What does the Bible say about unknown tongues and spirits of the dead?

The Bible says that Satan is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Satan and his demons do not want us to believe God’s Word, the Bible. They try to make people believe that the dead are alive somewhere in the spirit realm. Let us see how they do that. Cite here.

Man, animal, fish, bird - all are souls

Many religions teach that every human has a soul that passes on to the spirit realm after the death of the physical body. They say that the body dies but the soul does not die. Moreover, they assert that the soul cannot die, that it is immortal. But God’s Word does not teach that. The Bible shows that the soul is the person, not something inside a person. For example, in describing the creation of Adam, the Bible states: “And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) So Adam was not given a soul; he was a soul. Animals also are called souls.—Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 30.

Since the Bible word “soul” means the person himself, it should not surprise us to learn that souls can and do die. The Scriptures say: “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.”—Ezekiel 18:4. “And Samson proceeded to say: ‘Let my soul die with the Philistines.’”—Judges 16:30. “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do a good deed or to do a bad deed, to save or to kill a soul?”—Mark 3:4. There is no immortal soul that leaves the body at death The Bible shows that the soul is not immortal Other scriptures show that souls can be destroyed (Genesis 17:14), slain by the sword (Joshua 10:37), suffocated (Job 7:15), and drowned (Jonah 2:5). Thus, the soul dies. If you read the Bible from cover to cover, you will never find the phrase “immortal soul.” The human soul is not a spirit. The teaching of the immortal soul is not a Bible teaching. It is a teaching of Satan and his demons. Jehovah hates all religious lies.—Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Timothy 4:1, 2.

Spirit Mediums

Another way that Satan misleads people is through mediums. A medium is a person who is able to receive messages directly from the spirit world. A great many people, including mediums themselves, believe that these messages come from spirits of the dead. But as we have seen from the Bible, this is impossible.—Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10. From whom, then, do these messages come? The demons themselves! The demons are able to observe a person when he is alive; they know how the person talked, what he looked like, what he did, and what he knew. So it is easy for them to imitate people who have died.—1 Samuel 28:3-19.

False Stories

Another way that Satan promotes the lie about the dead is through false stories. Such stories often turn people aside from Bible truth.—2 Timothy 4:4. A man follows two Christian ministers, thinking that one of them is his dead brother Some think they have seen people who have returned from the dead In Africa there are many tales about people who were seen alive after they died. Typically, such sightings are made far away from where the person lived. But ask yourself: ‘Does it seem reasonable that if a person had the power to come back from the dead, he would return to a place far away from his family and friends?’ 

Also, could it not be that the person seen merely resembled the person who had died? For example, two Christian ministers who were preaching in a country area noticed an old man who followed them for some hours. When they questioned him, they learned that the man thought one of the ministers was his brother who had died some years previously. Of course, he was wrong, but he refused to believe he was wrong. Imagine the story the old man later told his friends and neighbors!

Visions, Dreams, and Voices

No doubt you know about strange things people have seen, heard, or dreamed. Such supernatural experiences often frighten those having them. Marein, who lived in West Africa, regularly heard the voice of her late grandmother calling her at night. Terrified, Marein would scream, waking up her whole household. Eventually, she lost her sanity.

Now, if the dead were really alive, is it reasonable that they would terrify their loved ones? Of course not. The source of such hurtful messages is the demons. But what about messages that seem to be helpful and comforting? For example, Gbassay, from Sierra Leone, was sick. She had a dream in which her late father appeared to her. He instructed her to go to a certain tree, take a leaf, mix it with water, and drink it. She was not to talk to anybody before doing so. She did this and got well.

Another woman said that her husband appeared to her one night after he died. She said he looked very nice and wore beautiful clothes. Such messages and visions seem good and helpful. Are they from God? No, they are not. Jehovah is “the God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5) Never would he agree to tricking or deceiving us. Only the demons do that. But are there good demons? No. Even though they may seem helpful at times, all of them are bad. When the Devil spoke with Eve, he seemed friendly. (Genesis 3:1) But what resulted to her after she listened to him and did what he said? She died.

