1). In Revelation 13 the false gift of the Holy Spirit is poured out, which leads people to love the Beast and to trample upon the requirements of God’s Holy Law as revealed in His Word. It is therefore readily apparent that there is a vast difference in the purpose and influence of the two "Holy Spirit" manifestations as outlined in Acts 2:1–4 and in Revelation 13:13. The latter is clearly a counterfeit. As a counterfeit, and since its purpose is to deceive, its outward manifestation is as close to the genuine as Satan can make it. As with any counterfeit, the closer the resemblance, the greater power it has to deceive. This counterfeit deceives the whole world.

Is There a Unifying, Spiritualistic Force Emerging Today?

One of the greatest religious phenomenon of the day is the rapid growth of the tongues-speaking movement. Speaking in tongues is also referred to as ecstatic utterances, or, using the Greek word, "glossolalia." As far back as 1958, Life magazine made this startling statement in regard to the tongues-speaking movement. It called it "the Third-Force—a development as important as was the birth of Catholicism and Protestantism. . . . The Third Force in Christendom"—June 9, 1958, p. 11. Yes, it is the third force, and it is uniting them all together.

Tongues-speaking, though once condemned and abhorred by Protestant Churches, has now become an accepted part of most denominations. By 1973, Rene Noorbergen in his book Glossolalia reported: "Once ultra-conservative, the Methodist Church now harbors tongues-speaking lay-members and clergymen. The Episcopalians have embraced its principles so strongly that their leaders and those of the Assemblies of God (one of the original Pentecostal groups) have already met in conference to discuss their mutual problems associated with the growing ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Baptists, too, speak in tongues. The Southern Baptist Convention, the American Baptist Convention, and the Baptist Bible Fellowship have within their ranks theologians who practice their new-found spiritual gifts. Many Presbyterians also speak in tongues, while almost 10 percent of America’s Lutheran congregations boast of active glossolalia cells in their midst"—p. 10.

Tongues-speaking is prominent throughout Protestantism, but is it leading people to obey the commandments of God? If this is an apostolic gift, is it leading them back to apostolic Sabbath-keeping? Is it leading them to understand and thus be protected from receiving the mark of the Beast? Is it leading them to a clearer understanding of the Bible? No, but rather, as the Bible said it would, it is leading them into a closer union and fellowship with the Beast power of Revelation 13.

The Catholic Church, too, though not experiencing it as soon as the Protestants did, are now feeling the influence of the glossolalia movement. While the Protestants began to accept this supposed manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the late 1950s and early 1960s, which has continued to grow in acceptance ever since, the Catholic Church did not begin to experience the phenomenon until the late 1960s. But so fast did it grow in the Catholic Church that already by 1972, according to the Washington Star, there were an estimated 250,000 tongues-speaking Catholics in America alone—March 11, 1972, p. 8. In Catholic institutions today it is prevalent among laity, nuns, and priests alike. Today, in the Vatican itself, many of the Cardinals are participants and leaders in meetings of ecstatic utterance.

Could this be the spiritualistic manifestation that unifies the Catholics and the Protestants of America? It at least seems to be accomplishing this purpose. It has not united them organizationally, but it is uniting them in fellowship and purpose, as the prophecy predicted would happen. Ecumenical conferences are being initiated by leading Catholic and Protestant clergymen, designed to bring the two together in spirit and in work. And what is the uniting element tongues-speaking.

This phenomenon has the potential of uniting the interests of the churches of America. Could this be a fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelation 13? Revelation 13 also informs us that, not only will there be an ecumenical movement in America, but from America it will spread throughout the world. The Bible says, "He (those from the United States) deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do" (Revelation 13:14). Here again we find the tongues-speaking movement beginning to infiltrate almost every country of the world. It is rampant in South America and is growing throughout Europe, Africa, and in parts of Asia. So again we ask, could the tongues-speaking movement, with its accompanying miracles, and signs, be the unifying force spoken of in Revelation 13? Could we be witnessing the final fulfillments of prophecy? The tongues-speaking movement, with its accompanying miracles, seems to fit the particulars of Revelation 13, but let us look a little deeper and ask a few more questions.

