Borrowed Breath

In Genesis 11 we read the account of the tower of Babel. Verse 1 says, “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” As the chapter progresses, we see mankind communicating and producing bricks and mortar to build a city and a tower that they said would have “it’s top in the heavens” (v. 4). They desired to make a name for themselves so that they would not be dispersed throughout the whole earth. And then we have our Lord’s reaction to their endeavors. “And the LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:6-9). 

Throughout the history of the Old Testament, nations and tongues were divided. Then Jesus, the Christ, came, bringing the promise of redemption to all mankind. After Jesus lived His sinless, obedient life and died His sacrificial death, then rose victorious from the grave, He ascended to the Father’s right hand. Then a new era of salvation and redemption was ushered in. When devout Jews from many tribes and nations came to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost, our Lord, through the apostles, miraculously spread the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, the curse of the tower of Babel was reversed. Our Lord miraculously proclaimed, in every dialect present that day, the truth of Jesus as the Messiah! Peter and the other apostles spoke, and the people understood. The nations were no longer divided by language. This message was clearly articulated to them in their own distinct language, adding 3,000 souls to the kingdom in one day. Our Lord gave His apostles this miraculous gift, so they could clearly articulate His salvation message in tongues that they never studied or learned. 

As we read through the New Testament, including the four gospels, there are numerous instances of miracles accompanied by evidence of Divine influence. There are narratives of these accounts, and there are portions of Scripture that lay the groundwork for how these gifts are to be exercised, “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). It is an indisputable fact that during the time of the New Testament, miraculous signs coincided with the dawning of the church. However, it is not as clearly spelled out in the New Testament how and when these miracles will cease to be a part of the church.