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Mark Chapter Sixteen

 

I. Content of the Chapter

 

The Resurrection and Ascension of the Bondman the Savior

A.   His declaration of the resurrection (v.1-8);

B.   His manifestation after the resurrection (v.9-13);

C.   The mission entrusted with the disciples (v.14-18);

D.   He still worked with His disciples after His ascension (v.19-20);

 

II. Verse by Verse commentary

 

Mark. 16:1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

YLT: “And the sabbath having past, Mary the Magdalene, and Mary of James, and Salome, bought spices, that having come, they may anoint him,”

The Background: according to the funeral custom of the Jews, the corpse should be bound up in linen with the spices, and the head should be wrapped by napkin (see 11:44).

Literal Meaning: “after the Sabbath”, the Sabbath ended at sunset of Saturday.

  “Bought spices”, they did not have business dealings on the Sabbath. They had bought the spices before the sunset of Friday (see Luke 23:56).

  “That they might come and anoint Him”, obviously, they did not expect that the Lord would rise again.

Spiritual Meaning: “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome”, these three women followed the Lord until the cross (see 15:40) and were the last ones who left the tomb (see 15:47) and the first came to the tomb. Therefore, they could represent those who were so attracted by the Lord that they loved and sought the Lord.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Though the Lord Jesus had died, the three sisters came to the tomb to anoint Him because of loving Him, showing that their love had transcended death and was stronger than death (see Song 8:6).

2)    They had not anointed the body of the Lord Jesus finally, for she had risen! Therefore, he who desires to anoint the Lord should catch the opportunity (see 14:3-4). Once one has missed the chance, it will be too late to repent. If we love the Lord, we shall catch every chance to love Him without delay.

 

Mark. 16:2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

YLT: “and early in the morning of the first of the sabbaths, they come unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun,”

Literal Meaning: “the first day of the week”, there were seven days a week according to the Jewish calendar, and the seventh day was the Sabbath (see Gen 2:2-3). Therefore, the Sabbath was the last day of a week, and the next day was a new beginning of another week, i.e. Sunday, also “the Lord’s day” called by Christians (see Rev 1:10). The Jews took Sunday as “the first day of the week”, and believers in the New Testament called Sunday “the Lord’s day” in order to remember the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (see Acts 20:7; 1Cor 16:2).

Spiritual Meaning: “the first day of the week”, it symbolized the beginning of a new age. The burial of the Lord had finished the old creation, and the resurrection of the Lord had brought about the new creation.

  “When the sun had risen”, it symbolized that the Lord’s life had broken through the power of darkness and brought those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death the dayspring from on high (see 4:16; Luke 1:78-79).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The Lord Jesus rose in “the first day of the week”, symbolizing that the resurrection of Christ had brought a new beginning. The old things had passed away. Behold all things have become new (2Cor 5:17).

2)    “When the sun had risen”, whenever we believers live in the old creation, we will live in darkness. And whenever we live in the new creation, we will enter the spiritual early morning.

3)    The Lord rose “the third day” after His suffering (see Matt.16:21; 17:23; 20:19). In the creation of God in Genesis, it was also in the third day that there was life (see Gen 1:11-13). Therefore, that the Lord rose in the third day symbolized the manifestation of the life of God.

4)    The Lord said: “I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)”. Resurrection has revealed not only He is the Lord of life (see Acts 3:15), but also that life has sorrowed up the death (2Cor 4:10-11; 5:4).

 

Mark. 16:3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

YLT: “and they said among themselves, `Who shall roll away for us the stone out of the door of the sepulchre?'”

The Background: at that time, a rich man’s tomb was a stone cave chiseled out of a rock, looking like a house which had a stone bed, stone tables and stone chairs for the purpose of mourning for the dead. There was a low rectangle groove used to put the body with the spices. The entrance of the stone cave was blocked by a big round stone in a track chiseled out of a bedrock. Only strong men could roll away the stone out of the door of the sepulcher.

