Speaking in Tongues when Dying

I have not experienced someone speaking in tongues when dying. Where would I get such an opportunity? But because I am invested in the gift of speaking in tongues, I sought out to understand why such a thing happens.

I found little information online but as usual, I have my private source of information. From my private source of information, I get answers to anything I want.

This article is a documentation of the answer I received when I asked what causes people to speak in tongues before dying.

Why People Speak in Tongues before Dying

Death is one of those topics that are hard to discuss. The challenge is that whatever you claim is hard to prove. If dead people could talk, probably they would confirm some of the theories that exist.

Speaking in tongues before dying can take many explanations. As usual, matters usually have different explanations based on the perspective from which they are viewed.

Since my approach is spiritual, my explanation will be spiritual too.

Speaking in tongues is a gift from the Holy Spirit. In simple terms, speaking in tongues is the Holy Spirit speaking through you.

Why would the Spirit of God speak through you? Because God loves us and sometimes we don’t know what to say yet we are required to say it to be saved.

The words we speak are law and are used in the courtroom of God. Unless we have spoken words, they are not counted as law.

When God knows that the devil will accuse us of something, He speaks through us the words we are supposed to say and then uses those words as evidence to support our case. It is more like coaching a child what to say and when the kid says it you treat it as if it was the child’s own thinking.

Remember we are children of God.

Anyone who believes in Jesus has the Holy Spirit. While some may not be willing to let the Holy Spirit speak through them (because of the free will given to us), God finds ingenious ways to have the Holy Spirit speak through us when it is necessary.

Speaking in tongues just before dying is definitely something the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do. There are very good reasons for it.

Reasons why someone would Speak in Tongues before Dying

1. To ask God for Forgiveness

You know those people who say let me live in sin then I will repent at the very last moment? It turns out that God is so merciful that some of them do actually repent at the last minute.

The Bible has a good example of such a person; one of the thieves who was crucified alongside Jesus. The fact that the thief was crucified shows that he was a thief until his last day.

Naturally, he was destined for destruction because the Torah clearly forbids stealing. But his last words turned around his fate.

The thief acknowledged that he deserves to be on the cross but he felt Jesus doesn’t deserve to be on the cross. His acknowledgement meant that He understood that Jesus had no sin.

That alone would not do much. The real game changer was when he asked Jesus to remember Him when He gets into paradise.

By asking Jesus to remember him when He gets into paradise meant that the thief believed that Jesus had the power to save him. It turns out Jesus was pleased with His request and He gave him assurance of entry into His kingdom.

We know from the Bible that unless God draws us to himself, we can never know Him. The decision of the thief to ask Jesus to remember him was definitely inspired by the Holy Spirit.

But because at that time he wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God convicted him to speak out whatever he spoke.

We also know that the Spirit of God prompted Peter the disciple of Jesus to answer that Jesus was the son of God when Jesus asked Peter who He was.

But then in this age, people can have the Spirit of God in them if they believe in Jesus. Instead of the Spirit of God merely prompting us to ask for forgiveness before dying, He literally asks for forgiveness through us.

Of course there are conditions that a person must have fulfilled to get such a privilege but other times it is purely God’s mercy.

Either way, on the death bed, the Spirit of God can ask for forgiveness on behalf of a person. To us it will appear as the person speaking in tongues.

2. Speaking to Angels

The Bible clearly shows us that we can speak the tongues of angels. Angels are our servants and it makes sense for us to be able to speak to them.

When we die, there are angels assigned to take us wherever we deserve to go. Take an example of the case of Elijah the prophet; chariots of fire came and took him to heaven.

On the other hand, Jesus ascended into heaven on His own because He knew where He was going; He didn’t need angels.

When the angels assigned to take someone come, he will know. Even if the person may not consciously know, his spirit will know because angels are spirits and our spirits recognize them.

But how does this explain speaking in tongues before someone dies?

Well, when the person dying is saying something to the angels who have come to take him, to us he will appear as speaking in tongues.

3. Saying Generic Last Words

Sometimes the person dying may speak in tongues as a way of expressing his final words. Why would he not speak in his native language?

Because at that time his body is already dead and through his spirit he can utter spiritual languages that sound as speaking in tongues to us.

Leaving earth is definitely an emotional affair that warrants last words.

Speaking in Tongues when Dying: Conclusion

Speaking in tongues when dying is definitely mysterious. But there are hints that help us understand what usually happens.

The Spirit of God is our helper and He helps us until the very final minute. By His help, a person utters the necessary last words that could be the difference between eternal life and eternal death.

What a loving God!