Is Speaking in Tongues Biblical?

The question that is often asked is, "Is speaking in tongues biblical?" Yes, as we have already noted, the early disciples spoke in tongues in Acts 2. Could it be that the current tongues-speaking movement is the genuine gift of the Holy Spirit given in these last days to convert the world? Doesn’t the Bible say that tongues would be a sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Doesn’t the Bible say that the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh in the last days?

These are all questions that need to be answered. It would certainly be a wonderful thing if all the world were converted before Jesus comes—there is nothing that would be more wonderful. But the Bible says that all the world is going to wonder after the Beast and only a few are going to be saved. However, it would be wonderful if most of the world were converted, wouldn’t it? If fact, it would be so wonderful, that if anyone really believed that it was actually happening through this spiritualistic phenomenon, as many people do, it would be very easy to hate and persecute anyone who should oppose this movement. After all, if it really was the Holy Spirit at work, anyone opposing it would be opposing the Holy Spirit.

It is easy to see how, as this movement continues to grow bigger and bigger, it could appear to those in the movement that the whole world is going to be converted and God is therefore going to take away all the troubles of the world and bring in everlasting peace and prosperity. It is also easy to see how, if a person really believed that, he could be very adamant and even hateful against anyone who should oppose and speak against such a movement.

Could this lead to persecution? Will there be persecution in the last days?

Revelation 13:13 "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. . . . 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed."

Thus, following the false revival brought about by the counterfeit gift of the Holy Spirit in the last days, there will be persecution toward those who refuse to go along with this movement. It would be very wonderful indeed if all the world were converted—it would have been wonderful if all the world had been converted in the days of Noah; it would have been wonderful if all the world had been converted in the days of Jesus; but just wishing it will not make it happen. We must face the facts. Jesus would accept the conversion of every individual and be overjoyed—but conversion means conversion; not just some outward manifestation, not just a profession, but a change of life and character. Conversion means having God write His law in our hearts. Conversion means obedience to God. Conversion means rejecting the delusions of Satan, but this is not the kind of religion the world wants. The world doesn’t want to change its beliefs, practices and traditions. What the world wants is a good feeling and the supposed assurance of being saved, and that is exactly what Satan can very easily supply.

Every spiritualistic manifestation is either a counterfeit or it is true, but we need to make very sure which it is.

1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

The Bible says to test the spirits, and it gives the standards whereby we are to test them. Let us look at the Bible tests for spiritualistic manifestations.

To Those Who Have Spoken In Tongues

Before testing the gift of tongues according to the Bible, let me say a word of caution. If we are really going to test the spirits, we may find some to be genuine and some counterfeit. This being the case, some of us could find that we have received a genuine or a counterfeit gift. There are probably many here at this seminar who have received the gift of tongues. I am sure that if you are one of them, that you became involved in whatever charismatic group you have been a part of in order to have a closer walk with Jesus, and I am sure that is why you are here tonight. If, as we study the biblical tests for the true gifts of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, you find out that you have been deceived, let me assure you that Jesus still loves you, and He is guiding you as far as you are willing for Him to—He has guided you here tonight. God will never condemn us for making an honest mistake unless we refuse to change when He gives us opportunity to learn the truth. If you have received the gift of tongues, let me urge you to be very candid and open in your thinking as we investigate exactly what the Bible says about the Spirit’s manifestations.

Testing the Spirits

As we have read, the Bible says "not (to) believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1).

To me, one of the most outstanding features of the modern glossolalia movement is the blind acceptance of so many of its adherents to the spirit’s control without any testing of the spirit at all. Over and over again I run into this. The Bible says to "test the spirits," but many people have never bothered to test the spirit behind tongues-speaking at all, as though that were something too hard for the Devil to do. Listen, if even a mortal can counterfeit glossolalia, how much more can a miracle-working devil.