Enlightenment in the Word: if we love and serve the Lord, we will be confronted with many difficulties and obstacles (like the big stone). However, we shall not worry how to resolve it.

 

Mark. 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away--for it was very large.

YLT: “And having looked, they see that the stone hath been rolled away -- for it was very great,”

Literal Meaning: “the stone had been rolled away”, the purpose of the stone’s being rolled away was not letting the Lord Jesus come out (for He had no such demand), but making the women come in (see v.5).

Spiritual Meaning: “the stone had been rolled away”, it symbolized that the risen power had removed all the obstacles, thus manifesting the risen life.

Enlightenment in the Word: if we advance bravely without escaping all the difficulties and afflictions, we will find that many difficulties (stone) have been already taken away.

 

Mark. 16:5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

YLT: “and having entered into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right hand, arrayed in a long white robe, and they were amazed.”

Literal Meaning: “saw a young man sitting on the right side”, the young man who the angle rolling away the big stone (see Matt. 28:2). When the Lord was born, there was an angle announcing the glad tidings of great joy (see Luke 2:10). When the Lord rose from the death, there was also the angle coming to prove the fact. Both of them were earthshaking matters, so there were angles coming to announce the good news and let all that dwell in the earth hear and see.

 

Mark. 16:6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

YLT: “And he saith to them, `Be not amazed, ye seek Jesus the Nazarene, the crucified: he did rise -- he is not here; lo, the place where they laid him!”

Meaning of Words: “risen”: awake, rise;

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” ---- If any one love God, he is known of Him (1Cor. 8:3).

2)    As long as we have only a little readiness of heart toward the Lord, we must be accepted by Him (2Cor. 8:12).

3)    “He is risen! He is not here.” ---- Though He had been put in the tomb, the tomb was by no means His destination. Likewise, we will die, but death is not our destination.

4)    Death could not lock Him as the tomb cannot hold Him (see Acts. 2:24). Believers also cannot remain in the places of death. Since we have already had this life of resurrection, we should usually have the experience that “death is swallowed up of life”.

5)    If Christ is not risen, then our faith is vain (1Cor. 15:14) because:

1.    The Lord Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection form the dead (Rom. 1:4).

2.    God has proved that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God to us His children, in that He has raised up Jesus (Acts. 13:33; Ps. 2:7).

3.    Jesus was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:25).

4.    If Christ is not raised, we are yet in our sins (1Cor. 15:17).

5.    Christ was raised from the dead, and became the first-fruits of them that slept. Even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1Cor. 15:20-23).

6.    If believers won’t be risen, in this life we only have hope in Christ and we are of all men most miserable (1Cor. 15:19).

 

Mark. 16:7 But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

YLT: “and go, say to his disciples, and Peter, that he doth go before you to Galilee; there ye shall see him, as he said to you.'”

Literal Meaning: “but go, tell His disciples--and Peter”, only Mark recorded the words “and Peter” in the four Gospels. For the Gospel of Mark was dictated by Peter and written by Mark. Others might not take particular notice of the words of “and Peter”, but Peter felt so comforted and encouraged when hearing these words. Peter failed and stumbled three days before ---- he even denied the Lord three times (see 14:66-72). Since he had committed such serious faults, he feared that the Lord Jesus would deny him (see Matt. 10:33). However, he did not expect that the Lord specially mentioned his name after His resurrection, showing that He had completely forgiven him. Therefore, so many years later, when Peter recounted the situation at that time, he could still not forget the gracious words of “and Peter”.

“He is going before you into Galilee”. ---- It was to remind the disciples what the Lord had said after the Feast of the Passover (see 14:28).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Even the faults as serious as Peter had committed were forgiven by the Lord. Our iniquities or offences will also be forgiven by the Lord. What is really important is that one shall climb up again and walk ahead after being stumbled. One shall never abandon himself with the thought of being forsaken by the Lord!

