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Professor's Theological Home Page
"...Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31)
By
Prof. Mario Velez, Th.M.
The gift of tongues is prophesied in Isaiah 28:11 and is
quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:21.
In order to understand the temporary gift of tongues accurately there
has to be a proper connection made between these two New and Old Testament
verses. Let us begin to understand this
connection with what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 14:20-22).
“20) Brethren, be not children in understanding:
howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. 21) In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips
will I speak unto this people (referring to the Jewish people) and yet for all
that will they not hear Me, saith the Lord (“They”
again are the Jewish people). 22) Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that
believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”
(KJV 1 Cor. 14:20-22)
That the Corinthian believers were preoccupied with the
gift of tongues was yet another sad testimony of their carnal and immature
ways, which Paul is attempting to change.
He has already called them “carnal” and spiritual “babes” in 1
Corinthians. 3:1-3. In
the fourteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians he now quotes from the Old
Testament. Why? The answer to this question is the key to
understanding the primary purpose of the temporary spiritual gift of
tongues.
Paul states that in the “law it is written.” He then proceeds to quote Isaiah 28:11-12 to
prove his point that tongues was for a “sign” to Jewish unbelievers. The quote Paul uses lets us know that the prophecy
of tongues began with Isaiah (Isa. 28:11-12).
“11) For with stammering lips and another tongue will
He speak to this people. 12) To whom he said, ‘This is the
rest wherewith ye may cause the
weary to rest; and this is the
refreshing:’ yet they would not hear.” (KJV Isaiah 28:11-12)
The Lord had offered Israel “rest” and “refreshing,” but
they refused it by rejecting the Lord and His message through Isaiah. As a matter of fact, the degeneracy of the
people had resulted in widespread drunkenness.
Isaiah begins in Isaiah 28:1 by calling the Northern Kingdom the
“drunkards of Ephraim.” Ephraim was the
leading tribe that was representative of the ten tribes that made up the
Northern Kingdom.
The drunkenness was so prevalent in the
“7) But they also have erred through wine, and through
strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through
strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through
strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8) For all
tables are full of vomit and
filthiness, so that there is no
place clean.” (KJV Isaiah 28:7-8)
So, as a result of their degeneracy God would bring
judgment, because instead of proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles around them
they were getting drunk and slurring their speech. Their slurred speech sounded more like a
Gentile language instead of their own Hebrew language.
Therefore, since the
The foreign language of the Assyrians was heard by the
“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far,
from the end of the earth, as swift as
the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue (or language)
thou shalt not understand.” (KJV Deut. 28:49)
Both the Assyrians and Chaldeans spoke a language that was
unknown to the Hebrew population at large as they conquered the Northern and
Southern Kingdoms and left the land “desolate” and the cities laid “waste,” as
per the fifth cycle of discipline (Lev. 26:33).
“And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will
draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.”(KJV Lev. 26:33)
The land being “desolate” and the cities laid “waste” was
what would mark the end of Isaiah’s ministry (Isa. 6:11).
“Then said I, Lord, how long? And He answered, until
the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the
houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate.” (KJV Isa. 6:11)
Although this judgment came at the hands of the Assyrians
and then the Chaldeans, there would be another time that the Jewish nation
would suffer this fate. It would be
during Paul’s generation and this is the reason he quotes Isaiah in 1
Corinthians 14:21.
Therefore, by quoting Isaiah in 1 Corinthians 14:21,
Paul is teaching through Isaiah that Judah, as the last client nation, received
the sign of Gentile languages as their warning of judgment because they were
negative. They had once again, failed to
go out as missionaries to Gentiles.
Hence, the “sign” of
Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost
when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples and they began to speak the Gospel
in Gentile languages to the Jewish pilgrims who were at
8) And how hear we every man in our own tongue,
wherein we were born? 9) Parthians, and
Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia,
and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10) Phrygia, and Pamphylia,
in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews
and proselytes, 11) Cretes and Arabians, we do hear
them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” (KJV Acts 2:8-11)
Acts 2:5 states that there “were dwelling at Jerusalem
devout Jews, out of every nation under heaven.”
That they were “devout Jews” refers to them being religious. Yet, these foreign-born Jews were unbelievers
because they adhered to the false supposition that salvation came by the
keeping of the Mosaic Law.
We are told in Acts 2:11 that the disciples spoke to these
unbelieving Jews in their own language the “wonderful works of God.” Therefore, the message that they spoke had
content as well as context, and was not some mindless mystery utterances. The disciples’ message simply declared that
Jesus Christ was the Messiah and had died on the cross for the sins of the
world, as Peter further expounded to the crowd in Acts 2:14-36. Isaiah’s “sign” of coming judgment to
unbelieving Jews had once again occurred.
Isaiah’s prophetic “sign” began on the Day of Pentecost and
continued for 40 years, upon which time Jews were periodically evangelized by
the gift of tongues. This gift was
operational until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the fifth cycle of
discipline. When this destruction
occurred the Jews had once again been dispersed and Jerusalem laid “waste
without inhabitants,” as Isaiah had previously prophesied (Isa. 6:11).
The Roman General Titus and his Roman legions had reduced
Jerusalem and its temple to piles of shapeless ruins. It is estimated that over one million were
eventually slaughtered and over ninety thousand were taken captive and
scattered throughout the known world.
The Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus documents the
devastation left behind by the Roman legions in his account of the “War of the
Jews.” He states that the “carcasses
that lay in heaps one upon another, was a horrible sight, and produced a pestilential
stench.”[2]
The Jewish nation had once again experienced the
devastating judgment of God in August of A.D. 70 by means of the Roman war
machine because they had once again failed to see the “sign” of God’s looming
judgment. As the presence of the Holy
Spirit was manifested “like a dove” at the baptism of the Lord (John 1:32); in
like manner, the presence of the Holy Spirit was manifested on the Day of
Pentecost as “tongues like as of fire.”
That Acts 2:3 describes “tongues as of fire” was an indication of, not
only the presence of the Holy Spirit, but also of Judah’s approaching judgment
since fire also signifies judgment in scripture (2 Thess. 1:6-9).
“6) Seeing it
is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that
trouble you; 7) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8) In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9) Who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;”
(KJV 2 Thess. 1:6-9)
With the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the
Jews in A.D. 70, Isaiah’s prophecy had concluded. The “sign” of tongues was no longer needed
and ceased at that time (1 Cor. 13:8-10).
“8) Charity never faileth:
but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail [katargethesontai]; whether there be tongues, they shall cease [pausontai]; whether there
be knowledge, it shall vanish away [katargethesetai],
9) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10)
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away [katargethesetai].” (KJV 1 Cor. 13:8-10)
The words “fail” and “vanish away” in verse 8 are
translated from the root word [katargeo] meaning “to
be rendered ineffective.” They are
connected with the “perfect” of verse 10.
The words “done away” in verse 10 are also a translation of the root
verb [katargeo].
The “perfect” refers to the completed Canon of Scripture. In other words, when the Bible was completed,
then “prophecies” and “knowledge” were rendered ineffective. The verb [katargeo]
is in the passive voice signifying that the noun is being acted upon by an
agent. The nouns “prophecies” and
“knowledge” are acted upon by the coming of the “perfect,” which is the acting
agent. The “perfect” was the factor that
would terminate the gift of prophecy and knowledge.
The gift of tongues, on the other hand, has a different
verb associated with it. The word for
“cease” in verse 8 is from the Greek verb [pauo]
meaning “to stop.” [Pauo]
is in the dynamic middle voice signifying that it did not require an agent, but
instead would expire on its own. The
gift of tongues would terminate on its own when it was no longer needed. Thus, with the destruction and dispersion of
Judah as a client nation tongues was no longer needed as a “sign” of warning to
unbelieving Jews. This was the reason it
“ceased” in A.D. 70, but the gift of prophecy and knowledge would continue
until A.D. 96 when the “perfect” or Bible was completed.
There are those who state that the “perfect” refers to
either the Second Coming of Christ, or the Millennium, or heaven, but the
context and grammar disqualify these views.
To begin with, the word translated “perfect” is [teleion]
and is in the neuter gender, which eliminates the view that it refers to the
second coming of Christ since this view would require it to be in the masculine
gender. If the second coming of Christ
was in view here, there would be no reason why Paul could not have just simply
written, “But when the Christ (ho Christos) is come…” instead of “But when that
which is perfect (to teleion) is come…”
The Greek word [teleion],
translated “perfect” will connote a qualitative state, something without any
flaws or a utopian state. The word also
connotes a quantitative aspect. In all
the places that [teleion] is used in Scripture, it is
used in its quantitative aspect and this exact form of the word is found in six
other places besides here (Eph. 4:13; Rom. 12:2: Col. 1:28; James 1:4, 17,
25).
The word refers to a state that was arrived at, a state to
which the previous effort and action was directed towards. Thus, the “perfect” is the completed that
Paul is contrasting with the “in part” or what is fragmentary. James also uses [teleion]
with the same idea as he writes about believers looking at the “perfect law of
liberty,” (James 1:25)
“21) Wherefore lay apart all filthiness, and
superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word,
which is able to save your souls. 22) But be ye doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23) For if any be a hearer of the word,
and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his
way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he
was. 25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law
of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (KJV James 1:21-25)
From
the context of what James is writing we can conclude that the “perfect law of
liberty” is a reference to God’s completed Word. Thus, the “perfect” of 1 Cor. 13:10 is the
conclusion of all the New Testament Epistles of the church age being reduced to
writing, a process that culminated in the completed Word of God, “the perfect,”
the agent that caused prophecy and knowledge to stop.
Today, the continuation of tongues is Satan’s method of
distracting professing believers from the Plan of God. Extreme emotions can cause columns of air to
move through a person’s epiglottis, which produces strange sounds from those
still claiming this gift is still operational.
The epiglottis is simply the flap of cartilage that covers the windpipe
when people swallow and it keeps food from entering the windpipe. In the case for unbelievers this type of
practice can include demon control of their vocal organs.
In order to prevent abuse of the gift of tongues, Paul laid
down some restrictions. He could not
forbid its use entirely, as the gift was still operational at that time, since
Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed by the Romans (1 Cor. 14: 27-28).
“27) If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it
be by two, or at the most by
three, and that by
course (one at a time); and let one interpret. 28) But if there be no
interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself,
and to God.” (KJV 1 Cor. 14:27-28)
The first restriction is that the speaker had to be a
“man.” In addition, no more than three
could speak and only one at a time and only if there was an interpreter. It is amazing that those being distracted in
the tongues movement today seem to be ignorant of these restrictions. Either that, or they
simply reject the restrictions because they have
chosen to redefine Scripture, by having their “experience(s)” to take the place
of the knowledge of God’s Word, choosing rather to follow their “belly”
(appetites, emotions, lusts) which is their “God” as described in Philippians
3:19.
“Whose end is destruction, whose God is
their belly and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”( KJV Phil. 3:19)