NOTE: All comments in brackets [ ] or in parentheses ( ) as well as highlighted text (bolded and/or in blue) are from the author of this study.
Bible quotations are in maroon.
There are many things that can be understood about God, His plan of salvation, doctrine, etc. that weren’t covered by HWA or the ministry. HWA could not and did not do it all but he did give us all the tools (he taught us how to read the Scriptures and he gave us the big picture of what the Bible is all about) we need to be able to go into the Bible and ourselves explore different topics of interest to us. This makes it possible for us to expand our knowledge and understanding of the Bible without rejecting or undoing/changing any of the invaluable truth God gave His Church through HWA. Our findings to be valid must build on and complement the truth placed by God in His Church by HWA; this is the test of whether our findings are valid or erroneous. And, ultimately, as HWA used to always say “Don’t believe me, believe your Bible.”
The Bible does not contradict itself and any truth we uncover that we hadn’t seen before because of our lack of spiritual maturity cannot undo any of the truth of the Bible; if they do, they are false.
There is wonderful knowledge remaining to be uncovered by God’s elect if they have a curious and inquisitive mind, if they are hungering and thirsting for truth, if they are knocking, if they are willing to spend the time required to do attentive, careful, alert studies of the Scriptures rather than limiting their spiritual lives to listening to sermon tapes, attending holy days with others who seem to have remained faithful and limiting themselves to putting no more greater effort than that into it.
That kind of attitude and effort will not result in any increased knowledge or understanding.
God commands us to continually review and study the Scriptures that we may have a correct understanding of them (2Ti 2:15) and in order to have continued growth in knowledge and understanding.
Since God’s command is that we have continued growth in knowledge and understanding then He must have provided the means whereby this can occur; otherwise, it would be impossible for Christians to obey His command. Christians as spiritual embryos can only remain alive and growing through the life sustaining spiritual food that comes from continued serious Bible study. The world easily pulls us in all directions and if we let it, it leaves us with no time to do anything of quality spiritually-speaking and we find ourselves doing the absolute minimum we feel we need to do not to lose salvation. Not good and a risky approach.
Several Scriptures make it clear that true Christians are to be growing in knowledge and understanding all throughout their natural lives.
None of the Scriptures below contain any indication that growth in knowledge is to be a one time thing or that it is something which after a certain time is no longer a requirement. Many of these Scriptures should be familiar to you by now if you have been reading through these Web site studies.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [correctly understanding] the word of truth.
Pro 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro 5: 1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Mr. Armstrong always said that growth results from us being in a two-way conversation with God; we have to be praying and studying to have growth. We speak to God when we pray for knowledge and understanding and when we study the Holy Bible, God speaks to us and gives us knowledge and understanding as we put quality time and effort in attentive, alert, interested, detailed studies of the Scriptures.
Christ said He would manifest Himself to true Christians and John 14:21-26, which I quote a little further on in this study, tells us how Christ will do this. It is something which has been already covered but which is worth repeating. It is also something that requires a bit of work on our part; it’s not floating downstream with the current. We are rewarded according to our works and we reap what we sow. Time and sustained effort are required for growth to occur in knowledge and understanding. We have to be more than babes sitting in our high chairs with mouths open waiting to be spoon fed; this was required for a time at the time of our initial calling but if we have been growing spiritually, long term members should have grown out of their swaddling clothes, have learned to dress themselves and tie their shoes, be able to feed themselves and have taken the training wheels off of their Bible.
Long time members of the Church should be spiritually mature to the point where if they had to they could teach the truth that they have. Does that describe your personal situation if not, here what Paul has to say about long time Church members who are still at the starting gate.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; [the foundational truths of God’s Church taught by Christ to the apostles and which Paul taught to the congregations he raised up and restored to God’s Church by God’s promised end-time Elijah who was to restore all things] and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Christ told His disciples the evening He was to be taken and become God’s perfect sacrifice for sin that He and the Father would manifest themselves to them.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Joh 14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? [Judas was asking Christ about how Christ would manifest Himself to them and their spiritual descendants i.e., all those called and chosen throughout the ages including us today]
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. [God the Father and Christ would dwell in truly converted Christians]
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Joh 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Has God been manifesting Himself to you? If not, John 14 if you read it carefully, gives you the reason. If He has been manifesting Himself to you, what form did that manifestation take? How would God manifest Himself to active, spiritually-alive true Christians? Would He appear to them in person and have a coffee with them or would true believers see visions? Or, would it be that we would know that He is with us by our being given to understand truth which we did not understand before; NOT so-called “new” truth which are falsities but rather, new understandings that neither contradict, diminish, undo or change any of the truth God gave His Church through the apostles but which rather effectively adds to, complements, dovetails with and builds seamlessly upon them?