A minister once approached my brother on a point of Bible doctrine about which he disagreed. He gave a couple of texts from the Bible to prove his position. My brother proceeded, as kindly as he could, to show him how he had misunderstood those passages and proceeded to share with him about twenty to twenty-five passages of Scripture that clearly explained the subject. When my brother had finished, he did not have one scriptural text left to support his position, but he was still sure that what he believed was truth, even though the Bible did not give any evidence for it at all, but said just the opposite. That puzzled me. He explained to me that he knew that what he believed was the truth, notwithstanding the Bible, because he had received the gift of tongues, and this tongues-speaking spirit witnessed to the fact that what he was saying was truth.

Yet, I could have gone right down the street and found someone else with a different philosophy who also spoke in tongues, and he also would have known that what he believed was the truth, too, because he also had received the witness of the Spirit. Listen, friend, if the spirit isn’t speaking according to the plain Word of God, it is not the right spirit. Even people who don’t know anything about the Bible can recognize the fact that somebody must be wrong. By just looking around they can see a multitude of charismatic groups all teaching different things. Here is manifested a spirit that is leading all men everywhere, giving witness to their teaching, whatever they may believe, as long as they are not keeping the law of God. Everyone teaches something different, yet it is testified that each is correct—this is Babylon for sure (the word Babylon comes from the word "Babel," which means "a confusion of sounds or voices" Webster). Is God the God of confusion? Are there many truths, all equally acceptable with God?

Ephesians 4:4 "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism."

Can a cardinal of the Catholic Church of Rome who believes the pope to be the vicar of Christ, that he himself has the power to forgive sins, and that you should pray to saints, I ask, can that person and a Protestant minister who believes that only Jesus can forgive sins, that you should pray only to God, and that it is blasphemy to claim equality with Christ—both be right? I ask in all seriousness, if we will only be logical, how can they both be right? Both have at times condemned or excommunicated the other. Both have called the other a cult. If we will be rational, how can the Holy Spirit recognize both of them, and yet lead neither one of them to change his beliefs?

Here is a phenomenon that manifests itself among scores of religious movements, all with different beliefs, and yet testifying that each of them is correct. The Bible says there is only "one body and one Spirit. . . one hope. . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:4,5). The word "body" symbolizes a church. Paul says that God gave Christ "to be head over all things to the church, which is His body" (Ephesians 1:22,23). Paul says there is only one true body, one true spirit, one true hope, one true faith, and one true baptism. But here is a spirit that recognizes many bodies, many spirits, many faiths, and many types of baptisms. Clearly, the modern glossolalia movement does not meet this biblical test.

Speaking of Bible tests, while many charismatics study their Bible daily, some do not even feel they need the Bible. My brother was flying in a United 727 from Denver, Colorado, to Ontario, California, a few years ago and sat next to the business manager for a prominent charismatic faith healer on television. If I should mention his name you would all know him. He is probably the most famous faith healer known today. This man both speaks in tongues and heals people. I asked him about the Bible. He said he didn’t need the Bible because the Holy Spirit guided him directly. Imagine! He did not need the Bible.

What kind of spirit is this that he had? The Bible says to test the spirits and yet here was a person who did not feel he even needed the Bible whereby it could be tested. Was that the true Holy Spirit that led him to discard the Bible? Sad to say, I find that many people who have the gift of tongues do not go by any test of the spirit other than feelings and emotions. When asking many charismatic adherents how they know it is the Holy Spirit they have, and they often say, "Oh, it has to be the Holy Spirit."

The next question is why it has to be. How do you know it is?

Their answer is, "The spirit testifieth from within."

There are many Bible tests for the spirits, but the one the Bible NEVER mentions is the test of feelings and appearance. In fact, that is the one the Bible ALWAYS warns against.

2 Corinthians 11:13 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."

The only test the Bible says NOT to use to test the spirits is the ONLY test most people use. Is it any wonder that the world is going to be deceived? We have scores of chapters of prophecy God has given to us to protect us from being deceived, but these are not appreciated or understood. Friends, people are being fooled today by the millions. Anyone who will accept anything as being from heaven just because of some outward manifestation is going to be fooled every time.

