What is the Bible truth about speaking in tongues? Is ecstatic tongues (Glossolalia) true Bible tongues? We will find out the Bible truth on this page about tongues.
Too many professing Christians ignore plain Bible truth on different issues and speaking in tongues is one of them. Instead of just believing what the majority believes, or believing something because it 'feels' good, we need to find out the plain Bible truth. What does God have to say about this, should be the thinking of all Christians. The other issue with speaking in tongues, as well as many other topics, is that Christians will hold on to one or two unclear verses to base their doctrines on, rather than finding out the WHOLE Bible truth. If we take into count the many verses about tongues in the Bible, then we can come to a clear understanding of God's truth on this subject.
To get a clear Bible understanding about speaking in tongues, we need to start in the Old Testament. Now many Christians ignore the Old Testament on many issues, but many of the teachings in the Old Testament have never changed, and remain the same in the New Testament and today. So what does the Old Testament say about tongues?
Genesis 10:5 ...'By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.'
Genesis 10:20,31 ...'These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.'
We can clearly see from these few verses that tongue in the Old Testament simply means language. Now at one stage in earth's history, all people spoke with one language. Now because they were able to do great things together speaking in one language, that when they began to build the tower of Babel, God came down to confuse their language ... Genesis 11:5-7 ...'And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.' ... So from then on, they didn't understand one another's SPEECH, or tongue.
Now some time after this event, look what happens in Deuteronomy 28:49 ...'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 thou shalt not understand.' ... The earth is now filled with people and nations with different tongues, and because of the sins of God's people, He decides to bring against them a nation with different TONGUES which they would not understand. In other words, because God scattered the people over the earth from Babel and confused their language, this nation would speak a different language to the Jews which they would not understand. God isn't saying that this other nation would be speaking in ecstatic tongues (gibberish), but basically speaking a different language.
Ezra 4:7 ...'And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.'
Daniel 1:4 ...'Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.'
Now how clear are these verses about tongues? We can see that tongue simply means language. Now in Isaiah, we have a prophecy concerning end times ... Isaiah 66:18 ...'For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.' ... God is saying the in the end time He will gather all nations and TONGUES (Languages) to see His glory. So there is no doubt that the Old Testament teaches that tongues simply means languages. Speaking in tongues would mean speaking in languages.