Christ says He would manifest Himself to us through the Comforter that He would send and which would bring to our remembrance all things He had taught the Church and that it would teach us all things i.e., it would be the means by which we could learn other truths not part of the foundational truth given the Church by Christ at the time of His First Coming.
The Comforter or the holy spirit being called the Word and God’s Spokesman would teach true Christians all things. See the following study for more and detailed information on this topic: Who or What is the Holy Spirit? This holy spirit being would bring to the remembrance of the Church, then the apostles and us today, all things this holy spirit being had taught them while He was with them (these were restored to the Church by God’s end-time Elijah from which we learned and proven them with our Bible) and Christ said in addition to bringing what He had taught the Church to their remembrance, this holy spirit being would also teach them other things which He had not then taught them. This holy spirit being would teach them all things not just those He had taught them when He was with them and which were restored to God’s Church by God’s promised end-time Elijah. If this weren’t the case, Christ would have simply said, the Comforter will bring all things to your remembrance without any further requirement to teach anything else.
You will recall that when we are first called, it is the holy spirit being called God which is with us, (John 6:45) and after we have been chosen, it is the holy spirit called the Word or Spokesman which is then in us (John 6:45 last part) and who teaches us all things. In Old Testament times, God spoke to Israel through human intermediaries or mediators i.e., the prophets (Heb 1:-2) but since the glorification of Christ, (John 7:39) God now speaks to true Christians through the Word.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, [a holy spirit being] cometh unto me. [Christ, a holy spirit being]
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Christ is the holy spirit being called the Spokesman who after having become a man had to be glorified again to be a holy spirit being which would dwell in the minds of the truly converted and teach them all things.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, [it would not be a physical human being that they could see as was Christ who was then their comforter] that he may abide with you for ever; [as flesh-and-blood human beings and as glorified spirit beings in God’s Kingdom]
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, [ i.e., the holy spirit being called the Spokesman] whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [Christ had to be again glorified and return to being the holy spirit being that had dwelt in eternity with God so that He could then work in the minds of the truly converted as God’s Spokesman through the spirit in man that all human beings have. (Heb 1:1-2; John 6:45; John 7:39)]
This is how God said He would manifest Himself to His called out ones who remain faithful but there is a price: sustained, personal effort is required; we are rewarded according to our works; if we have no works we have no reward or progress in knowledge and understanding. And, if we are not regularly studying the Bible, how are we growing and how are we live spiritual embryos?
Be it as it may, salvation is an individual process and though many hunger for huge offices of responsibilities in God’s Kingdom, they seem to not understand that their office of responsibilities will be in proportion to the efforts they have made in this life to acquire the mind of God which is essentially getting an ever increasing knowledge and understanding of the Bible which reflects the mind of God and which one gets by continuous study not only of what HWA taught but of the Bible itself. Mature Christians if they indeed be mature, should be able to read the Bible and get growth in knowledge and understanding as they do so, and as so many want to do so badly, or so they say, be beings of character i.e., individuals that can self-discipline themselves to engage in a careful, alert, and detailed study of their Bible. Not many seem to be willing to do so.
Let’s now proceed to an examination of what the Scriptures have to say regarding the pure language that God is to give to the world.
A Pure Language
God says that there is coming a time when He will turn to the people a pure language a pure language.
Neither Mr. Armstrong nor the WCG ministry ever really explained what was this pure language and it was widely assumed by all that this new language that all of mankind alive after Christ’s 2nd Coming would speak, would somehow facilitate the conversion of the masses.
The notion of a pure language is mentioned in the book of Zephaniah.
Zep 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
In this book God is talking about Judah who is not obeying him and He mentions many of the things that they were doing that were contrary to the law they had been given.
Judah, like Israel was a carnal-minded nation which did not have God’s Holy Spirit and as we have seen, the Holy Spirit could not be given until Christ was glorified (John 7:39).
Israel had already gone off into captivity for its disobedience at the time this was written and Zephaniah tells Judah there is a time coming when it would also go off into captivity.
Judah was the only remaining part of ancient Israel at the time this was written. You will recall that Israel after the death of Solomon had split into a northern and a southern kingdom with Israel being the northern kingdom and Judah the southern one. As the only remaining part of Israel, Judah then represents the whole of Israel and, as a carnal-minded nation, it also represents how God will interact with the unconverted nations of the world when the time comes for Him to do so.
