Snake Grabbing And The Deadly Drink

[SacredBishop]

I speak tongues and perform exorcisms as in Mark 16:17. Now I'm attempting the next verse: " they will pick up snakes, and if they drink something deadly it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and heal them."

I went to the pet store and handled a snake. Nothing bad happened. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18?

Then I went home and drank expired milk. Nothing bad happened. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18?

I found a sick person and laid my hands on her. She shrugged me off and told me to stop. She seemed better. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18? Please share your own stories of snakes and such. Question:Should we even try to achieve Mark 16:18? If so, is once enough?

[Eddie Ramos]

I speak tongues and perform exorcisms as in Mark 16:17. Now I'm attempting the next verse: " they will pick up snakes, and if they drink something deadly it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and heal them."

I went to the pet store and handled a snake. Nothing bad happened. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18?

Then I went home and drank expired milk. Nothing bad happened. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18?

I found a sick person and laid my hands on her. She shrugged me off and told me to stop. She seemed better. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18? Please share your own stories of snakes and such. Question:Should we even try to achieve Mark 16:18? If so, is once enough?

There are many people who have been taught incorrectly to only take the Bible at face value (just for what it says), and do so very religiously. That is, until the Bible tells them to do something that just does not make any sense, like drinking poison or picking up poisonous snakes. These types of verses, the literalist will just glance over and pay no mind to it. Or worse yet, many will even attempt to do just what this passage says to prove to themselves that they are among those who truly believe. I heard once of a church who dedicated themselves to snake handling of poisonous snakes and of course when the pastor eventually died from the snake bite, his son took over the ministry.

This is what happens when the reader neglects the most important passages that relate to how the Bible was written by God, in parables.

Matthew 13:34 (KJV 1900)
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

Mark 4:34 (KJV 1900)
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

So when we read what Jesus (the Word of God) is saying, we must ask ourselves what does he mean by what he is saying? Because parables require interpretation.

Proverbs 1:6 (KJV 1900)
6  To understand a proverb (this is the word, "parable"), and the interpretation;
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

And the passages in question (Mark 16:17-18) are no exception. This means that we are to first and foremost understand that Christ spoke in parables and without a parable he did not speak. Therefore, what does he mean by what he is saying here?

Mark 16:15–18 (KJV 1900)
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Since this thread is solely about verse 18, that's what I will address. If you notice the command was to go and preach the gospel, and God is speaking about signs which would follow them that believe. The first sign of verse 18 is the taking up of serpents, but not the way you tried to do it. The Bible uses the word "serpent" to describe a very deadly snake, not a harmless one.

Matthew 23:33 (KJV 1900)
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Those who take the Bible literally have tried to make the claim that this passage does not belong in the Bible and some modern translations even place footnotes under this passage so as to suggest that this is probably not part of the original Bible. But that's only because it makes no sense to the one who takes it at face value. And so, not only this passage but any passage that just confounds the reader, is questioned for its validity and authority, yet their own understanding is never questioned.

So, what does a deadly serpent in the Bible typify? Well, Satan, of course.

Revelation 20:2 (KJV 1900)
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Thus, God is teaching us that when a person believes (meaning, when they truly become saved), then Satan (the serpent) can never again kill us like he did to mankind in the garden.

John 8:44 (KJV 1900)
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Then Christ says that if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. This word deadly means that it will kill you. Spoiled milk is not in view, but neither is actual poison like Strychnine in view. How do we know? Because anyone who drinks it will physically die. The poison the Bible is speaking about is that which comes out of a person's mouth.

Romans 3:13 (KJV 1900)
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

James 3:8 (KJV 1900)
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Drinking something deadly is like being under the hearing of a false gospel. It can never again harm the true child of God. God also likens wine to deadly poison, which is why we are instructed not to drink it.

Deuteronomy 32:33 (KJV 1900)
33  Their wine is the poison of dragons,
And the cruel venom of asps.

Proverbs 31:4 (KJV 1900)
4  It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine;
Nor for princes strong drink:

Now, the last part of Mark 16:18 is practiced by many charismatic denominations even today. The laying on of hands for the healing of the sick people. But why do they not take the previous 2 items at face value, yet this one they do? Because this makes more sense to their natural minds. They can see that this was done in the scriptures, therefore they should be able to do just that, lay hands on people so they can recover. But the Bible is one cohesive truth, and all of it falls under the fact that it was spoken in parables, which is why Christ included this last sign with the previous 2. And this last sign is also spiritual in nature. It has to do with the gospel of salvation. In the Bible, the laying on of hands relates to salvation taking place by the receiving of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:17 (KJV 1900)
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Mark 16:18 tells us that the result on the laying on of hands is that the person who had hands laid on them would recover. Well, when we look up this word "recover" in the Bible, we learn that it's actually the word "well", as in you have done "well". But we also notice that this word comes from the word "good" which God uses to point to a person who has become saved and not to one that has been made physically whole.

Luke 8:15 (KJV 1900)
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

So, all of Mark 16:17-18 is pointing to the spiritual truth of what happened when someone became truly saved as a result of the hearing and believing of the gospel.

[Eloi]

Go here https://greekcntr.org/collation/index.htm and look for Mark 16:17 and 18.

You will be able to see that these texts are not part of the oldest manuscripts of Mark. Then you can verify by consulting more current Bible versions that they have already left those passages out of the main and verified text of the book of Mark.

[Tcg]

I speak tongues and perform exorcisms as in Mark 16:17.

In another post dated Feb. 4 @ 3:53 am you stated that you haven't attempted an exorcism yet. Now less than 24 hours later you claim to perform exorcisms. You've had a rather busy 22 and a half hours. Where did you find these demon possessed people and how did you know they were demon possessed?


Tcg

[1213]

... I went to the pet store and handled a snake. Nothing bad happened. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18?

Then I went home and drank expired milk. Nothing bad happened. I felt religious when I did it. Does this fulfill Mark 16:18? ...

Bible says also:

Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge concerning you.’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, So that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord, your God.’”
Matt. 4:5-7