2)    Many times, the Lord may be more concerned about the believers who are weak and stumbled. When we are stumbled and have no strength to draw near to the Lord, we shall remember the words of “and Peter” ---- it is also “and you” and “and I”.

3)    The witness of resurrection strengthens those who are of the Lord and makes them be firm (see 1Cor. 15:58), and also leads men to meet the Lord Himself. Therefore we should not only pursue to see and experience the risen Christ, but also bear witness of His resurrection (see Acts. 3:15).

4)    The risen Christ is the common message of the angel and human beings. Those who are in heaven and on earth should try their best to declare Him.

5)    The message of resurrection were unexpectedly told to the strong apostles by weak women ---- in the church we should learn to be humble and modestly receive spiritual provision from any brother or sister.

6)    “He is going before you into Galilee.” ---- The Lord, like a shepherd, walks in front of the folk of sheep. He is our forerunner and shall bring many sons unto glory (see Heb. 2:10).

7)    “Into Galilee”, when the bondman the savior began His ministry on this earth, He started to work in Galilee of the Gentiles (see Matt. 4:12-17) instead of Jerusalem the Holy City. After His resurrection, He went to Galilee instead of Jerusalem, showing that He completely rejected the earthly Judaism and preached the salvation of the New Testament to the Gentiles.

 

Mark. 16:8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

YLT: “And, having come forth quickly, they fled from the sepulchre, and trembling and amazement had seized them, and to no one said they anything, for they were afraid.”

Literal Meaning: “they said nothing to anyone”, this was their immediate reaction at that time, and they told it to the disciples afterwards (see Luke 24:9).

  “For they were afraid”, there are three reasons for their “being afraid”:

1.    The glorious and dreadful countenance of the angel made them trembled (see v.3-4).

2.    Since hat they had seen was quite extraordinary, they were astonished.

3.    If they told it to others, their words might be appeared in their eyes as an idle tale (see Luke 24:11).

 

Mark. 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

YLT: “And he, having risen in the morning of the first of the sabbaths, did appear first to Mary the Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons;”

Meaning of Words: “rise”: lift up, raise up (the word is different from “be risen” in verse 6);

The Background: in many old scriptures, there was no the paragraph from verse nine to verse twenty. Therefore, some bible exegetes thought that the Gospel of Mark ended in verse 8. Perhaps, the end of this book might have been lost and the paragraph of this scripture was added by others when they copied it. However, the editor held that the canonic New Testament was confirmed under the sovereignty of God in the early days of the church and was passed down up to now. We believers should regard this paragraph as the word of God without any criticism.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    After the Lord’s resurrection, He did not firstly reveal Himself to His great disciples like Peter, James and John, but to the infirm Mary, out of whom He had cast seven demons. Many believers usually believe that only those experienced and renowned spiritual elders can meet the Lord. However, it is some unknown and ordinary believers that often meet the Lord.

2)    We should never despise the young and infirm brothers or sisters. Sometimes, there are precious experiences in them that can help us to know the Lord.

3)    Why did the Lord firstly reveal to Mary Magdalene? The only cause was her love toward the Lord (see 14:21):

1.    Because of her love to the Lord, she followed Him from Galilee all the way, served Him and followed till the cross (see 15:40-41).

2.    When the Lord was buried after His death, Mary was one of those who left the tomb in the end (see 15:47; Matt 27:61).

3.    Men could do nothing on the Sabbath, and she was one of those who came to the tomb firstly after the Sabbath (see v.1; Matt 28:1).

4.    When others saw the empty tomb, they returned. However, only Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. Such earnest longing and love to the Lord made the Lord could not help revealing to her earlier (see v.9-18).

4)    Though Mary had not anointed the risen Lord because of her ignorance, the Lord still revealed to her, indicating that he who loves the Lord truly can know the Lord most easily. Though we are less intelligent than others, if we love the Lord with our whole heart, the Lord will still make us know Him.