God was not then and is not now trying to bring the nations of the world to conversion and this is in accord with the time line that flows through His great master plan of salvation for mankind. God did not ever work at the spiritual conversion of Israel. It would have required the granting of His Holy Spirit which is the one and only means which enables the human mind to understand God’s spiritual truth; without it, it is utterly impossible for the human mind to know even less understand God’s spiritual truth and become converted. Recall that the old covenant God made with Israel did not hold the promise of their ever being given access to God’s Holy Spirit for any reason; even if they had obeyed God perfectly on a letter of the law level, God would not have made His Holy Spirit available to them. Israel and Judah remained carnal-minded nations for whom it was impossible to know the truth and be able to make the decision to follow it or not.
It is of the utmost importance to keep this mind as we go through this study.
In Zephaniah we have verses that are historical speaking of events that were to occur to the physical nation of Judah of those days and we have verses that are prophecy, speaking of the conversion of the carnal-minded nations of the world who like Judah and Israel have been completely cut off from having access to God’s Holy Spirit since the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. This will be the prevailing condition affecting mankind until after Christ’s 2nd Coming and the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28 which is the time God will pour out of His Spirit on all mankind.
Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Judah in Zephaniah is then a type of how God will deal with the unconverted nations of the world when the time comes for Him to do so. It is very important to realize and this is why I am saying it again, that Israel and Judah were never converted nations; they never had God’s Holy Spirit and were just like all the carnal-minded nations of the world of their days and of ours today. As such, Judah and Israel represent the unconverted nations of the world. Remember that Israel and Judah will go through a conversion process in the end-time and this has been covered in a study on this Web site that you can find at the following hyperlink: Administration of God’s Plan of Salvation During the Millennium. Their conversion is yet in our immediate future.
Let’s continue by reading the following verses from Zephaniah 3 keeping in mind the explanations provided so far.
Zep 3:6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. [This is prophetic; God did not in the days of Judah cut off the nations so that there are no inhabitants but there is a time in the future when He will (See Zech 12:9 and 14:2 below.]
Zep 3:7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off,
[God will not force mankind to obey Him; and God has given man absolute free moral agency (cannot be made to believe something against his will); so a bit of a mystery here, how can God say surely you will obey me? Another point of importance to notice here is that the day is coming when Judah (its descendants and the carnal-minded nations of which it is a type) will surely obey God and learn His ways and that this will allow God to not cut off their dwelling i.e., He would not destroy them. God says the day is coming when they will surely fear (obey) Him; obedience to God is impossible without God’s Holy Spirit; so a day is coming when Judah, their descendants and the carnal-minded nations of the world which unconverted Judah here represents, will be given access to God’s Holy Spirit. ]
howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
[Going back to Old Testament Judah itself, God says because of their disobedience He punished them but it made no difference; the people got up early to do evil; they weren’t any less eager to continue doing evil. Physical punishment does not lead to conversion because of man’s free moral agency.]
Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD,
[God says he punished Judah but it was to no avail; they just kept on doing evil. So He now says, “Wait ye upon me” a time is coming when I will intervene in the affairs of unconverted mankind which includes Judah and Israel.]
until the day that I rise up to the prey: [The day I intervene in world affairs.]
for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
[This is speaking of the time when God will gather all the nations that have come up against Jerusalem and He will pour out His indignation upon them (See Zec 12:9; 14:2 below.)]
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
And In Zephaniah 3:9 we come to a familiar verse used in many Feast of Tabernacles sermons where God says that he will “turn to the people a pure language” which I have used as the title for this study.
Zep 3:9 For then will I turn [give access] to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
Please notice, this is of the utmost importance for us if we are to understand what is the pure language that is to be given to the people, that the time when God turns to give the people (the unconverted nations of the world including Judah and Israel) a pure language coincides with the time when God sets His hand to bring salvation to mankind […..that they may all call upon the name of the LORD…..] after it having been cut off from His Holy Spirit for the last 6,000 years.
The focal point of this study will be to explain what is this pure language. As you will see as we go forward with this study, that it is something that is quite different from what we may have been assuming and which was often implied by the ministry whenever they read this verse. Of course, this is a claim that will require proof and the only proof I will use is the Bible itself as it is the only sure way of knowing what is the truth. Mr. Armstrong always said that the Bible explains its own symbols if we can correctly link the dots of the right Scriptures that allows us to know the hidden meaning. It’s like Matthew 24 being the explanation of the first 4 seals of the book of Revelation. We must also do the same thing and be sure to believe no man but to believe your Bible, always.
Up to this point in Zephaniah, God says Judah has not obeyed Him; it was punished and it made no difference. But God says Judah (a fully carnal-minded nation) and by extension, the nations of the world (also fully carnal-minded) will surely obey Him. And, please note, that even though God punished Judah, it just kept on doing the evil it had always done; punishing Judah made no difference as the punishment to come upon the nations of the world in the end-time will also not make any difference. Physical punishment is ineffective in making carnal-minded individuals and nations obedient to God because of the free moral agency God gave man. What is the absolute free moral agency God gave man is fully explained in another study found on this Web site and this is why I recommend that the studies on this site be read in sequence. If you have been doing so, you already know what is free moral agency; if not, please read the following study Are You Spiritually Mature? .
