Signs Following

Posted by: Stephen E. Smith on 2008-05-02

Signs Following

"And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 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...And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen." (Mark 16:15-18, 20).

After His resurrection and before His ascent back into heaven, Jesus gave final instructions to His disciples, commanding them to go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every soul. He then promised that a variety of miracles would accompany them as they obeyed the command. The scriptures testify that the signs promised were indeed performed as the apostles went forth preaching the Word of God.

Many Christians have been deceived into believing that these signs were given only for the early Church. This misconception has weakened their Christians witness, as God clearly intended that the signs "confirm the Word." It has also prevented them from enjoying greater victories over the powers of darkness, since most of the signs mentioned offer special miracles to overcome Satan's devices.

Jesus said that these signs would follow them that believe. This it is evident that the miracles were not promised exclusively to the apostles, or to the early Church era, but to all who believe and obey the gospel. There is no reason that we should not expect to see the same signs today among God's people. Indeed, there have been multitudes of testimonies throughout the history of Christianity confirming that God's miraculous power has continued to work among believers. There have been times when the promised signs were witnessed in abundance. At other times, they have been rather scarce. But the times of scarcity are not due to God's failure to keep His promise, but to Christian's failure to meet His conditions.

Before looking at the miracles themselves, it is important to look at the conditions that must be met in order to receive them. The first requirement given by Christ is that we are to "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mk. 16:15). Herein lies much of the problem. God's people do a great deal of preaching among themselves. We preach from our pulpits, and teach one another in Sunday School. We testify to one another and have church Bible studies. These are all important, necessary ministries, as they help Christians grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord. But these activities do not qualify as preaching the gospel to every creature. It seems that many Christians are satisfied to live within the fellowship of their local church, and seldom, if ever, make an effort to preach or witness to sinners. But this is the first requisite to having the signs. If we will go, and if we will preach, and if we will seek opportunity to tell every person about the Saviour, then we will have taken the first significant step toward seeing more of the promised miracles.

After we have obeyed the Lord in giving the Word to the world, we are commanded to baptize those who believe. Jesus did not say that a person could not be saved without baptism, but he strongly implied that where baptism is willfully neglected, knowing that there is a command of our Saviour, the salvation of the soul is endangered.

Faith and baptism are the beginnings of the Christians life. faith in Christ brings the inward cleansing of the soul, the baptism offers the outward testimony that one has indeed received the inward grace. Water baptism signifies that one has a clear conscience before God, and that the Spirit of God has washed and purified the soul from sin. Failure to baptize new converts is disobedience to the command of Christ. If we are to see the signs Jesus promised, we must become obedient to His instructions. The General Overseer of The Church of God spoke to the Church in the General Assembly in 2003 concerning the matter of water baptism. This is what He had to say:

"It seems that this commandment (water baptism) is being, to some extent, slighted and put into the background because of inconvenience or lack of availability. This is unfortunate because of it's importance. Our Lord was baptized and He commands us to do so. Every time there is a convert there should also be a baptizing. Inconvenience should not be a reason to fail to observe it. In every place on earth where humans exist, there is water. We could not live without it and somehow an arrangement can be made to utilize it for this requirement of the Lord. There must be an ocean, a river, a creek, a pond, a spring, a bathtub, a plastic swimming pool, or a tub, which could be used for a place to baptize the converts by immersion."

We often hear Christians complain that we do not see enough miraculous signs in these last days. But if heaven could answer our complaint, no doubt God would place the blame where it belongs-upon those who fail to obey His commandments. Go, preach, baptize. If we fulfill our obligations to God, God will no doubt fulfill His promises to us, and there will be a significant increase in the ministry of miracles.

As Jesus begins to give the list of "signs," He first states that these are to be accomplished "in my name." In other words, the power to operate miracles does not reside in the person used to perform the miracle, but in the Lord Himself. Only as a Christian lives in obedience to the Lord and operates in His Name (as a servant under Christ's authority), can the miracles be expected. And when Gd performs His great works, He alone is to receive the glory and honor, "That no flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Cor. 1:29).

In Jesus' statement, He menions five signs that will follow those who believe. These are distinct from the nine "gifts" which He has set in the Church, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. The gifts were given especially to the Church for it's edification. But the signs were given to all believers. Every Christian, whether in the Church or not, needs the power of God to support his testimony. And every Christian needs these signs to give victory over the efforts of Satan to destroy him.

1. They shall cast out devils. This is the first sign mentioned. Thus Jesus affirms that every believer will have power over the devils, testifying that, "...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:4).

2. They shall speak with new tongues. The baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues is provided for all saved and sanctified people. The Holy Ghost is the power of God for witnessing (Acts 1:8). When the child of God goes into all the world with the gospel, it is the Holy Ghost who does the work of convicting, convincing, and converting sinners (Jn. 16:8). It is by the Spirit of the Lord that all miracles, signs, and wonders are performed. Therefore all believers should seek and receive the indwelling of the Holy Ghost.

3. They shall take up serpents. While some fanatics have considered snake handling a test of true salvation, this is not God's intent in providing this sign. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He was taken to the pinnacle of the temple where the devil tempted Him, saying "...If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Matt. 4:6). Jesus replied, "...It is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matt. 4:7). God does not expect His people to act foolishly and endanger themselves unnecessarily. At such a time as God deems it important to work this miracle for the promotion of the gospel, He will protect His own from the poison of the serpent.

4. Into this same category falls the promise that if a believer in Christ drinks any deadly thing, it will not harm him. One would be tempting God to play with a poisonous snake or to presumptuously drink a poisonous substance. At the same time, God has proven His willingness to work such miracles when He deems it proper to do so. When the apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Melita, a venomous viper fastened onto his hand. Paul merely shook it off into the fire. The inhabitants of the island expected Paul to die, but he was uneffected by the poison that had entered his body. It was not time for Paul to die, as God had commissioned him to preach the gospel in Rome. christians die when God is ready for them to die. Until then, He protects them from all assaults of the enemy.

5. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. The promise of divine healing is offered to all believers. When proper faith and obedience are evidenced, any Christian may lay hands on the sick, seek for their healing in the name of Jesus Christ, and expect to see the miracle. This promise does not mean that God will always heal every diseased person, as He sometimes permits sickness as a trial of one's faith, or as chastisement for sin, or perhaps because He has chosen that a person's time for death has come. But unless God has a special reason fo sickness, the prayer of faith in the name of Jesus will surely bring divine healing. God continues to this day to heal the sick, and multitudes can testify to the power of divine healing in their lives.

It is important to remember that not all miracles come from God. Satan is also a miracle-worker, and he will perform wonders in his efforts to deceive and damn souls: "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9).

This is why it is important to remember that signs follow believers, but believers are not to follow signs. When the gospel is preached in truth, the result will be the conversion of souls. Sinful living will be abandoned, and holiness will prevail. The "sign followers" generally care nothing for real salvation or righteousness, but are infatuated by the supernatural and spellbound by the spectacular. Satan is a master counterfeiter, and these fall easy prey to his efforts to imitate the operations of the true Spirit.

The signs are given to confirm the Word. As God's people, and especially The Church of God, obey His commandments to fo, preach, baptize, and believe, the manifestation of His power through these five signs will increase. As the saints work for the Lord, they will find that He is "...working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."

(This article was originally published in the October 2003 issue of The Evening Light.)