Rex

Rex:

Please forgive the delay but I wished to do some research on this subject before answering. Part of the problem is defining exactly what the "Sacred Name Movement" (S.N.M.) is. To the best of my findings, the S.N.M. is impossible to exactly define. There seem to be two possible ways to go with it:

1. Any group or individual that uses some form of the Sacred Names and/or titles in any frequency or interchangeably with the pagan derived names and titles. These may even claim to be "Christian" or may shun any association with it.
2. Those who use the Sacred Names and titles exclusively. Again, these may even claim to be "Christian" or may shun any association with it.
For the purpose of this letter, unless otherwise indicated, I will define "speaking in tongues" as the phenomena of a person speaking syllables, or making sounds, that cannot be traced to any language known to any person, including themselves, in their immediate surrounding.
As to group 1: these include many Pentecostal, some Baptist and charismatic groups. As you would expect there are many such congregations. These tend to see themselves as independent X-tian bodies.

Group 2, and this is the one I believe you are predominately referring to, is a coat of many colors. Some are quite strict while others will accept anyone who will accept them. From what I could determine you are quite right about this classification in that, with very few exceptions, they do not endorse "speaking in tongues" as necessary. In print some will accept it if not made to be a test of fellowship, some will accept it but only as a "prayer language," and the majority reject it altogether. As always with the S.N.M. if you look hard enough you can find something at least close to whatever you desire.

You ask if we believe that "speaking in tongues" is the first indicator of a person having received HaRuach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit). The short answer is "no" but let me explain further.

My first direct encounter with this manifestation was back in the 1970's with a group of people loosely referred to as "J---- freaks" by popular culture (yes, we have been places and seen things over many years). Often someone would say that they had just "spoken in tongues" and were quite excited about it as were those around them. This always happened away from me therefore I could not determine what they really meant by the statement: until one night. That night there was a large meeting with the "leader" whom I had never before seen (he had several widely scattered groups) in charge. At a particular place in the proceedings some of the people started to talk loudly in some sort of "gibberish" (definitely NOT structured like any language I have ever heard) and some started to howl like dogs, all out of control. Even I felt myself being pulled or falling into some sort of mental condition BUT the "howling dogs" were more than enough to show me that something was wrong here. Consequently I shook off the "feeling," left and never returned. The thought that ran through my head at that night was 1 Corinthians 14:32 "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." (K.J.V.) Here those "prophesying" (therefore, prophets) were the ones being subjugated by an outside force, resulting in loss of control and leading to chaos.

Now I ask all; what I had to ask myself: Is this the way the Almighty, Heavenly Father wants to be worshiped? Is this a manifestation of His Holy Spirit, or is it the manifestation of another spirit? If it is another spirit, whose spirit is it?

Is this the way the Almighty, Heavenly Father wants to be worshiped? There is only one place I can find in Scripture where Yahweh caused people to babble: the tower of Babylon in Genesis 11:1-9. This confounding of the language was for the purpose of dividing the human race into groups that could not understand one another. The reason? Mankind was advancing too rapidly leading to technology that Yahweh did not wish for us to have, at least at that time.
At all times, both before and after the tower incident, the worship of Yahweh is shown to be structured in an easily understood way. It is when we go outside of this structure that we get into trouble: from Eve and Adam's fall to today. The only times Yahweh, through His Spirit, caused people to speak in a tongue they did not know was to instruct others in the language(s) they could more readily understand. Never was it for show or self-aggrandizement; never did it lead to confusion ("Yahweh is not the author of confusion" 1 Corinthians 14:33) but to greater understanding. Paul admonished the Corinthian assembly that only if there was a translator were they to allow someone to speak in a foreign language at their services; 1 Corinthians 14:1-33; 39-40. Yahweh is NOT "the author of confusion" and "let all things be done DECENTLY and in ORDER." Paul directed that the local assembly should worship in the local language, not in a foreign language (as did the Roman Catholic Church when it use to demand the Latin mass years ago). Still, these are all known languages.

Confusion is associated with evil: James (Jacob) 3:16 "there is confusion and every evil work." Confusion and Babylon are synonyms Genesis 11 (see above), Jeremiah 50:2 (idolatry)" Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.", Jeremiah 51:6 "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of [Yahweh's] vengeance; he will render to her a recompense.", Revelation 17:5 "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.", Revelation 18:2 "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Whose spirit drives this confusion? It is Satan's spirit that motivates Babylon and those thing that are derived from Babylon.

Are there examples of "speaking in tongues that are not associated with the True Worship of Yahweh? Yes indeed.
Vodun (a.k.a. Voodoo) is a well known example in the Western Hemisphere today. In at least one of the rituals a person is possessed by a Loa (spirit), of which there are several, and behaves as the Loa. The drinking of the blood of a sacrificed animal by this person is sometimes a part of the ritual (strictly forbidden in the Sacred Scriptures - Leviticus 17:12 "Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourn among you eat blood." and 14 "For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eats it shall be cut off." Would anyone violate a law of Almighty Yahweh while allegedly being possessed by his Holy Spirit? The answer must be a resounding, NO! Therefore this is a sign of possession by an unclean, anti-Yahweh spirit.
Anciently almost all the non-Biblical religions, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Baal, etc, had the phenomenon of "speaking in tongues" as part and parcel of their worship.

Since all these are condemned by Scripture we must also condemn them. There are many sites on the internet that go into great detail in explaining the origin of this "sign" and the vast majority rightly denies it's validity. As far as I can research, and have personally seen and experienced this phenomena is NOT of Yahweh.

Perhaps one last incident will suffice. While worshiping in a meeting with several people a visitor to the group started to "speak in tongues." He was taken outside and it was explained that what he was doing could not be true worship because he never used the name "Yahweh" while babbling. SUDDENLY he started to interject "Yahweh" into this logorrhea. He was sent on his way babbling to himself while walking across the parking lot. Is this the image Yahweh wants to be show to those in the world?

Yours in Yahshua

Finnegan

Finnegan AKA The Mick

Scripture quotes K.J.V. [Emphases author's]
http://www.religioustolerance.org/voodoo.htm
http://www.mv.lycaeum.org/M2/sumeria.htm