Message in tongues + interpretation verified by an outsider fluent in both languages?

[TruthSeek3r]

Let's say someone speaks a message in tongues (in language X) to a whole congregation at a church service, and then someone else stands up and speaks the interpretation (in language Y, understood by most people in the congregation). Assuming that language X is a real human language but unknown to the person who spoke in tongues and unknown to the person who interpreted, one way to validate the message and the interpretation would be to have a person fluent in both X and Y confirm that the message in X was meaningful and the interpretation in Y was accurate.

Does anybody know of cases where this has happened (or at least, claimed or documented to have happened)?

I'm only aware of a single case where this has been claimed to have happened. This is a first-hand account by Dr. David Petts, whose personal website can be found here. In short, an Irish woman spoke in tongues, Dr. Petts gave the interpretation and a student from Burkina Faso confirmed that the woman spoke in Mooré and that Dr. Petts's interpretation was accurate.

Below a transcript of the relevant part of the video:

I'll tell you a quick story at this stage. In my first year as principal at Mattis(?) in 1977, we took 50 students on a bus to the Bethshan Manchester Church. It was quite a big building, about a thousand seater, and there was a big this kind of rallies in those days -- people from all over came and so on. Some of the students sang and testified, I preached. At the end of my preaching, somebody spoke in tongues from the back of the meeting. Because I was at the microphone and it was a big meeting, I felt it was best if I interpreted so everybody could hear the interpretation -- it's all about this in 1 Corinthians 14, if you don't understand those terms. Anyway. So I gave what I felt God was giving me as the interpretation for this language this woman was speaking. I found out later that she was an Irish lady. And then the pastor closed in prayer. The moment the meeting ended, one of our students from Burkina Faso came up to me: "Monsieur Petts, Monsieur Petts, Monsieur Petts!" (they speak French in Burkina Faso, so in the case that you don't know, that means Mr. Petts, Mr. Petts, Mr. Petts, alright [laughs]). And then he said: "the woman who spoke in tongues, she was speaking my language!". My language. Now I told you yesterday I speak French and I knew that that Irish lady had not been speaking French. And I thought "What's he on about?" So this guy's name was get-a-wendell-amber(??), so we called him Terry [laughs]. I said what is it Terry? What do you mean? He said "No, I don't mean she was speaking French, in Burkina we speak Mooré". Now, before that day I had never heard of a language called Mooré, but that's the African language they speak in Burkina Faso. And I said "she was speaking Mooré?" He said yes. I usually tell this story when we are not sure about spiritual gifts. But the thing is this: I'd given the interpretation! And one of my students had understood the Mooré and he'd understood my interpretation. And somebody was asking me last night do you have a doubt? Oh yes [nervous laugh]. You see, where there is no doubt, where there is no room for doubt, there is no need for faith. If I said to you two plus two equals four, you need no faith to believe that because there is no room for doubt. Okay? So the only way there's room for doubt that you need faith. So we all get doubts about things, and you know, whether intellectual or not intellectual, you have doubts, everybody does. And I was like "Oh no! Oh, I've given this interpretation, If I got it wrong soon all the students will know, all the Bible College will know, the whole of Assemblies of God will know, I will lose my job as a principal of the Bible College!" [laughs] Not quite that, but all those sorts of thoughts were going through my mind. "Terry, Terry, that's wonderful! What about the interpretation?" [laughs] He looked at me amazed that the principal of the Bible College could doubt. Oh yes, he can. It was accurate, of course. God doesn't let us down [...]
​

Does anyone know of other cases or can relate to this experience?

 

[dqhall]

Let's say someone speaks a message in tongues (in language X) to a whole congregation at a church service, and then someone else stands up and speaks the interpretation (in language Y, understood by most people in the congregation). Assuming that language X is a real human language but unknown to the person who spoke in tongues and unknown to the person who interpreted, one way to validate the message and the interpretation would be to have a person fluent in both X and Y confirm that the message in X was meaningful and the interpretation in Y was accurate.

Does anybody know of cases where this has happened (or at least, claimed or documented to have happened)?