 

Mark. 16:10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.

YLT: “she having gone, told those who had been with him, mourning and weeping;”

Literal Meaning: “as they mourned and wept”, it showed that they were weeping in despair for the sake of the death of the Lord Jesus.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    “She went and told those who had been with Him”, we may earnestly look forward to share all the knowledge and experience in the risen Christ with other saints.

2)    “As they mourned and wept”, he who knows only the death of Christ cannot avoid weeping. However, the knowledge and experience in the risen Christ will bring us hope and joy.

 

Mark. 16:11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

YLT: “and they, having heard that he is alive, and was seen by her, did not believe.”

Meaning of Words: “see”: behold, see carefully; “did not believe”: refuse to believe;

 

Mark. 16:12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

YLT: “And after these things, to two of them, as they are going into a field, walking, he was manifested in another form,”

Spiritual Meaning: “He appeared in another form to two of them”, they were the two disciples who left Jerusalem and went to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13), typifying believers who went downhill in their spiritual way.

 

Mark. 16:13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

YLT: “and they having gone, told to the rest; not even them did they believe.”

Meaning of Words: “believe”: trust;

 

Mark. 16:14 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.

YLT: “Afterwards, as they are reclining (at meat), he was manifested to the eleven, and did reproach their unbelief and stiffness of heart, because they believed not those having seen him being raised;”

Literal Meaning: “the eleven as they sat at the table”, Judas Iscariot among the twelve had committed suicide by hanging at this time (see Matt. 27:5).

  “Because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen”, it indicated that they did not believe the witness borne by saints of the resurrection of the Lord.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The hardening of heart is the main reason for unbelief.

2)    The Lord rebuked those disciples not because they did not see the Lord personally but that they did not believe the testimony borne by those who had seen the risen Lord. Therefore, we should not overlook the testimony of Christ borne by saints, lest be rebuked by the Lord.

 

Mark. 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

YLT: “and he said to them, `Having gone to all the world, proclaim the good news to all the creation;”

Literal Meaning: “preach the gospel to every creature”, “every creature” refers to not only all the nations but also all things. All things had fallen and been corrupted on account of men, and had lost the harmonious relationship with God (see Gen. 6:11-13). Therefore, all the creature has been made subject to vanity and groans together and travails in pain together (see Rom. 8:20-22). Today, all things have been reconciled with God by the redemption accomplished by the death and resurrection of the savior the Lord Jesus (see Col. 1:20). Therefore, we believers should not only preach the gospel to “all the nations” but also manifest the testimony of life worthy of the gospel (see 1Cor. 4:9; 11:10; Phil. 1:27) before “all the creature” (especially the spiritual ones).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The Lord manifested first, and entrusted the mission afterwards. The Lord entrusted the mission of preaching the gospel to the disciples face to face in the manifestation of His resurrection, for all the power to fulfill the divine mission completely rested in the manifestation of te risen Christ.

2)    Only those who have seen the manifestation of the risen Christ are those who are really entrusted with the divine mission as well as those who can really fulfill the divine mission.

 

Mark. 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

YLT: “he who hath believed, and hath been baptized, shall be saved; and he who hath not believed, shall be condemned.”

Literal Meaning: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved”, “believe” refers to the internal fact of men ---- who receive the Lord Jesus into them by opening their heart (see John 1:12). “Baptize” is the external acts of men ---- whose faith is manifested by the fact of being immersed into the water.

  Note that here it does not say “he who has believed and been saved will be baptized”, but that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved”. Therefore, here “believing” and “being baptized” are taken as two conditions of being saved. If we want to know the meaning of this sentence, we should know the real meaning of “being saved”. In fact, “being saved” in the scripture can be divided into two sorts:

1.     Being saved eternally (being saved from sins) ---- that is to obtain the eternal life and avoid the eternal perdition. The condition is faith only (see John 3:16), and being baptized is not needed.