Matthew 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

2 Thessalonians 2:8 "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

The great warnings of the Bible, over and over again, are, to be careful of supernatural powers—there is very little positive said about the supernatural in the last days; most of the Bible comments are serious warnings and cautions. And the TEST given every time is, does it speak according to the TRUTH? NEVER, even one time, does the Bible speak of the outward manifestation as a sign to be used in the last days.

2 Thessalonians 2 says that those who are looking for miracles more than the truth are going to be deceived and lost. And GOD WILL NOT PROTECT THEM FROM BEING DECEIVED unless they love and search for the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Notice, these people will be very "sincere" (except for the fact that they did not really love the truth—they turned away from it). This verse says that they would really "believe the lie," but this does NOT save them, rather they will "ALL. . . be condemned."

People will be so deceived by these miracles and false gift of tongues that when Jesus comes they will REALLY BELIEVE they are saved—so much so that they will even argue with God about it.

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "

Notice, these people are Christians, for they call Jesus, "Lord." They have actually worked miracles in Jesus’ name—and they will think they are very sincere about it and will truly believe they are saved—BUT THEY WILL BE ABSOLUTELY LOST JUST THE SAME—they have been deceived by the greatest deceiver of all times, Satan.

This is a very serious thing. There could be nothing more fearful in all the world than to really think you are saved, have many wonderful works to prove it and have made great sacrifices, only to find out after it was too late that you are eternally lost. And why are they lost? Why were they deceived? Because they practiced, "lawlessness." Ah, there it is again—that great test of the spirits and of our Christian experience—THE KEEPING OF THE LAW OF GOD. Over and over again in the Bible, that is the great test of the manifestation of a true spirit versus the manifestation of a false spirit, and of a true Christian experience versus a false Christian experience.

Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

The law of God is given as the great standard by which to judge the manifestation of the spirits. This is THE test God has given—the first great test of spirit manifestations. God has pledged Himself never to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit through anyone who is not keeping His law. This is not a threat, but a great protection. There is no way to tell from outward manifestations, from feelings, or from some inner sixth sense, a good spirit from an evil spirit. Therefore, God has given some guidelines wherein He will always work.

Satan has always worked against God’s law, because this shows obedience and submission to Him. Satan has set up his own laws in order to bring us into submission to him instead of God. This is the great dividing line. Shall we be specific, the ONE commandment above all other commandments that is the dividing line between the true and the false is the SABBATH commandment.

Everything in the last days revolves around the heavenly sanctuary with its judgment and the seventh-day Sabbath. Remember, that is that last warning message to the world. It is the change of the Sabbath to Sunday observance that is the mark of the Beast’s authority and the boasted proof of its power. The great issue of the last days is the Sabbath according to the law of God, versus Sunday sacredness according to the Beast. The one constitutes the sign of allegiance to God, while the other constitutes the sign of allegiance to the Beast and to Satan. That is why Satan doesn’t care what a person believes—he can be a Protestant, Catholic, spiritualist or whatever—as long as he doesn’t keep the law of God.

No special gift of the Holy Spirit ever has been, or ever will be given to someone who is not keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. Through the Dark Ages and the Protestant Reformation, while there were always some who were true Sabbath-keepers, such as many of the Waldenses, yet there were many other good Christians and reformers who were following all the light they had but had not had opportunity to really learn about the Sabbath. There was Martin Luther, John Wesley, John Knox, and Wycliffe—great men of God—but to none of them did God give the special gifts of the Holy Spirit such as we find in the apostolic church. They were God’s instruments to bring us back, step by step, to Bible truth; but none of them claimed to have the gift of prophecy or tongues or healing. If God should pour out the gifts of His Spirit upon those who were not keeping His Sabbath, unless it led them to keep it, there would be no way to differentiate the true gift from the false.

