Yes, the gift of speaking in tongues disappeared because God sovereignly removed it once the written Word of God became available.
According to Les Feldick, the supernatural ability to speak in known languages was given temporarily to help early believers communicate the Gospel before the New Testament was written. Once God's complete written Word (the Bible) came in, these gifts were no longer needed and faded away.
1 Corinthians 13:8 — This verse states that tongues shall cease, directly addressing the question of their disappearance.
The Bible records three instances in the Book of Acts (Acts 2, Acts 10, and Acts 19) where the Holy Spirit gave the gift of speaking in known languages to believers. On the day of Pentecost, Jewish believers from Galilee, who were uneducated, suddenly spoke the various languages of the foreigners present so that each heard the gospel in his own language. In Acts 19, Paul laid hands on twelve men, and they spoke with languages other than their own and prophesied. 1 Corinthians 13:8 proclaims that tongues shall cease, but it doesn't specify the exact timing or reason. The Bible itself is silent on why God chose to end the gift, but it clearly indicates that it would come to an end.
Les Feldick teaches that the gift of speaking in tongues involved the supernatural ability to communicate in actual human languages without having to learn them. He points out that Paul used this gift in his missionary journeys to speak to various tribes and dialects, but by the end of Paul's ministry, he no longer practiced it. This gift was temporary. It was needed before the printed Word of God was available. In the early apostolic churches, there was no New Testament; the Gospels hadn't been written, and Paul's letters weren't yet recognized as Scripture. God gave gifted men the ability to proclaim His truth without benefit of a written text. However, once the complete Bible was available, ordinary people could read and understand it themselves, making these supernatural gifts obsolete. The disappearance of tongues is directly tied to the completion of the Bible. Les emphasizes that the written Word of God is itself supernatural, and it took the place of these temporary gifts.
The gift was the ability to speak in known human languages without prior learning. For example, on the day of Pentecost, uneducated fishermen from Galilee spoke the languages of the vast crowd so that everyone understood the gospel. Paul could communicate in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, or Aramaic as he traveled, which was a special gift to help the spread of Christianity in its early days.
Paul was referring to his ability to speak in various languages to communicate the Gospel. He said he used this gift more than the Corinthians, but in the church, he preferred to speak five words with understanding to teach others rather than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
The early apostolic churches were growing rapidly without a written New Testament. They didn't have the Bible like we do today. So, they depended on spiritually gifted men who could proclaim God's truth without any written reference. This was essential to avoid confusion and to feed hungry hearts.
Paul's Gift of Speaking Languages
Paul could speak in many languages, but by the end of his ministry he no longer practiced the gift, showing it was temporary.
What the Bible Really Says About Speaking in Tongues
"...he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God." Alright, now let's go back, I guess this is where my mind was running ahead of me. Let's go back to the three times in Scripture when the Holy Spirit delegated this miracle of speaking in tongues to men. There are only three of them, Acts chapter 2.
Why Prophecy Is Greater Than Tongues - 1 Corinthians 14 Explained
But yet that was sufficient for the Word of God to feed a hungry heart, see? All right, so now then remember that when Paul speaks of this gift of prophecy, it is under a whole different set of circumstances than what we've got today, all right? Then he comes down to verse 2, for he that speaketh in an unknown tongue.
Gifts Fade Away After Written Word
The gift of prophecy and tongues were temporary because they were needed before the printed Word; now the Bible is complete, they are no longer valid.
Paul's Ability to Communicate in Various Languages
Paul had a special gift to speak Greek, Latin, Hebrew, or Aramaic to communicate the Gospel.
Dependence on Gifted Men Without the Written Word
The early churches had no New Testament, so they depended on gifted men to proclaim God's Word.
Only Three Manifestations in Acts
The gift of speaking in known languages occurred only three times in Acts, always as known languages, not gibberish.
Pentecost Miracle of Known Languages
The day of Pentecost showed uneducated Galileans speaking known languages, demonstrating a supernatural gift.
Acts 2:4: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This verse describes the first manifestation of tongues on the day of Pentecost, showing it involved other known languages.
Acts 2:6: Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Confirms that the tongues were known languages, understood by the hearers.
Acts 19:6: And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
This is the third and final occurrence of speaking in tongues, associated with Paul's ministry.
1 Corinthians 13:8: Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Directly states that tongues will cease, providing scriptural basis for their disappearance.
1 Corinthians 14:18-19: I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
Paul prioritizes understandable teaching over speaking in tongues, showing the temporary nature of the gift.
No. Les Feldick notes that Paul had the gift early in his ministry, but by the end, he no longer practiced it. This shows the gift was temporary.
In the three instances in Acts, tongues were known human languages that could be understood by others. The 'unknown tongue' in 1 Corinthians refers to sounds that cannot be reduced to writing.
According to Les, tongues were needed before the New Testament was written. Once the complete Bible was available, the supernatural ability to speak languages without learning was no longer necessary.
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