Speaking in Tongues - What was it all About?

Speaking in Tongues

The idea that the advent of speaking in tongues was confirmation of the coming destruction of Jerusalem might be a new concept for some readers.

Yet we find that the apostle Paul also confirmed this idea in First Corinthians 14:21–22:
In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” [Quoting from Isaiah 28:11] Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers (1 Corinthians 14:21-22).

Here Paul quotes from Isaiah 28:11, showing that Isaiah had prophesied the coming gift of tongues. When we read the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy, we can see that he foretold not only speaking in tongues, but also apostasy, Jesus’ coming, and God’s judgment upon Israel. Here are the three passages from Isaiah 28 that speak about these three events:

Apostasy

So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there—so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured. Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place” (Isaiah 28:13-15).

Jesus, the Chief Corner Stone

So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation [see Matthew 21:42]; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line..." (Isaiah 28:16-17).

God's Judgment

"...Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through." The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror (Isaiah 28:17-19).

By reading this extended passage from Isaiah 28, we can clearly see that the advent of the gift of speaking in tongues was a sign of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Along these lines, regarding the gift of speaking in tongues, the scholar David Chilton writes:

"The miracle of Pentecost was a shocking message to Israel. They knew what this meant. It was the sign from God that the Chief Cornerstone had come, and that Israel had rejected Him to its own damnation (Matthew 21:42-44; 1 Peter 2:6-8). It was the sign of judgment and reprobation, the signal that the apostates of Jerusalem were about to "stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive." [See Isa. 28:13.] The Last Days of Israel had come: the old age was at an end, and Jerusalem would be swept away in a new flood to make way for God’s New Creation. As St. Paul said, the gift of tongues was "for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers" (1 Corinthians 14:22)—a sign to the unbelieving Jews of their approaching doom.

The early Church looked forward to the coming of the new [Kingdom] age. They knew that, with the visible end of the Old Covenant system, the Church would be revealed as the new, true Temple; and the work Christ came to perform would be accomplished. This was an important aspect of redemption, and the first-generation Christians looked forward to this event in their own lifetime. During this period of waiting and severe trial, the apostle Peter assured them that they were "protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5). They were on the very threshold of the new world."

This quote sums up the major shift between the Old and New Covenants that happened, beginning with Jesus’ death and resurrection and culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem. In this way, the early believers received the Kingdom in their day, and the Church has been advancing the Kingdom ever since, as we will discuss in the next chapter."

excerpt from Raptureless - Jonathan Welton

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