After Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he showed himself openly to his disciples for forty days. On the day in which he ascended to the Father he:

... assembled together with them, and commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem. But wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ye have heard of me. Acts 1:4

So, the eleven apostles (Judas was dead), being obedient to their Lord, went back to Jerusalem and stayed in an upper room. They gathered there with all the disciples, (there were about a hundred and twenty then) and began to pray and to seek God. Then this happened:

... when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

Speaking in tongues is the act of speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost a language one has not learned. The word "tongues" merely means languages. As we have seen above, they spoke with other tongues as the "Spirit gave them utterance."

When we ask if something is biblical, we are asking if the Bible teaches or approves of that particular thing. For example, we would say that evolution is not biblical, but that creation is.

There are several occurrences of speaking in tongues in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Acts. If you read the Book of Acts through, you will see the different times and examples of men and women speaking in tongues by the Spirit of God. In every instance, it was done by men and women who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Tongues are found in the Bible, and spoken of positively, so we would say "yes," tongues are biblical. To say that tongues are not biblical is to say that miracles are not biblical, or that faith is not biblical, or that love is not biblical.

Nowhere in the Bible is speaking in tongues ever attributed to the devil, or to demon possession, or to demonic activity. Those who believe speaking in tongues is of the devil are laboring under the mistaken idea that all miraculous activity from God ceased with the last apostle. The premise is wrong, so the conclusion is wrong. (Yet these same people will pray to God for healing when they get sick!)

As mentioned in the preceding section (Are tongues Biblical?), every occurrence of speaking in tongues in the Bible was done by men and women who believed in Jesus Christ, and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. No, tongues are not of the devil any more than faith in Jesus Christ is of the devil. (Important: please read the next section on Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.)

Jesus healed a man possessed with a demon who was blind and dumb. (The full story is found in Mat.12:22-37) After he healed him, the man could see and speak. The Pharisees, (self righteous religious people) said that he expelled devils by the power of Satan. In a stern rebuke and warning Jesus clearly stated that they were committing a sin that would never be forgiven, i.e., blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. They opposed him because his teaching was different from theirs, but he was showing the validity of his teaching by miracle power, they were not. They were so totally convinced of their own way, their own denomination, if you will, they turned against him and blasphemed (spoke impiously, irreverently and contemptuously) against the Holy Spirit, by attributing the work of the Spirit of God in him to the devil. And there are many people today, who, when confronted with the truth of modern day tongues and miracles done by the Holy Ghost, also blaspheme, because their church teaches that those things don't exist anymore. The premise is wrong, so the conclusion is wrong.

Since blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is to ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil, and since this is the unpardonable sin, it is best to remain silent if you are not sure. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Many a rash fool has rushed through this door only to find it slam shut behind him, sealing his eternal doom.

Tongues, along with other gifts of the Holy Ghost, are for signs to the unbelievers and for the confirmation of believers. As the Lord Jesus Christ himself said:

Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that does not believe shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:15-18

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Mark 16:20

Many people believe that tongues ceased with the last apostle, but there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that this happened. God is not inconsistent. What he did in the past he will do today.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever. Heb. 13:8

This is the wrong question. The correct question should be; Do I need the baptism of the Holy Ghost to be saved? The answer to this is an unequivocal yes, you need the Holy Ghost to be saved. The importance of the baptism of the Holy Ghost must not be underestimated. In fact, there is no true Christian life without it. Notice the teaching of the Apostle Paul:

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom. 8:9

Why? Because speaking in tongues is the sign that one has recieved the Holy Ghost. Mark 16:17

Some people believe that one receives the Holy Spirit at the point of believing. But Peter, on the day of Pentecost said;

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:38,39

Notice also, Peter said; "the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." We are afar off in time, and distance from that place, but we are called to inherit eternal life. Therefore the promise is to us as well as to them.

In this age of spiritual apostasy, one cannot emphasize enough the need for this gift. Jesus said; "John indeed baptized you with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from now." And so it was. On the day of Pentecost they all received the gift of the Holy Ghost, setting the pattern of speaking in the unknown tongue for all believers.