You know that it is not uncommon for a bad person to be friendly to those he wants to deceive and cheat. “White teeth, black heart,” says the African proverb. And God’s Word says: “Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.”—2 Corinthians 11:14. God no longer contacts people on earth by means of dreams, visions, or voices from the spirit world. He guides and instructs them through the Bible, which can make a person “completely equipped for every good work.”—2 Timothy 3:17. Thus, when Jehovah warns us against the tricks of the Devil, he does so because he loves us. He knows the demons are dangerous enemies.

“Unknown Tongues” and Their Interpretation

Cite here. The present-day resurgence of speaking in tongues has been “regarded by some as the emotional extravagance of unstable exhibitionists, while others regard it as identical with the phenomenon of speaking with tongues of Apostolic times.” In modern-day church gatherings where speaking in “unknown tongues” occurs, it usually involves an ecstatic outburst of unintelligible sounds. Accordingly, one person confessed: “I use my gift of tongues mostly in private for my own meditation. . . . I feel a little embarrassed in front of other people.” Another related: “I hear my own words, I don’t understand them, but I keep feeling my tongue pushed to talk.”

What information of real value is conveyed by such unknown tongues, and what about an interpretation? Those who claim to interpret this speech have offered different explanations of the same unintelligible utterances. Why different? They explain away such a disparity by saying that “God gave to one person one interpretation of the speech and to another person another interpretation.” One individual acknowledged: “I have noted occasions where the interpretation was not of the accurate type.” D. A. Hayes, in his book The Gift of Tongues, referred to an instance where a man refused to interpret the speech of a woman who spoke in an unknown tongue because “the language was the vilest of the vile.” What a contrast that is to the speaking in tongues that existed in the first century and that was actually for building up the congregation!​—1 Corinthians 14:4-6, 12, 18.

Some today do claim to have heard wonderful interpretations, and they may sincerely believe that God uses this gift when he “wishes to give a direct message to the people.” But what message from God do we need today that Jesus Christ and the apostles did not supply for us? Paul, who was himself gifted with holy spirit, said: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”​—2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

The fact is, the Christian congregation is no longer in its infancy, and thus divine revelations or miraculous gifts of the spirit are no longer needed to confirm its role. The Bible cautions: “Even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond [“at variance with,” The New English Bible] what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed.”​—Galatians 1:8.

Miraculously speaking in tongues is no longer necessary, and there is no Biblical basis for believing that it is part of true Christianity today. Now that the Bible is complete and widely available, we have what we need in the Word of God. It allows us to gain an accurate knowledge of Jehovah and his Son that leads to everlasting life.​—John 17:3; Revelation 22:18, 19.

Even in the first century, the apostle Paul was compelled to write the congregation in Corinth to correct their view of why the gift of tongues was given to early Christians. Seemingly, some had become fascinated with the gift of tongues, and they were acting like little children, spiritually immature. Too much importance was being attached to “tongues.” (1 Corinthians 14:1-39) Paul emphasized that not all Christians in the first century spoke in miraculous tongues. It was not necessary to their salvation. Even back then when it existed, the gift of tongues was secondary to miraculous prophesying. Speaking in tongues was not, and is not, a requirement for Christians to gain everlasting life.​—1 Corinthians 12:29, 30; 14:4, 5.

The Force Behind Unknown Tongues Today

Some believe that the driving force behind today’s tongue-speakers is charismatic church leaders who prompt members of their flock to acquire this ability. In some cases it is brought on by emotionalism and imbalance. Cyril G. Williams, in Tongues of the Spirit, says it has become “in many instances a badge of elitism within the group” and gives a person “stature and authority in the sight of the group and also in their own eyes.” The motivation, therefore, could be a desire to belong to the superior unknown-tongue group.

Then Loyola University president Donald P. Merrifield noted that “tongues could be a hysterical experience, or, according to some, a diabolical one.” Clergyman Todd H. Fast said: “Tongues is controversial. The devil has many ways of working at us.” The Bible itself warns that Satan and his demons are able to influence people and control their speech. (Acts 16:17, 18) Jesus acted against a demonic spirit that had moved a man to shout and fall to the floor. (Luke 4:33-35) Paul warned that ‘Satan would transform himself into an angel of light.’ (2 Corinthians 11:14) Those today who seek the gift of tongues that God no longer bestows on his people are really opening themselves to deception by Satan, who, we are warned, would use “every powerful work and lying signs and portents.”​—2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.