If They Drink Any Deadly Thing, It Shall Not Harm Them

Yeshua taught this because:

  • He knew evil men would try to poison his disciples

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • He wanted His disciples to take up serpents and drink poison as a sign

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • He wanted His disciples to thrive in an unclean world without fear

    Votes: 9 56.3%
  • other

    Votes: 5 31.3%

  • Total voters
    16

Butch5

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It appears that there are various opinions on the matter.
There are. The passage is quoted by Augustine early on. So, it would seem that it was already known in his day. I tend to think it is original. That it's not found in the Alexandrian texts doesn't surprise me as Alexandria was a hot bed of Gnosticism and the Gnostics were notorious for removing passages of Scripture that didn't fit their beliefs.
 
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Hammster

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There are. The passage is quoted by Augustine early on. So, it would seem that it was already known in his day. I tend to think it is original. That it's not found in the Alexandrian texts doesn't surprise me as Alexandria was a hot bed of Gnosticism and the Gnostics were notorious for removing passages of Scripture that didn't fit their beliefs.
Okay.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Mark 16:
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.
The snake bit, happened to Paul and because He did not die, the natives thought he was a god giving him an avenue to preach the gospel.

In the sense of "Drink javex and live" this goes along with the three temptations of Christ, wasn't Jesus asked to jump from a high place because angels would catch him?

What was his response? (this is the same answer to snake handling)
 
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I live in West Virginia. We have churches in the southern part of the state that practice handling poisonous snakes, and I believe there are churches that do that in other parts of Appalachia. It seems like every year one or two people are bitten and die. Frankly I think they are nuts but it is their call.
 
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Maria Billingsley

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Mark 16:
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.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth also said they could move mountains. The Jews communicated often with hyperbole and idioms in order to stress on a point. Whether or not this verse was added later, we should read scripture with this in mind. Be blessed.
 
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Francis Drake

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If you compare Luke 10:19-20 to Mark 16:17-18 it becomes a little clearer.

It's referring to the believer having power to cast out demons and devils, and they can bring no harm to the believer. It speaks of protection.

The serpent and scorpion have poison, compared to demons and devils whose poison is represented by their power to do evil.
Was going to make this point also, so thanks for presenting it.
I would suggest much prayer and understanding before making such an attempt.
Having been involved with deliverance from demons since the 70s, I can assure you that we do indeed have power over those serpents and scorpions and all the works of the devil.

I have seen children discerning demons and casting them out, all without the slightest fear.
As Jesus said, "If I cast out demons by the spirit of God.................."
Likewise, when I command a demon to leave, its not me that casts them out, but the spirit of God.
 
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Francis Drake

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This is a great post 24. I was only presenting the protection, to encourage for overcoming fear.
To bring out the power and authority in His Name, and the caution is well advised. For any who may
wonder why you make this suggestion, this narrative may illustrate:
Acts 19:
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had
evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed
against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all,
and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
These vagabond Jews did not have the Spirit of the Lord in them. That made them lower on the pecking order than the demons, so no surprise they got spanked.

In contrast, we cast demons out as Jesus did, by the spirit of God.
I've been doing that for over 40 years, and have seen children do it. It's no big deal, and part of the responsibility of all believers to obey Jesus in doing so.
It's a part of the so called Great Commission, and failing to do so makes it the Great Omission.
 
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Francis Drake

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I live in West Virginia. We have churches in the southern part of the state that practice handling poisonous snakes, and I believe there are churches that do that in other parts of Appalachia. It seems like every year one or two people are bitten and die. Frankly I think they are nuts but it is their call.
Do they drink poison also?
If not, maybe we could send some suggestions to complete their foolish interpretation without being so hypocritical.
I'm sure there's a list somewhere of poisons in order of their deadliness. They could start at the less potent ones and see whose still standing at the finish.
 
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Do they drink poison also?
If not, maybe we could send some suggestions to complete their foolish interpretation without being so hypocritical.
I'm sure there's a list somewhere of poisons in order of their deadliness. They could start at the less potent ones and see whose still standing at the finish.
To my knowledge they do not drink poison. There are only a handful of churches that do this. I have never and will never visit one.
 
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RaymondG

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What do you suppose Jesus meant when He said “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.”?

It means exactly what it says.....With faith, anything is possible. You can even walk on water.....but will being to sink if you lose faith..
 
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Hammster

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It means exactly what it says.....With faith, anything is possible. You can even walk on water.....but will being to sink if you lose faith..
It doesn’t say anything about having enough faith.
 
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Hammster

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Because there is no "enough faith." You either have faith or you doubt. If you dont have faith, it would be wise to stay away from snakes and poison.
I believe in Jesus. Jesus prays for my faith. I’m pretty solid there.
 
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RaymondG

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I believe in Jesus. Jesus prays for my faith. I’m pretty solid there.

If you are solid there, you should have no questions about picking up snakes and drinking poison. These should be no brainers for you. I cant really be swayed by belief...as even the devils are said to have this attribute.
 
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chad kincham

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Assuming the "oldest texts" are the oldest texts. A scholarly work or your agreement
in no way renders anything "unscriptural." The witness of all scripture does.
I don't redact my KJV based on every scholarly work.
The point of the thread was to edify others by encouraging them in their faith by the words that "nothing can harm us" in this world. In a time when
all we hear about is the deadly, there is One who gives Life, and has sealed us in His Spirit. The point then, is to live without fear in a world growing in fear, that sows and harvests fear.
We can do that with or without Mark 16:9-20.
I chose to use it today, and my work is never in vain in the Lord.

That’s a good point - how do they determine the oldest MSS - textually, or by radiometric dating?
If it’s the latter, I already know C14 dating is bogus.
 
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Guojing

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Mark 16:
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.

You can understand it by cross referencing to Matthew 10:5-8

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to Israel, always required signs and wonders.

The nation Israel, ever since Moses first appeared to them in Exodus 4, required signs and wonders if you want them to believe that you are sent by God to them.

So if the 11 were to continue preaching the gospel of the kingdom to the nation Israel, Jesus provided signs for them to authenticate their spoken word, which was also confirmed by the final verse in Mark

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The Apostle Paul tells us in the Body of Christ what Jews required in 1 Corinthians 1:22

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom

But for now, the nation Israel has now fallen, and the gospel of the kingdom no longer saves anyone today.

Today, we preach the gospel of the grace of God, summed up by Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Signs and wonders are no longer part of this gospel, so we should not take Mark 16:17-18 as a guide for us.

We walked by faith and not by sight 2 Corinthians 5:7
 
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Hammster

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If you are solid there, you should have no questions about picking up snakes and drinking poison. These should be no brainers for you. I cant really be swayed by belief...as even the devils are said to have this attribute.
Since that passage isn’t in scripture, it would be stupid to do that.
 
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