Will

And these signs will accompany those who believe . . . 

 - From Mark 16

 Here's a passage of Scripture that is commonly just passed over quietly without discussion. The Lord says, plainly, that them that believe, and preach in His Name, will also perform great signs and wonders. They will handle snakes, drink poison, heal the sick with a touch of the hand. 

There is no gray area here. Jesus says that these things will happen. 

And, well, they do . . . . in remote spots. Like for instance, The House of the Lord Jesus in Squires, West Virginia. The last time I checked, they were still in operation. In their services, the preacher would routinely handle a live copperhead during services. And members would drink strychnine. I don't know about their record in terms of healings. They have a Facebook page, so I think they may still be in business.

But virtually every believer you or I know, would never come close to attempting any of those practices. 

And yet, Jesus said that believers would do these miracles and wonders all the time. All it takes is the belief, and then just doing it. 

Or does it?

When the Adversary tempted Christ, He was rebuked by the Lord: "Thou shalt not tempt God!" In 2023, there would be a certain element of "daring" involved in deliberately forcing these signs and wonders. And where there's a dare, there is the wrong motivation. There is a lack of faith. And then there's the case of the Apostle Thomas - who required a sign or miracle before he would believe that Jesus was alive. It was a lesson on belief, and faith. 

Just believe. Without the signs. 

My go-to explanation for any passage of scripture, asserting that something will happen, that doesn't, is that of course anything God prophesied will indeed happen. It just doesn't happen on our timeline. And if we're looking for it, obsessing over it . . . it most likely will not happen in our timeline. Think about the first generation of Hebrews escaping slavery and leaving Egypt. Except for a couple of exceptions, they did not live to see the Promised Land . . . because of their unfaith, their griping, and their complaining. 

The point is: just go ahead and preach the gospel. Build the Kingdom. God will protect you. You might suffer harm, injury, or even death. God still watches over you. He's got you. And remember that the word "will" is future tense. Have faith! It will happen. All of it!

When we are in the eternal realm, of course we will handle snakes. We might even have them as pets. In eternity, our opened eyes will see a whole of wonders and miracles, things that we thought were impossible. 

It will all happen.