What was the change in God's program that the Acts 19 tongues pointed to?
The Acts 19 tongues signaled that God’s overall program had changed: it was no longer based on John’s baptism and Christ’s earthly ministry. It was now based on what followed the cross—His death, burial, and resurrection—and on further revelations concerning Paul’s Gospel and the Body of Christ.
Les explains that whenever the Holy Spirit was manifested in Acts, it was for a divine purpose—to prove something. Acts 2 involved Israel, Acts 10 Gentiles in Cornelius’s house, and Acts 19 those in transition: Jews saved under John’s baptism who knew nothing of Paul’s Gospel, the Body of Christ, and further revelations. The tongues in Acts 19 showed Israel that a change had come 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.