It is a very solemn thing, friend, but it is true; there is no Sunday-keeping church in the world that has the true gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are many sincere Christians all through these churches, and God’s Holy Spirit works on the hearts of all men everywhere, but God has not given them the specific GIFTS of His Spirit, such as the gift of tongues, healing, or prophecy, though many who believe they have these gifts are sincere Christians.

Today we find the supposed gifts of the Holy Spirit rampant throughout the Sunday-keeping churches, and this "supposed" Holy Spirit is not leading them to change their lawlessness and to start keeping the Sabbath. This spirit, therefore, does not meet the test that God gave for the Spirit in Isaiah 8:20.

Through whose power, then, are these miracles and ecstatic utterances being done? Could Satan, "who deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9), be involved in some of these spirit manifestations?

The History of Glossolalia

What today is called "speaking in tongues," is not a new manifestation, nor was it originally Christian. In the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly encountered Satan speaking through individuals; and He always clearly pointed out who it was that was behind the strange noises coming out of them.

Mark 1:23 "Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out. . . . 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him."

Mark 5:5 "And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. . . . 8 For He (Jesus) said to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit!’ "

In the Mark 5 account, Satan, besides speaking through the man, also caused him to mutilate himself. In these last days, Satan will not often cause his tongues-speaking followers to do this because he is trying to imitate and infiltrate Christianity. In the last days his ministers are going to "transform themselves into ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:15). These false ministers will actually believe, however, that they are the ministers of righteousness as they profess to be (Matthew 7:21–23, 2 Thessalonians 2:8–10). The point is, and don’t miss it, that in Jesus’ day Satan did make noises and speak through people and even take control of their bodily movements, causing them to go into convulsions. Jesus recognized this power as being the wrong spirit manifestation.

This is that same power we are so clearly told of in prophecy that would fill the world in the last days, masquerading itself in the garb of Christianity.

Not only was a false manifestation of glossolalia evident in Christ’s day, but it also goes back in recorded history long before that. In 1100 B.C., it is recorded that a young Amon (the sun god) worshiper of Egypt attracted historic notoriety when he suddenly became possessed by a god and began to emit sounds in a strange ecstatic "tongue." It happened again in the heathen city of Byblos, a temple city of historic Lebanon, and is recorded in the ancient "Report of Wenamon"—Archaeology and The Bible, George A. Barton, Philadelphia: ``American Sunday School Union," 1916, p. 353.

The Greek philosopher, Plato, also made mention in his time of this "gift" in his work entitled Phaedrus. "He referred to several families who, according to him, practiced ecstatic speech, praying, and utterings while possessed. Continuing further, he pointed out that these practices even brought physical healing to those who engaged in them. Plato, together with most of his contemporaries, asserted that these occurrences were caused by divine inspiration. To support this view, he suggested (in Timaeus) that God takes possession of the mind while man sleeps or is possessed, and that during this state, God inspires him with utterances and/or visions which he can neither understand nor interpret.

"Virgil, too, during the last century before Christ, described in Aeneid the activities of the Sybilline priestess on the island of Delos. He attributed her ecstatic tongues to the result of her being unified with the god Apollo, a state that enveloped her while she meditated in a haunted cave amidst the eerie sounds of the wind, playing strange music through the narrow crevices in the rocks"—Glossolalia, Rene Noorbergen, Copyright 1973, p. 26.

Yes, glossolalia dates back long before Pentecost. In fact, the Bible itself refers to it back in the days of Isaiah and associates it with the sorcerers and mediums of his time.

Isaiah 8:19 "And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

Even today ecstatic tongues-speaking is often associated with spiritualistic mediums. Listen to this quotation:

"One of the newer phenomena in the field of religion is the interest in glossolalia. . . . When modern spiritualism came into being in 1848, a great many early mediums experienced this phenomenon and it has continued to some extent in our organization. . . . No doubt glossolalia will be of great assistance to the merging groups"—Robert J. MacDonald at the 77th Annual Spiritualistic Convention. (MacDonald was the president of the movement.)