I'm only aware of a single case where this has been claimed to have happened. This is a first-hand account by Dr. David Petts, whose personal website can be found here. In short, an Irish woman spoke in tongues, Dr. Petts gave the interpretation and a student from Burkina Faso confirmed that the woman spoke in Mooré and that Dr. Petts's interpretation was accurate.

Below a transcript of the relevant part of the video:

I'll tell you a quick story at this stage. In my first year as principal at Mattis(?) in 1977, we took 50 students on a bus to the Bethshan Manchester Church. It was quite a big building, about a thousand seater, and there was a big this kind of rallies in those days -- people from all over came and so on. So the students sang, I testified, I preached. At the end of my preaching, somebody spoke in tongues from the back of the meeting. Because I was at the microphone and it was a big meeting, I felt it was best if I interpreted so everybody could hear the interpretation -- it's all about this in 1 Corinthians 14, if you don't understand those terms. Anyway. So I gave what I felt God was giving me as the interpretation for this language this woman was speaking. I found out later that she was an Irish lady. And then the pastor closed in prayer. The moment the meeting ended, one of our students from Burkina Faso came up to me: "Monsieur Petts, Monsieur Petts!" (they speak French in Burkina Faso, so in the case that you don't know, that means Mr. Petts, Mr. Petts, alright [laughs]). And then he said: "the woman who spoke in tongues, she was speaking my language!". My language. Now I told you yesterday that I speak French and I knew that that Irish lady had not been speaking French. And I thought "What's he on about?" So this guy's name was get-a-wendell-amber(??), so we called him Terry [laughs]. I said what is it Terry? What do you mean? He said "No, I don't mean she was speaking French, in Burkina we speak Mooré". Now, before that day I had never heard of a language called Mooré, but that's the African language they speak in Burkina Faso. And I said "she was speaking Mooré?" He said yes. I usually tell this story when we are not sure about spiritual gifts. But the thing is this: I'd given the interpretation! And one of my students had understood the Mooré and he'd understood my interpretation. And someone was asking me last night do you have a doubt? Oh yes [nervous laugh]. You see, where there is no doubt, where there is no room for doubt, there is no need for faith. If I told you two plus two equals four, you need no faith to believe that because there is no room for doubt. Okay? So the only way there's room for doubt that you need faith. So we all get doubts about things, and you know, whether intellectual or not intellectual, you have doubts, everybody does. And I was like "Oh no! Oh, forgive me this interpretation, If I got it wrong soon all the students will know, all the Bible College will know, the whole of Assemblies of God will know, I will lose my job as a principal of the Bible College!" [laughs] Not quite that, but all those sorts of thoughts were going through my mind. "Terry, Terry, that's wonderful! What about the interpretation?" [laughs] He looked at me amazed that the principal of the Bible College could doubt. Oh yes, he can. It was accurate, of course. God doesn't let us down [...]
​

Does anyone know of other cases or can relate to this experience?

That is interesting. There were reports of speaking in tongues and miraculous healings at the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles.

During other revival movements there were reports of alcoholics getting sober, bars closing and the crime rate dropping.

Some people testified they turned to Christ after God healed them.

I met a woman who told me she learned to read Russian during a summer while she was a college student. She was employed translating Russian documents for a U.S. intelligence agency. To me that was a miracle.

Were you ever searching for a way to say something and the words seemed to come to you? That may be like prophesy.

 

[tturt]

One problem I've seen is that some researchers report that it is inaccurate. However, it is not a translation. It is an interpretation.

"A Message in Hebrew One of the most convincing messages as a "sign" to the unbelieving (I Cor 14:22), was given by one of the workers at an evening service when hundreds of sinners were present. There were three definite supernatural aspects to the message: First, it was a message in an "unknown tongue"; second, it was revealed to the brother that he was speaking in Hebrew; third, it was also revealed to him that he was speaking to a Jew sitting in the audience several rows back." "After much persuasion he arose and said that the message was for him and that he understood it." "Then he was asked whether the brother had spoken to him in Yiddish or Hebrew, and he replied that he had spoken to him in pure Hebrew." "Brother Howell, through whom the Lord gave the message, testified that he had never studied languages, knew nothing about the Hebrew...." "A Diary of Signs and Wonders" by Maria Woodworth-Etter pg. 393

Seems like there's another occasion where she spoke for 30? min and later learned it was for a German couple in the congregation who didn't know English.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Let's say someone speaks a message in tongues (in language X) to a whole congregation at a church service, and then someone else stands up and speaks the interpretation (in language Y, understood by most people in the congregation). Assuming that language X is a real human language but unknown to the person who spoke in tongues and unknown to the person who interpreted, one way to validate the message and the interpretation would be to have a person fluent in both X and Y confirm that the message in X was meaningful and the interpretation in Y was accurate.