I am mentioning all these things as they are key notions that have to be clear in our minds if we are to understand what is the pure language to be given the nations.
The Calling of the Nations
Zep 3:9 For then will I turn [“give” is the meaning of the Hebrew word translated as “turn.”] to the people a pure [“clear” is the meaning of the Hebrew word translated as “pure.”] language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent. [This clear language is something that God will give to unconverted mankind (first to Judah and ancient Israel and after, progressively, to the world) and which will enable it to know and call upon the Lord if they choose to do so.]
Zep 3:10 [And when this pure language is given to mankind, the following will occur.]
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
[All will come to the knowledge of the truth even the daughter of my dispersed. End-time Israel is the daughter of the ancient nation of Israel that will have been dispersed or scattered across the nations during the Great Tribulation.]
Zep 3:11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.
[When this pure language is given, Israel will not be ashamed for all the evil that it once did as God will remove all those who are evil, who rejoice over the evil that Israel once did and this because of God’s holy nation or holy mountain i.e. God will have a nation on the earth which wants to obey Him and it will be a nation out of which God will have taken away those that rejoice in thy pride and that are haughty before God. It will be a nation from which evil has been purged and those remaining will be those that form God’s holy mountain or nation or kingdom. A conversion process will have occurred. And, who is that holy nation that God is talking about? Who is the only nation ever called by God to become His holy nation? For more information on this, I refer you to a study already posted on this Web site at the following hyperlink: Administration of God’s Plan of Salvation During the Millennium]
Zep 3:12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
[God will leave in the midst of Judah which is here a type of the unconverted nations of the world, a poor and afflicted people. The will be poor and afflicted in what way; material possessions or poor in opposition to God. And how will they be afflicted? (See Isa 66:2 below.)]
Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Zep 3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
[The remnant or residue of Israel i.e., the modern-day nations constituting end-time Israel which is to go into captivity and be brought back by God to the Promised Land at the end of its captivity will be a remnant of Israel; only 10% of end-time Israel returns from captivity (See Isa 6:10-13 below.) The remnant of Israel that shall do no iniquity, nor speak lies are those of the remnant of Israel who after Christ’s 3 1/2 year ministry to them, will enter into the New Covenant (Dan 9:27); not all of them will. The making of the New Covenant is the time of Israel’s redemption that Paul talks about in Romans 11 and it is when those who follow their calling become part of the nation mentioned in Ex 19:6.]
The remnant or residue of Israel will be very small as made evident in Isaiah.
Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. [Israel and mankind will remain blind to the truth of God until the time comes for this blindness to be removed.]
Isa 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, [Mankind’s spiritual blindness is to last until after the end of the Day of the Lord which is God’s great wrath on the nations of the world which Christ describes as the time when there: ” …..shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Mat 24:21) The Great Tribulation includes the events of the fifth (great martyrdom of saints) and sixth seal of Revelation (the events of the Day of the Lord).
Isa 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. [Mankind to remain blind until the Great Tribulation and the occurrence of the great falling away mentioned in 2 Thess 2:3.]
Isa 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, [End-time nations constituting modern-day Israel are to go into captivity and upon their return, there will only be 10% left of those who initially went into captivity] and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, [The remnant though small will bear fruits; it will become a large and prosperous nation again.] and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: [The remnant will be like a towering oak tree that loses it leaves when the cold season arrives and outwardly seems to be dead, but its liveliness is still fully in it] so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. [The remnant that comes back will become God’s Holy seed. It will be the small mustard seed which will grow to eventually encompass the whole earth. End-time Israel returned from captivity and after its conversion will be God’s Holy nation and kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6) that will grow as the nations convert to in time include converts from the whole world but not everyone in all the nations of the world will become converted (Matt 22:14; Matt 7:13). God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests will be none less than God’s Church during the Millennium and the Last Great Day. It will be made up of human beings in whom dwells the holy spirit beings God the Father and Christ and it will be the human instrument through which God will teach those from the world coming to conversion in the very same way God did during the Ephesian Era and during the Philadelphia Era of His Church (in the days of HWA). ]
God says He will give Judah (a type of all the unconverted nations of the world) a pure language and that this will allow them to surely serve Him and receive instruction while before they have not been able to do so even after having been severely punished by God. So what is it about this pure language that God will give the nations that will enable them to serve Him while before they were completely unable to do so.
Let’s look at an incident recorded in the Bible where for the first time since the days of Adam and Eve, men suddenly understood God’s truth which they before had never been able to understand and which they had always rejected as being foolishness; the first Pentecost where language played a major role.
