Who were the people in Acts 19 who spoke in tongues?
In Acts 19, those who spoke in tongues were Jews who had been saved under John’s baptism but had known nothing of Paul’s Gospel, the Body of Christ, or the further revelations. They were in transition, representing the third category in Acts, and their speaking in languages served to show God was changing the program.
Les teaches that Acts 19 involved those who were in the transition. They were Jews who had been saved under John’s baptism, but they had known nothing of Paul’s Gospel, and now the Body of Christ and these further revelations. They were the third category, after Israel in chapter 2 and Gentiles in the house of Cornelius in chapter 10. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in speaking languages was not emotional upheaval and needed no interpreters; it was for a divine purpose, to prove something. It was manifested in these twelve Jews to show that there was now a change in the overall program. It was no longer based on John’s baptism and Christ’s earthly ministry, but on that which followed the work of the cross, His death, burial, and resurrection.
More Questions
What are the three groups in Acts where people spoke in tongues?
The Book of Acts records three categories of people that God dealt with regarding the manifestation of speaking in tongues: Israel in Acts 2, Gentiles in the house of Cornelius in Acts 10, and the transitional group in Acts 19.
Is the word ekklesia used in Acts 19 for a church?
In Acts 19, the same Greek word is not translated 'church' but is translated 'assembly,' and it refers to an ungodly assembly rather than a godly one.