THE PHENOMENON OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES

Tongues from the spiritual world Tongues of the angels

Tongues of men, inspired tongues, tongues of angles, ecstatic tongues.

THE PHENOMENON OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES Tongues of men, inspired tongues, tongues of angles, ecstatic tongues. Copyright: Ionel Plesa

Translation from Romanian into English: Dianne Bailey

Biblical texts are from the New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society  

All things seen and unseen were created by the power of the Creator‘s Word, spoken by God spoke as He created. When the Spirit of God moved above the waters and there was darkness over the surface of the deep, God said, Let there be light! (Genesis 1:3) … Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water (verse 6) … Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear (verse 9) … Let the land produce vegetation (verse 11) … Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky (verse 14) … Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky (verse 20) … Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds (verse 24). All these words that were spoken by God during the act of creation were fulfilled, and all things called into existence received characteristics conforming to the original plan. Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness (verse 26). From whom did the Creator get advice and in what language did He communicate? God the Father consulted with God the Son, identified in the state of the word Creator and with God the Holy Spirit who was present and who belonged to the creating Divinity, named (in the plural) ―ELOHIM‖. This mutual consultation took place in the language of the spiritual world, usually called the ―language of the angels‖ or the ―tongues of the angels‖ (1 Corinthians 13:1).

This form of communication is beyond our level of comprehension. The Creation Divinity (Holy Trinity), together with the beings that they created in the spiritual world, made up of the archangels (Jude, verse 9), cherubim (Genesis 3:24), seraphs (Isaiah 6:6-7), together with all the ministering angels (Hebrews 1:13-14), have an infinite means of communication. These spiritual beings can communicate in all human languages, having the ability to transmit messages, which can be clearly understood, from their thoughts, without the need to use audible words as humans do in order to communicated their ideas (Job 15:8; Job 33:14-19; 23-24; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 3:6). The Prophet Micah took part in a discussion that God held with His ministering angels in the spiritual Kingdom. The motivation for the dialogue was King Ahab‘s rebellion. He was to be punished as an example because of his crimes (1 Kings 22:19-21). In what language was this dialogue held? It was without doubt in a spiritual language, in the ―tongues of angels‖. The prophet Micah, being God‘s spokesperson, through the spirit of Christ that was in him, was able to understand the spiritual language and to transmit the decision to condemn the unlawful king to death. He was guilty of the premeditated murder of Naboth (1 Kings 21:18-21; 1 Kings 22:34-37). The prophet Isaiah saw God‘s glory filling the Temple and the seraphs who were above him calling out to one another, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:1-4; Revelation 4:8). In Revelation 5:11-12 we find the following written, 11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!" The number of these angels was thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. In what language would they have praised the Lamb who was slain? This praise was certainly in a spiritual language, which is not naturally understood by mankind. The apostle John was able to understand what was proclaimed by every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them (Revelation 5:13,14), only through the Holy Spirit who knows human and angelic languages. ―Lord, Your deeds are great and marvelous! Who among men could understand them without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, who was given to us to lead us in all truth?‖

The apostle Paul reveals the mystery of God‘s wisdom to us, revealed to all who are called into ministry through the Holy Spirit. Thus, in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, he says, 9However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him"— 10but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. How many Christians today are armed with Christ‘s thoughts? (1 Peter 4:1-5).

The way in which Paul boldly testified that through the Holy Spirit even the deep things of God can be understood, was not a product of his imagination, but it was a truth that he experienced in his own life. Apart from the miraculous meeting he had with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-22), he tells us of another experience that was very important for the clarification of Biblical teachings that are necessary for all generations of believers, until our Lord comes again. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, the apostle testified the following, 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven … 3And I know that this man … 4was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. We can be certain that the apostle Paul, on coming into contact with the spiritual world, was given the privilege of hearing words spoken not only in a human language, but also in the language of the angels. He was thus correct in saying, For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you (1 Corinthians 11:23). In his letter to the Galatians, in referring to the same experience from the third heaven, he tells us, 11I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12). It wasn‘t a coincidence and neither was it a simple figure of speech, but through a profound knowledge of the spiritual world, in which he reprimands the Corinthians using stinging words, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). Any pretension of affirmation concerning miraculous gifts, can be put in doubt if the fruit of the Spirit exhibited in love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, good deeds, faithfulness, meekness and self control are not in evidence (Romans 8:12-14; Galatians 5:22-26). The Corinthians, who were not spiritually mature, sought miraculous gifts rather than seeking the Giver and leaving Him to decide how to distribute the gifts, as He willed

(1 Corinthians 12:1-11).