"There was NEVER any heavenly languages spoken that no one understood and required an interpreter." Only once I can think of- when Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall. That said, whenever the Bible speaks of "tongues" it means an intelligible language; one known to earthly men somewhere.
Being “baptized in the Spirit” is the same as having the Spirit resting upon you, and you were given power. Real power, not just an emotional feeling of power. Power that enabled men:
Judges 6:34 (ESV) But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.
1 Samuel 16:13 (ESV) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Ezekiel 11:5 (ESV) And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind.
Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Judges protected the young Hebrew nation, the prophets foretold events and confronted priests and kings, healed the sick and even brought the dead back to life. And when those men in Acts received the power of the Holy Spirit, they didn’t just go to a service and praise God in some unknown language; they went out and evangelized the world! They performed real healings while themselves suffering many abuses that might cause a normal man to lose faith. And I am going to propose that for the New Testament apostles, the baptism of the Spirit was the same as for their forefathers; a resting of the Spirit upon them which empowered them long term, not just a short burst of a "heavenly language."
In Acts 2:1-13, everyone there knew something supernatural was happening. Even those who denied it knew it because it doesn’t say they disbelieved, only that they mocked- as we might expect a man in denial to do. Note too that everyone there understood the apostles in their own tongue as they spoke. The contemporary idea of tongues is to babble something and someone else “interprets” so that everyone can know what was said. This is the exact opposite of what happened in Acts ch. 2. The Spirit settled upon these men, the visable evidence of which was tongues of fire and the auditory evidence was “suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” That all men present understood what they were saying in their own tongue was a result of the Spirit immersing these men in the power of Almighty God!
1 Corinthians 13:1 (ESV) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
There; doesn’t that say we can speak with the tongues of angels? No. In the first place, an angel (in both Hebrew and Greek) is just a messenger. It can be a heavenly messenger, a pastor, or just a man with a message:
G32 ἄγγελος aggelos ang'-el-os From ἀγγέλλω aggellō (probably derived from G71; compare G34; to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an angel; by implication a pastor: - angel, messenger.
The word for “tongues” here is “ gloce'” from which we get the psychological term "glossolalia."
glossolalia (ˌɡlɒsəˈleɪlɪə) n
1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) another term for gift of tongues
2. (Psychology) psychol babbling in a nonexistent language
3. incomprehensible speech sometimes occurring in a hypnotic trance or in an episode of religious ecstasy. Compare speaking in tongues.
By comparison what happened in Acts 2 was an example of Xenoglossy, “the putative paranormal phenomenon in which a person is able to speak or write a language he or she could not have acquired by natural means.”
Now since the text says “tongues of men and of ἄγγελος aggelos angels” it would appear that this is not just unintelligible babbling or a self-induced ecstatic sense of euphoria. And by the way, whenever heavenly messengers appeared here on earth and spoke with someone, they were always understood. The most common type of "angel" is a pastor, and most sermons are delivered in a common language.
1 Corinthians 14:27-28 (ESV) If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.
This is used not only as “proof” of the gift of tongues, but also as the formula for the use of this “gift.” Let me ask, if tongues are from God, how is it you would first have to make sure there is an interpreter handy, as the text here implies? Today in Pentecostal churches someone almost always would “interpret” for you. But not always, and in the scripture above the speaker is to know beforehand there is someone there to interpret. How can this be known if you are about to speak in a "heavenly" language?
My mother’s family are Pentecostal, and I’ve been to many Pentecostal services in their and other churches. I’ve seen a lot of tongues spoken, but never have I witnessed anything I thought was supernaturally inspired. More often than not, the "interpretation" reflects some pet peeve of the interpreter. I have also had some very sincere men try to "teach" me to speak in tongues. My reply to them was "If it is from God, why would you need to teach me? If God wants me to speak in tongues, it'll happen. Otherwise we'd be wasting our time to try and master a technique to say something I don't even understand."
1 Corinthians 14:18 (ESV) I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
Paul was a very educated man. He probably spoke several languages, "more than all of you." He was very hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16), but not because he went around babbling. Even in his own time and place he was apparently difficult to comprehend, but that does not give us license to "distort" his words (again, 2 Peter 3:16).
So if you've read this far you might think I do not believe in the gift of tongues. Not so: one who can easily acquire a new language has the "gift of tongues." At least that is my opinion. I have also heard of instances where someone on the mission field spoke to people in their own tongue without knowing that language. I have no problem believing this as missionaries (like the apostles) typically have taken a large step out in faith, and that use of tongues edifies those who otherwise might never hear the gospel. But in a church where everyone speaks the same language, where it would therefore be more orderly for those who can contribute (when appropriate) to do so in the common tongue, I have my doubts.