SPEAKING IN TONGUES OF MEN AND ANGELS
In the Biblical story of the tower of Babel, God separated the evildoers from His Hebrew speaking people by bringing confusion by means of strange tongues (different human languages). Now in the New Testament God gave tongues in order to gather them back again unto Himself.
Genesis 11:5 Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower. 6 The LORD said, "These people all speak the same language. And I see that they are joined together to do this work. This is only the beginning of what they can do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want. 7 Let's go down and confuse their language. Then they will not understand each other." 8 So people stopped building the city, and the LORD scattered them all over the earth. 9 That is the place where the LORD confused the language of the whole world. That is why it is called Babel. And it was from there that the LORD caused the people to spread out to all the other places on earth.
Isaiah 28:11 So God will use this strange way of talking, and he will use other languages to speak to these people.
Zephaniah 3:9 Then I will change people from other nations so that they can speak the language clearly and call out the name of the LORD. They will all worship me together, shoulder to shoulder, as one people.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to do this. 5 There were some godly Jews in Jerusalem at this time. They were from every country in the world. 6 A large crowd came together because they heard the noise. They were surprised because, as the apostles were speaking, everyone heard in their own language. 7 They were all amazed at this. They did not understand how the apostles could do this. They said, "Look!
These men we hear speaking are all from Galilee. 8 But we hear them in our own languages. How is this possible? We are from all these different places: 9 Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near the city of Cyrene, Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others have changed their religion to worship God like Jews. We are from these different countries, but we can hear these men in our own languages! We can all understand the great things they are saying about God."
1Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
If we study the scriptures closely there is also a tongue of angels, that is, supernatural tongues that cannot be interpreted by men.
1Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1Corinthians 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up building and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. 6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. :16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, "By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord." 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. 26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.
One day while I was studying the Word of God and trying figure out the meaning of speaking in tongues, I started praying to God asking Him for the gift of tongues(other languages) as according to His Word.
While I was praying, the voice of God came to me asking “Can you speak Spanish?”, I said “No Lord”, again the Lord asked “Can you speak French” , I replied “No Lord”, again the Lord asked “Can you speak Portuguese” , I replied “No Lord” then Lord said “Now I want you to create your own language, a language which does not exist”. I thought ok, but what is it suppose to sound like if I don’t even know what any other language sounds like. At that moment I decided to do what God said and create my own language that does not exist, one that not even my mind can understand. I started saying anything as strong and loud as I can and continued to do so for a minute. Then all of a sudden I realized that I was saying the same words over and over and they sound the same all the time, even if I tried to create something else. At that moment the Lord said to me “Now this is your own spirit language, and each person has his own”. Then I started laughing because I was so shocked and surprised at what just happened.
That same afternoon I approached my friend and told him the very same words that the Lord had spoken to me. I told him to create his own language that doesn’t exist. He tried to create his own language, and made some bubbling sounds for a minute. Then I asked him to create another different language of his own and as shocking as it came, he surely spoke the very same sounds again as his first, but different from my own created language!
This confirmed that each person indeed also have their own spiritual language, one that cannot be interpreted! I believe this is the other tongue that Paul referred to as “the tongues of angels” also the tongue “that speaks mysteries in the Spirit”.
However, speaking in tongues of men, that is, foreign languages without knowing that language is indeed a gift of the Spirit to those He will for the purpose of spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. This is why Paul said speaking in a spiritual tongue only builds up oneself but he also said speaking in another tongue (foreign language) can build up the church because it can be interpreted.