when the people heard Paul speak in Hebrew (or Aramaic tongue) they became even quieter. Here was an angry mob which a few moments be fore had been screaming for his death. Now they listened in stunned silence for he was speaking in their mother tongue. His dissertation lasts on our record for 22 verses before another outcry. He was able to get his hearing. The power of the mother tongue in commanding the attention of the hearer is one of the reasons why we in the Wycliffe Bible Translators be lieve it is worth the effort to learn these languages. We use them to communicate the Gospel by trans lating God’s Word into them. I’ve been in Indian villages of Mexico where we have gained a ready ac ceptance because we could speak a language few people have ever even heard of. On one occasion, I can still remember hearing one of our hosts, in whose home we would be spending the night, telling our guide, “You know, if they were talking Spanish we wouldn’t pay any atten tion to them. They talk our lan guage!” This is not to say that the use of the mother tongue will of itself con vert the soul. Only the Holy Spirit of God can do this. But such a prac tice does get a hearing for the Gos pel. Men are left without excuse be cause there’s no barrier to their un derstanding. This is why we need to learn all these languages well. Just as the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God in our language to speak to our hearts, so He’ll use the Scriptures in their language to speak to their hearts. The message for the heart merits the language of the heart. The New Testament Scriptures are crystal-clear in showing us that God gave His Word in the language of the hearer. May we be as wise as they in our day, using languages for their full impact in reaching the hearts of men everywhere with the
Gospel message of Jesus Christ! CHAPTER EIGHT Considering the future estate of man, it’s interesting to note in Rev elation that some from every lan guage will be gathered around the throne of Jesus Christ praising Him. This is a tremendously significant fact when we consider God’s original judgment at Babel when the diver sity of languages first start. Man foolishly sought to use language un ity to build a name for himself in defiance to the Almighty. Then came the confounding of speech so that today we still have many different languages spoken in our world. This is one of the great factors why men can’t work together amicably. I believe the Lord has made it quite clear that He expects us to go out and reach people in their own languages. Through the history of the church the Bible has been trans lated into many different languages totalling something like 1,300. But there are still 2,000 to go. Will we deny these? The Church still has a tremendous unfinished task. Back in Babel the languages were confused; here in Revelation they’re used to glorify God’s Son. Of all God’s judgments this will ultimately resound to the greater glory of Christ. Have you ever wondered what the language of heaven will be? While not being dogmatic I believe there’s evidence that there may not be just one language but many. God under stands all the dialects known to men. There will be no limitations in heav en. As we saw in an earlier study Christ used those tongues known to the people where He ministered. While we may not know these lan guages today there’s no reason why we won’t up there. We shall know even as also we are known. Another factor enters my thinking. You can’t tell a man’s language by the way he looks. I don’t believe the Holy Spirit throws in terms or de- Page 45
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