The fact that speaking in prophecy is speaking in tongues may be a revelation to many, but the fact is that both are Holy Spirit enabled use of tongues. I call this fact the "Law of Tongues and Prophetic Relativity."
When a person speaks in an unknown tongue or different kinds of tongues they are in fact prophesying (speaking the mind of God). Conversely, when a person is prophesying, they are speaking in an unknown tongue. Unknown, that is, to the vast majority of the world outside that particular church setting. Perspective or frame of reference is the difference between what is known and unknown. Paul speaks about the importance of this relativity in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 and proceeds thereafter to define the correct setting for the two. This relativity is what makes speaking in a known tongue greater than speaking in one that is unknown, but it all depends on the setting and the tongue used.
A passage of Scripture that substantiates this relativity is Joel 2:28-29, which the Apostle Peter used to explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the speaking of tongues on the Day of Pentecost. The Prophet Joel foresaw believers prophesying. The Day of Pentecost, however, saw people speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues (both unknown and different kinds) is prophesying and prophesying is speaking in tongues. Again, the difference between the two is what is known and unknown to the speaker and to those around.
There is a key difference, however, between the gift of prophecy and the unknown tongue. The first is for the edification of the assembly and the second is for the edification and empowerment of the individual. To prove this point, take two highlighters of different colors and all of 1 Corinthians 14. Then, highlight the differences between the unknown tongue and the gift of prophecy. What you will find is that all the references of prophecy include words that stress a corporate setting (e.g., In the church," "come together," "the church"). While those for the unknown tongue, stress the individual and personal evangelism (e.g., "himself"), which is exactly what the unknown tongue and the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is all about!
At the same time, there are also key similarities between the gift of prophecy and the gift of different kinds of tongues. Both are for the edification of the body and both are often marked by the same supernatural phenomena (the hush, pre-discernment, urgency, volume, and corporate message). These phenomena do set the gift of prophecy and gift of different kinds of tongues apart from the unknown tongue. Nevertheless, all three occurrences still remain Spirit-enabled utterances in tongues.
Light the Fire Ministries ©2006