The Experience at Pentecost

If ecstatic tongues-speaking has been around for thousands of years, going back to Babylon and Egypt, what was it that happened at Pentecost?

What happened at Pentecost was different from anything that had happened before or that had ever been associated with any heathen religion. The experience at Pentecost was not an experience in ecstatic tongues-speaking, but it was the sudden, instantaneous gift that the Holy Spirit gave to the disciples to rationally communicate the gospel to people of other languages. Let us read the account carefully.

Acts 2:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.’ "

The "tongues" the disciples had at Pentecost was the ability to speak in foreign languages. The text says there were many foreigners in Jerusalem at Pentecost time and the Lord gave the disciples the ability to communicate with these people who spoke foreign languages. The Bible is very plain on this point, in fact it records fifteen of the specific languages the disciples spoke in. Three times in this account it mentions that the people said, "we hear, each in our own language in which we were born."

Some people say this was a miracle that enabled everyone to hear in his own language while one person spoke, but notice, it does not call it the "gift of ears" but the "gift of tongues." Notice also that it was the apostles and believers who received this gift, not the multitude. The gift came upon all of them and they "began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance." There was Philip talking to one group and James talking to another. The priests who did not know these other languages thought these people were crazy or drunk, but the people to whom they were speaking recognized it as being in their own language.

Acts 2:11 " ‘We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.’ 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’ "

The gift of tongues at Pentecost was the sudden gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples to speak foreign languages that were previously unknown to them. The word "tongue" here could properly be translated as "language." The disciples were given the gift of languages. The Greeks and Hebrews spoke of languages as tongues. We, in fact, often do the same thing today. For example, I might ask someone who was speaking with an accent, "What is your mother tongue?" What I really mean is, "What is your native language?" Thus it was in the New Testament.

Jesus had given the disciples a great commission, recorded just a few verses before the account of Pentecost. The experience at Pentecost made it possible for the disciples to carry out Jesus’ commission. Whenever God asks us to do something, He always gives us the ability to do it.

Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

The disciples were to be witnesses of Christ throughout the world, but how could they do that if they did not know the languages of the world? God miraculously gave them a knowledge of other languages.

If you think about it, that is truly a miracle—to change the synapses and actual patterns of the brain so that a person can instantaneously talk and think in another language. It is no great miracle to merely make a noise through a person, any demon or the devil can do that. Some people can even get so excited they can do it on their own. But that wasn’t the gift the disciples had. They weren’t making some great exhibition of themselves, they were teaching about Jesus and appealing to the rational elements of the mind. As the Lord said once before, "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18). The disciples went forth to make plain the mysteries of the gospel to all the people of the world in the local languages of the people. Thomas went to India, Paul to Europe, and other disciples went elsewhere, preaching the gospel, the mysteries of salvation through Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul plainly states that they preached it to every creature of the world.

Colossians 1:23 "If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister."

The disciples could not cover the whole world all by themselves. When they made converts of people, they too were to become missionaries. Therefore, many of them were also given the gift of tongues or other languages.

Acts 10:44 "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days."

Luke, in order to help us understand for sure that this was the same gift of foreign languages which the disciples had previously received, records three statements of Peter to confirm this fact:

1. "The Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning" (Acts 11:15).

2. "God gave them the same gift as He gave us" (Acts 11:17).

3. "By giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us" (Acts 15:8).

It is true that these people were not out preaching the gospel yet, but God prepared them so that they could be His missionaries. Thus we find that the first two experiences of the true tongues-speaking recorded in the Bible are actually the speaking of foreign, previously unknown-to-them languages. It might surprise you to find out that there is only one more recorded occurrence of actual tongues-speaking in the whole Bible, and that is found in Acts 19:6, and here it doesn’t comment on the incident. But Luke, the author of Acts, has already thoroughly explained, in the previous two accounts of tongues-speaking, what Pentecostal tongues-speaking is all about. Certainly, after an author of a book has twice, in great detail, explained what he means by a certain term, we should be able to understand what he means the third time.