2.     Being saved in this age (being saved from the world) ---- believers who have been born again everyday face the difficulty of the condition, the enticement of the world, the temptation of the enemy Satan, the evil of the flesh, the infirmity of soul and etc. when they still live on the earth. Therefore, we still need to be saved (see 2Cor. 1:10). The condition is not only faith but also being baptized. Faith positively enables us to obtain the help of the spirit of Jesus Christ (see Phil. 1:19) and to let the power of the Christ dwell upon us (see 2Cor. 12:9). Being baptized delivers us from the entanglement of the old man (see Rom. 6:3-7) and the attack of the power of the darkness (which is typified by the situation that the Egyptian host were covered under the water of the Red Sea, see Ex. 14:22-30).

    “But he who does not believe will be condemned.” ---- The reason for “being condemned” is “not believing”, not “not being baptized”. Because as long as one has faith, he will obtain the eternal life and be delivered from the eternal condemnation (see John 3:18).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The salvation does not only deliver us from the hell in the future but also save us from the world today.

2)    The faith of the Lord makes us be saved in the sight of God. Being baptized makes us be saved in the sight of the world.

3)    The faith of the Lord makes us have the divine life. Being baptized changes our daily life.

4)    “He who believes and is baptized”, it shows that one shall believe first and be baptized afterwards. If one who does not believe is baptized (e.g. the baptism of a baby), there will be of no effect before God.

5)    If one who believes the Lord refuses to be baptized, his faith has no apparent evidence or assurance, so it is still not enough. No wonder that he cannot sufficiently enjoy the goodness of the salvation.

 

Mark. 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

YLT: “`And signs shall accompany those believing these things; in my name demons they shall cast out; with new tongues they shall speak;”

Meaning of Words: “follow”: follow near, trace out (the root of the word is the same as that of the word “the Comforter” or “with”); “sign”: indication; “new”: it is a kind of new concerning the nature;

Literal Meaning: “these signs will follow those who believe”, it means that signs can be manifested at any time in those who “believe”; sign” refer to the mark of God. All the works done by God or out of God are signs.

  “Speak with new tongues”, the so-called “new tongues” referred to that tongue that they had never spoken, namely, “other tongues” or “various dialects” (Acts 2:4-11). The structure, tone color and tone of these tongues were totally “new” to them.

Controversial Clarification: “those who believe… will speak with new tongues”, according to this verse, someone of the Charismatic Movement emphasized that all those who believed could speak tongues and he who could not speak tongues had not been saved. This saying has misinterpreted the Bible, and the reasons are as follows:

1.   Believing the Lord is the only condition for obtaining the salvation (see the commentary of verse 16). And the joy of the salvation is the clearest proof and no other phenomenon is needed.

2.   Here the Lord mentioned five sorts of signs. Speaking with new tongues was only one kind of it. If believers can be counted as being saved as long as they can speak with new tongues, they should likewise be able to do other four kinds of signs. Therefore, we should not focus on merely one of the total five signs.

3.   All the tongues in the Bible refer to meaningful languages, which can be interpreted by those who understand (see 1Cor. 14:27). They are by no means the empty, monotonous and meaningless “tongues” in the Charismatic Movement. The truthfulness of the “tongues they interpret” is rather unreliable.

4.   Since the Lord had commanded them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (see v.15), He would surely give them great power to enable them to speak the tongues that they had never spoken. This promise had been fulfilled in the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-2).

5.   We believer that this promise is also effective to believers of later generations. When it is necessary, we may also be able to speak the tongue that we can never say before. And yet the purpose is to preach the gospel to glorify the Lord, not to satisfy or even show off ourselves.

Spiritual Meaning: “In My name they will cast out demons”, it typifies overcoming the power of darkness in Christ.

“They will speak with new tongues”, it typifies the difficulties in the communication of men (including the expression in languages and the interchanges of thoughts and concepts) can only be settled in Christ.

