By Pastor Dave Farmer
On the day the Church Age began, the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ received the spiritual gift of tongues. This gift enabled them to communicate the Gospel in the native languages of the Jews from all over the world. This is the story of that great miracle. On that day, three thousand Jews accepted as their Messiah. And just when you thought, "this is amazing," God the Holy Spirit, through that small group of believers, led another five thousand Jewish people to faith alone in Christ several days later.
In Acts chapter two, we have the historical account and first mention in the New Testament of the gift of tongues. It was a temporary and special spiritual gift given to believers for the express purpose of communicating the Gospel in Gentile languages. According to the prophecy of Isaiah, it was a warning, an ominous sign to Jews of the coming of the fifth cycle of discipline. 1 Let's see what happened on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Multitude Is Gathered
Acts 2:5
Now there were Jews living [staying] in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
The Identity of the Multitude
The Feast of Pentecost drew Jewish people from all over the world to Jerusalem. At this time, they were scattered and residing in every part of the Roman Empire. They are described as devout men. They are not believers, but they are devoted to keeping the Law, and it required them on this special Holy Day to worship in Jerusalem. Also, if you were a patriot, this would be a great day to celebrate, for it marked the founding of the Nation of Israel, like our Fourth of July. According to the Rabbis, this was the day that Moses received the tablets of the law and Israel became a nation. 2 The list of visiting Jews and their places of permanent residence is found in Acts 2:9-11:
Acts 2:9–11
9) “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10) Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11) Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”
The Miracle of the Wind
Acts 2:6
And when this sound [a violent burst of wind 3 ] occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.
The multitude heard a great noise. 4 I believe the sound that was heard, the unusual burst of wind, was felt by all in the city, not just the 120 believers in the upper room. A great mass of people poured into the temple, who had experienced the blast of the mighty rushing wind, looking for an explanation for this remarkable event. Instead of being greeted by the priest and Levites, who they hoped would give them some meaning for this noise. They heard the gospel openly and fearlessly proclaimed by the newly Spirit-filled believers in their native dialects, possibly as many as eighteen different languages.
For example, I am a Jew from Egypt [I am not, just illustrating]. I was born in Egypt, so the language I spoke every day was Egyptian Coptic. However, I am a Jew, and I would be taught Aramaic. I would learn some Hebrew when I went to the synagogue, but I didn't speak Hebrew. When I was in Jerusalem for the feast days, I would speak Aramaic, not Egyptian Coptic. Can you imagine the testimony of the man healed of blindness (John chapter 8) as he shares his testimony with an Egyptian Jew in Coptic? Imagine Lazarus sharing his testimony, "I was dead, embalmed, and entombed, and Jesus brought me back to life," spoken in perfect Parthian. This was the miracle of the day.
The commotion and the strange events gathered a great crowd for Peter, who would preach the Good News that Christ, their Messiah, died on the cross for each one of them, and if they would repent and believe in Him, they would be saved. The result was that three thousand Jewish people became a part of the body of Christ, and the next day, five thousand more were added to the Church.
Now, in the audience were scoffers who said:
Acts 2:13
"But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”
The Misinterpretation Given
Peter understood the prophecy that Jesus made regarding the First Advent of the Holy Spirit, John 14:16,17; John 16:7-15. Just moments before He came, they were all cloistered in the upper room, unsure of their future. Now, they were openly and fearlessly sharing the gospel with a hostile audience.
Peter refuted the intoxication charge by calling attention to the Scriptures, i.e., the prophecy of Joel. He interprets the miracle of all these spoken languages as the fulfillment of the "pouring forth of My [Holy] Spirit" in Joel 2:28-32. He is making the case that Joel predicts that there will come a day when there would be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would erupt in raptured praise and glory to God. "This is not drunkenness. It is a sign from Joel the prophet!" is Peter's view. 5 He is correct in that Joel's prophecy speaks of such a time, but Joel's prophesy is still future. There are certain similarities, but the exact and literal fulfillment of Joel's prophecy will occur after the Church Age. In fact, it kicks off the Millennium 6 (Joel 2:28- 32).
The prophecy that is being fulfilled here is Isaiah's. It is a warning to the nation that it would be destroyed by an invading army if it did not repent and turn to Jesus Christ as its Messiah. Some did believe, but sadly, many turned away from Christ. Therefore, because of the constant refusal to believe in the Lord Jesus as Messiah, the Roman army fell upon Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Jewish rejection of Jesus Christ is one of the major subjects of the Book of Acts. lt records the history of the gospel witness of the early Church during its first three decades, A.D. 30-60. lt painstakingly repeats the story of Jews refusing to believe in Christ. Stephen said it quite plainly, "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit” Acts 7:51.