We have now covered EVERY instance of actual tongues-speaking in the New Testament. There is another place that it is talked about, and that is in 1 Corinthians 12–14. It should be remembered that Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians, and Luke, who wrote Acts, were traveling companion missionaries. Much of Luke’s account is the history of Paul’s work. By even human literary standards, if both men should use the same terminology they should both be understood to refer to the same thing, but this is not a mere human book; it is a divine book. The Holy Spirit is the real author of each of these books. By the Holy Spirit’s own direction, He specifically states that if we are going to know the truth, every statement of the Bible must be viewed in the light of every other occurrence of that same statement.

Isaiah 28:9 "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

This, then, must be our guide to understanding 1 Corinthians 12–14.

Problems in Corinth

Corinth was a seaport city that was especially diversified with different languages, and so the Lord gave many of the believers in His church there the ability to communicate the mysteries of the gospel to these people of other cultures and languages. But the Corinthians misused the gift of tongues. For one thing, those who had been given this gift of tongues thought that everyone else who was really converted should have received it also. Because they had received it, it somehow put them on a pedestal. What did Paul say about this?

1 Corinthians 12:11 "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. . . . 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. . . . 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?"

The Holy Spirit decides who gets what gift, and He distributes to each one differently. Moreover, Paul says, the gift of tongues is the least of all the gifts, not the most important. It is nice to be able to communicate in other languages, but unless you have something to say in those languages, what good is it? Paul then enumerates the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church: "First," he said, is "apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations," and last of all, "varieties of tongues."

In fact, so inferior was the gift of tongues when compared to the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, that of the three different listings of the gifts of the Spirit that Paul gave (Romans 12:3–8; Ephesians 4:7–12; 1 Corinthians 12:4–10,28), this one in 1 Corinthians 12 is the ONLY one in which he even mentions the gift of tongues at all. Here he mentions it last, and he mentions it as a rebuke to those who thought it was so important.

Paul is rebuking the Corinthian believers because some of the people who had received the gift of tongues, so that they could communicate to others who spoke foreign languages, "showed off" their great "gift of tongues" by preaching and praying in those foreign languages in church. But, Paul said, when this is done, no one is edified, and the gifts were given to edify the church (Ephesians 4:12).

1 Corinthians 14:1 "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophecy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue [language] does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries."

Some versions supply the word "unknown" or "ecstatic" before tongues but these were put in by the translators, not by Paul.

If you pray and preach the mysteries of God in a foreign language that no one else in the congregation knows, Paul says, who is being edified? You are only talking to God, but to all others you are but a barbarian. Now notice very carefully the following verses:

1 Corinthians 14:9 "So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. 12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. . . . 19 Yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue."

Paul doesn’t totally condemn someone for speaking in a foreign language in church—there may even be someone who only knows another language but they should have an interpreter when they speak.

1 Corinthians 14:13 "Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. . . . 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God."

It would not be difficult to understand 1 Corinthians 14 if we compared it with the rest of what the Bible says about tongues. We, in fact, have some of the same phenomena today that were practiced in Corinth. There are churches today that sing and pray in some foreign language—Latin for instance. Sometimes the congregation may even learn the foreign words, Hebrew or Latin or whatever, for a certain song of prayer and join in—but are they edified? Paul says no.

1 Corinthians 14:14 "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the result then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified."

1 Corinthians 14:14 and 15 are the only two texts in all the Bible that can possibly be used to support what is known today as ecstatic utterances, and then only if they are taken out of context. Verse 14 says, "If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." What does it mean for a speaker’s understanding to bear fruit? It means to get his point across to the congregation and to make them understand what he is saying. Verses 14-17 are one unit and to quote verses 14 or 15 without also quoting verses 16 and 17 is to take them out of context. Verse 17 says, "For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified."

1 Corinthians 14, like all other references to tongues in the New Testament, is talking about foreign languages. The modern ecstatic utterances is not the same as the New Testament manifestation of tongues. What is known as tongues-speaking today is that same phenomenon that has been around for thousands of years, going back to Egypt.