Pentecost
Let’s spend some time reviewing the first Pentecost and what happened to the apostles and to those who heard them speak after they had received of God’s Holy Spirit.
There were several miracles that occurred on the day of Pentecost which affected physically and spiritually both the apostles and those who heard them i.e., those from all nations under heaven who had gathered in Jerusalem and who heard the apostles after they had received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2: 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. [They were all together believing the same thing as is to be the case for all of God’s Church throughout the centuries.]
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of [it was like] a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of [it was like but they were not actual cloven tongues of fire] fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost Spirit, [the correct translation is Spirit] and began to speak with other tongues, [other languages as spoken in other countries and nations, not incomprehensible gibberish; they could be understood by other speakers of those same other tongues who heard them] as the Spirit gave them utterance. [as it was given them to be able to do so by God’s Holy Spirit. It was a visible, physical sign that others could see that something very significant had just happened to the apostles. They were given the ability to speak other languages. As it is stated in the following verse, there were devout men of every nation under heaven dwelling at Jerusalem; a very type of the nations of the world.]
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. [a great diversity of individuals speaking many different mother tongues (see verse 8 below); basically, all nations were represented; a type of all the nations of the world that will be included in the salvation process after Christ’s 2nd Coming and the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit upon all flesh from all nations (Joel 2:28).]
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude [a mixed multitude speaking many different mother tongues] came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. [part of the miracle was also in those who heard them; each man heard the apostle speaking in his own tongue]
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? [they do not speak our tongues; how can we hear them speaking in our native tongues?]
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? [each man there also “heard” the apostles speaking in the language they had learned from the time of their birth; their birth or native language which may have differed from a second t tongue which they had learned later on in life and which they were currently speaking. How they could hear the apostles speaking to them in their mother tongue was another cause of their marveling.]
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. [Verses 9-10-11 make it clear that there was a great diversity of people in Jerusalem speaking different mother tongues and it is in these mother tongues that they heard the apostles speak to them; many of them may have been able to speak in other languages but one of the amazing things is that they heard the apostles in their mother tongues. These diverse groups of people from all nations under heaven are clearly a type of all the nations of the world to which salvation will be extended upon Christ’s return.]
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, [they didn’t know what it meant for the apostles to be able to do what they were doing.] saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. [A senseless observation as being drunk does not give anyone the ability to speak correctly in another tongue.]
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (Joel 2:28) [Here we have the key to being able to see that the first Pentecost is a type of what will happen in the future when God opens up salvation to all of mankind after Christ’s 2nd Coming.]
Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
THE FIRST PENTECOST IS A TYPE OF THE FUTURE, VERY LARGE SCALE PENTECOST, TO OCCUR ALL DURING THE MILLENNIUM AND THE LAST GREAT DAY.
What was happening to the apostles and to those to whom they spoke was what would also happen to the nations during the Millennium and during the Last Great Day; they will understand and speak (prophesy in Bible language) the truth of God which presently to them is simply so much gibberish that they cannot understand because to them it is like being spoken to in a language they do not understand.
In the same way that God on the day of Pentecost in the days of the apostles made it possible for the apostles to speak to those assembled before them in the different physical languages that they (those who heard them) understood, in the future, during the Millennium and during the Last Great Day, God, through His Spirit being poured out upon all flesh, will make it possible for the nations despite their different languages to understand, for the first time, the foreign language of the spiritual truth of God which up to that time was impossible for them to understand. But now they will hear it in a clear and unambiguous way, they will hear it in their mother tongue spiritually speaking. It will be very clear to them.
On the day of Pentecost, the miracle was both in the speaking (the apostles) and in the hearing (of those they spoke to) and it was a physical type of what will happen at the spiritual level all throughout the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
The great miracle on Pentecost was, for the first time since God cut off man from His Holy Spirit, to make communication on the spiritual level possible between God and mankind making it possible for them to receive instruction from God and be converted upon committing themselves to obeying Him.
Pentecost was a small scale fulfillment of Joel 2:28 which is the time when God will pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh. On the day of Pentecost, it was poured out on select individuals; it was not poured out on all flesh. With Pentecost started the time when God would begin calling men who would constitute His Spirit begotten Church through the centuries until Christ’s 2nd Coming. They would be a kind of the firstfruits (James 1:18) of God’s plan of salvation for mankind; the first part of His plan of reproducing Himself through mankind.
Jas_1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind [are not actual firstfruits, the reaping of those who are a kind of firstfruits, God’s Church, occurs at Christ’s 2nd Coming which is the time when the potential firstfruits will become actual firstfruits] of firstfruits of his creatures. [process of spiritual creation which is ongoing and will continue until the end of the Last Great Day.]
