Does Paul Equate Speaking in Tongues with Prophesying?

[RomulusXXV]

It should be a rather simple matter to determine genuine from fake when it comes to 'speaking in tongues'. If it's a KNOWN language then it's genuine, although it would most assuredly have been learned over a period of time and NOT a gift of the Holy Spirit. In all my days, including 35-years within Christian circles, I have NEVER come across anyone who picked up a foreign language immediately. It simply does NOT happen.

If it is NOT a known language then, sadly, it's a resounding:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2naim9F4010

If one substitutes the word 'tongue' or the words 'many tongues' and replaces 'tongue' or 'tongues' with 'KNOWN language' or KNOWN languages' or 'those of many nations' then people would not be falling for the meaningless babble that one might hear in a Pentecostal church.

Or would they . . .

[Heavenese]

When Samuel first anointed Saul to be king over Israel, Samuel told him God's Spirit would rush upon him and he would prophesy. (The whole story is found in 1 Samuel 10: 1-6) Now what's interesting is Samuel told Saul that once that happens, he would be changed into another man. This is similar to what happened at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came upon the Church, and they were changed, glorifying God and speaking as He gave them utterance.


There's another instance in 1 Samuel, at the beginning of the book where it talks about Samuel's mother, Hannah. In the beginning, she had no children, and this made her sorrowful. One day she came before the tabernacle and made a vow before Yahweh that if He gave her a son, she would give her son back to Him to serve all the days of his life. It so happened that on this particular day, Eli the high priest at the time was sitting near the doorpost, and was watching Hannah. He saw Hannah's lips moving as she continued to pray, but he didn't hear her voice. Eli thought she was drunk. He then told her to put away her wine. Is this not another picture of what happened at Pentecost? Some of the crowd who witnessed the Church speaking with other tongues mocked them and saying they were full of new wine! So Hannah already made her vow, yet she continued to pray before Yahweh afterward. Her lips were moving, so its clear she was saying something, but the sound of her voice was not heard by Eli. Given the similar picture of what happened at Pentecost and the accusation of being drunk, I believe God took control over Hannah's tongue, and she began praying His will.


There is one last instance I will mention going back to Numbers 11: 1-29, where Moses became exhausted by all the complaining of the people, and he asked Yahweh to kill him. Yahweh told Moses to bring 70 elders of the people and bring them before the Tent of Meeting. There He would meet Moses, and take some of the Spirit that was on Moses, and put it on them, to help Moses bear the burden. Now when the elders came before the Tent of Meeting, God came down and did what He said, dividing and putting the Spirit upon them. What is the first thing they do when they receive the Spirit? Prophesy!!! Again, is this not a picture of what happened at Pentecost? All of this I believe shows us a connection between speaking in tongues and prophesying.


This also shows us the power behind speaking in tongues and why its considered edification for the one speaking. After Hannah spoke, she received her son Samuel. And after she gave Samuel back to the Lord, she went on to have three more sons and two daughters. Saul after he spoke, went on to become king. In fact Samuel even went on to tell Saul this in 1 Samuel 10:7.......................


Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you...............


This confirms the benefits of this gift because ultimately the speaking is controlled by God Himself. Hannah is the only one where its not specifically mentioned God was upon her, but she herself was in His presence before the Tabernacle. Now of course I don't believe everyone one who claims to speak an unknown tongue today is actually speaking by the inspiration of God. Of course!!!!!!!!! That's a given. However I see we've allowed charlatans to rule over our whole opinion concerning tongues. I get the feeling many see it all as babble. That's hazardous thinking. Its no wonder we don't see God's power flowing in our lives like a river. Don't allow mockers to rule how you see God.

[HAL-5]

Originally Posted by mordant

Charismatic Christians essentially have to invent a purpose for speaking in tongues beyond achieving a state of religious ecstasy. Because in the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles, it served a purpose, however magical -- it allowed the gospel to be preached to people who couldn't understand the speaker's native language. You meet an Ethiopian on the streets of Jesrusalem, and presto, you are speaking Ethiopian without ever having learned it or probably even being aware of it.

Once the scriptures were down on papyrus and presumably translatable to any language, in theory speaking in tongues would no longer be needed. And speaking in tongues today is clearly, even to someone un-versed in linguistics, clearly gibberish. So to soften this ridiculous aspect of the "gift", it's claimed to be a heavenly language, although it's unclear what the use of that would be either. This is generally based (wrongly) on the rhetorical flourish in I Corinthians 13, "though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, it is like sounding brass and tinkling cymbals" (or words to the effect, I'm going by memory). I would say it is a bunch of noise with or without love, but whatever.

I tend to agree with you however there are instances when it has merit like what you stated with the language differences plus I knew a pastor (real man of God) back in the 70s when he was bringing supplies into Haiti, the customs stopped him but the Holy Spirit told him to speak in tongues. When he did, they immediately stopped all questions and let him through.