"And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:17-18. From: Priscilla To: paul.mason@... Subject: Tuesday Scripture, One of my favorite verses of the Bible Hi I'm Priscilla from India. Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus. This is one of my favorite verses of the Bible and I'm yearning to see the manifestation of this wonderful promise in my life. i would like you to give your revelation about this; what the Lord has given you. -Mark 16: 17,18 God bless you In Christ forever V. Priscilla Thank you Sister for sharing in this activity and the opportunity for expounding on the Word in the Spirit. This is a very challenging question actually, a portion of Scripture which is (in my opinion) often taken out of context and used by prideful and false teaching. Now, allow me to convey my deduction. We have here, verses 14 through 20, Christ' appearance to the eleven with the commission He gave them to set up His kingdom in the world, and full instructions and credentials in order there to. And His ascension into Heaven, the apostles' close application to their work, and God's owning of them in it. The 'conviction' which Christ gave His apostles of the Truth of His resurrection, He 'appeared to them' Himself, when they were all together, 'as they sat at meat', which gave Him an opportunity to 'eat and drink with them', for their full satisfaction. Please also see Acts 10:41. And still, when He appeared to them, He 'upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart', for even at the general meeting in 'Galilee, some doubted', as we find Mt. 28:17. The 'commission' which He gave them to set up His kingdom among men by the preaching of His Gospel, the glad tidings of reconciliation to God through a Mediator. To whom they were to preach the Gospel. Hitherto they had been sent only to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel', and were forbidden to go into the 'way of the Gentiles', or into any city of the Samaritans, but now their commission is enlarged, and they are authorized to "go into all the world", into all parts of the world, the habitable world, and to "preach the Gospel" of Christ to "every creature", to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews, to every human creature that is capable of receiving it. "Inform them concerning Christ, the history of His life, and death, and resurrection, instruct them in the meaning and intention of these, and of the advantages which the children of men have, or may have, hereby, and invite them, without exception, to come and share in them. This is Gospel! Let this be 'preached' in all places, to all persons. What is the 'summary of the gospel' they are to preach, "Set before the world life and death, good and evil. Tell the children of men that they are all in a state of misery and danger, 'condemned' by their prince, and 'conquered' and 'enslaved' by their enemies.'' This is supposed in their being Saved, which they would not need to be if they were not 'lost'. "Now go and tell them,'' "That if they 'believe the Gospel', and give up themselves to be Christ's disciples, if they 'renounce the devil', the world, and the flesh, and be 'devoted' to Christ as their Prophet, Priest, and King, and to God in Christ as their God in covenant, and evidence by their constant adherence to this covenant their sincerity herein, they 'shall be Saved' from the guilt and power of sin, it shall not 'rule' them, it shall not 'ruin' them. He that is a true Christian, shall be Saved through Christ.'' Baptism was appointed to be the inaugurating rite, by which those that embraced Christ owned Him, but it is here put rather for the 'thing signified' than for the sign, for Simon Magus "believed and was baptized", yet was not saved, Acts 8:13. "Believing with the heart, and confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus" Rom. 10:9, seems to be much the same with this here. Or thus, We must assent to Gospel Truths, and consent to Gospel terms. "If they believe not, 'if they receive not the record God gives concerning his Son, they cannot expect any other way of Salvation, but must inevitably perish', "they shall be damned", by the sentence of a 'despised' Gospel, added to that of a broken law.'' And even this is Gospel, it is good news, that nothing else but unbelief shall damn men, which is a sin against the remedy. What power they should be endowed with, for the confirmation of the doctrine they were to preach, "These signs shall follow them that believe". Not that all who believe, shall be able to produce these signs, but some, even as many as were employed in propagating the faith, and bringing others to it, for signs are intended "for them that believe not", 1 Co. 14:22. It added much to the glory and evidence of the Gospel, that the Preachers not only wrought miracles themselves, but conferred upon others a power to work miracles, which power 'followed' some of them that Believed, wherever they went to preach. They shall do wonders "in Christ's Name", the same Name into which they were baptized, in the virtue of power derived from Him, and fetched in by prayer. Now as in the portion of Scripture you specifically mention, some particular signs mentioned, "They shall 'cast out devils'," this power was more common among Christians than any other, and lasted longer, as appears by the testimonies. They shall "speak with new tongues", which they had never learned, or been acquainted with, and this was both a 'miracle' (a miracle upon the mind), for the confirming of the truth of the Gospel, and 'a means of spreading the Gospel' among those nations that had not heard it. It saved the Preachers a vast labour in learning the languages, and, no doubt, they who by 'miracle' were made 'masters of languages', were complete masters of them and of all their native elegancies, which were proper (both to instruct and affect), which would very much recommend them and their preaching. "They shall take up serpents". This was fulfilled in Paul, who was not hurt by the "viper" that "fastened on his hand", which was acknowledged a great miracle by the barbarous people, Acts 28:5, 6. "They shall be kept unhurt by that "generation of vipers" among whom they live, and by the malice of the 'old serpent'." If they be compelled by their persecutors to "drink any deadly" poisonous thing, "it shall not hurt them": of which very thing some instances are found in ecclesiastical history. They shall not only be preserved from hurt themselves, but they shall be enabled to do good to others, "They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover", as multitudes had done by their Master's healing touch. Many of the elders of the Church had this power, as appears by Jam. 5:14, where, as an instituted sign of this miraculous healing, they are said to "anoint the sick with oil in the Name of the Lord". With what assurance of success might they go about executing their commission, when they had such credentials as these to produce! We have here God working effectually with them, to make their labors successful, by "confirming the word with signs following", partly by the miracles that were wrought upon the bodies of the people, which were divine seals to the Christian doctrine, and partly by the influence it had upon the minds of the people, through the operation of the Spirit of God, please see Heb. 2:4. These were properly 'signs following' the word, the reformation of the world, the destruction of idolatry, the conversion of sinners, the comfort of Saints, and these signs still follow it, and that they may do so more and more, for the honor of Christ and the good of mankind, the Evangelist prays, and Teaches us to say "Amen". Father in Heaven, thus let Thy Name be hallowed, and let Thy Kingdom come. 'After the Lord had spoken' what He had to say to His disciples, He "went up into Heaven", in a cloud, which we have a particular account of (Acts 1:9), and He had not only an admission, but an abundant entrance, into His Kingdom there, He was "received up", received in state, with loud acclamations of the heavenly hosts, and He "sat on the right hand of God", sitting in a posture of rest, for now He had finished His work, and a posture of rule, for now He took possession of His kingdom, He sat at the right hand of God, which denotes the sovereign dignity He is advanced to, and the universal agency He is entrusted with. Whatever God does concerning us, gives to us, or accepts from us, it is "by His Son". Now He is glorified with the glory He had before the world. Love in the Lord Paul/Hayman http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/FellowshipInChrist http://christianprayerministry.com "Igniting passion in the people of God through the proclamation of truth." -- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: bbinspire-unsubscribe@...