During these years, God provided through the apostles "signs and wonders." These were supernatural works wrought by the apostles to make it certain and conspicuous to the Jew that God Himself was at work among them. Despite this, the Jewish leaders condemned themselves:
Acts 4:16,17
16) saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle (speaking in languages, unlearned and previous unknown] has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17) “But in order that it may not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to any man in this name.”
Stephen's death expressed the official decision of Jewish leadership to reject Christ. Paul's lot was similar. His method was going into the Jewish synagogue first, and only after they refused to believe in Christ did he go to the Gentiles with the gospel. Even a brief reading of his missionary journeys (Acts chapters 13-28) reveals the negative response and hostility of Jewish unbelievers to his message.
The gift of tongues was a miracle of communication, enabling the early church to present the Gospel to all freely. It removed a significant barrier - language. The Bible states that "the Jews seek after signs (1 Corinthians 1:22). They needed proof. They received proof through the supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers who spoke many languages not previously known or learned.
Tongue-speaking was to be used in the evangelization of unbelieving Jews. Of this purpose, Paul reminded the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 14:21,22
21) ln the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord.
22) So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe.
Summary Principles
Biblical tongues are known human language, not an ecstatic utterance.
What modern tongues-speaking is cannot be stated precisely. We do not deny the fact that people, even believers, are having some kind of experience called tongues, but is it Scriptural? Today's error is the attempt to adjust the Word of God to their feelings. This is backward! We are to adjust our experience to the Word of God. Biblical tongues-speaking is language. The question is, does modern tongues-speaking conform to Scripture?
The purpose of tongues was to provide a sign to the unbelieving Jew of the fifth cycle of discipline, 1 Corinthians 14:21,22; Leviticus 25:27-36.
The content of tongues would be the message of salvation, Isaiah 28:12; Acts 2:11; 1 Corinthians 14: 21, 22.
After 70 AD, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem, the gift of tongues was no longer necessary. It had fulfilled its purpose.
CLOSING CHALLENGE!
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, to speak or not to speak in tongues is not the issue. The real issue for you is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what are we to believe?
Jesus Christ came to earth to die for our sins so that we don’t have to.
1 Corinthians 15:2-4
It is the good news that saves you if you firmly believe it, that Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead [the proof] on the third day as the scriptures says”
This salvation is a gift, so you don’t have to earn it.
Ephesians 2:8,9
8) For by grace you have been saved through faith [believing in Christ]; and that [salvation] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9) not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
Since it is based on faith, all we have to do is repent and believe. The good news is how God makes people right with Him and that this begins and ends with faith.
Would you pray a simple prayer and accept God’s offer of salvation?
“Father, I agree with you. I am not perfect, and I need a Savior. I truly believe Jesus came to die for me, and I am trusting in Him as my very own Savior. Thank you for giving me eternal life through Jesus Christ, my Lord.”
The Scripture says:
Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Romans 10:13
for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Will you trust Him today?
__________
ENDNOTES
1 See Topic #1 The Introduction To The Gift Of Tongues; Topic #2 The Prophetic View Of The Gift Of Tongues.
2 Charles Lee Feinberg, "Pentecost," in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Zondervan Company, Michigan, 1975) Vol.4, p.692.
3 It was “an echoing sound as of a mighty wind borne violently” (or rushing along like the whirl of a tornado). Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 2:2). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
4 Another view holds that the house was close to the temple, so "the sound" was 120 believers glorifying God and speaking in tongues—a valid view.
5 The idea that Peter made a mistake could cause some to be troubled about that explanation of this passage of Scripture. The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. Every word is covered by divine inspiration. In this case, Peter's words to the crowd that day are accurately recorded in Acts Chapter Two. Peter did say the prophecy of Joel was being fulfilled. Peter was wrong, in my view! Joel's prophecy was not being fulfilled. Inspiration guarantees the accuracy, but in this case, not everything Peter said was correct. Peter got the prophet wrong, and he quoted the wrong passage. Joel will be fulfilled literally at the Second Advent of Christ as the people of God, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, celebrate the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Second Advent. Joel describes the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on that day. When the Holy Spirit comes a second time, there will be an incredible outpouring of emotion and excitement. In the Prophetic View of Tongues, the correct passage to explain what happened on the Day of Pentecost is found in Isaiah 28:1-14. Finally, let me say Paul got it right in 1 Corinthians 14:21.
6 The millennium is the period following the Great Tribulation, where our Lord Jesus Christ reigns and rules the World from Jerusalem for a thousand years.