The Tongue of Angels
“Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels?” – 2Ne. 32:2
Returning to the blessings of the Holy Ghost… We learn from 2 Nephi 32:2 that after receiving the Holy Ghost we can “speak with the Tongue of Angels”. What is this “Tongue of Angels” and how can we use this gift to bless our lives and the lives of others?
Before answering these questions, we must define an Angel. An Angel is a messenger of God who carries God’s message to others.
If we are to speak with the Tongue of Angels, then we must speak the messages of God which are the Words of Christ and thus bring God’s messages to individuals, groups and the world.
“2. And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” - 2Ne. 32:2-3
These messages will always be specific to the listeners and accompanied by the Holy Ghost who testifies of those truths that the listener needs to here.
It can be difficult to share with others the messages from God rather than messages of our own creation. We have been given clear and repeated instructions regarding how to ensure we are speaking the words of God by the Power of the Holy Ghost rather than our own words with our own knowledge, understanding and power. The steps are below:
- Study the Words of Christ and know them for yourself, (Obtain the Word).
“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.” - D&C. 11:21
- Don’t Think of what you will say in advance; let the words come to you by revelation in the very moment you need to speak.
”But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.” - Mark 13:11, (See also; Luke 12:11, Matt. 10:19-20, D&C. 12:5-6
But here we must ask, “How does the listener know if we are speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost?” There is only one way for them to know…
They must feel the Holy Ghost too. If the listener does not feel the Holy Ghost testify of the words spoken, then the speaker has not spoken by the power of the Holy Ghost. This principle is taught clearly by Nephi who said,
“And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” - 2 Ne. 33:1
For this reason, whenever we are teaching others, we must learn to speak by the power of the Holy Ghost. If we do not, then no matter what we speak, it is not of God. If it is not of God, then it is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise and is therefore not binding upon the listener.
“17. Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
18. And if it be by some other way it is not of God.
19. And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
20. If it be some other way it is not of God.
21. Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22. Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.
23. And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.” - D&C. 50:17-23
It is easy to see that if the speaker does not preach by the spirit, then it is not of God. But we often do not realize that the listener must receive by the spirit or it is not received by God. This stands firm and true no matter how well prepared or studied the preacher and listener are. If we rely on anything except the witness of the spirit to teach us, then we are not receiving of God or the way God intended.
If we speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, then we are speaking for God.
“3. And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
4. And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.
5. Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.” – D&C 68:3-5
This principle has been taught in many church manuals and sermons. President J. Reuben Clark addressed this in a talk entitled, “When Are the Writings and Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?” After reading D&C 68:3-5 he said,
"The very words of the revelation recognize that the Brethren may speak when they are not “moved upon by the Holy Ghost”; yet only when they do speak as “moved upon” is what they say considered scripture. No exceptions are given to this rule or principle. It is universal in its application. The question is, how shall we know when the things they have spoken were said as they were “moved upon by the Holy Ghost”? I have given some thought to this question, and the answer thereto, so far as I can determine, is: We can tell when the speakers are “moved upon by the Holy Ghost” only when we, ourselves, are “moved upon by the Holy Ghost.” In a way, this completely shifts the responsibility from them to us to determine when they so speak." - When Are the Writings and Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?, Church News (31 July 1954)
When someone speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, our experience is the same as if God were speaking to us directly. It is as if we are receiving personal revelation. If we do not feel like we have received personal revelation, then it was not God speaking through a man, but man for himself.
This is why the scripture says, "whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38). It is the same because whether God is speaking to us directly or through his servants, it comes to us the same way, WITH the power of the Holy Ghost which is the voice of the Lord. I
If you are reading something or listening to someone and you DO NOT feel the power of the Holy Ghost, then they are not speaking/writing with the power of the Holy Ghost and it is not from God. If you are reading or listening to a talk and you feel like you are receiving revelation, then it is the Holy Ghost communicating to you that what was written and or spoke was from God.
Anyone who has the Holy Ghost can speak/write by the power of the Holy Ghost and have this effect. It is so powerful that if done correctly, even those who want to disbelieve can't. It is the power of God unto the convincing of men.
If the listener has not received a witness of the truth from the Spirit directly, then the words spoken are not binding scripture to the listener. But, when we speak by the Power of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost carries God’s message to the heart of the listener and the words we speak become binding and eternal scripture, D&C. 68:2-5).
This is important to understand because we are not accountable to the opinions of others unless they are accompanied by the witness of the Holy Ghost which signifies the difference between personal opinion & personal scripture. It is only after this witness that we become accountable.
"When people know the truth by the power of the Holy Ghost, the servants of the Lord invite them to act upon this knowledge.” - 1998 missionary discussion 1, principle 3.
When speaking with others, we must learn to put our own agenda aside and speak the words given to us by the Holy Ghost which are the words of Christ directly to our audience. By so doing we are sure to speak with the Tongue of Angels.
“And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ...” - 2Ne. 32:3
When we learn to speak exactly what is given to us from the Holy Ghost, trusting in that spirit to give us the words to speak, we open ourselves up to the Spirit’s gift known as the Gift of Tongues or Speaking in Tongues. This gift comes to those who learn to speak the words given them through the spirit.
There is incredible power associated with speaking with the Tongue of Angels! We can learn from the many ancient and modern prophets who understood this great power. Alma understood that teaching the word of God by the power of the Holy Ghost had more influence on a person than threatening to take their life. Mormon wrote:
“And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.” - Alma 31:5
Nephi learned how powerful words can be in persuading even those who didn’t want to believe. He became so fluent with understanding and ability to communicate that it was not possible for even the wicked to disbelieve his words. Mormon recounted:
“And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority. And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.” - 3 Ne. 7:18
Nephi, the son of Lehi, pointed out that he preferred to preach more than write because people could cast away the writings before getting a witness but he did not experience this difficultly while preaching.
“1. And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.
2. But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught.” – 2 Ne. 33:1-2
We speak with the Tongue of Angles when we speak by the Power of the Holy Ghost. This spiritual language is the transfer of thought over a medium of light and love from one entity to another. The listener receives the thoughts which come with the testifying witness of the Holy Ghost. There is so much persuading power because the very ideas and concepts become personal revelation to the listener at the very moment they are received.
However, just as in the scriptures, even with such persuasive power, people will find a way to justify their actions or beliefs. Only those who are sincerely seeking truth without trying to sustain doctrines, dogmas, organizations or other systems will be open to accepting truth when it is presented.
Each of us has the ability to speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and with the great Tongue of Angels. But first we must learn the Words of Christ because the Holy Ghost will not testify of our words unless they are received by revelation and given by revelation.
Examples of the Tongue of Angels
Here are a few examples of people speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost or with the tongue of angels.
“And they were astonished at his (Jesus) doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” – Mark 1:22
The scribes quote prophets and scripture trying to prove Church doctrine. Christ taught truth and let it stand for itself. Christ taught higher truth, even when it contradicted the current Church Doctrine and Law of Moses. For example,
“43. And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;
44. But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;” - 3 Nephi 12:43-44
He was willing to contradict what was written in scripture to teach higher truths and the higher law.
Here are some more examples of people speaking with the tongue of angels. Notice that they speak with both power and authority, and the authority by which they speak comes through the Holy Ghost which grants authority:
“And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority, for they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them—“ Helaman 5:18
“Yea, and many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.”- Helaman 6:5
“And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.” - Luke 4:36
“But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.” - Alma 17:3