A Pure Language
Neither Christ, nor the angels, came to teach men on the day of Pentecost; rather, it was men taught by Christ (the apostles) who taught those of all nations of those days through the miracle of God opening their minds through His Holy Spirit to make it possible for them to understand His spiritual truth. The miracle of the apostles being able to speak in other tongues which were the mother tongues of those from all the nations under heaven gathered in Jerusalem and their hearing them in their mother tongues is a physical type of the pure, spiritual language that will be made available to all nations and which God will use as He calls them i.e., as He makes available to them His Holy Spirit which will allow all of them to understand the truth of God where before it was to them an impossible to understand foreign language.
A new common language will be spoken and understood by all i.e., men’s minds will be opened up to understand the truth regardless of their native or mother tongues. This will be the pure language of God’s Holy Spirit making clear and incontrovertible to mankind the spiritual truth of God to which they had been blind before no matter what language they spoke.
As we know full well, and it is of the greatest importance to understand this, even if men were all speaking the same language, they still would not be able to understand God’s spiritual truth. Physical languages are not the problem; the problem is the inability of mankind’s mind to understand God’s spiritual truth.
It is very simple to demonstrate that having the same language does not make it possible to understand the truth of God. All you have to do is simply try to explain the truth to anyone else speaking your very same language and you will see it is impossible to do so. Most if not all of us, have experienced this when we tried to explain the truth of God that was so clear to us to others speaking our very same language and only to be dumbfounded to see that they understood nothing of what we were trying to explain to them no matter how intelligent and clear our explanations may have been and how great our ability to clearly express ourselves; they just did not understand what we were trying to tell them but which was yet so clear to us.
Physical languages are not the problem AND having a new, pure, physical language spoken by all would not allow men to understand the truth of God which is not physical but spiritual. Not being given the pure language of God’s Holy Spirit is the insurmountable hurdle and receiving it is the universal solution to the world’s inability to understand God’s spiritual truth. That’s why God says in Zephaniah 3:8 and here I paraphrase: “Therefore wait upon me, punishment has not made you obedient but the day is coming when I set my hand to bring salvation to you and mankind that I will make you able to call upon the name of the Lord whom you have not known and to become capable of serving Him.”
Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Zep 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language,[they will be given access to an existing pure language to which they had never before been given access; it is not a “new” language but it will be “new” to them.] that they may [which will make it possible] all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.]
The time when this will be possible is when the prophecy of Joel will be fulfilled. Please note the striking similarities between Zep 3:9 and Joel 2:32. Zephaniah 3:9 states that the pure language that God will give to the people will make it possible for all to call upon the name of the Lord where before it was impossible for them to do so and Joel 2 which is all about the time when God pours of His Spirit upon ALL FLESH that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32). When God pours out His Holy Spirit upon mankind, men will, for the first time since the days of Adam and Eve, be able to call on the name of the Lord.
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
29 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [know, understand and speak the spiritual truth of God.]
30 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: [6th and 7th seal events of Revelation]
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: [Matth 24:29; the sixth seal of Revelation]
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. [Millennium and Last Great Day] [Must first be called to know that God exists so as to be able to call on Him; there’s no exception to the rule (John 6:44) and the means whereby this will be made possible is explained in Rom 10:13-16 an explanation of which follows hereafter.]
All of mankind, except God’s Church, has not up to now been able to call on a God which is impossible for them to know because mankind remains cut off from God’s Holy Spirit until after Christ’s 2nd Coming and will not be able to do so until then. It will take the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit upon them for it to become possible for them to do so. This pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit is referred to in Zep 3:9 as the people being given a pure language that will enable mankind to come to know the true God, learn from Him and eventually, if they choose to do so, to obey Him and serve Him; so say the Scriptures.
One more little point before we move on. The expression “pure language” is used ONE TIME in the whole Bible and it is used in reference to it being a means whereby people will be able to serve God and be instructed by God when this was not possible before. The context in Zephaniah 3 is that this is something that will occur when God opens up salvation to mankind and this is corroborated in Joel 2.
One would reasonably expect that if indeed the world would be given a new pure physical language after Christ’s 2nd Coming, that there would be references here and there of the nations now speaking a new pure language and as a result being able to call on the name of the Lord, be instructed by Him and serve Him. But, there is not one, single other mention of the expression “pure language” in the whole Bible. If this were to be the new language spoken by the nations and if it were to be indeed the means from then on used by God to call the nations to conversion then it would not make any sense for it to never again be mentioned in any way, anywhere in the whole Bible.