Does anybody know of cases where this has happened (or at least, claimed or documented to have happened)?

I'm only aware of a single case where this has been claimed to have happened. This is a first-hand account by Dr. David Petts, whose personal website can be found here. In short, an Irish woman spoke in tongues, Dr. Petts gave the interpretation and a student from Burkina Faso confirmed that the woman spoke in Mooré and that Dr. Petts's interpretation was accurate.

Below a transcript of the relevant part of the video:

I'll tell you a quick story at this stage. In my first year as principal at Mattis(?) in 1977, we took 50 students on a bus to the Bethshan Manchester Church. It was quite a big building, about a thousand seater, and there was a big this kind of rallies in those days -- people from all over came and so on. Some of the students sang and testified, I preached. At the end of my preaching, somebody spoke in tongues from the back of the meeting. Because I was at the microphone and it was a big meeting, I felt it was best if I interpreted so everybody could hear the interpretation -- it's all about this in 1 Corinthians 14, if you don't understand those terms. Anyway. So I gave what I felt God was giving me as the interpretation for this language this woman was speaking. I found out later that she was an Irish lady. And then the pastor closed in prayer. The moment the meeting ended, one of our students from Burkina Faso came up to me: "Monsieur Petts, Monsieur Petts, Monsieur Petts!" (they speak French in Burkina Faso, so in the case that you don't know, that means Mr. Petts, Mr. Petts, Mr. Petts, alright [laughs]). And then he said: "the woman who spoke in tongues, she was speaking my language!". My language. Now I told you yesterday I speak French and I knew that that Irish lady had not been speaking French. And I thought "What's he on about?" So this guy's name was get-a-wendell-amber(??), so we called him Terry [laughs]. I said what is it Terry? What do you mean? He said "No, I don't mean she was speaking French, in Burkina we speak Mooré". Now, before that day I had never heard of a language called Mooré, but that's the African language they speak in Burkina Faso. And I said "she was speaking Mooré?" He said yes. I usually tell this story when we are not sure about spiritual gifts. But the thing is this: I'd given the interpretation! And one of my students had understood the Mooré and he'd understood my interpretation. And somebody was asking me last night do you have a doubt? Oh yes [nervous laugh]. You see, where there is no doubt, where there is no room for doubt, there is no need for faith. If I said to you two plus two equals four, you need no faith to believe that because there is no room for doubt. Okay? So the only way there's room for doubt that you need faith. So we all get doubts about things, and you know, whether intellectual or not intellectual, you have doubts, everybody does. And I was like "Oh no! Oh, I've given this interpretation, If I got it wrong soon all the students will know, all the Bible College will know, the whole of Assemblies of God will know, I will lose my job as a principal of the Bible College!" [laughs] Not quite that, but all those sorts of thoughts were going through my mind. "Terry, Terry, that's wonderful! What about the interpretation?" [laughs] He looked at me amazed that the principal of the Bible College could doubt. Oh yes, he can. It was accurate, of course. God doesn't let us down [...]
​

Does anyone know of other cases or can relate to this experience?

In the 1970s when a member of a Charismatic church, I was praying quietly in tongues in support of people being prayed for at the altar call at the end of the service. After the service was over, a Mrs Samuels, New Zealand Maori lady, turned to me and said that I was speaking encouraging things to her in the Maori language. I had no knowledge of that language. All I knew was that I was praying in tongues.

In a prayer meeting, around that time, which I did not attend, a close friend was praying in tongues along with the others, and a Ghanaian visitor by the name of Badu Bediaku stopped the prayer meeting and told my friend that he was praising God in his own village dialect. My friend was basically uneducated and would have absolutely no knowledge of that village dialect.