The Gift of Tongues Today

The gift of tongues is never mentioned in the Bible as a special gift for the last days. There are true gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has promised for the last days and we will look at those tomorrow night, but never is the gift of tongues one of those that are mentioned for the last days. Yet, in doing missionary work, God is still fully able to supply the true gift of tongues wherever needed.

Pastor Hugh Stevenson, who was a Sabbath-keeping pastor in South Africa. Once, while he was giving an evangelistic series to one of the native tribes who did not understand English, his interpreter did not show up. What was he to do? By faith he got up to speak and as he opened his mouth he instantly understood the local language and was able to communicate the gospel to them and win many souls to Christ. You know, he knew that dialect from then on. Yes, God is still as powerful today as He was in Pentecostal days, and He gives whatever gifts we need in order to fulfill His commission to take the gospel to the world.

What was it that the Holy Spirit was given for in the first place?

John 16:13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."

"He will guide you into all truth." There we have that all important thing again—TRUTH. What God is interested in today, as always, is truth. The Holy Spirit is interested in teaching and instructing us, not in putting on a show. The gift of tongues was given to the disciples so that they could teach truth to the people of other languages.

The Holy Spirit was given to "glorify Jesus," by teaching about Him. He is to guide us into "all truth." But the amazing thing is that many people who have supposedly received the Holy Spirit care nothing about the real truth, they are self-satisfied with error.

Undoubtedly there are many, many true Christians who are today practicing a counterfeit gift of tongues, either through emotionalism or through Satan’s power itself. In Jesus’ day there were many good people who had been deceived by Satan. In fact, we have all been deceived by Satan to a certain extent at some time, somewhere along the line. But today Jesus is calling for us to come out from among these groups and to separate ourselves from them, and I cannot but give that call in this lesson, for once the Lord has given us the opportunity to know the truth, we cannot remain in these groups except at the peril of our souls.

Revelation 18:1 "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’ 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’ "

Many of God’s truest children are in Sunday-keeping and tongues-speaking churches, but as the deceiving power of Satan begins to take more and more control, they CANNOT remain there without being likewise deceived. That is why God is giving the last warning message, with a loud voice, to the world today, which says, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, and the sea and springs of water" (Revelation 14:7).

Today Christendom, by and large, has fallen and Satan is stepping into the void and taking the place of God, whom they have rejected. What they lack in obedience to God, Satan is making up for with signs and wonders and lying manifestations. God says to "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins and partake of her plagues." Revelation 18:4.

When Jesus comes, you will either be part of Babylon—those religious groups who are breaking God’s law and having spiritualistic miracles and manifestations in their midst, or you will be part of the remnant who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

Just like in the days of Noah, before the world is destroyed, God gives a final warning message to give everybody an opportunity to make a decision—which side are you going to be on? Are you going to be part of those whom Revelation calls saints—those who keep the commandments, or are you going to stay in Babylon, keeping Sunday or Friday—any day but the day God says to keep—and be deceived by spiritualistic manifestations?

God sees multitudes of people about to be destroyed, and today, before the destructive judgments of God come that we will study about next week-end, God is calling through His Holy Spirit. The Lord is saying to people, "This is the way; walk in it." Concerning spirit manifestations God says, "to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word their is no light in them."

Friend, if you want to be saved when Jesus comes, then you will have to get out of Babylon—the devil is in Babylon (Revelation 18:1–4). What does that mean? "Surely," somebody says, "the devil could not be in church!" But that is exactly what the Bible says, because a woman represents a church, and where is the devil?

He that sins is of the devil (I John 3:8). Oh, friend! If I preach from the pulpit and teach men to break God’s law, who is in my church? The devil. If I am filled with the spirit, and that spirit does not guide me to keep God’s law and does not teach according to God’s law, what spirit is that? It is the spirit of the devil.

Today, God is calling people, He is calling His people who love Him and are still in Babylon, and He is saying, "Come out of her My people."

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Last Updated: 06/18/03