However, we read in a very great number of verses about God’s Holy Spirit and how it is the one and only means for mankind to ever be able to come to understand the spiritual things of God; that it is the means used by God to manifest Himself to His called out ones; that it is what will be poured out upon the nations which will make them able to call upon the name of the Lord; that mankind has been cut off from God’s Holy Spirit since Adam and Eve when they were ejected from the Garden of Eden and that it will be again made available to mankind as it is the one and only means through mankind can ever know the spiritual truth of God.
Would it make much sense that this pure language would then be a replacement for having God’s Holy Spirit and that all along the problem has not been spiritual but physical. In other words, what was preventing mankind from knowing God who is spirit was not having the right physical language. And, if conversion is to be made possible by giving men a new language, how were men converted before?
How were men converted on the Day of Pentecost until today and why does God pour out of His Holy Spirit upon all flesh during the Millennium if the real means by which men will then be converted is by a new physical language which no one on the earth yet speaks but that all will speak during the Millennium?
God’s spiritual truth is on the God plane level of existence and the only way men can come to know any of it is by God adding a small portion of His Spirit to men’s mind. It then becomes possible for communication to occur between God, a spirit being and man, a physical flesh-and-blood being who has no ability to know God’s spiritual truth with the mind with which he was born.
Men’s minds are limited to the physical and to the material and giving man a pure physical language never before spoken on the earth would not allow men’s minds to know God who is spirit. Spirit cannot be known by men’s 5 physical senses which are the only means they have to acquire knowledge.
In 1 Cor’ns 2 it is made clear that God’s spiritual truth cannot ever be known by man without God’s Holy Spirit being added to it. I will not spend any time providing detailed explanations of the verses here below. They are foundational truth which all long term Christians should have mastered a very long time ago. The verses are clear, the only way for mankind to know the truth of God is by the addition of God’s Holy Spirit to their mind. NO OTHER WAYS ARE MENTIONED ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE BIBLE. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A RECURRING THEME AND IS FOUND ALL OVER THE BIBLE.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. ‘
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Please excuse my getting a little bit carried away here; I’ll consider it to have been being angry without sinning.
Let’s move on to something else which demonstrates why it is mankind has not been able to know God since the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden until these days and for years to come and of what is required for them to be able to do so.
The Calling Out Process Now
and During the Millennium
and the Last Great Day
In Romans, we have a continuation of Zeph 3:9 and Joel 2:32 which are talking about mankind being able to call on the name of the Lord. Romans 10:13-16 is an almost perfect continuation of what is being said in those verses. Let’s read on.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever [the Gentiles including not just the Jews or Israel is the point being made here by Paul] shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? ]
And here we see the problem; they have heard but have not believed; God’s message to them by His prophets was like from someone speaking to them in a foreign language; they could not understand it without God’s Holy Spirit. Two or more persons speaking the same language and having God’s Holy Spirit will understand each other when speaking the truth of God (prophesying); any other person not having God’s Holy Spirit will not understand anything of the truth of God even though they speak the same language. With God’s Spirit, they will be using the same words as before but this time with understanding; the understanding that comes from having God’s Holy Spirit and understanding its pure language.
It’s like the difference between the animal brain and the human mind. Mind power is only possible due to the spirit in man which gives the power of thought to man’s animal brain. It is the same thing with language. For language to be able to convey the spiritual truth of God, a spirit essence needs to be added to men’s minds and this is God’s Holy Spirit; not a new, universally spoken physical language which would still be unable to convey the truth of God which is spiritual.
A common, pure, universal single physical language by itself will not make it possible for men to understand the truth of God. Physical languages have never been the problem; men don’t have minds capable of understanding spiritual truth until God places of His Spirit with them (before conversion and leading up to it) and then in them (after conversion). The problem with understanding God’s spiritual truth has never been physical/material; it has always been SPIRIT-ual as it is said so very well in 1 Cor’ns 2:11.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
In other words, the only way to come to know the things of God in their spiritual dimension is to have God’s Holy Spirit. No man knows the things of God but by the Spirit of God being with him as God the Father calls him or in him after conversion. The pure language is simply having God’s Holy Spirit allowing us to understand the S-P-I-R-I-T-ual language of God’s truth which it otherwise gibberish to our minds which are limited to what can be perceived by our 5 physical senses i.e., to physical/material knowledge.
New converts speaking this pure language are dumbfounded when trying to speak it to their friends and family; none of them understand anything of what they are saying and even become hostile toward them for speaking this new, foreign, incomprehensible language to them.
Mr. Armstrong often said that it is impossible for us to convert others or explain to others what is so very clear to us because when we do, it’s like trying to explain what we know in French to a Japanese speaking person who has no knowledge of French. The only time understanding occurs; that the language barrier between man and God is overcome is when God Himself makes it possible for men to understand spiritual truth as is the case when someone is called and God’s Spirit is around them (it will be in them after conversion; see John 14:17).
