In reference to Mark 16:17-18,.....“these signs shall follow them that believe”?
These signs were ....’fulfilled by the apostles ....’and it was ....’to the Apostles’.... that the Lord gave special gifts.......(2 Cor. 12:12; Acts 2:43; 4:33; 5:12, 15; 19:12)
- The Apostles cast out devils...(Acts 2: 1-4)
- The Apostles spoke in new tongues, the languages of the hearer.... (Acts 2:1-4)
- The Apostles laid hands on the sick and they recovered....without fail!..... (Acts 3:6-8; 9:40-41; 28:7-9)
Further, the gift of tongues was ‘a sign to the nation Israel’ that God was doing a new thing by extending the gospel to ALL people and creating His church composed of both Jews and Gentiles..... (1 Cor. 14:20-22; Isa. 28:11-13)
- It was a temporary sign..... (1 Cor. 13:8)
- It ceased when the nation Israel rejected it and was judged...... (Isa. 28:13)........(Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. and the Jews were scattered to the nations. )
- No one can do the specific apostolic signs today, and I believe those who claim to do them do not do in the manner that we see recorded in the book of acts because:
..... No ones raising the dead like Peter did in Acts 9.
..... No one is healing after the fashion of Acts 3:6-8.
......There are no “healing services” or “signs and wonders crusades” in the book of Acts.
......There were no spirit slayings or spiritual drunkenness.
...... The apostles did not have signs of healing such as fire or vibrations or electricity in their hands.
.......Not once did the apostles attempt to heal someone and fail.
The miracles recorded in the book of Acts are simply not being reproduced in churches today as was done by the Apostles.
However, though the apostolic sign gifts ceased the Lord has continued to do miraclulous things throughout the church age:
- He has saved countless souls from the power of Satan.
- He has supernaturally answered countless prayers.
- He has supernaturally supplied countless needs.
- He has given supernatural strength and encouragement and wisdom to countless men and women in every conceivable situation and difficulty.
- He has healed countless people in answer to prayer in accordance with James 5.
- He has miraculously established countless churches in the devil’s own territory!.......... and many other things!
Though I’m fully convinced of where I stand I do believe we are seeing and will see more of counterfeiting all these gifts...just as it was written would be and is today...but it will esculate and many will be deceived by those who teach and preach it.
You go girl......
That cannot be overemphasized or stated often enough.
As much as one would like to try, you CANNOT add anything to that which is COMPLETE. Please show me how that is done, and I will have to say God is a liar, that we aren't TRULY complete, without "tongues", "faith healers", all those signs that Mark 16:17-18 talked about and promised. Either that, or something CHANGED between Mark 16:17-18 and Col. 2:9-13.
My Bible tells me I am complete in Christ. And was the moment I was saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.