 

Mark. 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

YLT: “serpents they shall take up; and if any deadly thing they may drink, it shall not hurt them; on the ailing they shall lay hands, and they shall be well.'”

Literal Meaning: except for the fourth sign ---- “if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them”, all the other four sorts of signs from verse 17 to18 have the actual examples in the Book of Acts, e.g.: (a) casting off the demons (Acts 16:18); (b) speaking with the tongues (Acts. 2:4); (c) taking up the serpent with one’s hands (Acts. 28:3-6); (4) healing the sick (Acts. 3:7);

Spiritual Meaning: “they will take up serpents”, “serpents” typifies the devil (see Rev. 12:9) and those who are of the devil (see Matt. 3:7; Ps. 140:1-3). Therefore, it indicates that those who are in Christ can dominate and control the devil and those who are of it.

“And if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them”, it shows that one in Christ will be kept out of the harm of poisonous evilness.

“They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”. ---- It indicates that in Christ men’s the sickness of the spirit, the soul and the body will be healed, and thus they will be kept in health, and their soul will be prosperous (3John v.2).

 

Mark. 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

YLT: “The Lord, then, indeed, after speaking to them, was received up to the heaven, and sat on the right hand of God;”

Literal Meaning: “sat down at the right hand of God”, the word “sit” showed that His work on the earth had come to a conclusion and so He sat down to enjoy the rest. “Right hand” is the most honorable position (see 14:62; Ps. 110:1).

 

Mark. 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

YLT: “and they, having gone forth, did preach everywhere, the Lord working with , and confirming the word, through the signs following. Amen.”

Literal Meaning: the previous verse mentioned that the Lord’ work on the earth had come to a conclusion, so He “He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God”. This verse told us that another stage of the Lord’s work on the earth was carried out by the church, namely, His mysterious body. Such kind of work would be “greater” than His work in the past (see John 14:12).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The Lord was not only with them, but also “worked with them”.

2)    “The Lord working with them”, it proved that what they did was the work of the Lord. What we are doing should be counted as the Lord’s work, and then we will enjoy the Lord’s working with us.

3)    No matter how men work, they are just men’s works. However, once the Lord works (i.e. the Lord works with us), there will be “signs”, for He is God.

4)    The purpose of signs is neither meeting men’s curiosity nor raising men’s wonderment, but “confirming the word”. What God does is for the purpose of what He has said.

 

III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons

 

The Example of Love

A.   Prepared the spices (v.1) ---- they had the readiness as well as the practice of devotion to the Lord;

B.   Came to the tomb very early in the morning (v.2) ---- they paid the cost to go to the Lord;

C.   Saw the stone had been rolled away (v.3-4) ---- they enjoyed the heavenly help;

D.   Saw a young man (v.5) ---- they saw the angle of God;

E.   He said to them, “do not be alarmed.” (v.6a) ---- he brought heavenly comfort;

F.    They knew the heavenly mystery (v.6b-v.7);

G.   They saw the Lord Himself (v.9);

 

The Significance and Function of Believing

A.   He who does not believe will be reproved by the Lord (v.11-14).

B.   He who believes and is baptized will be saved (v.16a).

C.   He who does not believe will be condemned (v.16b).

D.   Signs will follow those who believe (v.17-18):

1.    In the Lord’s name they will cast out demons ---- to overcome the power of Darkness.

2.    They will speak with new tongues ---- to overcome the worldly differences;

3.    They will take up serpents ---- to overcome the devices of Satan;

4.    If they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them ---- to overcome the harm of poison;

5.    They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover ---- to overcome the infirmity of the flesh;

 

The Mission, Promise and Confirmation of the Risen Lord

A.   The Mission of the Risen Lord ---- “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (v.15).

B.   The Promise of the Risen Lord ---- “signs will follow those who believe” (v.17-18). 

C.   The Confirmation of the Risen Lord ---- “the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs” (v.20).

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Mary Zhou