Mark 16:14-18
These Signs Shall Follow.....But Only If You Believe In Them!
After Jesus had risen and showed
himself to some, there were the others who did not believe it, so later
He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked
their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe
those who had seen Him after he had risen.
He told them to go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. He said He who believes and
is baptized will be saved; but he who doesn't believe, will be
condemned.
Then He proceeded to tell them what
signs (miracles) will follow them who believe. He said in His name (authority),
they will cast out demons, they will speak with other tongues, they
will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by
no means hurt them, and they will lay hands on the sick, and they
will recover.
A statement was made in a church
gathering by the leader that if you don't have these signs following
you, you will not make it to heaven. If you have not cast out a
demon, you will not make it to heaven! I do not believe this statement. I
have never cast out a demon, so this means I'm not going to heaven?
Ridiculous! I do not remember that being part of salvation. My
salvation is based on what Jesus did, not what I DO! Our salvation is
not based on works!
I believe from this portion of
Scripture in Mark, it says these signs shall FOLLOW us IF we believe. If we have the faith to believe in them! We don't go
LOOKING for demons. In other words, if the opportunity arises, we have
the authority to cast out demons, but we are not to go looking for
demons just so we can make it to heaven. Just like the drinking of
poison, or handling of snakes, we don't go doing those things. We are
not to tempt God! The Bible is stating that if we happen to drink
something poisonous, or are made to drink it, or if we are bitten by a
snake, God will protect us....just as he did Paul when he was bitten
by a snake. No harm came to Paul. (Acts 28:3-6)
We are to do all things in the power
and demonstration of the LORD. I will not lay hands on just anybody,
nor will I let just anybody lay hands on me. You never know what can
be transferred from a person onto you. When the opportunity arises
and God directs me to lay hands on someone that they may be healed, I
will do so. I am to have the faith that they WILL recover. The same as everything else. The opportunity came when
I spoke in tongues, receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believed and I received!
Making judgments on others, saying that
they won't make it to heaven because they have not cast out a demon,
or spoke in tongues, or drank deadly poison or handled a snake or
laid hands on the sick so they can recover, is very wrong!!
The key word is “follow”. These
signs (miracles) shall follow them that believe. As I stated before,
we don't go looking for them. When the opportunity arises, we have
the authority, and we have His protection. But we have to believe!
You have to believe or these miracles
won't follow. They are not going to happen, if you don't have the
faith to believe. The Bible isn't saying you're not truly a believer
if these signs don't follow you, thus keeping you out of heaven. If that were true, we all need to be
going out and looking for demons to cast out, and poison to drink and
snakes to handle all the time. Our salvation is NOT based on what
WE DO. It is what HE DID FOR US!
It was the faith of the eleven that He was focusing on or was targeting. Jesus was telling them that these signs (miracles) are going to be following them but only if they believed for them to happen!! Because as you see in the beginning when He first sat down with them, He was rebuking them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they didn't believe those ones who had come and told them Jesus had appeared unto them. One of them was actually Mary Magdalene whom Jesus had cast 7 demons out of!
It was the faith of the eleven that He was focusing on or was targeting. Jesus was telling them that these signs (miracles) are going to be following them but only if they believed for them to happen!! Because as you see in the beginning when He first sat down with them, He was rebuking them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they didn't believe those ones who had come and told them Jesus had appeared unto them. One of them was actually Mary Magdalene whom Jesus had cast 7 demons out of!
Connie Schmoll