The pure language mentioned in Zeph. 3:9 is already spoken and understood by all those having received God’s Holy Spirit. The Church is to all speak and believe the same thing and be without division and this is possible because all have a common shared understanding of what is the truth due to God’s Holy Spirit in them. We have a shared, universally-understood common, pure language and that is God’s Holy Spirit allowing us to understand the once very foreign and incomprehensible spiritual language of God’s truth irrespective of our physical languages. As the Scriptures say so well:
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
In other words, “So then faith, [knowing and believing the truth; our faith is what we believe], comes first by hearing [the words] the truth of God and hearing, [understanding the truth], comes by the words of God.”
The term “hearing” has two possible meanings: hearing the word in terms of someone speaking them to us and “hearing” in the sense of understanding the words spoken to us. We can hear without understanding and hear with understanding; both senses are used in Rom 10:17. And this will be the case, once mankind understands the spiritual language of God when God’s Holy Spirit is made available to mankind generally. It will be a pure, unambiguous, worldwide language understood by all though they speak the different physical languages of this world.
Lastly, the world’s different physical languages will continue to exist and will not all be replaced by a pure language if indeed, there were to be a pure physical language given to the world to make possible their coming to the knowledge and understanding of God’s spiritual truth. The pure language is in other words, God’s Holy Spirit which God will make available to mankind during the Millennium and the Last Great Day. That there will be several languages spoken during the Millennium and the Last Great Day is borne out by the following verses of Zechariah. The time setting in these verses is after Christ’s 2nd Coming and during the Millennium.
Zec 8:20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
Zec 8:21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
Zec 8:22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
Zec 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
And we also have this verse which speaks of tongues in the plural form.
Isa 66:18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
This also occurs after Christ’s 2nd Coming and during the Millennium.
Many Convert from All Nations and Tongues
Going back to the book of Acts description of the first Pentecost we read the following things preached by Peter to those of all nations assembled at Jerusalem which effectively represent the nations of the world.
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Continuing with Acts 2: 22 we read:
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: [Now that everybody understands the apostles whatever their national languages might be, the truth is preached to them and many will be converted as we will see later on and this is a type of the conversions that will occur when God pours out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh.]
Conclusion
As we have seen, the Scriptures do not support the idea that God will give mankind a pure language which would be another physical language such as English or French and which would then become the means for mankind to be able to come to the spiritual knowledge of God who is a spirit being unknowable to men’s mind cut off from having access to His Holy Spirit.
Jesus said the following in John 14.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus after His ascension to His Father returned to the glory that He had before His incarnation as a man. He said He had to go so He could send the Comforter to the apostles. It was a Comforter that they knew very well.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
And what would that Comforter do for them and all Christians throughout the ages?
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, [Spirit it should read] whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
If we put together all the points mentioned by Christ, here is the picture that emerges.
Christ clearly says that NO man comes unto the Father but by Him and that He is the way and the truth and the life. The knowledge of the truth comes from Him (a holy spirit being) and He is the way whereby man can come to the knowledge of the truth. It is not through the medium of a pure physical language that God supposedly would give to mankind during the Millennium and the Last Great Day that will allow men to know God and the truth of God.
Men can only come to God the Father through Christ and Christ says He is the Comforter or holy spirit being that would dwell along with the Father in all true Christians.
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he [I, Christ] dwelleth with you, and [I Christ] shall be in you. [after my becoming glorified again when I ascend back to my Father]
Joh 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. (as the Comforter) If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
This holy spirit being would teach ALL THINGS to them, us today and future Christians to be called out during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
Those converted today are not being taught through the medium of a pure physical language which they would have had to have received before it is given out to the nations after Christ’s 2nd Coming if indeed it is the means God uses to open up salvation to mankind. Those converted today already have this pure language to be given to the world and which will allow then all to call upon the name of the Lord. Those converted in the past, today and in the future will all come to the knowledge of God’s truth in the same way; they shall all be taught ALL THINGS by the holy spirit being that became Christ, as we were.
As God says in the book of Hebrews 13:8:
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
And the Scriptures say that God in these last days has spoken to us (God’s Church) by the holy spirit being that is His Son who is the Spokesman. (Heb 1:1-2)
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,[the Holy Bible which is Christ in writing, the inspired word of God] whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
God’s execution of His plan of salvation during the Millennium and the Last Great Day will be no different than God’s execution of His plan of salvation over His present day Spirit-begotten Church.
Don’t believe me, believe your Bible; study to show yourself approved of God rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15) and build on the foundation (1 Cor’ns 3:10) for happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding (Prov 3:13).
God's Spiritual Nation 