It is widely known that speaking in tongues can be in an angelic language. When experiencing this myself, what I heard certainly did not sound like any human language. It was eloquent, though, and the words were powerful and inspiring, inspiring an interpretation as they were heard, perfectly matching the interpretation given later by the speaker of the tongue message. How does God use tongues? It is a seal of what He has previously revealed, typically proving the gospel to those who have not yet fully believed it, or who just need that final confirmation to lay to rest any last room for doubt. Those who believe the gospel message are thus given the tongues message to provide a seal of the gospel.
There is more when the tongues message interpretation is shared openly. It provides the church of believers, united in their faith and their blessings of the Holy Spirit, to learn and appreciate insights from the very throne of God. They are built up, growing in assurance, wisdom, and knowledge of the truth that is found in the wisdom and learning of Jesus Christ himself. So God works like this, as His standard pattern in the giving of the gospel. The Father shares love, teaching love. The Son shows himself as the Son sent by the Father to give light to the world. The gospel message is spoken to those who need it. The message of the cross, the crucifixion of the Son, Jesus Christ, strikes home in a person receiving it with belief. Yet there may be uncertainties in even a sincere believer’s grasp of the message, plus others who heard the message might have little belief in it at all. So then there is the final step. The Holy Spirit is given and words come forth from those touched by the Holy Spirit influence: words of tongues. The same Holy Spirit may, especially in answer to prayer, provide a powerful influence on some of those present to hear in their own language, in their mind, the words that match the mysterious words in tongues. They might also be given understanding of what the words are intended to convey, allowing them to elaborate on them in some way. This interpreting accomplishes two things. Firstly it is yet further convincing miraculous grace to help remove the last doubts from those hearing all this, and for those still not believing, to act as a sign of rebuke of that unbelief, demonstrating that the message is nonetheless true. Secondly, it provides insight for those who believe into the wisdom of heaven, as water of life, flowing from the throne of God. It therefore builds up the church.
